CBS was on the fence for Scorpion last season, and I fully expected it to be cancelled. The show is cheesy, the plots are far-fetched, and the awkward social dynamics of the characters make The Big Bang Theory look like a mature lovefest. But there’s a component each week that is interesting — they put the characters in impossible situations, and they have to Macgyver a solution.

The first season left off with Walter O’Brien, head genius, having an emotional flameout and trapped on the side of a cliff after going through a guard rail in a Ferrari. It was meant to trigger all these emotional epiphanies in the characters, but it was more about all the techno wizardry of solving one problem only to be met with another.

The new season started with a standard Scorpion-type problem — there’s a satellite going to hit California, there’s nuclear material onboard, they have to stop it from hitting a populated area. Except the writers went on full-scale overkill on this one — normally there are 3 or 4 complications during the episode to keep things interesting. This ep? There were at least 7 or 8. Every nuance was compromised, and then their solution didn’t work. It was a complete hoot to watch. Still cheesy as all get out, but it was a great ride.

Better yet, Alana de la Garza has joined the cast as the head of Homeland Security and one of Scorpion’s key clients. I love her in just about everything — Law and Order, last year in Forever. I’m sure there have been things I didn’t like her in, but nothing comes to mind. It was a great addition to the show with her scenes as the ball-busting security type, even more so than as an ADA or a homicide detective.