Kat with a K

Fall TV Handbook: Mondays at 10

The shows: The Big C, Castle, Chase, Hawaii Five-0, Men of a Certain Age, Weeds

What I'm doing: DVRing Castle and Hawaii Five-0. If the network puts Chase online, I'll try an episode, but I'm not hopeful.

*Big C, The, Showtime, Mondays at 10:30, 8/16
Stars and how you know them: Laura Linney (John Adams, Love Actually), Oliver Platt (West Wing, lots of movies), Reid Scott (My Boys, Secret Life)
What it is: A woman deals with a cancer diagnosis.
The buzz: Everyone seems to LOVE thing, and Linney and Platt are always great. I'd watch this if I had Showtime.
You might like this if you like: Weeds, maybe?

Castle, ABC, Mondays at 10, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Serenity, Dr. Horrible), Stana Katic (Quantum of Solace)
What it is: A charming, famous playboy mystery novelist helps the police solve murders.
The buzz: This show grew into a hit in its second season, and I'm hearing good things about the third. Can't wait!
You might like this if you like: Bones, The Mentalist

*Chase, NBC, Mondays at 10, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Kelli Giddish (Past Life, All My Children), Cole Hauser (K-Ville), Jesse Metcalfe (Desperate Housewives), Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break), Rose Rollins (The L Word)
What it is: A team of marshals tracks down fugitives.
The buzz: It's, uh, sounding pretty bad.
You might like this if you like: I suppose In Plain Sight is the obvious choice, but . . .

*Hawaii Five-0, CBS, Mondays at 10, 9/20
Stars and how you know them: Scott Caan (Entourage), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost), Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica), Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight, Three Rivers)
What it is: A remake, obviously. Detectives in Hawaii!
The buzz: People who have seen the pilot are saying it's actually quite good. Produced and written by the people who did the new Star Trek movie, btw.
You might like this if you like: Procedurals in exotic settings, bromances, the sci fi shows that all the stars and writers are known for.

Men of a Certain Age, TNT, Mondays at 10, 11/29
Stars and how you know them: Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond), Scott Bakula (Enterprise, Quantum Leap), Andre Braugher (Gideon's Crossing)
What it is: Former college buddies are now middle-aged friends.
The buzz: This has a following, but I haven't heard all that much about it.
You might like this if you like: Everybody Loves Raymond, maybe? I'm not sure.

Weeds, Showtime, Mondays at 10, 8/16
Stars and how you know them: Mary-Louise Parker (West Wing, Angels in America), Hunter Parrish, Alexander Gould, Kevin Nealon (Glenn Martin DDS), Justin Kirk
What it is: A suburban mom deals marijuana.
The buzz: People seem somewhat unsure about this new season, but I don't watch it, so I'm not entirely clear on why.
You might like this if you like: Six Feet Under, maybe?