So I lied.

A month or so ago, I proudly announced my decision to take on no new television programs. I even declared that I was dumping Desperate Housewives. So I lied. Encouraged by a friend and then subconsciously influenced by the many Chicago trains with its advertisements plastered to the sides, I decided to tune in for Dirty Sexy Money. One really good thing about the show is that the hubby and I watch it together. Outside of The Office, 30 Rock, and our HBO favorites--Entourage and Big Love--there are very few shows that we both enjoy. As I have said many times, two televisions can contribute to a happy marriage. We don't argue about what to watch, we simply split up when need be. Dirty Sexy Money is a show about Nick George, an idealistic young lawyer whose father used to work for the wealthiest family in New York. His father dies in a plane crash, and Nick then reluctantly agrees to take his job. Many of the early episodes revolve around his frustration with babysitting the filthy rich, cleaning up their various messes and attending to their sometimes-petty needs. As the show's title promises, limits are pushed. There's a minister who tries to pass off his illegitimate child as a Swedish orphan and a senate candidate in love with a trannie who makes, to be honest, an oddly captivating woman. The first couple of weeks, I felt okay about Dirty, Sexy Money but not overwhelmed. This week's episode, however, introduced a new layer of mystery and complexity to the show, and I have to say I'm now officially intrigued.

The other new show I have taken on, thanks to an Entertainment Weekly endorsement, is the CW's Aliens in America. This is a half-hour sitcom about Justin Tolchuck, a nerdy high school kid who tries to fly under the radar screen. I think it is set in Minnesota or maybe Wisconsin (the actress who plays the mom lays the accent on pretty thick, but I don't mind). Mrs. Tolchuck makes it her full-time job to try to improve Justin's popularity and social life. In a recent episode, she retooled his wardrobe based on what she heard kids in Orange County were wearing. Too tired to fight her, Justin dons a pair of skinny jeans for school--it's priceless. Anyway, swayed by brochures featuring strapping Nordic exchange students, Justin's mom agrees that they will take in a foreign student, falsely believing that an exchange student will help her son win more friends. Instead of a gorgeous, blond god, the family gets Raja, a Pakistani boy. The friendship that develops between Justin and Raja is genuinely heartwarming, and the glimpses of high school life, though sometimes painful, ring true. The writing is quite good. And, now that I think of it, this is also a show that the hubby and I are watching together. As an added bonus, Scott Patterson, who played Luke on Gilmore Girls, plays Papa Tolchuck. Sure, I wish he were still pouring coffee for Lorelai and Rory, but it's still good to see him.

The Desperate Housewives situation is not as desperate as it sounds. Despite my professed decision to bid Teri Hatcher and the girls goodbye, I have continued DVR-ing the episodes. I have not watched them and, unless the impending writer's strike drives me to it, I am not planning to. NTB. Sure, I haven't found the will or courage to delete them, but nobody's perfect. In case anyone is wondering, I feel really strong about my decision to not watch the new season of Beauty and the Geek. NTB.