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Quick takes on the season
By Joshua Gillin, tbt* Staff Writer
Published September 21, 2007
In show business, timing is everything. But when it comes to the new slate of fall TV shows, having time is everything. And next week, when a new crop comes down the broadcast pike, we here at tbt* are like all of you - we can barely keep up with the programs we're already hooked on, let alone a bunch of newcomers that in all likelihood won't last four episodes. So with that, we're breaking down the autumnal slate before it breaks down all of us. Here's our take on this fall's best, worst and most soul-crushing new shows, three at a time.
Three questions keeping us awake at night
30 Rock (8:30 p.m. Thursday, NBC) Is there a better sitcom on television than 30 Rock? Or rather, is there a better sitcom on network television than 30 Rock? (Because Flight of the Conchords is one big bowl of Hilari-O's.) Tina Fey's Best Comedy Series Emmy upset over Ugly Betty gives us hope for the future of funny. Premieres Oct. 4.
Friday Night Lights (9 p.m. Friday, NBC) Can the Dillon Panthers repeat without Coach Eric Taylor? You people have no idea what we're talking about, do you? You would if you'd been watching this awesome show. Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) left the team for a college coaching gig after last year's state title win. Chandler will still be on the show, but he'll be replaced at Dillon by some new hardass no-name coach (played by some hardass no-name actor). Premieres Oct. 5.
The Office (9 p.m. Thursday, NBC) Will Jenna Fischer go out with us now that's she's single? No. No, she will not. Premieres Thursday (9/27).
Three shows we can't wait to welcome back
Grey's Anatomy (9 p.m. Thursday, ABC) Sure, Addison and Preston are gone and Izzie got waaaay annoying. But watching this drama in syndication has reminded us that Shonda Rhimes likely has plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Premieres Thursday (9/27).
How I Met Your Mother (8 p.m. Monday, CBS) Now that The King of Queens is long gone, we need something familiar that lets us turn off our brains and laugh as soon as the week starts. The fact that it stars Doogie - wait for it - Howser doesn't hurt, either. Premieres Monday (9/24).
Fox's entire Sunday night lineup (8-10 p.m. Sunday, Fox) Even with its best years clearly in the past, The Simpsons continues to deliver, just like King of the Hill, which enters its 12th season. Family Guy and American Dad may basically be the same show, but Seth MacFarlane's abrasive humor helps us cope with our co-workers all week. All premiere Sunday (9/23) except American Dad, which waits until Sept. 30.
Three new shows we think will make it
Back to You (8 p.m. Wednesday, Fox) Kelsey Grammer insists this isn't Frasier in a Pittsburgh TV studio, but it is. And nostalgia's a powerful emotion. Your mom will love it. Premiered Wednesday (9/19).
Private Practice (9 p.m. Wednesday, ABC) Of all the characters we thought would get their own show, Dr. Montgomery was one of the last. Even the Grey's Anatomy fanatics among us aren't sold. But we like Kate Walsh and God invented TiVo for just such a series. Premieres Wednesday (9/26).
K-Ville (9 p.m. Monday, Fox, pictured below) There are plenty of crime dramas, but with an all-too-real scenario like post-Katrina New Orleans, this is the only cop show with something new to offer. Premiered Monday (9/17).
Three new shows that won't make it
Cavemen (8 p.m. Tuesday, ABC) Seriously? Those Geico cavemen are funny in 30-second doses, but we were tired of this show as soon as we finished reading the synopsis: A group of cavemen try to carve out lives in modern-day yawn snore zzzzz. Premieres Oct. 2.
The Big Bang Theory (8:30 p.m. Monday, CBS) A couple dorks slobber over their hot neighbor. Sorry, but we already watch Beauty and the Geek. Premieres Monday (9/24).
Samantha Who? (9:30 p.m. Monday, ABC) Exactly. But at least we can look at Christina Applegate. Premieres Oct. 15.
Three new shows we'd flip a coin on
Aliens in America (8:30 p.m. Monday, CW) A post-9/11 comedy about a Pakistani boy in the Midwest? Could change the nation, could fizzle fast. Premieres Oct. 1.
Reaper (9 p.m. Tuesday, CW) Remember the movie version of Constantine with Keanu Reeves? If you do, you'll watch this comedy and like it. If you don't, the Dancing With the Stars results show is on ABC. Premieres Tuesday (9/25).
Gossip Girl (9 p.m. Wednesday, CW) Notice how all these bubble shows are on the CW? With both Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars gone, that's no coincidence. Plus, we love the idea of a soap about gossipy teenage blogs. Premiered last Wednesday (9/19).
Three new shows that aren't really new
Pushing Daisies (8 p.m. Wednesday, ABC) A detective story in which the gumshoe touches people to find out what's what. See: The Dead Zone. Premieres Oct. 3.
Journeyman (10 p.m. Monday, NBC) A guy has to relive the past to fix things that went wrong. Even lead actress Moon Bloodgood (seriously) has done this before in the short-lived Day Break. Going back further, try Quantum Leap. Premieres Monday (9/24).
Bionic Woman (9 p.m. Wednesday, NBC) We don't care how good critics say this remake is, it just won't be the same without that awesome nuh-nuh-nuh sound. Premieres Wednesday (9/26).
Three shows on the verge of jumping the shark
Prison Break (8 p.m. Monday, Fox) This credibility-straining drama should be renamed Cartoon Express after giving fans even more reasons to say "Whaaaa?" last season. If nothing else, the body count of how many people have died while Michael tried to save Lincoln makes us wonder if Lincoln is really worth it. Season 3 finds Scofield stuck in a Panama prison, just so you bleeding hearts can put our scummy lockups in perspective. Premiered Monday (9/17).
My Name is Earl (8 p.m. Thursday, NBC) This one hurts, because when this show is on its game, it miraculously straddles raunchy and sweet when mining laughs in the trailer park. Last season, Earl was spending less time on the list and more time on gimmicks like Catalina's deportation and a scratch-and-sniff episode. The sharks are circling. Less soap opera, more karma. Premieres Thursday (9/27).
Shark (10 p.m. Sunday, CBS) We couldn't resist. But even our love of Jimmy Woods can't make us ignore Shark jumping itself when the DAs get involved in a shootout. Of course, that's no less plausible than hot interns performing surgery in an elevator on Grey's. Premieres Sunday (9/23).
Three reality shows we'll admit to watching ...
Survivor: China (8 p.m. Thursday, CBS) Remember the good ol' days of what the Emmys label "reality-competition" shows? When the programs were only on once a week, there were clearly likable and dislikable contestants and the settings were interesting? It's like that, but in China. Premiered Thursday (9/20).
America's Next Top Model (8 p.m. Wednesday, CW) Half-naked girls that gossip and occasionally threaten to claw eyes out? Throw in Kimberly Leemans from Ocala to root for and this ninth cycle has legs. Premiered Wednesday (9/19).
Kitchen Nightmares (9 p.m. Wednesday, Fox) A cardinal rule of drama is, "Give the audience a villain they love to hate." Gordon Ramsay fits the bill so nicely, they gave him a second show exposing restaurant failures. Premiered Wednesday (9/19).
... And three that we won't
A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila (10 p.m. Tuesday, MTV) She can't sing, she can't act and she was the host of Pants-Off Dance-Off, which TV Guide called the dumbest show on television. But she's hot, and she's pitting straight guys against lesbians for her affections, so bring it on! Premieres Oct. 9.
Kid Nation (8 p.m. Wednesday, CBS) There's so much wrong with the idea of forcing 40 kids to act out a reality version of Lord of the Flies we have to shun it on principle. But curiosity will likely kill our inner 8-year-old. Premiered Wednesday (9/19).
The Bachelor (10 p.m. Monday, ABC) Somehow, some way, this show keeps chugging along for an 11th edition. But this time we can cross our fingers for Jessica Kiss from Lady Lake and Erin Gardner from Tampa, who starts the show by telling the titular Texan she once broke her face with a football. That's a smashing good show! Premieres Monday (9/24) at 9:30 p.m.
Three shows that will carry on despite eroding quality
Desperate Housewives (9 p.m. Sunday, ABC) This show is suffering from the Oz syndrome: Used to be a character only died once a season; now they're dropping practically every episode. But is Edie among the departed? Premieres Sept. 30.
Heroes (9 p.m. Monday, NBC) This one started to lose steam as fast as it gained it. The feudal-era Japan stuff (with Masi Oka, a.k.a. Hiro, left) might not fly, and if the character that NBC has hinted dies in the first episode isn't Sylar, some fans'll have something to say. Premieres Monday (9/24).
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (10 p.m. Thursday, USA) Still, it's good to know Chris Noth and Vincent D'Onofrio now have a home on basic cable. Premieres Oct. 4.
Three shows worth keeping cable for
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (10 p.m. Thursday, FX) It's nice to know there's a sitcom out there edgy enough to make fun of dumpster babies and being homeless. Premiered Sept. 13.
The Boondocks (11 p.m. Monday, Cartoon Network) Aaron McGruder's transition to moving pictures was hailed and hissed, but it was still Adult Swim's highest-rated premiere ever. With a black lawyer named Tom, a self-hating sellout named Uncle Ruckus and a pimp named A Pimp Named Slickback, it's not about how much you're offended, it's about what it is that offends you. Premieres Oct. 8.
Dexter (9 p.m. Sunday, Showtime) How can you root for a serial killer? Make him hunt other serial killers. That's got to be murder on his therapy sessions. Premieres Sept. 30.
Three reasons you should be watching VH1 instead of MTV
I Love New York 2 (9 p.m. Monday, VH1) This is the dirtiest, skankiest, most depressing dating show on TV. Unless Tila Tequila gives New York a run for her money. Cantwaitcantwaitcantwait. Premieres Oct. 8.
The Salt-N-Pepa Show (10 p.m. Monday, VH1) These girls haven't been together for five years, so let's take a trip in the wayback machine to see if they can mount an ill-fated comeback. Premieres Oct. 15.
Pop Up Video (via the Interwebs, starting Monday) We loved this show, which told us how long it took singers to squeeze into their leather outfits and how many Cheetos the crew ate, but it disappeared in 2002. Now it's back on VH1's mobile network.
Three shows riding off into the sunset
Scrubs (9:30 p.m., NBC) Elliot (Sarah Chalke, left), J.D. and the gang will say farewell after the seventh season. How will Zach Braff pick up girls then? Premieres Thursday (9/27).
Queer Eye: The Final Season (9 p.m. Tuesday, Bravo) Wow, we didn't even know this was still on. Well, it's gone. Premieres Oct. 2.
ER (10 p.m. Thursday, NBC) Wait, this show isn't ending? But it's been on for 14 years! Enough is enough! Premieres Thursday (9/27).
[Last modified September 20, 2007, 18:10:37]
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