The TV you are probably not watching, but totally should be.

I usually spend my summers watching shows I missed from last season to decide what should fill up the holes in my tv dance card. This summer was no exception, although it was a little heavy on the Brit TV this year due to enthused pushing from my friends. Apparently this is the year of the Brit. (Say hello to: Spaced, Doctor Who)

And I have to say, I am glad I found these shows when I did, because I am not impressed with the new TV season. None of the new shows are really popping out at me, and even though I have three weeks worth of Gossip Girl taped, I cannot bring myself to watch it. (I clearly am still in mourning over The O.C. and Veronica Mars.)

So, without further ado, the shows that you probably are not watching, but you totally should be.

1. HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER

Um, is there anything more awesome than this show? It is clearly LEGEN--

You wouldn't think there is a sitcom that has more heart than the smoopsyness of Jim and Pam on the Office, but here is one with not only more heart, but no love triangles! YES. THANK YOU GOD. After last year on the Office (and also the show of which we do not speak, which was probably a worse offender, come on LEXIE GREY?,) I was going to barf if there was another love triangle with sad sacks moping because they couldn't have two boyfriends or weren't over their exes.

--wait for it...--

While Ted is occasionally a sad sack, everyone else on the show mocks him for it, as one's good friends (should and often) do. There are slap bets and laser tag, Canadian jokes, frequent use of the word awesome, and lots of laughter without relying on awkward humor. (See: The Office, Arrested Development) It's a refreshing show-- clever and realistic (apart from the ridiculously large apartments they all seem to have in the middle of Manhattan, but minor quibble) and somehow oddly feel-good.

Also Barney goes on the Price is Right in one of the episodes. Seriously. Truly, this show is... --DARY.

Mondays on CBS at 8pm.

2. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
I initially ignored the buzz surrounding this show last season, because who wants to watch a inspirational sports movie every week? It gets old. But even though no one can come up with a more coherent plot summary than "...Football players? In Texas? But it's not just that?", this show is excellent.

Reason #1 to be watching: MATT SARACEN. Everything good about my high school boyfriends wrapped into one little neat (with nice abs) football-playing package. Hello, my new fictional TV boyfriend.

Reason #2 to be watching: The music is quite good, even if you wouldn't be able to guess it from the disjointedness of the soundtrack they put out.

Reason #3 to be watching: The Taylors are made of awesome. There is so much awesome in that fictional TV family that I suspect them of having stolen all the awesome from the new TV pilots this season. How else can you explain it?

Reason #4 to be watching: The documentary style (while occasionally queasy-making) is fun to see on the screen. It's different than the rest of what's on TV now, and it really works with the show and the type of stories they're telling.

Reason #5 to be watching: the DVDs are super cheap, (19.99! Seriously!) and with some sort of money-back guarantee, so HELLO. And for those of you that are broke, all the episodes are available online at NBC.com to watch.

Although having seen the second season premiere on Yahoo TV, I have to ask, "How are they going to recover from THAT?" I look forward to seeing what they are doing with that (Please, Jason Katims, don't ruin it like the second season of Roswell.) The actual TV premiere is tonight, so we shall see what, if anything changes from that viewing.

And yes, it is on Friday, but that is what VCRs and Tivo were made for. Saturday morning hungover TV watching. (or 3am drunken watching. Whatever. That is what got me through the third season of the O.C.- I was watching it at three in the morning whilst drunk. Also, shut up Johnny, because Kaitlin is awesome.) Clearly.

Fridays on NBC at 9pm.

images from cbs.com and nbc.com.