The fall guy: I’m ready for the return of TV

Catching up on some highly regarded TV shows this summer has me primed for the return of some favorites and some potentially good new options this fall.

My annual summer TV catch-up proved highly successful, as I became quickly hooked on Bored to Death, Party Down and Breaking Bad. Becoming a fan of Breaking Bad proved fortuitous this August at Lollapalooza as I met Aaron Paul, who recently won an Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Drama, at a celebrity kickball game.

This fall, I’m anxiously awaiting the return of Fringe, Friday Night Lights, Modern Family and Cougar Town (seriously, after a bad start, the show morphed into one of the funniest on TV) and, well, really, that’s about it, at least as far as “anxiously” can be used to describe the feeling. I’ll still watch The Office and 30 Rock, but after lackluster 2009-2010s, I’m reserving my enthusiasm for 2010-2011.

I’m moderately ready for the return of Community, a comedy I abandoned midway through the year but have caught up some in summer reruns. The show remains hit or miss, but I often find myself invested in the characters. I’m leaning toward giving it another shot.

As for new shows, HBO’s Boardwalk Empire is atop the list. The Prohibition-era gangster tale has peaked on the hype scale, but I have a feeling it will live up to it.

I’m torn on NBC’s The Event, which looks like it might be cut from the Lost cloth, which is good, but I’m also not sure I want to invest the time in another mythology-driven show. My early feeling is I’ll give it a couple of viewings before making a firm decision.

I’m also hearing semi-positive things about Running Wilde and Raising Hope, two Fox comedies that have potential, particularly when you consider the creator of Arrested Development is behind Running Wilde. That alone will cause me to tune in.

So, what shows will you be watching (or, more likely, DVRing) this fall? What can I expect to be good, to be bad to be unmissable, to be unwatchable?