“24”

Fox, Mondays at 9 p.m.

So last week I was excited about the seemingly new direction of the show, which appeared to be refocused on more intimate plotlines with characters we know and love, giving a feeling that “24” was going back to its Season One roots.

And now? Not so much.

After one episode, the show has ditched every single one of those plotlines and decided to refocus once again on some nuclear device that the Chinese now have again. Oh joy.

And if I wasn’t pissed off about the storylines, the characters are becoming more annoying than ever. Is it wrong that I’m wishing that there might be some nerve gas in the basement of CTU that takes out that entire portion of the cast? And every one of the president’s aides?

Chloe’s absurd child-like bickering with Morris makes me shudder everytime she is on screen now. This is not the Chloe I loved and adored for three seasons. And I would talk more about Milo and Nadia and that guy from “NYPD Blue,” but I forget they are even on the show between episodes. Just kill someone off . please.

And now it appears Bill is going to be gone . at least for awhile. Assuming his car doesn’t explode or his daughter commits suicide or he pilots a plane with a nuclear weapon into the desert, that is. I have a feeling he’ll be back, hopefully after my imaginary nerve gas takes out all the annoying supporting cast members.

“Grey’s Anatomy”

ABC, Thursdays at 9 p.m.

Wow, what has happened to my shows!? Is there some sort of curse on every show I love right now, because they all seem to be sucking. With a main cast of twelve characters, the writers of “Grey’s Anatomy” could not have run out of story ideas, could they?

But what other explanation could there be for having Derek decide that he didn’t come to Seattle three years ago for a new beginning, but because the Chief promised him the top position? And, more importantly, that Meredith is now a hindrance on his career? Talk about the unnecessary relationship blocks! We should just rename him McBroody now and get it over with.

And now Izzie has a daughter who needs a bone marrow transplant. Since we barely meet the girl this episode, it was obvious she wasn’t going to die, so there was no suspense about that plot, and bringing in a tot to drive Izzie and George together is really low.

Hopefully the writers can remember that while character reinvention is interesting every now and then, it should never be done over the course of five minutes in one episode because it feels fake and false.

Contact ALL correspondent Robert Taylor at [email protected].