Kat with a K

Fall TV Handbook: Thursdays at 8

This is the hour that is giving TV fans nightmares. Why, networks, why?

The shows: $#*! My Dad Says, 30 Rock, The Big Bang Theory, Bones, Community, My Generation, The Vampire Diaries

What I'm doing: DVRing Bones and The Vampire Diaries. Watching Community online. I'll try My Generation online, too. I'd watch Big Bang Theory if CBS would put it online, but they don't.

*$#*! My Dad Says, CBS, Thursdays at 8:30, 9/23
Stars and how you know them: William Shatner (Star Trek)
What it is: A sitcom based on the "shit my dad says" Twitter feed.
The buzz: Everyone unanimously says this is completely awful.
You might like this if you like: Shatner, I guess?

30 Rock, NBC, Thursdays at 8:30, 9/23
Stars and how you know them: Tina Fey (SNL), Tracy Morgan (SNL), Alec Baldwin (all sorts of stuff), Jane Krakowski (Ally McBeal)
What it is: Sitcom set behind the scenes at a sketch comedy show
The buzz: This is one of those perpetual favorites.
You might like this if you like: SNL

Big Bang Theory, The, CBS, Thursdays at 8, 9/23
Stars and how you know them: Jim Parsons (Judging Amy), Johnny Galecki (Roseanne), Kaley Cuoco (Charmed)
What it is: A woman moves in next door to brilliant, awkward geeks.
The buzz: People loooove this, and Parsons just won an Emmy.
You might like this if you like: Sitcoms, geeky stuff

Bones, FOX, Thursdays at 8, 9/23
Stars and how you know them: David Boreanaz (Buffy, Angel), Emily Deschanel
What it is: An FBI agent and a forensic anthropologist solve murders.
The buzz: Last season was a little controversial, and the "will they or won't they?" pressure is building.
You might like this if you like: Castle, The Mentalist, procedurals

Community, NBC, Thursdays at 8, 9/23
Stars and how you know them: Joel McHale (The Soup), Gillian Jacobs, Danny Pudi, Allison Brie, Chevy Chase, Yvette Nicole Brown, Donald Glover
What it is: Sitcom about demographically diverse students at a community college
The buzz: Everyone adores this show.
You might like this if you like: Other NBC Thursday sitcoms

*My Generation, ABC, Thursdays at 8, 9/23
Stars and how you know them: There's a huge cast, but the only name I recognized was Mehcad Brooks (The Deep End).
What it is: A mockumentary drama following members of the class of 2000 ten years later.
The buzz: A lot of critics love this, and the rest completely hate it.
You might like this if you like: Dramas about twentysomethings. Grey's Anatomy, maybe?

Vampire Diaries, The, CW, Thursdays at 8, 9/9
Stars and how you know them: Nina Dobrev (Degrassi), Ian Somerhalder (Lost), Paul Wesley (Everwood, American Dreams)
What it is: A high school girl's life is disrupted when two vampire brothers come to town. I promise it's better than it sounds.
The buzz: The first season was amazing, the finale was the best finale I've ever seen, and the premiere is getting raves from critics.
You might like this if you like: Teen dramas, vampires, Buffy, Supernatural