Kat with a K

Fall TV Handbook: Mondays at 8

The shows: 90210, Chuck, Dancing with the Stars, House, How I Met Your Mother, Rules of Engagement

What I'm doing: DVRing Chuck and House because I remain perpetually convinced that I might watch them some day. Watching How I Met Your Mother online because I am actually caught up on that.

90210, CW, Mondays at 8, 9/13
Stars and how you know them: Shenae Grimes (Degrassi), Tristan Wilds (The Wire), AnnaLynne McCord (Nip/Tuck), Ryan Eggold (Dirt), Jessica Stroup (Reaper)
What it is: The next generation of the original 90210 - a family moves to Beverly Hills and teenage soapy drama ensues.
The buzz: This one is at least holding on, unlike the Melrose Place reboot. I don't think I've heard anything either way about how the new season is, so they might not have sent out screeners.
You might like this if you like: High school dramas, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, the original 90210

Chuck, NBC, Mondays at 8, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect), Yvonne Strahovski (Headland), Sarah Lancaster (What About Brian), Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Serenity), Joshua Gomez (Without a Trace)
What it is: A random geek accidentally gets secret government databases downloaded into his brain and gets involved with the CIA and NSA.
The buzz: This show has a small but rabid following.
You might like this if you like: Funny spy stuff

Dancing with the Stars, ABC, Mondays at 8, Tuesdays at 9, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Bristol Palin, The Situation (Jersey Shore), Jennifer Grey (Dirty Dancing)
What it is: "Celebrities" in a ballroom dancing competition.
The buzz: Bristol Palin. The Situation. Enough said.
You might like this if you like: Dancing? Celebrity trainwrecks?

House, FOX, Mondays at 8, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Hugh Laurie (Jeeves and Wooster, A Bit of Fry and Laurie), Lisa Edelstein (West Wing), Robert Sean Leonard, Jesse Spencer (Neighbours), Omar Epps (ER), Jennifer Morrison (Star Trek)
What it is: A possibly crazy doctor diagnoses weird stuff.
The buzz: House and Cuddy are finally getting together this season, so some people are thrilled and the rest are convinced the show will be awful now.
You might like this if you like: Medical shows? Frankly, you probably already know if you like this.

How I Met Your Mother, CBS, Mondays at 8, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Josh Radnor, Jason Segal (Freaks and Geeks, Undeclared), Cobie Smulders (Veritas: The Quest), Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Howser, Dr. Horrible), Alyson Hannigan (Buffy, American Pie)
What it is: A guy takes YEARS AND YEARS to tell his kids the story of how he met their mother. What it actually is: A sitcom about a bunch of friends in their twenties.
The buzz: It's widely accepted that this show went off the rails last season. The showrunners seem to have realized this, and promise that things will get better. We'll see.
You might like this if you like: Relationship sitcoms, quirky humor, Friends

Rules of Engagement, CBS, Mondays at 8:30, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Patrick Warburton (Venture Bros., Family Guy), Megyn Price (Grounded for Life), Oliver Hudson (Dawson's Creek), Bianca Kajlich (Rock Me, Baby), David Spade (SNL, Just Shoot Me, 8 Simple Rules)
What it is: Couples and their single friend have relationships and, um, stuff.
The buzz: I had no idea what this was about or who was in it until I just looked it up, so I'm going to go ahead and say that people don't talk about it much.
You might like this if you like: Relationship sitcoms