Top 5 shows from this fall's freshman class

'Tis the season for November sweeps.

November sweeps is when TV shows pull out their best story lines to bump up their viewing audiences.  Sweeps is a magical time when all your favorite TV shows have new episodes and every week really is must-see-TV.  But sadly, sweeps is also the precursor to that long, dark night that is winter hiatus.  Winter is coming, and it smells like reruns.

But here's the good news: you can use the winter break to get caught up on all the great new shows you need to be watching.  It's not too late to start from the beginning with OnDemand or Hulu.  And I'm here to give you the rundown on the freshman class of fall 2013. Below are my top five picks from this fall's newbies.  I'm serious guys-- you gotta start watching these, stat.

New Shows, Old Faces: Fall 2013 TV Season

It's here! It's here! The start of the fall 2013 TV season has arrived, and with it a host of new shows to brawl it out on prime time.  It will be a blood bath and it will be glorious.

There's been a lot of talk recently about the changing face of television.  Even Kevin Spacey got in on the action.  As anyone with a computer knows, "content" is now no longer viewed only on actual television sets at certain times of day, but on a variety of platforms at whatever-time-I-feel-like-it.  TV bigwigs are just now realizing there is a market for this and the masses will still pay them to give the people what they want.  But some parts of the US television system are just too deeply ingrained to change, the biggest part being the fall premiere launch.  After wading through scripts, screening pilots, and strategically scheduling their lineup, the networks debut their hand-crafted new shows, the majority of which will be canceled before they've even become accustomed to the chill air of reality.

Because so many new shows get the axe, it can be a risk to start watching something new for fear you'll get invested just as it is yanked off the air.  But that's what I'm here for.  If you haven't already gone through the list of the new fall premieres to decide which you are going to invest precious DVR real estate in, let me help you.  I've given my top picks of shows I'm really pumped for and others I'll be watching out of the corner of my eye.  Remember, though, the risk of cancellation shouldn't stop you from sampling something that intrigues you.  What stays and what goes is still a surprise to the oldest of TV veterans.  May the odds be ever in the favor of your new favorites.

The Emmy Nomination Blues

It all started out so well.

Emmy nominations were released on Thursday, and I was as excited as a kid on Christmas morning.  While overall it was a somewhat lackluster year in television, there were some really great performances and exceptional episodes along the way. When I finally had time to go to the Emmys' site, at first I thought all of my dreams had come true--that the nominations were going to reflect the best of the year. The first list that popped up was lead actress in a drama series...and at the top of the list was Vera Farmiga from Bates Motel! This is what I had been waiting for! The Emmys to break their own routines, to recognize great breakout performances. This was such a good omen! But alas, my joy was short lived. As I kept going through category after category, it became clear this year was perhaps one of the worst in terms of snubbing the deserving and rewarding the mediocre.

Awards shows all have their own cliched pitfalls, and the Emmys are no exception.  Because of the repetitive nature of the genre--TV shows can run for years-- we see the same names being nominated (and winning) over and over again.  This year, I was particularly disappointed by the nominees for comedies. But let me go back to the beginning.