Besides all of the new shows premiering this fall, old favorites are also coming back. Some shows are young and still finding their way; others are old favorites that have to fight to stay fresh. To help you sort through the muck, here are some reviews of shows that premiered within the last few weeks.

p. **“House”**
Way back in February, I said in a column that to keep “House” interesting, the title character’s three underlings would have to go — they had no more depth and were starting to get annoying. So imagine my delight when, in the season finale, they all quit or were fired. In this season’s opener, House worked by himself to solve a case — one as full of twists and revelations as usual. The second episode, however, revealed that Cameron and Chase are still working at the hospital, the former in the emergency room and the latter on the surgery staff. Foreman has apparently moved to a New York hospital, but that’s so close to Princeton. I’m sure he’ll still find time to pop in and butt heads with House every now and then. The wide variety of secondary characters that House is considering for his new team show potential.

p. **“Bones”**
Dr. Temperance Brennan and her team of forensic anthropologists are back in action this season with a bizarre new case. When a skull is thrown off an overpass and becomes lodged in a car windshield, “Bones” (Emily Deschanel) and FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) uncover a possible ring of cannibalism and occult activities in the vault of an abandoned bank. Although one evil-doer is arrested, he is later found stabbed to death in prison — clearly setting up a plot arch for this season. The character development also provides a nice sidetrack from all of the action, setting “Bones” apart from other crime dramas. Zach has returned from Iraq, and Hodgins and Angela have hired a private detective to track down a stranger Angela met while drunk in Fiji so that they can tie the knot. Deschanel and Boreanaz have great chemistry, and Tamara Taylor really adds to the remarkable cast as Dr. Camille Saroyan.

p. **“Numb3rs”**
This show makes you feel smart. Violent crimes are constantly solved by employing complicated mathematical formulas dumbed down for those of us who avoid Jones Hall like the plague. While many other crime dramas tend to lack character development, this show has too much. I find myself wanting to slap some of the characters and tell them to get back on the case, dammit. Unfortunately, the writers don’t seem to realize that they’ve lost sight of the formula. The first episode of this season explored the treachery of one team member. No one on the team could really believe that he had betrayed America to the Chinese, and, to prove it, they spent most of the hour wandering around saying just that. Hopefully “Numb3rs” turns back to its namesake soon.

p. **“The Office”**
I, like every other Jim/Pam shipper, spent most of this episode rolling around, hugging myself and feeling a deep-down tingly sensation. Why? Because it finally happened. Jim and Pam are finally together. The season opener saw Michael hit Meredith with his car in the parking lot. At the hospital, doctors discover she had contracted rabies when Dwight trapped a bat against her head last season. To repent, Michael organizes a 5K fun run for rabies — a disease that kills only a handful of people each year. Few take it seriously: Jim and Pam stop at a yard sale, while Stanley, Creed and Oscar take a cab to a bar instead. The episode featured other classic Michael-isms, such as “I hate hospitals; in my mind, they are associated with sickness.” Oh, and for you ladies, Jim finally went shirtless.

p. **“Stargate: Atlantis”**
I’m starting to wonder if this series can go wrong. Sure, “Stargate: Atlantis” has had problems in the past (cough, Aiden Ford, cough), but it always triumphs over the roadblocks. Now more than ever, ‘Atlantis’ is important because its sister show, “Stargate: SG-1,” has ended after a beautiful 10-year run. The cliffhanger ending of last season left the city stranded in space with a waning battery and Dr. Stephanie Weir (Tori Higginson) critically injured. The team clobbers those problems and several others that keep popping up like it’s a game of Whack-a-Mole. Happily, several minor characters receive more development in this episode. David Nykl shines as Dr. Radek Zelenka, and Jewel Staite, (“Firefly”) makes a happy return to sci-fi as the reluctant Acting Chief Medical Officer. Another happy surprise: ‘SG-1’ may be over, but Amanda Tapping isn’t done yet; her character, Sam Carter, is moving to the Pegasus Galaxy to take command of the Atlantis expedition. This season promises to continue with gripping episodes.

p. **“Family Guy”**
The hour-long season premiere of “Family Guy” had the characters re-enact “Star Wars,” and contained both wonderful gems of comedy and terrible time-killers that should have been cut. The scene where Peter tells his family to “act cool” as they all sneak out of the Millennium Falcon to the tune of Cab Calloway’s “Minnie the Moocher”: hilarious. The minute-long sidetrack where Peter steals a discarded couch: boring. The variety of cultural references fell sadly short of what they could have been, although what references they did make were excellent. The episode included parodies of commercials for Grey Poupon, the movie “Airplane!,” the fourth “Dr. Who” series and the band Earth, Wind and Fire. While the episode could have done more with the idea, and there were clearly some points where the writers stretched to fill time, the premiere was still a great parody of a classic American film.

p. **“The Simpsons”**
This summer’s “Simpsons Movie” proved that the writing could go beyond the stale remnants that have plagued the last few seasons. Sadly, the premiere of season 19 returned to a level of quality of which Krusty himself would approve. Homer saves Mr. Burns from drowning in a fountain, and, as a reward, the rich Scrooge flies with Homer to Chicago in a private jet. Although Homer greatly enjoys the ride, soon afterward he becomes depressed with his lackluster life. To cheer him up, Marge hires a life coach, Colby, voiced by Stephen Colbert. Although the part took advantage of Colbert’s dry arrogance, it turned out to be disappointingly unamusing. One notable and happy difference: Homer actually behaved normally in this episode. He had real feelings and attainable desires — something of a sharp contrast from his usual peculiar self. Hopefully, the writers will capitalize on the success of the movie and up the ante. Until that time, I’ll continue to watch “The Simpsons” dutifully.

p. **“American Dad”**
This series started off slow, unable to compete with its immensely popular sister animation sitcoms. However, during the second season it picked up considerably, finally coming into its own in the episode “Black Mystery Month.” The third season has begun well: In the season premiere, the family takes a vacation, but as they eventually discover, all of their vacations have been fake. In reality, Stan has placed them all in vats of goo that simulate a fun vacation while he watches football upstairs (“The Matrix” anyone?). After a hilarious series of pseudo-vacations, they go on a real one, only to discover that fake vacations are better and a lot more fun. Numerous cultural references pop up in the story, including the short story “The Most Dangerous Game” and Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” giving the series a more familiar feel.

The first time you listen, it may not make a bit of sense. Stars’ latest release, “In Our Bedroom After the War,” certainly doesn’t make a point of putting all its intentions right out front, yet the album’s spacious instrumentation, held together by the soft, poppy vocals of Torquil Campbell and Amy Millan, makes for a listening experience that’s ultimately very worthwhile.

p. The point of spacious instrumentation may seem odd in itself, as Stars’ previous releases were far more focused on the indie-pop sound that brought the band its initial fame. With albums like “Heart” and “Set Yourself on Fire,” sappy love songs were no longer a guilty pleasure. What songwriter Torquil Campbell has done with ‘In Our Bedroom,’ however, is bring the lyrical emphasis to the forefront, rendering the instrumentation a template for the album’s delicate, passioned vocals. Each track offers its own story of unrequited love and innocence lost, brought together by the thematic significance of the album’s title. The lyrics begin with Millan’s assertion, “The night starts here,” and, after telling of their adventures in the night, end with an explosive “Here it comes! Here comes the first day!”

p. The instrumentation, though sparse, is astral and lush, providing for an atmospheric effect that’s refined in every respect. Guitar solos don’t steal the set, but instead settle right into the blanketed texture of strings and woodwinds, as in tracks like “Life 2: Unhappy Ending,” reminding us of the textural approach of bands like Broken Social Scene and Talk Talk. “The Night Starts Here” opens up with a synthesized, orchestral landscape, underlaid by the sound of real violins and broken only by the elegant twang of an electric-acoustic guitar. There’s even room for a jazzier feel, as in the song “My Favorite Book,” where the sound of saxophones and flutes blends with the weightier tones of cellos and violins. And it certainly doesn’t stop there — the sound of mandolins, accordians, xylophones and all other sorts of brass, synthesizers and percussion make an appearance.

p. For all its daring change, however, it can be said that the band has lost none of its flare and drive for creating a flashy pop sound. Tracks like “Bitches in Tokyo” and “Barricade” are still shy, soft-spoken love songs, as Campbell intones, “How could anyone not love the terrible things you do?” The song “Genova Heights” echoes similar sentiments, with vocals reminiscent of that strained, Bee Gees-disco cry.

p. Though the band pushes the limits of its indie-pop groundings, Stars has ultimately created an album that works not only to defy such standards, but to bring the spirit of the genre to a whole new level. The lyrical intensity creates a poetic landscape that comes closer to the dramatic power of opera, and not surprisingly so, as Campbell has cited musical influences as disparate as French romantic composer Hector Berlioz and hip-hop group Outkast.

p. Nowhere is this more evident than in the closing and title-track, where Campbell’s final cry — “After the war!” — leads the way for a massive crescendo in the orchestra, closing the album at the height of its emotional intensity. One must wonder whether Campbell’s stage acting career was as influential on the band’s sound as his taste in music, for the wail of electric guitars coupled with the orchestral blast of gives the impression that the band is being ushered offstage with a final flourish.

p. The idea of the dramatic stage is prevalent throughout the album, especially in Campbell’s storytelling power — a talent left almost entirely untapped before this release. Songs like “Take Me to the Riot” and “Personal” tell tales of glorious nightlife depravity and an unrequited, terrified love, respectively. During “Life 2: Unhappy Ending,” the title being an obvious reference to a movie take — he ruminates over the idea of life as a film, depicting scenes in script fashion as Millan intones, “Here is the part where you save me / Here is the scene where you save the day / Why can’t the ending be happy? / Why must it always resolve this way?”

p. Yet for all its subtle complexity, the beauty of this album lies in its simplicity — in the ease of its lyricism and melodic power. Seeing as how this is only the third full-length release from Stars, we can only hope that there’s plenty more to come, and plenty of new ground still to tread.

“Feast of Love” is a film that should have a lot going for it. Helmed by a well-respected director (Robert Benton, “Kramer vs. Kramer”), it is based on acclaimed novel of the same title and boasts a cast who have, collectively, dozens of Oscar nominations under their belts. All of this said, why did I leave the theater feeling altogether unsatisfied?

p. The initial problem is that I went in expecting to see an entirely different film. Somewhere in Hollywood there is a crafty trailer editor who managed to sell this melodramatic downer as a cultured romantic comedy along the lines of 2003’s much-lauded “Love Actually.” After seeing it, I can’t help but wonder if we Americans hadn’t better leave the high-brow rom-coms to the Brits.

p. The film stars Greg Kinnear (“Little Miss Sunshine”) as Bradley Thomas, an affable coffee shop owner who is unlucky in love. Very unlucky. In the course of the film he endures two failed marriages. He loses his first wife Kathryn, (Selma Blair, “Hellboy”), to a sexy, assertive lesbian (Stana Katic, “Heroes”) whom she meets while playing softball. Wife number two is Diana, a chilly, blonde real-estate agent played by Radha Mitchell (“Finding Neverland”) who quickly leaves Bradley for married-man David (Billy Burke, “Fracture”) with whom she has been having an affair for years.

p. Spoiler-phobes fear not. These are all details that are readily available in the trailer. As it turns out, this prior knowledge really hindered me as a viewer. Seeing the film is akin to watching “Titanic” — you know things can’t end well. Thanks to dramatic irony, viewers already know that Bradley’s first two relationships will fail, so why bother investing emotion in how they play out?
Bradley’s source of sanity amid all this heartbreak is a wizened, semi-retired philosophy professor named Harry Stevenson (Morgan Freeman, “Million Dollar Baby”), who frequents the coffee shop. Harry witnesses all the follies of young love within the shop, and then goes home each night to recount what he has observed to his faithful wife Esther (Jane Alexander, “The Ring”). In this sense he becomes a narrator of sorts — familiar territory for Freeman.

p. Harry also becomes directly involved in the lives of Oscar (Toby Hemingway, “The Covenant”) and Chloe (Alexa Davalos, “The Chronicles of Riddick), a couple of Bradley’s employees who experience a classic love-at-first-sight moment early on, and then only have puppy dog eyes for each other the rest of the film.
At this point, the stage is set and the lovers are free to do their thing for another hour or so. Did I mention there’s nudity, and lots of it? Pretty much anyone under 60 winds up with their clothes off.
The film constantly tries to remind its viewers how sophisticated it is. It seems we’re supposed to believe that any story immediately becomes more classy when set within the walls of a coffee shop — hey, it worked for “Friends,” right?

p. “Feast of Love” also goes to great lengths to emphasize that it is not your average fluffy date movie. It’s going to throw in any social difficulty that could possibly render budding relationships more excruciating, and we as viewers are supposed to grin and bear it: drug addiction and abusive parents, for example. Sometimes a film might throw one or two of these hot topics in to mix things up a bit, but “Feast of Love” tackles them all. Rather than creating an aura of relevance and reality around the film, the end result is a cast of characters who seem less like people and more like empty shells created solely to act as embodiments of different sources of social commentary.

p. At one point in the film, Harry recounts a brief history of how the Greek gods created love out of boredom and then were forced to create laughter “so they could stand it.” It is a shame that the filmmakers did not keep the value of a little comic relief in mind as they crafted their tale. A little levity is never a bad thing, and could have worked wonders on this film.

p. Midway through the film, Bradley declares that he is merely serving as a “transition” for women on their way to something better. The same could be said of the film itself. It serves as tolerable fare for moviegoers awaiting the Oscar-bait that is soon to come as the holidays draw nearer. Audiences expected a delectable treat and wound up with a bit of a dud. Luckily a true holiday “feast” of award contenders is on its way, and “Feast of Love” can remain the forgettable appetizer that served to merely tide us over as we wait.

The “Halo” trilogy reaches its conclusion, guns blazing, with “Halo 3,” shattering release day records with its unprecedented $170 million opening. Take my word for it: it will be the standard by which all other games will be compared to for years to come. It offers an engaging action-packed storyline as well as the best multiplayer experience you’ll enjoy for years, guaranteed to occupy hours of time for you and up to fifteen of your friends (a.k.a. moving targets). Every game in this series has been a genre-defining title, and “Halo 3” is the best yet.

p. Though it shares similarities with its predecessors, “Halo 3” offers anything but more of the same. The final chapter in Master Chief’s saga comes packed with more bells and whistles than this year’s Porsche. Landmines, portable force fields and Man-Cannons (gravity defying lifts that launch you far down the field) are just a few of the new toys to help you slaughter and frustrate your friends all night long.

p. The game’s greatest flaw, which speaks volumes, is the slow pacing of its brief storyline. After an hour of unnecessary foreplay, the game finds its rhythm, which only intensifies until the climax. Unfortunately the game is a short one: you’ll probably be finished after only eight hours, though there are four difficulty levels for you to play through.

p. As you’d expect, the plot follows directly from the previous installments. Returning fans will be at home in the space opera, but new players will be confused, the game gives little explanation for the apocalyptic events that unfold in the war between humanity and the Covenant, the alien invaders seeking to wipe us from the galaxy. Gamers seeking a stand-alone narrative should think twice before their purchase.
But of course “Halo 3” is a multi-player game at heart. The multi-player combat rubs elbows with perfection, offering a vast and balanced selection of weapons that all have their uses, unlike most shooters. Even the weapons you enter the game with are versatile, preventing one player from taking control of the match. Additionally, minor control changes make playing the game more intuitive than ever: the ability to reload each gun separately with the controller’s shoulder buttons is a welcome and much needed change. Graphically, the game is gorgeous and at times cinematic and breathtaking.

p. New features like the in-game theater change the way you play, allowing you to save videos of matches viewable from any perspective. Long gone are the days of tall tales: when you kill someone 50 yards away with a perfect grenade toss, you have the indisputable proof at your fingertips. You can save the footage on your Xbox and rub it in your friends’ faces by e-mailing them each a copy. Take my word for it, nothing compares to blowing your friend out of the sky with a rocket launcher and then forcing him to watch his death ad nauseum from every possible angle.

p. Another innovation sure to garner praise is “The Forge”, a sophisticated map editor that allows you to tinker with all aspects of the game’s multi-player playgrounds in obsessive detail while still retaining the simple controls that trademark the “Halo” series. The amount of customization available to the player is staggering, with downloadable content coming eventually to increase the game’s time in the spotlight. One creative variant, appropriately named “Infection,” mimics classic zombie flicks by allowing a rogue player with superhuman powers hunt the others down. The catch is that with each kill, the fallen join the rogue’s undead ranks, eventually forming a zombie posse that scours the map in search of surviving humans. Other more traditional game types are built in, and using the vast array of options at the player’s disposal, many more are sure to be created by the massive online community. This community sports over 50,000 active players at any given time and had over a million the night of its release. Thankfully, Bungie Studios, the company responsible for the “Halo” phenomenon, has made it possible to share not just videos, but also game types, screenshots and custom maps with friends via the Internet. Logging in to the company’s website on your computer allows you to review and download your screenshots and peruse records of your online exploits in shocking detail.

p. “Halo 3” is a game that both casual and hardcore players can enjoy; while easy to learn, it is difficult to master. If you own an Xbox 360, this game needs to be in your library. If you’re a gamer and you don’t have an Xbox, you need to make friends with someone who does. Just be warned: if “Halo 3” is anything like its prequels, it may find permanent residence in your Xbox console. After a few rounds of “Halo” with your friends, other games just aren’t as fun.

Enter Philip Roth. The year is 1959 and the young American writer has just published his debut novel, “Goodbye Columbus,” igniting one of the most fruitful, forceful and wild careers in American letters. With the publication of “Exit Ghost” nearly 50 years later, Roth is still at it, but this most recent book reveals his age on many levels.

p. The title is a reference to his earlier work, “The Ghost Writer,” which introduced Nathan Zuckerman, Roth’s literary alter-ego and narrator for many of his subsequent books. Zuckerman, 71 years old in “Exit Ghost,” decides to leave his isolated, austere life in the Berkshires for a trip to New York City on the eve of the ’04 election.

p. The novel, with its haphazard plot and uncharacteristically lean prose, is not so much about the encounters Zuckerman has in New York as it is about his old age — the “organic rebellion staged by the body against the elderly.” Zuckerman tries, in vain, to counter this through his visit to the city. But as Roth would have it, Zuckerman finds salvation hard to come by, and that any respite from the horrors of old age and death are, at best, imagined.
“Exit Ghost” most closely resembles Roth’s preceding novel, “Everyman,” in its brevity and its focus on senescence and mortality, but the similarities go only so far. Where “Everyman” was tightly organized, “Exit Ghost” feels messy and digressive, which softens its impact. Even the quality of the prose — something Roth has a natural handle on — felt sub-par in the first half of the novel.

p. Most interesting is the tension Zuckerman feels between a desire to passionately involve himself in all corners of life and a counter-urge to disengage and become a mere observer. It’s a tension that he never quite resolves; he’s lonesome in his cabin in the Berkshires, and his supposedly invigorating trip to the city leaves him feeling out of touch and ancient.

p. While this is not one of Roth’s greater novels, it does have its redeeming qualities. Roth conveys a sense, at times rather powerfully, of the damage old age can wreak. Incontinence, impotence and a deteriorating memory are Zuckerman’s biggest ailments, and his humiliation is passionately evoked. The prose feels smoother in the second half of the novel. In keeping with the other Zuckerman books, it blurs the line between life and fiction, and it also answers some questions left unresolved in earlier books.

p. The most striking aspect of “Exit Ghost” is its tone: tired, resigned, even grouchy at times. In this sense it reads like an old man. The symmetry between narrator and writing is unfortunate, however, because the Zuckerman of previous novels had a life-force and effusiveness about him that has almost disappeared in this novel. Zuckerman’s old age has sapped away his vitality and Roth’s old age has sapped away the vitality of his prose.