Things to set your Sky+ for...*

Fringe is back and better than ever, Flash Forward is hotting up nicely, with the introduction of more screen time for Jack Davenport yesterday making me very happy indeed - am I the only person who thinks Joseph Fiennes' character looks like Sad Sam in a way that makes me want to kick him? And this week sees two more introductions to what I am anticipating will be on my must-watch list for the next few months. And Chuck isn't even back on yet!

Tonight you can catch up with the feature length first episode Stargate Universe from 8pm on Sky1 and starring Robert Carlyle (yes, Begbie) doing the Hugh Laurie journey across the Pond as Dr Rush, leader of motley band of humans adrift deep in the galaxy on an Ancient ship.

Don't let the Voyager-esque plot put you off, I've seen the first couple and have to say this is a welcome return to my televisual viewing schedule for an old school sci-fi show now Battlestar Galactica has ended, although some of the characters of the hefty ensemble are inevitably a little one dimensional for now. We do have some heartier characterisation though. Dr Rush (Carlyle) is Machiavellian and manipulative in a way that would make Dr Smith from Lost in Space proud. Meanwhile we also have the Stargate universe's first lesbian main cast character and the inevitable loveable geek. He's no Daniel Jackson yet, but while he starts off being a way of shoehorning in all the military exposition needed to make the show understandable to people (like me) who aren't expert in the mythology of all that's come before, he quickly brings a glimmer of humour and light into a show which owes a lot to BSG in terms of both its direction style and some of its characters - exhibit A being Helo Lite, the brow-furrowed military man with a conscience trying to keep order in the face of Rush's more in-your-face style of command who I'm secretly hoping perishes in a freak airlock accident in the not too distant.

Meanwhile, Channel 4 launches True Blood on Wednesday at 10pm. Set in the sultry heat of Bon Temps, Louisiana and starring Anna Paquin (all grown up since The Piano/X-Men) and, erm, Vinnie from Home and Away (don't let that put you off) this is one of my favourite new shows of the year. The series focuses on Sookie Stackhouse (Paquin, who spends enough time naked to get the fanboys dribbling), a telepathic waitress in the town's redneck bar of choice who falls in love with a vampire (played by Brit Stephen Moyer) who comes to town bringing lots of other supernatural nasties with him. Based on the novels by Charlaine Harris this is utterly filthy, potty mouthed, quite funny and yet very twisted - the kind of mindless froth that sometimes just has to be done. It's well worth checking out, although it'll be interesting to see how (if at all) C4 cuts out some of the more explicit sex/violence/nudity/swearing.

It definitely counts as a winter warmer though. And with the weather as manky as it is at the minute, every little helps. Now if only a UK channel would buy Leverage and Glee that would make my TV viewing complete...

So come on, what are your hopes for the new season launches? And what do you think of the new shows packing the viewing schedules?

*other recordable devices are available, obviously.