Preview
Fall 2011 TV Preview
The top ten most promising new fall shows coming soon to a TV near you.
September 2, 2011 3:15 pmDanielle Vitali
It’s that time again. The kids are back in school, the once humid air turns brisk and welcoming, t-shirts turn into hoodies, and football begins. This also happens to be the time of year when television channels unleash a slew of new television shows in hopes of capturing new audiences’ admiration and attention. A majority of the new shows will be crap but a few will succeed, maybe even being renewed for another season. From medical dramas to murder mysteries and animated comedies which should you watch? Which show will last? I’ve humbly chosen ten shows I think will outshine the competition, furthermore having a chance of getting renewed for a second season. Without further adieu and in no particular order, the very best of the 2011-2012 television season.
FOX • Drama • Monday, September 26th at 8 pm
I don’t know what to say...it’s about dinosaurs so it’s an automatic win. Terra Nova is set on a futuristic earth whose human race is slowly dying out. With the invention of a time machine, the series follows a family as they travel back in time to the prehistoric era to save the human race. Unbeknownst to them, dinosaurs await. Although I have my reservations; how much action will it actually have? Are they just living with dinosaurs or are dinosaurs constantly trying to eat them? Who’s evil? Who’s good? Ok, so I have a lot of reservations. Like Heroes, I believe that once the creators have established the plot and characters the show will be successful. In order to have staying power though, Terra Nova must learn from Heroes mistakes and continue to peek the interest of the audience.
PROS: Dinosaurs.
CONS: Not sure where the creators are going with this.
FOX • Comedy • Tuesday, September 20th at 9 pm
Zooey Deschanel plays Jessica Day, an offbeat and lovable woman who moves in with three single guys after an embarrassingly bad breakup. Together along with her new roommates (played by Max Greenfield, Jake M. Johnson, and Damon Wayans Jr.), and her best friend, professional model CeCe (Hannah Simone) these five friends unite helping each other navigate through life. Although the plot lacks originality, the actors’ portrayal of these characters are what’s going to make this sitcom succeed. From the preview I watched, each characters’ traits are well thought out and seem to compliment each other. Jess is optimistic while CeCe is sarcastic and cynical due to the catty, shallow world of modeling. This sitcom caught my attention because it seems to play out more like a movie than a television series. Which begs the question, does it have enough material to keep the show from becoming stale and boring?
PROS: Zooey Deschanel, quirky and offbeat, plays like a movie.
CONS: Plays like a movie, might become stale and boring. Too cheesy?
FOX • Animated • Sunday, October 30th at 8:30 pm
After watching a preview for Allen Gregory, I couldn’t help but laugh. Jonah Hill plays Allen Gregory, a pretentious little monster who happens to be a genius in this animation show sure to be a hit. At the tender age of seven, Allen Gregory’s parents decide to put him into school and needless to say he doesn’t quite fit in. With clever jokes mixed with absurdity, this show is hilariously served on a silver platter. If you couldn’t already tell, I’m pretty stoked with this show and can’t wait for it to premiere.
PROS: Everything.
CONS: Nothing.
ABC • Fantasy • Sunday, October 23 at 8 pm
Once Upon a Time taps into the world of fairy tales as one woman, Michelle Swan (Jennifer Morison), who must go back to the magical land where she was born and save her parents from enternal misery by defeating the wicked witch. I’m intrigued to see how the creators play with the juxtaposition of magic versus reality considering so many shows have done so in the past (Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, True Blood). I’m also interested to see where the creators will take it and how it will play out. But without a doubt, this show definitely has potential.
PROS: Fairy tales.
CONS: Unsure of how it will play out.
FOX • Mystery • Mid-season
Now that Lost has finished, which new show will take its place? Although there have been many shows in the past vying for this coveted title, only one can succeed. And in my humble opinion no one can top J.J. Abrams, except of course himself. Producer J.J. Abrams introduces Alcatraz, a supernatural thriller set in 2011. In 1963, Alcatraz prison closed its gates for the last time but before it did 302 prisoners mysteriously vanish only to turn up un-aged 30 years later and ready to extract revenge. Who is behind it, where did they come from? This show has the infamous confusion associated with Lost written all over it. It also has enough material to catapult it into future seasons, something that many of these new shows are lacking. My only concern is, it might be too soon. Are audiences ready for another mystery?
PROS: J.J. Abrams, an original, intriguing plotline.
CONS: Will be compared to Lost, audiences might not be ready.
CW • Teen • Thursday, September 15th at 9 pm
CW knows one thing and that's Twihards. With hits under its belt like One Tree Hill and Supernatural, the CW is back with a slew of shows sure to grab your teenager girls' attention and hearts everywhere. The most promising of these shows is The Secret Circle created by Kevin Williamson (Scream, Dawson’s Creek, The Vampire Diaries). The show stars Britt Robertson as Cassie Blake who transfers to a magical small town. Realizing she is a witch, Cassie must come to terms with the power she possesses and whether or not to use those powers for good or evil.
PROS: Kevin Williamson created it, witches.
CONS: Geared towards teenage girls.
ABC • Drama • Sunday, September 25 at 10 pm
Mad Men is a bonified hit with not only women, but with men, teenagers, different age groups, critics, media...you get the picture. Every guy wants to be Don Draper and every woman wants to date him. So it’s only natural that other television stations try to capitalize on it’s success. I assume people will watch the Playboy Club to see hot girls, cleavage and tight leotards. Not only are there sexy women but the show revolves around sex, scandal, and drugs of the 1960s playboy era. But I feel it’ll be subtly sexy and clever Pan Am that will capture viewers attentions. Pan Am stars Christina Ricci as Maggie who embarks on a new job as a stewardesses in a time where commercial traveling has just been introduced. Pan Am centers around a group of stewardesses in the 60s who embark on a powerful journey across the world gaining confidence, falling in love, and making their own rules, something that women in that era didn’t always have the luxury to do. This show seems to have the right amount of sexiness, depth, and honesty to produce a hit. Sadly I have a funny feeling that although this show will be great, it won’t have staying power, i.e. Freaks and Geeks.
PROS: Interesting premise
CONS: Staying power?
FOX • Family • Wednesday, September 30 at 9:30 pm
This show seems a little too gimmicky, but one should never underestimate the comedic performance of Jamie Pressly. This is a show that mothers and daughters alike can enjoy together. It follows Pressly as single mother Annie and her best friend Nikki (Katie Finnerman) as they try to live, befriend, and discipline their teenage daughters while trying to deal with the dilemmas in their life. It seems heart-warming and to the point especially with parents of this generation who try to act more like friends than parental figures. It seems cute and quirky and sometimes a little gimmicky isn’t all bad. Parents and teenagers can both learn from the sticky situations these mothers will likely get themselves into.
PROS: Honest look at relationships between mother and daughter, funny.
CONS: Too gimmicky.
CW • Reality • Premiering Wednesday, September 14th at 8 pm
H8R doesn’t look too promising, but it’s between that and X-Factor and X-Factor doesn’t need anymore publicity than it’s already gotten. I think the only people who actually want to see X-Factor is the media just so it can pan it. I’m sure it will peak people’s interest for the first few episodes but I’m not confident it will have staying power. H8R on the other hand is a twist on reality television. We are all envious of celebrities. They have power, fame, get to date the hottest people on the planet while we’re stuck at our crappy 9-5s, living paycheck to paycheck. So of course we’re going to have a little...ok ALOT of resentment towards these celebrities. Coming on the heels of Same Name in which people with the same names of celebrities gets to switch lives for a few days, it’ll be interesting to see how scripted this “non-scripted” reality show is. Do I think it will last through the season? That’s debatable, it all depends on what direction the producers decide to take it.
PROS: Interesting twist.
CONS: Looks too scripted.
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