We were lucky enough to get a screener of the season premiere of Friday Night Lights (it debuted last night on DIRECTV and will air sometime in 2010 on NBC for the rest of us mortals) and after watching it, I'm not sure that I can wait until midseason for my fix of this show. The premiere was just that good. I wish I could get DIRECTV at my house... or at least find a friend who would let me visit every Wednesday. Here are the five things I liked most about the episode and that had me reconsidering my television provider. Fair warning, spoilers ahead.

Hang it all! It just figures that I'm being made aware of this creepy-ass website that sells homemade dolls modeled on cult TV and film characters after I'd already dispensed my Hannukah wish list and given all of my various friends and relatives subsequent tongue-lashings for not adhering to said list. (Yes, in fact I DO need a cat fountain, but these Macy's gift cards will do I suppose.)

Last night's House was amazing for a million reasons. House and Wilson were back together and on a bromantic road trip together, Hugh Laurie's performance in the funeral scene was breathtakingly good, the minions had to make themselves useful without House (for the most part) while he was off being taken hostage by Wilson, and even Kal Penn's character had something interesting to contribute in his scenes with the patient of the week for once. All in all, I think we can agree that this episode will go down as one of the best of the series. But more importantly -- how awesome was House's "MmmBop" ringtone?! As someone who prides myself on picking out the perfect ironic ringtones for every occasion, I have to say my current "Candle in the Wind" has been checkmated by House's Hanson, and I am so copying him. Anyone else love (or hate, and you'd certainly have a valid argument if you do) the Hanson joke?

I'm really not sure what to think about the news that Fox has picked up a new show by Arrested Development creator Mitchell Hurwtiz. The still-untitled show boasts a coupla AD's original directors, which bodes well for the general awesomeness of the program, but the plot's description has me scratching the old headfordshire in confusion. NY Mag's Vulture blog spoke to producer Jeff Rake, who says the show is a "high-octane action dramedy" (hmmmmm?) about "a Pentagon-based inventor who decided he couldn't live another day standing on the sidelines while Rome burns and accordingly sets out to put his inventions to very real use, behind the backs of friends, family and the entire U.S. government." (Double hmmmmmmm????!) But! He adds that "The heart and fun of the show is the lead character, who, while a badass in his own way, is a very grounded, relatable guy." Huh. Sounds ... confusing, am I right?

All right, I may have lured you in under some false pretenses. There will never, ever be Veronica Mars action figures. There are a few busts of Veronica and Logan Echolls, but manufacturing action figures is far too expensive a process for the few thousand they would likely sell. Heroes, on the other hand, is still on the air -- and still pretty popular, despite last season's meanderings -- which means the action figures are coming fast and furious. Hmm... What Veronica Mars cast member is on Heroes now? Let me think...

While doing a little bit of research for a How I Met Your Mother article, I stumbled across a tidbit of news about the show I missed when it first popped up -- there will be a book of the Bro Code. Yes, the set of bylaws that Barney, Ted, Marshall and bros everywhere adhere to will finally be available in one handy tome, comprising all 86-plus tenets -- which will be a great relief to fans who have been compiling their own (incomplete) lists on the Internet, as well as guys who are unsure whether it's okay to hook up with their friends' moms. (According to Article 89, it is not.)

Somehow I either forgot, or never knew that there was a Chuck comic book. Seriously, I need someone to like run my life and tell me when cool stuff I want to buy is available. Anyway, if you've been going through Nerd Herd withdrawals like I have, then you'll want to run to your nearest comic establishment and pick up the first couple of issues. If you can't sneak out of work, check out this link for a sneak peek at the art. This reading tool is a pain in the ass to use, I'm not going to lie, but you can look at the pretty pictures and attempt to use the large size and flip the pages and move the stuff all around, if you've got nothing better to do with your time because all that is on TV is Olympic baseball.

My cup freakin' runneth over today. First my Cylon toaster came in the mail. It was my "I didn't get to go to Comic Con" present to myself. (Well, that and the "last supper" BSG poster.) Then I find out they are putting out a Battlestar Galactica board game. Now my lifelong (okay, three year long) dream of being Starbuck can finally happen... and I don't even need to go to the gym!