What can I say about the new Fall lineup on TV? One word: fabulous. Okay, I know that word is a little overused here… eh, who cares?!? I know Jenny has told you about our favorite new show, The Playboy Club, but I have a few new shows I want to feature!
Let's start with Monday night.
2 Broke Girls is great in addition to The Playboy Club. For a live-action comedy, the writing is pretty good. I don't feel stupid when I watch it. It's produced by Whitney Cummings (who has her own show on Thursday nights on NBC-- more on that below) and directed by veteran TV director James Burrows (Will & Grace, Mike & Molly, Fraiser, Friends, Caroline in the City, Cheers, Taxi, Rhoda, Laverne & Shirley, The Bob Newhart Show, Phyllis, The Mary Tyler Moore Show-- the list goes on and on-- in other words, a lot of great classic shows!). Kat Dennings is my favorite for her very direct, and often dirty, humor…
Tuesday night for me is the new season of NCIS. It's not a new series, of course, but it's one of my favorites that I look forward to each week. The cast and the writing always keep me coming back for more. (And a side note, Muse Watson, the guy who played Mike Franks, came to see the show I perform at in Branson this week--pretty exciting!)
As for Wednesday nights, Harry's Law returns for a second season. I stopped watching during the first season because Kathy Bates (who I've loved ever since Fried Green Tomatoes) always seemed so depressed in her acting. There was no fire in her. It worked for the first episode because her character gets fired from her law practice, gets hit by a bus and is subsequently depressed, but it stayed lackluster and never developed. Since they added Jean Smart to the cast, I'm giving it a second shot. Her character, Hosanna Roseanna, is so dark and juicy! Definitely not the Charlene Frazier Stillfield we remember from way back when… and she looks great for having just turned 60! (And speaking of Designing Women alum, Annie Potts is returning to TV in a new series on ABC called Good Christian Belles that's supposed to premiere later this season.)
Thursday nights has a lot of great new shows. Person of Interest is an intense ride! Jim Caviezel plays an ex-CIA agent who is recruited to stop crimes before they happen. Think Early Edition post-9/11 with a lot of guns and action. I hope the rest of the season keeps up with the action as much as the pilot episode.
Prime Suspect is remake of the British series of the same name which starred the fabulous Helen Mirren (which ran off and on from 1991-2006). Mario Bello does a great job kicking ass and taking names. She plays a detective who has to overcome the "good 'ol boys club" while fighting horrible crimes.
Whitney is Whitney Cumming's new series, and it's actually cute. I'm anxious to see how this one develops over the season. Very promising! Great writing! It's not Jenny's favorite, but I'm sure she'll tell you why later...
There's a new show on CBS on Friday night's that surprised me. A Gifted Man is about a New York City neurosurgeon who treats only the rich and famous. After his dead ex-wife visits him from beyond (the first visit he doesn't know she died two weeks earlier), he has a change of heart and decides to treat the less fortunate. Think Providence meets Touched By An Angel-- two of my favorite classic television series.
Sunday nights round off the week with Pan Am. I know the networks are getting a little overboard with the historical fiction series, but this one has a lot of promise. Good characters and lots of mystery. Much like The Playboy Club, Pan Am is about a group of stewardesses who fly around the world, dress fabulously, have romantic rendezvous, and maybe spy for the U.S. Government. Christina Ricci is always a treat to watch. Definitely set your DVR for this one!
However, there are a few shows you shouldn't waste your time on. Let's start with Charlie's Angels. When I first saw the marketing for this show, I was excited. I was in New York at the time and their giant billboard was all over Times Square. I was instantly hooked. The three women looked great, and I loved this series the first time around so how could they go wrong? Well, it was so corny. In the first scene they rescue a kidnapped girl and the fight scene they had with the bad guys was so cheesy. Total fake. I deleted it 7 minutes into it.
I had higher hopes for two new shows on NBC. Up All Night is Christina Applegate's new series, and I absolutely love her. I hated it when they canceled her show, Samantha, Who?, two years ago. However, I was bored with this show. I don't care for humor like The Office. I know, start writing the hateful comments, but it just doesn't make me laugh. This show plays off this type of humor. I loved the pilot episode but not the subsequent ones. Next please.
The other show that follows right behind that is Free Agents. Natasha Leggero, guest panelist on Chelsea Lately with Whitney Cummings, et al, is hysterical. I love her and hope she gets her own series one day. However, the other characters are boring and I found myself loving the pilot and hating every episode after that. Delete. Delete. Delete.
Out of all the new shows, there were only three that I didn't like. I'd say that is impressive! Of course, the only reason why I'm watching these shows is to fill the void until my other shows come back from hiatus-- The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, Memphis Beat, White Collar, Necessary Roughness, Suits -- basically until USA and TNT's entire lineup comes back.
What do you think of the new shows? Are there any that I didn't mention that I should have checked out? What are your favorites?
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