The new premieres are down to a trickle now, though there are a couple big ones coming later this month and maybe one or two in November.

Thursday

9:00 PM Reign (CW), White Collar (USA)

10:00 PM Covert Affairs (USA)

Fast N’ Loud (9:00 PM Monday DSC) Fast N’ Loud seems to have more false starts than my favorite football team on a bad Sunday; they will have a new episode or two then a few weeks off and then they’re back.  This kind of schedule would annoy the heck out of me if I weren’t such a fan of the show.  As I’ve mentioned before, Richard and Aaron are cool guys who build some awesome cars; this week should be really great because Richard actually gets his hands dirty, Aaron reportedly starts building his personal dream car and a Harley Sportster gets customized.

The Mentalist (10:00 PM Sunday CBS) I’m starting to think something big is going to happen this season on the Mentalist.  First, Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) seems to be displaying a bit more affection toward his fellow investigators which could mean something really, really bad is going to happen to some or all of them, or it could mean the character is maturing and opening up; either way it should make the story more interesting.  Second, there is some indication that the discovery of the identity of Red John is growing closer, or at least there is evidence that a conspiracy between some of the individuals on Jane’s list of Red John suspects exists, and they may soon be exposed.  The Mentalist doesn’t have the graphic violence of a premium cable program like Dexter, which might put it at a disadvantage in the minds of some, but much like a Hitchcock film, the violence is often implied, and that is usually enough to conjure strong emotion in viewers.  If you haven’t watched in a season or two, or have never seen this well written and clever program, check out past seasons on Amazon or iTunes and then watch new episodes Sundays at 10 PM on CBS. 

– John Morton