Okay, what new shows are you guys picking up this season? Here's my list of newbies that I've decided to allow into my life for at least a couple of months (some shows need time to grow). The only one I watched that I just hated was
My Generation. If anyone ends up watching that one, tell me if it gets any better b/c I thought that one was *lame*. It never met a cliche it didn't like. Here are ones I'm going to keep watching for a while, though:
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Lone Star: This is my favorite of the new bunch. I expected to hate it, but I loved it instead. The main character looks like he could be related to Kyle Chandler, which frankly is always a selling point, and in spite of the fact that he's a criminal and a bigamist, he's likable. He's an anti-hero that I found myself rooting for. I'm really interested to see where this show goes -- if it doesn't get canceled. Seriously, watch this show!
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Boardwalk Empire: I'm almost always a fan of good (read: not
The Tudors) period dramas, and HBO actually has the budget to do it right. Prohibition was a crazy time in our history, when the cultural/moral divide was even greater than it is now, in other words, good TV show fodder. Steve Buscemi somehow manages to pull off the gangster thing pretty believably. I thought the pilot was excellent.
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The Event: It wants to be this year's
LOST, but it's not there. It may turn into this year's
Flash Forward (may it rest in peace), but hopefully with better results. However, I did find myself sucked into it, and I like seeing Laura Innes in a different kind of role than Kerry Weaver. Good actress. It was weird, though, to see Luke Danes [SPOILER ALERT!!!!!] using a plane as a weapon. What would Lorelai say to that?
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Chase: I wanted to like this more than I did, but I'm willing to keep it on the Tivo list for the season. It seems like it's trying really hard to not be
In Plain Sight, but the reality is that it's a regional drama about a female US marshal, so in its attempt to overcompensate, it's falling into cop show cliches that are dumb (seriously, the over-eager rookie cop learning from "the best"? Don't patronize me). I want it to be good, though, and I like seeing Cole Hauser playing a good guy.
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Undercovers: I like JJ Abrams doing another spy show. It's cool, and the stars are REALLY attractive. Honestly, I don't have a lot of deep thoughts about this one, but I enjoyed the pilot.
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Hellcats: This is the cheerleader one on the CW, and although it's terrible, it's kind of a blast. Ashley Tisdale is surprisingly likable, even when she's copping to TV Christian cliches that we've all seen. Plus, they do flippies all the time!
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Nikita: Apparently, TV executives saw a gaping hole in the television spy genre, so they simultaneously greenlit this one,
Undercovers, and
Covert Affairs (of the three,
Covert Affairs is totally my favorite). This one seems to have more of an overarching narrative going through it than
Covert Affairs, and I like the relationship between Nikita and Alex. I was surprised that this didn't totally suck. Maybe that's what I'm responding to.
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The Whole Truth: I like both of the leads in this one. Maura Tierney was supposed to play Lauren Graham's role on
Parenthood until she was diagnosed with cancer, so it's great to see her returning to TV healthy. This show kind of reminds me of
The Practice, sans the David E. Kelley quirky factor, which is definitely a good thing. I'm not jumping out of my seat with excitement about it, but it's an entertaining enough episodic procedural.
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Blue Bloods: I think this one has real potential. I like seeing Tom Selleck in this police officer patriarch role, and, of course, I welcome the return of former crush Will Estes (JJ from
American Dreams!) back to TV. This show has such a great cast, also including Donnie Wahlberg and Bridget Moynahan, that it can only get better -- and it was already darn good. I don't like a lot of shows on CBS, mostly because they're out of my age bracket (BURN), but this was ABC-worthy. I loved how they played that scene with Donnie Wahlberg's character and the scumbag in the hotel room: both characters were awful and unsympathetic, and the violence was truly grotesque. It reminded me of the violent scenes in
Witness. How great to see so many layers in a pilot episode. I'll definitely be tuning into this one some more!
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Running Wilde: I don't usually get too excited about pilot episodes of half-hour comedies, mainly because good comedy shows usually end up emphasizing the strengths of the ensemble cast and it usually takes about 6 months to a year to find a good rhythm. There are plenty of exceptions to this, but it's a good rule of thumb to give comedy shows at least a couple of months leeway before deleting your season pass.
Running Wilde is from some of the creators of the greatest comedy show of the last decade
Arrested Development, so it's got potential. It's fun to see Keri Russell doing straight comedy on a TV series, and Will Arnett is always funny when he allows other people around him to be funny as well. This one's got potential.
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Better With You: Honestly, I'm only watching this show because I think ABC's Wednesday night comedy line-up is stellar, and I want to trust that they've picked another good one. The pilot was funny enough for a pilot, and the two sisters at the heart of it (Joanna Garcia from
Reba and Jennifer Finnegan from
Close to Home) have good chemistry. It can only get better, I think.
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Sister Wives: DO NOT judge me for this. It's the only TLC show I watch, and it stems out of pure, morbid fascination. I'm also a huge fan of
Big Love, so I'm hoping this will hold me over until January. In case you haven't heard of it, it's about a Mormon guy with three wives and twelve children, shacking up,
Big Love-style in a pretty nice, two-story complex in Utah. The thing that's fascinating about this family is seeing how they organize their lives. In the pilot, we learned that Kody, the husband, is attempting to bring another wife into the family, so as viewers, we are meeting this family on the cusp of big change (it's almost like the producers planned it that way. Crazy.). I was riveted by the pilot, strangely enough. I also find it fascinating that a show like this is now considered acceptable fare for a family network like TLC.
Your turn. What new shows are you liking this season? Anything you hated? Don't fear the comment section!
