If you haven't picked up the fall preview issue of Entertainment Weekly, you'd better hurry. The fall TV season is upon us, and while your nose is to the grindstone at work, very soon you'll have a plethora of choices when you get home (at least 86, according to the EW cover).
So whether you love or hate "Glee," or know what "The Event" actually is, you're probably eying a few new shows or waiting for your favorites to begin again.
The reason I bring this up is because having been part of the workforce for many years, I also see the fall TV season as the starting gun for the run to the end of the year. September's always been a natural time for change and renewal with the start of school and change of seasons, but it's more than that.
For many organizations, September is when you enter that last stretch to complete the year, make your numbers, or create momentum for next year. And it's when the real pressure begins.
And when that happens, there's still the real #1 American pastime: television. I think TV has taught us a lot over the years. Like how to bust down a door or how we leave microbes everywhere for cops with black lights to find.
But there are also a few things to keep in mind when your boss starts yelling this September.
You're never totally stranded. Remember "Gilligan's Island" or "Lost?" They eventually got rescued, right? But they also didn't sit around while they were waiting. Complete small projects to get you through to the end of the year and keep you going. How about building a raft or making a radio out of coconuts?
There's always a spin-off or remake. How many "CSIs," cop shows, and legal and medical dramas are there now? If you find something that works in one area, try it in others -- or maybe even try the exact same thing in another city (or department/division). And if you can get Ice-T or LL Cool J on your staff, even better.
A pilot can always be canceled or brought back. Remember "My So-Called Life," or that awful show "Hank" last year (with Kelsey Grammer)? Don't let the pressure keep you from trying new things, and don't hesitate to pull the plug quickly when things aren't going well. Just don't tie all of your hopes to one project or one performer. If even a sitcom veteran like Kelsey Grammer can tank, so can anyone.
Break into song. OK, so you're probably not in high school, but maybe a little music around the office could help break the tension. Just steer clear of muzak and Phil Collins (which, come to think of it, are one in the same to me). Maybe a little office karaoke? OK, maybe not.
So don't despair. When you are done for the day (or at least when you choose to ignore your BlackBerry for a few hours), the fall TV season is here.
And if you don't find anything you like, there's always football. Or better yet, Major League Soccer still needs to find an audience in the U.S. You could still be one of the first.