New Fall Shows on My Radar

The new fall season is upon us!  In just a couple of weeks the networks will be rolling out many new shows.  Some will succeed, many will fail ... it's just the way of it.

As always, I am going to do my best to watch all of the pilots, but admittedly there aren't too many that I can say I'm truly excited for.  I am more anticipating the return of my favorite shows.  But there are a few shows that I am looking forward to somewhat:

Okay, REALLY looking forward to this one.  C'mon, it's JOSS WHEDON!  It's connected to The Avengers!  Did I mention it's from Joss Whedon (though he's only producing, not running day-to-day ... bummer)?  ABC's Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is sure to be a wild ride.  Granted, the last TV show from the genre god, Dollhouse, I didn't love.  But some of my all-time favorite series have come from him, including Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.  And of course, that was that little superhero movie that kicked ass!  Clark Gregg is so great as Agent Coulson and I'm dying to see how he is resurrected in the new show, which will focus on the human - a.k.a. superpowerless - agents of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (yeah, that's why it's called S.H.I.E.L.D.).  Not to mention it's going to make my Tuesday nights even better - Supernatural is on at 9 p.m.  Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premieres Sept. 24 at 8 p.m.

 

Speaking of Buffy, The Crazy Ones is a new comedy on CBS. I'm always curious to see a return of Sarah Michelle Gellar (she played Buffy).  I actually enjoyed Ringer and would have watched a second season.  I am very curious to see how (and if) she'll hold her own against Robin Williams.  Let's face it:  he's an attention-hogger.  This is his first TV series since Mork and Mindy, which went off the air in 1982.  Pam Dawber did what she could opposite him, but let's be honest ... it was a vehicle strictly for his manic but brilliant talent.  A fourth camera was actually needed on that set just to remain solely on him to capture anything and everything he might do.  He's of course older now, more seasoned, but from the few previews I've seen, he is not immune to riffing.  And I wonder how Gellar, who does not have a background in improv (that I know of), will fair.  I was also surprised to learn this is only a half-hour show, technically making it a sitcom.  I also wonder what it was about this show that coaxed Williams back to the small screen after over 30 years.  Granted, movie stars are all over TV these days.  So is it scheduling, money, or the actual material?  We'll have to see.  The Crazy Ones premieres Sept. 26 at 9:30 p.m

 

Another CBS show that is getting a lot of buzz is Hostages, starring Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story) and Toni Collette (The United States of Tara).  It looks like it's going to be a very tense psychological thriller with plenty of action and edge-of-your-seat moments.  Not sure how a show with this premise can go on beyond a single season (new hostages each season?  revolvong cast?).  I'm also hesitant to get sucked in to a series like this.  A few years ago ABC had a show called The Nine, about a bank robbery that, over the course of the season, would cover the time spent in the siege by - ironically - nine hostages.  The show was cancelled after only a handful of episodes aired, leaving viewers completely hanging, never knowing how the crisis was resolved.  It's not like this doesn't happen on SO many other cancelled shows.  But this particular kind of drama warrants big commitment, and I'm not entirely sure what I'll do.  But the pilot episode may change my mind.  Hostages premieres Sept. 23 at 10 p.m.

Here's another sitcom that is getting a lot of great buzz:  FOX's Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Not the catchiest title.  Not the biggest Andy Samberg fan, though I did often enjoy his Saturday Night Live video shorts.  What I am looking forward to most is seeing Andre Braugher do comedy.  Supposedly he completely dead-pans the funny, but look at him ... it's destined to be hilarious!  Is this poised to be the new Barney Miller (yes, a show from the '70s, but it was about humor within a police station, hence my reference.)? That show was highly acclaimed, so we'll see. Brooklyn Nine-Nine premieres Sept. 17 at 8:30 p.m.

Short Bites:

Witches rule!  American Horror Story: Coven (FX, Oct. 9), Witches of East End (Lifetime, Oct. 6), The Originals (CW, Oct. 3).

We have Revenge and we have Scandal ... do we really need Betrayal? (ABC Sundays starting Sept. 29 at 10 p.m.)

I like Once Upon a Time but not really feeling the need for a spin-off so soon, but feel free to check out Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. starting Oct. 10).

Couple of new horror shows that may be hit or miss for me (never did take to Grimm):  Dracula (NBC Fridays at 10 p.m. starting Oct. 25) and Sleepy Hollow (FOX Mondays at 9 p.m. starting Sept. 16).

Congrats on the return of Michael J. Fox!  May he take down the truly awful Two and a Half Men once and for all.  The Michael J. Fox Show on NBC Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. starting Sept. 26.

The parents have it?  There's Dads (with the eternally-youthful Seth Green) Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX starting Sept. 17, and Mom (starring equally eternally-youthful Anna Faris) on CBS Mondays at 9:30 starting Sept. 23.

Keep checking back for all my coverage of the new and returning shows this fall!