I seem to gravitate towards the lonely, ill-promoted shows, and have had my TV heart smashed several times. The Nielsens make me cranky. Once we hit late winter I visit TV by the Numbers more often than I would like to admit. Is it really that people just aren’t interested in smart, unique TV, or is it that the networks just have zero idea how to tap into something that isn’t easy-peasy to promote, a la CSI or Law & Order. Here are a few shows I wish more people were watching.

Chuck (NBC, Mon @ 8est) – Honestly people, this is the sweetest damn show on television! And funny. And spy-y… much more fun than JJs ho-hum Undercovers spy show (sorry Mr. Abrams, you know how much I love ya’). Plus, for all you Firefly fans, there is Adam Baldwin (Jayne!) being gruff and awesome (not to be confused with Awesome, Chuck’s brother-in-law).

This show has struggled since the beginning, and I am sure the only reason it is still on is because of some weird deal with Subway sandwich shops, and the fact that NBC sucks right now, and I am grateful for that (and this is probably the reason why a bunch of my other faves are still around, actually).

I totally understand why this show was a slow-starter. It took some time to get a good balance between Chuck’s spy life and his family/Buy More life, but I think they have it pretty much nailed right now.  NBC slashed their budget and this season and last have been a 13 ep. order with possibility for extra added episodes as the season progressed (which happened last year, upping the season to 19 eps). These changes have really made the episodes sharper and even more fun. If NBC continues to tank, and there is no indication things are getting any better over there, there is a good chance for extra added Chuck again this season. Plus, they really know how to bring on the guest stars. Linda Hamilton, Chevy Chase, Armand Assante, Nicole Richie, Scott Bakula, Steve Austin and the mother of all guest stars, Mark Sheppard.

The show is easy to jump into, it’s not rocket science people! Check it out here or here and have a little fun with Chuck.

Cougar Town (ABC, Wed @ 9:30est) – Terrible title. Really, the worst. Even the creator thinks so, but I implore you to give this show a chance. ABC seems to like it, so it isn’t in imminent danger of getting cancelled, but I truly believe it is funnier than it’s 9 o’clock lead-in, Modern Family. I know, Modern Family has gotten all the awards and hype, but I think Cougar Town is sharper with the wit, and sweeter with the ‘Aw’ moments.

Courtney Cox is funnier than in Friends as the leader of a odd bunch of neighbors, co-workers and family who live together in a cul de sac in Florida. They like to drink wine and play pranks on each other… I am not doing it justice (I’m not in PR, for goodness sakes!), but this show makes me laugh right out loud week after week.

Let me reiterate, this show is not about a 40-something woman dating younger men. Not.At.All. (except for the first bunch of episodes in season one, before they figured out what this show was really about) The show has even started mocking its name during its opening title page. Give it a chance, and catch episodes here or here.

I’ve got more shows to pimp, but I will save those for another day. If you find yourself with an extra hour or so one day, open your mind and give your funny bone a little treat with one of these shows.

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According to Washington Post TV columnist Lisa de Moraes: “‘Hawaii Five-O’ is one of the new season’s better launches so far, easily winning its Monday 10 o’clock timeslot among 18-49 year olds — the hot blondes of Madison Avenue — and in total viewers (14.2 million).”

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OK, I guess the TV seasons before most people had televisions were worse, but this season was for the birds, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The four major networks (that’d be CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox – sorry CW) lost an average of 16 percent of viewership in the coveted “demo” – adults 18-49. That includes DVR use.

Fox was on top, followed by CBS, ABC and NBC. But “on top” still includes a steep drop.

Why is this?

A whole mess of things.

First off, a lot of people are watching online – legally and illegally (Hulu an example of the former, BitTorrent an example of the latter). I know some folks who don’t have televisions, even, and only watch what they like online.

Second, a lot of people watch on DVR, but not within that 7-day window included in ratings. For example, my husband and I haven’t watched Season 2 of Damages yet. The entire season is sitting there on our DVR. We just finished up the entire first seasons of Dollhouse and Better off Ted in a few days in marathon viewing sessions. (I’ll be writing about BoT in a couple days). I still have episodes of Reaper, the season finale of Supernatural and Sunday’s episode of Breaking Bad on my DVR, waiting for me to have a chance to sit down and watch ‘em.

Then there’s the whole DVD experience, too. A few years ago, we caught up on the first two seasons of Alias by borrowing them from the library. I’ve been watching Season 1 of Torchwood on DVD, a Christmas present.

The ratings were as of Wednesday night, which marked the “official” end of the TV season. Did you even know that? Didn’t think so.

There is no such thing as a TV season anymore. We just were treated to a third season of Burn Notice this winter, and another one is coming this summer. Some shows never start until “midseason” (24, American Idol, Lost). Others bounce around the scheduling calendar (Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY).

Yet the ratings system, other than adding the DVR and DVR+7 ratings into the mix, hasn’t changed in forever.

It’s time to change. We’ve lost too many good shows (Jericho, Kings) to the poor way ratings are measured. All the networks own multiple stations now; if the ratings for Kings are too low for NBC proper, why not send it on over to USA or even SyFy?

C’mon. The Nielsen ratings are so … 1980s.

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