I do not want to get back together with 'The Ex List'

I think we all know by now that sometimes I irrationally dislike a show.

That my anger towards it does not fit the crime the show has committed.

That's the case with The Ex List (premiering Friday at 9 p.m. on CBS). I know this is a slightly unreasonable reaction but I have not been this annoyed by a pilot since I watched the opening hour of Men in Trees (which admittedly did improve as time went on).

Elizabeth Reaser stars as Bella Bloom (see? Even the character name is annoying and here's a surprise, Bella Bloom is a florist, get it?) is a single woman who visits as psychic during her sister's bachelorette party. The psychic tells Bella she's already met the man she's going to marry. And if she does not find out who the man is within the next year, she will be alone forever. If the pilot is any indication, each week Bella will revisit a past relationship. First up Eric Balfour (Milo on 24) as rocker Johnny Diamont. How their relationship ends for a second time is supposed to be a surprise but I could see it coming from the moment Balfour hit the screen.

I liked Reaser as Jane Doe/Ava on Grey's Anatomy but I really didn't like her here. There's a fine line between cute and smug and she's definitely veering towards the smug/whiny side.(As a side note, I think I need to create some kind of whiny rehab center for TV characters -- between Serena on Gossip Girl and Jerry on Raising the Bar, whining is reaching an all time high.)

And because this is a TV show, Bella is surrounded by a bevy of adorable and funny friends. Adam Rothenberg is Augie, Bella's roommate and best friend from college. Alexandra Breckenridge is Augie's girlfriend Vivian. In the pilot, Vivian spends a lot of time talking about her Brazilian bikini wax. I can't quite figure out who the writers thought would find this particular sub-plot entertaining. Bella's other friend Cyrus (Amir Talai) is there to doll out quip one liners. They are all the kind of characters that exist only on TV. They could have a dinner party with the gang from Lipstick Jungle.

I'm not against a show that is entirely about a 30-something woman's search for a love. But I do not know any woman remotely like Bella and if I did, I definitely wouldn't be friends with her. Two stars.

Am I being too harsh on the show? Probably but I can't help myself. After you watch The Ex List, let me know what you think.

ABC Wednesday Night Shows Return

All of ABC's sophomore dramas return from their long, writers-strike induced nap beginning tonight at 8 p.m.

If you were a fan of Pushing Daisies (8 p.m.) last season, I think you will love the premiere. It is true to the fairy tale, whimsical nature of a pie maker whose touch can bring a dead person back to life and whose second touch can send the person back to their grave. Autumn Reeser (Taylor on The O.C.) guest stars as this week's victim. I've come to accept that the show isn't for me but if it is for you, enjoy.

To read what I thought of the second season premiere of Private Practice (9 p.m.) check out my post from July when I got a sneak peek at the premiere. The show has made improvements but I don't think they are enough to save the show. I kind of wish OA (Original Addison) would wake up in Seattle, realize she had a bad dream about last year and head off to California to start all over again. I love the cast of Private Practice but all the characters really need to be rewritten from scratch. And the show needs to drop the potential romance between Addison and Pete (Tim Daly) or at least stop the ridiculous dialogue they have about their potential romance. We need a total reboot of the show. Come on everyone is doing it. If Desperate Housewives can, why not Private Practice too?

Oh how I would love to tell you about the season premiere of Dirty Sexy Money (10 p.m.) but, alas, I had some technical trouble with what ABC made available and I wasn't able to watch the premiere. But I can tell you that Blair Underwood is back as the dastardly Simon Elder and Lucy Liu joins the cast as Nola Lyons and that by the end of the premiere, one person is dead and another is arrested for murder. I thought this was one of the best new shows last season. Let's hope that remains true for this season as well.

After you watch the ABC premieres, talk about it below.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Jonathan LaPaglia (yes he's Anthony LaPaglia's younger brother) was Brent Langer the special agent who we thought was the spy but turned out not to be the spy on NCIS. He was Dave on Windfall and Kevin Debreno on The District.

Joe recognized David Giuntoli as the headmaster of the twin's school on Privileged. He was Maggie's fiance last season on Eli Stone and was the boyfriend of the soldier undergoing experimental brain surgery on Grey's Anatomy last season.

Peter Hermann was the man whose partner died on Fringe. We saw him last season on Cashmere Mafia as cheating husband Davis. He is also Trevor Langan on Law & Order: SVU (that's where he met his wife Mariska Hargitay).

Christopher and Joe were the first to recognize Mike Erwin, Colin on Everwood, as the drug dealer on Dexter.

I almost didnâ't recognize this one and Stewart was the first TV Gal reader to catch Rich Sommer as Pam’s art school friend on The Office. He is Harry Crane on Mad Men.

Michelle recognized Heather McComb as Gretchen's sister on Prison Break. She was Maggie on Party of Five and Frances Malone on Profiler. And, fun fact, in real life she's married to James Van Der Beek.

Aaron Hill who plays The Beaver on Greek was the murdered football player on Cold Case. Alice Hirson, who was Grandma Jenny on 7th Heaven and who we just saw as the grandmother on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, was his mother. David recognized M.C. Gainey, the always creepy Tom on Lost, as the football coach.

Cheryl recognized Vicki Lewis as Melissa on 'Til Death. She was Beth on NewsRadio and Nora on the short-lived Three Sisters.

Tammy reminded me that Dawnn Lewis, Jaleesa on A Different World, was Quentin's mom on One Tree Hill.

That's all for today. And if you have DirectTV, don't forget to watch Friday Night Lights. I'm back on Friday with an early look at My Own Worst Enemy and quotes of the week. Have a question? See a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com. Talk to you on Friday.

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