Spoiled for choice on the box

It seems that great TV is like buses... you wait ages for one to come along and then three appear at once. Or in this case, four.

We're in for a treat this week with some cracking programming bringing us the best of the world's small screen entertainment.

THE MENTALIST (Mondays at 8.30pm on TV2)

The world of TV has had its fair share of maverick cops with a quirky character trait. He's a cop... and he has OCD (Monk)! He investigates crimes... and he can read body language (Lie To Me)! He catches baddies... and he's a dog (Inspector Rex - apparently it's a classic)!

But it seems there's room for one more, and reports are that this is good so I'm willing to see a few more crime scenes investigated.

Former celebrity psychic, Thomas Jane (played by Aussie hottie Simon Baker), becomes an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), helping them to solve serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation.

This show has already become a major hit in the UK and in the US - written by a Brit, it portrays a sense of irony rarely witnessed in America.

In his former career as a fake psychic, Jane made a name for himself, and a healthy income, convincing people he could speak to the dead. Then in a cruel twist of fate, a serial killer named Red John murdered his wife and child. After this, Jane vowed to use his formidable powers of observation to help solve homicides, joining the CBI as a consultant.

Notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a former psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned, Jane is not exactly popular in the Bureau.

There's also some cracking sexual tension with his colleague Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (played by Robin Tunney) who - of course - hates having him in her unit and loves to bawl him out for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries.

NO HEROICS (Tuesdays at 9.40pm on Prime)

I'm a massive geek who can't get enough of all things superhero-ish (superheroic?) so I'll definitely be tuning in for this cracking new show from our UK cousins at the BBC.

Ever wondered where superheroes go to relax? This comedy based in an off-duty jobbing superheroes pub explores the loves and aspirations of four 20-something friends; just like Superman or Spiderman, only much, much less successful. Oh and then there's that show off Excelsor...

Meet the gang:

The Hotness (aka Alex) is able to heat up like a giant cigarette lighter and is desperate to be world-famous for his powers. But somehow Excelsor always manages to save the day before him.

Electroclash (aka Sarah) controls machines with her voice and has a tempestuous relationship with Alex. However, she would rather steal a pack of cigarettes from a machine than help the ‘normal' world with her power.

Timebomb (aka Don) can see up to 60 seconds into the future. However these days, in his retirement, the homosexual Spaniard only uses his flash force to his friend's advantage.

She-Force (aka Jenny) is the third strongest woman in the world, but totally despises being a superhero. She would much rather spend her days at her desk waiting for Mr Right to come along...

Excelsor (aka Devlin) is the most powerful superhero of his generation and can basically do everything - he's the George Clooney of capeworld and the bane of Alex's life.

In the first episode, we get to know this group of super friends as they argue their way through the evening. Alex leaves to meet a girl who's given him her number. As the evening progresses, it's obvious that she's a super-groupie and only interested in one thing. But is it Alex she wants, or The Hotness?

Sarah is thrown out of the pub for using her powers on the cigarette machine, and so has to buy smokes from the dairy that she hates. When a robbery takes place during her visit, she has to decide whether she can be bothered to use her powers to help the annoying, sexist shopkeeper.

ER (Mondays at 9.30pm on TV2)

TV2 favourite ER is back, with its final season set to be a star-studded affair as your (well, my) favourite faces return to the fray.

Following an ambulance explosion, it's a matter of life and death in the season premiere. The devastating repercussions of the accident ripple through the day as Abby (Maura Tierney) wakes up injured but alive, rushing into the chaos to help a young girl but unwittingly misdiagnosing the case.

Morris (Scott Grimes) and Neela (Parminda Nagra), meanwhile, have to deal with a wounded colleague, and struggle to keep up with the casualties flooding into County General after the blast.

Among the old faces to pop up - and be farewelled AGAIN - is the much-loved Anthony Edwards, who played Dr Green many moons ago. Apparently Edwards also lured some other former stars back to the show and the producers are promising a great storyline for each including Noah Wyle (Dr. Carter), Eriq La Salle (Dr. Benton), Laura Innes (Dr. Weaver), Alex Kingston (Dr. Corday) and Julianna Marguiles (Carol Hathaway).

However the most eagerly anticipated event this season must be the return of George Clooney who dons the white coat of Dr. Doug Ross once more for the show that made him an international star. Fans can look forward to a blockbuster episode that sees him perform alongside Susan Sarandon - but you may be surprised at how Clooney finally makes his appearance, teases the blurb!

AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (Fridays at 7.30pm on TV3)

Okay, so it started last week but I tuned in and was hooked from the start, despite snorts of derision from my partner...

"Some people might say I'm transgender, some people might say transsexual. Personally, I prefer 'born in the wrong body,'" says 11th cycle hopeful Isis who's made it through to the next round and is determined to set the cat among the pigeons...

According to America's Next Top Model executive producer Ken Mok, the decision to cast a transgender contestant in the show's upcoming season was done to help further one of host and Executive Producer Tyra Banks' initial reasons for launching the long-running reality series.

"We want to redefine what beauty is," he explains. "You can be tall, you can be short, you can be plus size, you can be transgender; you don't have to be what the modelling industry says you have to be. That was one of Tyra's original missions."

Although Top Model's latest cycle will be the first time Isis has competed on the show, she previously participated in one of its 10th cycle photo shoots after producers found her living in a homeless shelter. The shoot required each finalist to pose with several homeless partners - one of which was Isis.

"She participated in the shoot and we didn't know anything about her," explains Mok. "But when we started reviewing the photos, the girl that kept popping out of the background was Isis. She really knew what she was doing.

"Tyra wanted to know who she was. It was clear she really had a passion for modelling. So when it came to casting this season, we said, 'Why don't we find that girl?'"

And that's exactly what they did. The other girls haven't exactly taken to Isis and the usual bitching and squawking has ensued (why don't they even pretend to be nice in the first episode any more?) but it's classic reality show TV and I'm hooked!