Friday night’s offerings are pretty eclectic, as most networks go for niche programming or leave it as the scorched earth / survival of the fittest test. Or they send shows there to die, even if they don’t admit it.

I confess that I don’t watch Shark Tank or MasterChef Junior. Shark Tank is interesting but once they present their idea, my interest is gone. If they produced an 8 minute synopsis of the show, I’d be good to watch that instead. MasterChef Junior combines three genres I care nothing about — reality programming, cooking, and kids. Some love it, I don’t get the appeal at all. I’m sure both will go full season.

Hawaii Five-O is still on the air. Did I really just type that? I know it is Friday night and the network expectations are low, but it’s stamina still surprises me. I even watched Season 1 and part of Season 2. But about the time they turned into Team Rambo to go into North Korea was when even the silly side of policing the islands jumped one too many sharks. Still, it will probably finish the season.

Last Man Standing is returning, and while I like Tim Allen in small doses, this isn’t the format for me. Not the worst show on television by a long stretch, but I’ll still pass. I expect others will enjoy a full season though.

Cristela is a new show about an intern. A woman. In a law firm. In Texas. A comedy even. Oh, and she’s Latina. I could write that as all one sentence, but it seems more like six phrases someone pulled out of a hat at a party and now has to make a TV show combining those pieces. Now let’s see if they combine can “mid”, “season”, and “cancellation”.

Finally getting to the good stuff, The Amazing Race is airing on Fridays. I like the premise of the show, always have, and still have mild interest. Not enough to tape and keep on my PVR, but enough to occasionally check in live. The downside is they frequently cast emotional nutbars and then spend a lot of time on them when editing. They learned their lesson in about Season 7 when a boyfriend was constantly negative about his girlfriend, and viewers were crying abuse, but nutbars keep showing up. I have no interest in the drama, just the challenges and locations. However, since they started The Amazing Race Canada, I already get my fix and so far that show hasn’t been filled with nutbars. The original show remains a favorite of many, and it will definitely keep returning for awhile.

Despite the fact that I have attended ComicCon Ottawa the last two years, I am a pretty weak comic nerd. So while I’ve heard of Constantine, I know very little of the mythology. I am tuning in with moderate interest, mostly for the off-beat vibe in the show, but it is very dark. Add in his accent, and I’m not convinced this show screams main-stream success. Episode 2 introduced a female partner that will go toe-to-toe with him, and the spark of conflict / danger / protection / romance (?) was interesting as long as it doesn’t lead to close-talking for the next 10 episodes. I’m enjoying it enough to continue, but I expect early cancellation.

Which leaves two returning shows where I have high interest and enjoyment. Remember earlier in this series where I said I had no credibility for watching a couple of bad shows? Well, any vestiges that I had, or even regained, go out the window on Friday night. I enjoy Blue Bloods. This may be the worst show I watch, and I keep watching. Wahlberg is decent, and I could probably watch just him as a detective. Or Selleck as the somewhat smarmy Police Commissioner. Or Will Estes as the rookie. Or Bridget Moynihan as the DA. I like all four characters and all four actors. The writing? Well, umm, it’s a bit schlocky. Not ripped-from-the-headlines stuff, but still schlocky. The weekly Sunday dinner scene drives me bananas, and unfortunately, it frequently includes info you need to understand the next step in the investigations, so you have to sort of watch it. It’s already in syndication so expect it to keep going for the full season.

My big expectation for Friday though is Grimm. I love the premise, I love the character of Nick and Munroe. Juliette is still a bit grating, but the introduction of Theresa Rubel aka T.Rubel? Absolutely awesome. Nick finished off last season losing his Grimm powers so the new season starts with T.Rubel being the only Grimm in town. There’s a HUGE plot hole in the first two episodes (hello? Nick the son lost his Grimm powers? Mom is an email away and has years of experience as a Grimm? Yet no one is saying, “Yo’ Mom, any suggestions?”. Sure she’s off with the child of destiny but still, I think she’d come for a visit…or send a basket of fruit. Not to mention word getting out that a Grimm has lost his powers and bad vessen might want revenge?????). I don’t mind getting my geek on for this show, and somewhat schlocky or not, I love the vessen-of-the-week storylines. Sue me. I predict full season pick up.