Day two of Tube Talk's ambitious "five in a week" target and it's time to get brutally honest about the state of some of our long-favoured US shows.

In today's edition - if you missed it, scroll down to read yesterday's, which includes gossip on new series Chuck - I'll be taking a look at the new seasons of Desperate Housewives, Heores and Prison Break and assessing how they're doing thusfar.

Spoiler warnings are in full force this time round, boys and girls! Highlight the text to the right where appropriate.

Prison Break
Season three, airs Mondays on Sky One

Good points? William Fichtner is a joy to watch as the increasingly-troubled Mahone - look out for the return of one of his season two victims (albeit in spirit form) in the next episode - while it's nice to see the hitherto-underdeveloped character of LJ getting a little bit more screentime. T-Bag is on fine form, as always.

Bad points? Where to start? The ridiculously contrived setup is key to all of the problems with this season. Fox should either have cut the show loose at the end of season two or pushed for a significantly different storyline for season three. As it stands, this is just a rehash of season one but without the spark of originality. What's worse, it's having a degrading effect on the memories of the first two seasons.

Summary: The good news is that every episode of the season is successively better than the previous, and there are occasional reminders of what made the show so compelling in the first place (Lincoln's surprise-in-a-box in episode four is a case in point), however there's a real struggle to muster enthusiasm for the brothers' new adventure.

Tube Talk score: 2/5. Where did it all go wrong?

Desperate Housewives
Season four, airing from January on Channel 4

Good points? Felicity Huffman is wonderfully emotive and engaging portraying Lynette's sad battle against cancer. New housewife Katherine Mayfair makes for an entertaining sparring partner with a highly-competitive Bree.

Bad points? Four seasons in now and there is little new or original from the 'wives. Often the dialogue is stale and predictable, while the behaviour of Susan (being mistaken for a stripper by her daughter's friends) and Gabrielle (starting up yet another affair with Carlos) was becoming old hat even two seasons ago.

Summary: Having bounced back last year (the store shooting episode ranks as one of the best Housewives episodes to date), producers are in danger of falling down the slipperly slope it befell in season two. A real shakeup of the show is needed - and if to achieve it means losing one or two staple characters, so be it.

Tube Talk score: 3/5. Must try harder.

Heroes
Season two, airing from 2008 on BBC Two

Good points? There are new characters galore - and not one disappoints. Sylar is back. A new, more personal crisis begins to develop. There is not a Simone Deveaux in sight.

Bad points? Too much time is given to dragging plotlines, such as Hiro's futile capers 600 years in the past, or Milo's involvement with a bunch of faux-Irish mobsters. "The Company" (aren't they also wreaking havoc in Prison Break??) is still on the scene. Eden McCain has still not risen from the dead.

Summary: After a shaky start to its first season, Heroes is now a polished beast as we open up volume two. It is clear that the plotlines are more rigidly mapped out, and producers are not afraid to introduce new characters galore, at the same time as killing off old ones (at least one main cast member does NOT survive the bloodbath finale).

Tube Talk score: 4/5. Keep up the good work!

Now it's time for your opinions. Click the link below to add your comments to this entry! If you have any questions for the column please use the link at the top of the page.

Don't forget to scroll down to read previous editions you may have missed!