So. About that "leftover pizza" thing.

Today, my favorite TV critic, Mo Ryan of the Chicago Tribune, tweeted about the overflow of good programming on Tuesdays. (Initially, she had forgotten about Justified, which premiered last night on FX, and I'm sure I was one of dozens to remind her about that one, which is AWESOME). And I scratched my head, and thought "didn't I once lament that lack of anything watchable on Tuesdays?" And in fact, I had done that, calling Tuesday "the worst night of television of the entire week" and "leftover pizza."

Well, things change.

Right now on Tuesdays we have:

V, coming back on 3.30
Idol
Lost
Glee
Justified
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, returning 3.30

Also, we have Sons of Anarchy, returning in September (which is a time slot "partner" with Justified on FX), White Collar, which just wrapped up a successful first season (which is a time slot partner with L&O:CI), and Warehouse 13, returning 7.13.

Damn, that leftover pizza tastes good.

Still, it's not the scheduling and DVR-straining cataclysm that happens two days later, on Thursdays:

FlashForward
Bones
Community
Parks & Recreation
CSI
Supernatural
Fringe (Finally returning 4.1!)
The Office
30 Rock
The Mentalist
Archer (season finale this Thursday, already renewed for a second season!)
Burn Notice (just concluded season, returning in the summer)
Futurama (returning 6.24!)
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (not sure when that resumes, but I assume it will be in the fall, where it would be great paired with a returning Archer on FX)

Now THAT is an overstuffed night.

Tuesday is leftover pizza

Tuesday night is really the worst night of television of the entire week. Looking back at my fall season preview for Tuesday, I only listed four programs capable of making their way onto my TiVo. (For comparison, Thursday has TEN!) One of them (V) won't start for a while, one already concluded its delightful and promising summer run (Warehouse 13), and one is a passably entertaining procedural (NCIS) that I watch as I go to sleep (though it does continue to build as a ratings powerhouse, frequently ranking #1 in total viewers). Only the dark, engaging, challenging and well-crafted biker drama Sons of Anarchy stands out at all.

Obviously, it would be nice if the networks moved some of the shows from elsewhere on the schedule into the Tuesday void, but A. they're probably afraid of the NCIS juggernaut, and B. Tuesday isn't, as a whole, a well viewed night for advertising (again, compared to Thursday, which gets a lot of advertiser support, particularly for clients looking to motivate weekend purchases).

However, there are a few things that brighten up the night.

First, there are the TiVo carryovers that I haven't gotten around to watching yet, like last night's Castle, which just got an order for a full season. Huzzah! (Mondays are usually pretty busy, with Big Bang, HIMYM, House, Lie to Me and Monday Night Football).

Second, we have two outstanding documentaries going on. On IFC, there's the insightful and laugh out loud six part doc on Monty Python (which is entering its third episode tonight, and is really very good thus far). On ESPN, there's the third episode of their 30 for 30 series, which is surprisingly (and thankfully) free of the usual grating ESPN bombast and self-promotion, instead giving the creators total control of their hour. Tonight is a look at the USFL, which should be fun.

I guess it helps to have a "catch up" night, but man do I wish some of the scripted favorites would relocate.