What's on TV

The fallow summer season of watch-paint-dry TV is now at an end and the Autumn schedules are upon us. Steel yourselves for a plethora of programming in the familiar settings of police stations and hospitals. Sometimes one dead body or deadly disease just isn't enough, it has to be nothing short of serial killings or a horrific accident with ambulance-loads of casualties.

So what's worth watching in the hospital wing? Hugh Laurie makes a welcome return as Greg House, nobly managing the double impediment of walking with a limp and affecting an American accent. It's scary what they do to patients who have the misfortune to contract a mysterious illness. Fishing for clues, frequent misdiagnoses and throwing a cocktail of drugs in the mix often results in a near-death experience, shortly followed by a visionary moment in which the correct cure is found at the eleventh hour.

There's a new series of Gray's Anatomy, which continues in the same vein, but the spin-off, Private Practice, featuring Addison (the redhead) hasn't met with favourable reviews.

On the crime scene, Dexter made a grisly debut, but redeems itself with a gripping plotline, interesting characters and a dash of black humour.

The trend towards detective work with a paranormal twist continues - Medium (she sees it coming) the Dresden Files ( a female cop teams up with a wizard) Blood Ties (a female cop teams up with a vampire) and Saving Grace (a female cop meets her guardian angel).

As all these are American it's only fair to mention, Life on Mars - cops in a retro alternate reality - and there is talk of a spin-off.

Moving away from the police station but within the parameters of the paranormal is the much-hyped Heroes, now set for s econd series. The first series saw ex- Dr Who Christopher Eccleston put in appearance as the invisible man (yes that may sound like a contradiction in terms, but he is visible some of the time).

Talking of the Doctor, I hear that David Tennant is to stay on for a while, which I hope will be the case as I've grown accustomed to his face and don't want the dear old doctor to get a new one yet. (I know he has undergone more transformations than a cat has lives, but isn't he getting towards the end of his allowance now?)

Anyway, on the whole, while there is much re-working of tried and trusted themes, it seems there is also a little room for some innovative ideas and fresh new drama.

Treasury of Unusual Words

"Podiacide" : The metaphorical act of shooting oneself in the foot.

B/S - "Bovine scatology": euphemism coined by American general Norman Schwarzkopf

"Kakistocracy" : A system of government in which the rulers are the least competetent, least qualified or most unprincipled citizens.

Definitions from Foyle's Philavery: A Treasury of Unusual Words, by Christopher Foyle.