We're approaching the time where American television explodes in a huge burst of returning and brand new shows and I'm now figuring out exactly which ones I'd like to watch and which I can probably hang back on. I'm not so sure there are going to be that many good new shows this year, we seem to be in something of a creative drought as less risks are being taken. But there are many good shows returning to make up for this.

Sons of Anarchy:
If you've not watched the first season of this show then you've got a little time to catch up by doing so. Starring Ron Pearlman, Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal and more besides, this show is one of the semi-spiritual successors of The Shield, but is focused around a motorcycle gang and their lives. It's action packed, exciting, dark and uncompromising. Fans of action drama shows would do themselves a huge favour by checking this one out.

Nip/Tuck:
The show is winding down for their (apparently) final round of cutting and stitching. While Nip/Tuck's finest moments were mostly in the first two seasons it's remained consistently entertaining by not taking itself too seriously. I'm half a season behind on watching this one, so I'll probably catch up when it's shown on UK Terrestrial TV - but it's still something I'm looking forward to seeing the close of.

Dollhouse:
I won't be watching this one as it airs, because I found much of the first season to be very lackluster and weak. But I will be keeping an eye on it for later consumption by reading reviews on other sites. If there's enough praise going around I'll catch up on what I've missed and get back on board. Because anything from Josh Whedon needs attention paid to it.

Scrubs: The Next Generation
Or whatever they decide to call it. I will be swinging by to watch this one as I felt the quality returned to Scrubs in the eight season and I'm interested in a show starring Turk and Cox. It's one which could go either way if I'm honest, but it needs to be tried out before it's judged.

The Office & 30 Rock:
As long as they keep making these two I'll keep watching them, I don't think the quality has dropped at all in the entire time they've been on screen and right now I'm looking forward to many more years of them. I don't have much more to say, they're great shows.

Dexter:
While I felt the third season was pretty poor (by Dexter standards) I'll definitely be tuning in for the fourth season as Michael C. Hall's performance as Dexter alone should be enough to keep things interested - and from what I've seen of the previews John Lithglow should be exceptionally interesting as well. The show just needs to avoid being trapped into the same tropes it rehashed last season, it's needing to evolve and grow up a little. This season will be make or break for me, if it's like the previous season I'll probably stop watching the show for a long time.

How I Met Your Mother:
The end of the last season was so damn good it would be impossible for me to not want to watch this. They've taken another step forward in the story and brought us closer to finding out who the mother is. But frankly as long as Neil Patrick Harris continues to be in this, I'll continue to watch.

Supernatural:
This one might become a DVD show, because I missed out on the second part of season four when I moved home and it still hasn't been released on DVD here in the UK because the manufacturers are desperately trying to shift the seperate two parts of the season instead. As such it won't be until November before I can watch the entire fourth season. Stupid manufacturers.

There are also some shows which are now falling to the wayside. Heroes is one of these as I'm tired with the constant failures Tim Kring and his creative team keep bringing to the screen - so I won't be watching it again, ever (welcome to limbo Heroes, enjoy your time here with 24). House is something I've relegated to watching when it's released on DVD, likewise Bones.

And as for new shows, I haven't seen any which catch my eye yet apart from maybe Cougar Town; The Cleveland Show just looks like a terrible idea - but I'm open to suggestions right now.