Fall TV Preview
Though summer is the most cherished of seasons, it’s also a time for a pop culture phenomenon known as television limbo. In summer, syndication is king, and reality shows sadly take up precious primetime slots. But once the weather takes a jolly stroll down the thermometer, it’s time to return once more to your old boxy friend. A slew of shows are popping up on the radar this season, some good, some mindless slot-fillers. Get the dirt on some of this year’s new shows, along with a few returning favorites.
Community
Premise: What do you get when you mix the producer of The Sarah Silverman Program with the directors of Arrested Development? A new show headed up by Mr. Pop Culture himself, The Soup’s Joel McHale. Community follows McHale as his character, Jeff Winger, a smooth talking lawyer with some less than smooth credentials, finds himself back in community college. There, he falls for an uninterested blonde named Britta (Gillian Jacobs), and forms a study group the likes of which even The Breakfast Club could not have topped. (In fact, that’s one rumble I’d like to see).
Chevy Chase plays Chuck, a seasoned divorcee and able wingman (read: scene stealer) and to McHale’s shenanigans. He does this with help from token funny Asian guy Ken Jeong as the Spanish teacher, Senor Chang and new faces like the very funny Danny Pudi.
Why you’re skeptical: With all of the highly defined stock characters of stereotypical college life, there’s a chance that Community could just come looking like a bad season of Real World (aka, any season). Plus, it’s been 20+ years since Chevy Chase has made us laugh. Hopefully he can kick the arthritis from his funny bone.
Why you should watch anyway: Until you see some solid leaks and spoilers on your favorite blog about the ad nauseum delay of the Arrested Development movie, this will have to tide you over. If you squint really hard, McHale looks a little bit like Gob Bluth.
Premiered: September 17th at 8:30 pm on NBC
Glee
Premise: Glee is a new show by Ryan Murphy, the creator of Nip/Tuck so you already know that it’s going to at least a little catty, despite described as High School Musical style “musical dramedy.” The show centers around Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), one of those ne’er give up optimists, who has taken it upon himself to resurrect the McKinley High School Glee Club. This sounds like an easy enough task, but adversity is right down the hall, from the long shot singing hopefuls trying to stay in tune to an underhanded cheerleading coach. While the characters come off as a little one-dimensional, the undeniable talent behind the characters help break out from the cardboard cutouts. What also helps is a multi-dimensional repertoire of songs that get woven throughout the show, from Journey to Neil Diamond, and more contemporary players like Rihanna and Avril Lavigne (ok, we could have done without Avril).
Why you’re skeptical: It’s one of those shows that you won’t want to tell your friends you watch. You already had a hard enough time living down that one time you watched Project Runway, because nothing else was on, and you were too far from the remote control, etc.
Why you should watch anyway: If you’re a guy and your girlfriend has been complaining about having too watch too many machismo shows with you, try Glee, a superficially fem-centric show with a sarcastic undercurrent that’s enjoyable for the sexes. If that’s not enough of a motivator here’s two words: Jane Lynch. She plays the devious head cheerleading coach and is brilliant in just about everything she’s been in.
Premiered: September 9th at 9pm on Fox
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Premise: Back for a fifth season, Sunny is possibly both one of the funniest and most polarizing shows on television. Perfectly executed running gags come off as vulgar, low brow humor when translated through the unsavory characters of the show. Deandra “Sweet Dee” (Kaitlin Olson) runs Paddy’s Irish Pub, along with Mac (Rob McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day) and Dennis (Glenn Howerton). Back as the unscrupulous father, Frank, Danny Devito makes up for his already naturally humorous height with an even funnier display of confusion, ignorance and tactlessness for everything around him. But the young ones are no saints either, beating up the homeless, faking their own deaths, and getting addicted to crack. Hey, it’s all in a day’s work.
The pre-season festivities are going on now through September 25th, where “the gang” is doing a six city tour of “The Nightman Cometh,” a live musical adaptation first inspired one of their more popular episodes, “Sweet Dee’s Dating a Retarded Person” and later realized in the season finale.
Why you’re skeptical: For those just getting in to the show, it may not be love at first sight. But from their pilot episode (which cost just $200 to shoot), the cast of It’s Always Sunny has slowly but steadily managed to worm their way into America’s hearts, even if it’s just a very cleverly disguised case of Stockholm Syndrome.
Why you should watch anyway: This season promises to tackle hot button issues like the economy on their season premiere “The Gang Exploits the Mortgage Crisis,” along with progressing insider storylines. For instance, much to Charlie’s chagrin, it will be revealed that the waitress (played by Mary Elizabeth Ellis) is engaged to be married.
Premiered: September 17th at 10 pm on FX Networks
Durham County
Premise: And you thought Canada couldn’t get any chillier. Sink into the bleak world of Durham County, a Canadian drama originally aired back in 2007 but making its mass American debut this month. The series follows homicide detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon), who moves from Toronto to Durham County after his partner is killed and he discovers that his wife Audrey (Helene Joy) has breast cancer. But all is not well in the land of suburbia. Indeed, something is rotten in the county of Durham. For one thing, dysfunctional families are quite the global phenomenon. If that weren’t enough of a hassle, as it turns out, Sweeney’s childhood rival and new neighbor, Ray (Justin Louis), may well be a serial killer. A washed out color palette and haunting musical score add to this gripping show from our neighbors to the north.
Why you’re skeptical: No one likes a Debbie Downer, and this show puts on no pretenses about being depressing as heck. There’s no cheeky, hopeful endings like in CSI Miami, no inspirational monologues by Marika Hargitay.
Why you should watch anyway: There hasn’t been a show this creepy and done this well since Twin Peaks. Give it a go, eh?
Premiered: Sept. 7 at 10 pm on ION*
*The second season will premiere October 19th at 10 pm on ION
Flash Forward
Premise: What would you do if you knew your future? That’s the question sci-fi writer Robert J. Sawyer posed in his 1999 novel, Flashforward. And now it’s a new drama-thriller on ABC, starring Joseph Fiennes. FlashForward (note the capital F’s to distinguish from aforementioned book) is a show in which a strange worldwide blackout leaves everyone groggy, confused or worse. Once things get back to some sense of normalcy, people start getting glimpses into their respective futures. Fiennes plays a lead in one of those “cast of many” shows, as FBI agent Mark Benford. Other key players include Demetri Noh (Joh Cho), Lloyd Simcoe (Jack Davenport), Bryce Varley (Zachary Knighton) and a host of others.
Although the idea of seeing into the future sounds pretty dang sweet, FlashForward has a decidedly negative spin on the topic, in which it appears the majority of people’s lives look to be going down the crapper, unless they do something, and fast. This leads folks to become paranoid, defeated and (occasionally) motivated all in the hopes of affecting some change.
Why you’re skeptical: This show has the potential to be uber cheesy, with a life motivating subtext shoved down the throat of viewers. Not to mention, the success of the show at large hinges on how good the pilot is, in which the mysterious catastrophic event will more than likely be 10-times more action packed than the rest of the series combined.
Why you should watch anyway: Consider it your new Lost. You’ll be so hooked for at least the first season that you’ll cancel dates, order Chinese takeout and generally become an antisocial hermit because it’s that important not to miss even one episode.
Premieres: Sept. 24 at 8pm on ABC
Dexter
Premise: Miami’s favorite serial killer is back for a fourth season to tackle the really difficult subjects, like being a dad. Now that Michael C. Hall’s renaissance man of a character is married to mother of three Rita (Julie Benz), things are sure to get even more hectic as he balances his day job as a blood spatter analyst with the Miami police department with his unofficial night job as hatchet man. But unlike “all those other serial killers,” Dexter redefines the role of the hunter by only going after the baddies, the ones that truly get what they deserve.
Agent Frank Lundy (Keith Carradine) is back as the hard-nosed, mild-mannered etc. detective, whose return will undoubtedly stir up emotions within one-time love interest and Dexter’s willful sister, Debra Morgan, played by Jennifer Carpenter. (Calling all Freudians: Carpenter and Hall are married in real life). New faces this season include the enigmatic John Lithgow, whose chilling performance as the so-called “Trinity Killer” should hammer that last nail into the coffin that was Third Rock From the Sun.
Why you’re skeptical: Babies and butchery? Sounds like two mutually exclusive ideas.
Why you should watch anyway: Knives and nappies? Bring it on! Not to mention, the show’s clever intro has forever changed the way you think about blood oranges.
Premieres: September 27th at 9pm on Showtime
Bored to Death
Premise: Fresh from a breakup, Jonathan Ames (played by indie darling Jason Schwartzman) is an aspiring writer in Brooklyn who’s having trouble kicking out his second book, while spending too much time drinking white wine and smoking pot. But instead of wallowing in his mediocrity and potentially tedious life, he puts out an ad on CraigsList advertising his amateur services as a private investigator. In his spare time, he hangs out with his loafer of a friend, Ray (played by Zach Galikianakis, who basically reprises his Hangover persona) and spends entirely too much time with his magazine editor, George, (a very able and silver fox-esque Ted Danson).
The idea for the show was created by the real life Jonathan Ames, novelist cum TV producer. It’s offbeat enough so as not to be pigeonholed as stereotypical television comedy; in fact, they coined their own term for the genre: “noir-otic.” A slew of supporting characters also help breathe credibility into the show, with various cameos by Parker Posey, Oliver Platt and Kristen Wiig, among others.
Why you’re skeptical: Jason Schwartzman on the small screen? Isn’t that the movie star’s death sentence?
Why you should watch anyway: Any Wes Anderson film fan really has no excuse not to. Besides, it’s backed by enough originality to almost make you forget that they ever made a show called Cougar Town, or that Carson Daly still exists.
Premieres: Sept. 20 at 9:30 pm on HBO
The Cleveland Show
Premise: What do you do when you’re riding high on the wave of success from your hit TV show? Make a spin-off with one of your lesser characters. Enter The Cleveland Show by Seth MacFarlane and the Family Guy crew. The show follows Cleveland Brown, the token black neighbor, who ends up moving with his rotund son to funny-the-first-time-you-see-it Stoolbend, VA. There, he falls in love with and marries his high school prom date and takes on her brood for a dysfunctional mini-partridge family vibe. Mike Henry continues in the role of Cleveland, while new voices like Sanaa Lathan, who voices Donna come on board, with a somewhat ironic recurring role by Arianna Huffington as the voice of one of their neighbor bears.
The bottom line? It’s basically Family Guy with a minority spin. Call it “Tyler Perry moves to Virginia” but it still has potential. More than likely, The Cleveland Show won’t reach the same comedic heights of Family Guy but there’s a good shot of it receiving likeable enough reviews as such shows as American Dad.
Why you’re skeptical: First of all, the main character, a black man is voiced by a Caucasian. Second, is this show really necessary in the grand scheme of things? Shouldn’t it be time that Seth MacFarlane took some time off to write his memoirs or something?
Why you should watch anyway: A good fart joke has the staying power of a fine wine. And more than anything, you’re just plain curious.
Premieres: Sept. 27 at 8:30 pm on Fox
The Jay Leno Show
Premise: After a 3 month hiatus during which time he no doubt renewed his AARP membership, Jay Leno is back to the boob tube, but now at a family friendlier primetime spot. So after doing the Tonight Show for 17 years, battling it out tooth and chin with Letterman, what’s the late night vet got up his tailored sleeve?
See Jay Leno shoot the shizz with the same big names, minus the big desk. Is he a more intimate softer, Jay? Not nearly. The same sketches, like Headlines and Jaywalking are back, along with new segments like 10 at 10 and Stories Not Good Enough for Nightly News. But is that enough to get people to watch? Responses to his first show back were mixed at best, so maybe it’s really true. You can’t teach an old late-nite talk show host new tricks.
Why you’re skeptical: Your first alarm went off when you were forced to sit through the new opening credits, which looked like a 1980s music video by A-ha. And he could have done so much with Kanye’s appearance, post-MTV VMA gaff.
Why you should watch anyway: Nostalgia. Leno was integral in securing a place for late night talk shows during their heyday. Turning your back now would be like refusing your grandma’s fresh baked cookies.
Premiered: September 14th at 10 pm on NBC
Parks and Recreation
Premise: The first season of mockumentary style Parks and Recreation set up a lot of loose-ended storylines that will hopefully tide viewers over into the new season. Will Ann (Rashida Jones) and Mark (Paul Schneider) ever progress beyond awkward quasi-flirting? Will optimistic mid-level Bureaucrat Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler) ever make good and actually build something?
What exactly does the second season bring to the governmental table? In the season premiere, Knope arranges a publicity stunt to marry two penguins with the intention of promoting the local Pawnee zoo. The only problem is, they’re both male. Watch and cringe as Leslie gets bitch-slapped again and again by regulations and red tape.
Why you’re skeptical: Unflinching loyalty to The Office left you a tad resentful when the original writers all jumped ship to do Parks. How can they just leave Jim and Pam in the lurch like that, especially with a baby on the way?
Why you should watch anyway: The cast really carries what is essentially a (intentionally) dull premise for a show. Amy Poehler gets you with an understated hilarity, while Aziz Ansari is just comedic gold in whatever he does, from an Aussie hating fruit vendor in Flight of the Conchords to foul-mouth standup comedian, Randy, in Funny People.
Premiered: Sept. 17th at 8:30 on NBC
But all is not Emmy-worthy in TV Land. For as many decent looking new shows as are coming out, there’s just as many, if not more mind-numbing, pictorial insults elbowing their way for a spot on the small screen. Before you pick up that remote, know what to avoid before it’s too late.
Skip the following:
Mercy
Flo Nightingale ain’t gonna take no crap from no know-it-all doctor.
Hank
Better known as: Frasier remixed. Been there, quipped that.
The Beautiful Life
Pretty people acting pretty stupid. Oh the sex, oh the intrigue. It’s like Tyra Banks and Ed Westwick doing the humpty hump.
Cougar Town
There’s really no explanation needed. The title says it all. Geriatric me-yow.
Eastwick
Sex and the City with wands and cauldrons. You can put lipstick on it, but it still sucks.
The Vampire Diaries
Okay, we get it, vampires are cool. All these pasty ingénues almost make us miss fake tanning spray and LiLo.
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