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"Touch" gets soulful and a bit heavy-handed

As I was starting this review, a commercial for CBS' "Person of Interest" came on, a nice coincidence since like "Touch" (9 tonight, Fox), it too has a post-9/11 perspective.

"Person of Interest" sees the world post-9/11 through darkened lens; Big Brother is watching, we need a crusader to work against a machine that knows when our number is up, and yet the future is murky. "Touch" takes a more soulful view. It suggests that what's been lost in the last decade is what binds us.  It is a show about our need to connect, a near desperate need, and the ways we can and we do, whether we are aware or not.  Unfortunately, while I can get behind that idea, I can't throw my full support behind "Touch."

THE NEW FALL SEASON: "How To Be a Gentleman"

Too bad you can't copyright ideas because Neil Simon would be even richer. "How To Be a Gentleman" (8:30 tonight, CBS), is basically "The Odd Couple" but odder and not as funny.

Andrew (David Hornsby) plays a refined columnist told to tweak his etiquette column; an old and more rough-hewn classmate (Kevin Dillon) ends up helping him learn a different style of manhood. And Andrew teaches the rough guy a thing or two. (Mary-Lynn Rajskub is wasted in her role as Andrew's sister.)

This didn't click with me at all. It's like "According to Jim"; one of those shows you keep on until the show you really want to watch comes on.

THE NEW FALL SEASON: "A Gifted Man"

Patrick Wilson is "A Gifted Man" (8 tonight, CBS), a wealthy, brilliant and controlled neurosurgeon who runs into his ex-wife (Winston-Salem native Jennifer Ehle) one day. Funny thing is, she's been dead for two weeks.

This is either going to be "Ghost Whisperer" & "Touched by An Angel" with a little more smarts or a really interesting exploration of faith and science and the rational mind.  Fingers crossed that it's the latter; Jonathan Demme directs the pilot and "Erin Brockovich" screenwriter Susannah Grant wrote and created the show, which I'll take as a good sign.

There are some lazy stereotypes (Julie Benz as the doctor's sister is a mess, so, of course, she's the one to introduce him to the hippy shaman who helps explain the spirit world), but Ehle has an ethereal quality that's almost heart-breaking, and Wilson has really good moments as a man having his way of life challenged.

THE NEW FALL SEASON: "Person of Interest"

Leave it to J.J. Abrams to distill post-9/11 paranoia and fear and turn it into great television.

In "Person of Interest" (9 tonight, CBS), Jim Caviezel is a former CIA agent with a mysterious past who ends up working for Michael Emerson, a scientist who has developed a way to see when crimes are going to be committed. The system lets them know who will be the victim, but not when or why. That's for Caviezel's character to unravel. Taraji P. Henson plays a cop trying to figure out what the heck is going on.

Caviezel channels Clint Eastwood as Dirty Harry; he kick butts effectively and speaks with economy. Emerson is quirky and fastidious. This is the best odd couple of the season.

Abrams has hurt me before after developing a show with a great start ("Alias"!!). Please, please let this show stay as excellent as the pilot.

THE NEW FALL SEASON: "Unforgettable"

As I watched "Unforgettable" (10 tonight, CBS), I imagined someone seeing the episode of "60 Minutes" with the report on the people with hyperthymesia -- that condition that allows folks to recall every moment -- and saying 'That could be a show!'

And so it is; a cop show, of course. Poppy Montgomery plays a detective who has left the force because remembering everything can apparently be tortuous. She's pulled back into police work when a crime is committed near her building and her ex-boyfriend (Dylan Walsh) happens to lead the local homicide unit. 

"Unforgettable" doesn't live up to it's name; instead it's perfectly pleasant.

THE NEW FALL SEASON: "2 Broke Girls"

"2 Broke Girls" (8:30 tonight, CBS) isn't as hilarious as "Bridesmaids" but if you saw and you liked that movie, you should like this crass, edgy sitcom. It's like "Two and a Half Men" with chicks.

Max (Kat Dennings) is a tough working-class waitress who ends up rooming and starting a business with Caroline (Beth Behrs), a bankrupt heiress, spawned by a Bernie Madoff type. Caroline annoys, then wins over Max; because she has been rich and is educated, Caroline's more hopeful, offering Max some inspiration. I liked Dennings more than Behrs, but they both worked in their roles.

Listen for the Duke sex joke delivered by co-star Garrett Morris.

Ted Danson the new star of "CSI"

The big news: Ted Danson is heading to "CSI."

The big question: Is this something that could finally get me to try to watch at least one full episode of "CSI?"

Danson is best known for his comic portayal of Sam Malone on the long-running NBC sitcom "Cheers," and then spent six years heading the CBS sitcom "Becker." But Danson can definitely do drama, as fans of "Damages" can attest (Danson was nominated for an Emmy for playing the rotten CEO, Arthur Furbisher). Danson also currently stars on the HBO series "Bored to Death," and he's absolutely hilarious there, and makes occasional appearances on Larry David's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

How I Met Your Mother: 'Challenge Accepted'

As far as cliffhanger finales go, the "How I Met Your Mother" capper to season six offered slightly more suspense than your average stumble off a stepladder.

Ted resists reuniting with Zoey? Yawn. Lily is not throwing up because of food poisoning but because she's pregnant? Anyone who's watched more than two hours of American sitcoms could have predicted that "twist."

But a flash forward revealing that Barney is the groom in the wedding hinted at in the season's first episode? That works.

The smart money has Robin as the bride, even after Monday night's episode ended with Barney and Robin considering and then discounting the possibility of a rekindling of their romance. The last second appearance of Robin's British friend who Barney briefly dated seems like an obvious red herring.

But we can all agree with Barney and Robin's description of Ted and Zoey's romance, likely couched in a meta maneuver by the show's writers as an acknowledgment of the relationship as a wrong turn this season, as the worst thing ever.

Or maybe that will be Marshall and Lily's baby, for those of you who vowed to stop watching whenever that blessed event occurred.

Canceled: CBS canceled some $#*! today

CBS canceled some $#*! today, including the Twitter-inspired William Shatner sitcom "$#*! My Dad Says."

They also canceled the "How I Met Your Mother" copycat sitcom "Mad Love," which starred Sarah Chalke and Jason Biggs, and the pretty good legal dramedy "The Defenders," which starred Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell.

No word yet on CBS bubble shows "CSI: NY" and "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior." We'll update you when something happens with those.

How I Met Your Mother: 'We're Done Here'

"How I Met Your Mother" tipped its viewers off weeks ago that Ted and Zoey's relationship was doomed. So Monday's breakup was hardly a surprise.

Still, give credit to Ted for crafting the perfect breakup line.

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