TUESDAY
8-9 p.m. Glee
9-9:30 p.m. New Girl
9:30-10 p.m. Raising Hope

On Tuesday, Glee returns with its third season to its usual time slot, followed by a new single camera half-hour sitcom New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel. The new comedy is described by the press release as “a fresh and outrageous look at a modern male/female relationship.” Outrageous by definition is wildly exaggerated or shockingly excessive, so to me it’s basically means that this comedy could be wildly hilarious or shockingly boring. The show is centered on an offbeat girl who moves in with three single guys after a breakup. Hilarity ensues…or not.

WEDNESDAY
8-9:30 p.m. The X Factor (performances)
9:30-10 p.m. I Hate My Teenage Daughter

Simon Cowell left American Idol but he is coming back to FOX with another singing competition, The X Factor. Cowell, along with three other judges, Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Paula Abdul and Cheryl Cole*, will judge the U.S. version of the international television phenomenon that will result in a $5 million recording contract with Sony Music. In the midseason this slot will be taken by a return of a new season of American Idol.

Another confession: I mostly watch these kinds of shows during the auditions because of all the weirdoes and wannabes that are making fools of themselves on national television. If they want to go down in fame, they should do it some other way but I guess it passes for a great entertainment.

*UPDATE: since I posted this article, there has been a development. Cheryl  Cole, a member of the British pop band Girls Aloud, was being replaced by former Pussycat Dolls singer Nicole Scherzinger, who was previously hired to co-host the show when it makes its debut in the fall of 2011. TMZ.com, quoting sources close to the production, said Cole was dropped because producers were worried that her strong northern English accent would be too difficult for American audiences to understand.