Here's a brief rundown of the new shows starting this fall. I'll post the entire list of fall premier dates soon...
Ringer - September 13 (CW)
Plot:
Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as Bridget, a six months sober ex-stripper who is in the FBI’s protective custody. Bridget escapes to NYC to visit her estranged twin, but when the sister goes missing, Bridget takes over her life.
What I've heard:
Supposedly quite an "adult" show for a network that tends to favor the tween audience. Decent reviews overall, so I'll be tuning in.
Plot:
A couple struggles to balance their home lives with their newborn child and their work lives.
What I've heard:
Amazing cast, but a plot that's been done many many times before. I'll be tuning in for the cast, and hopefully sticking around because it makes me laugh.
Free Agents - September 14 (NBC)
Plot:
A workplace comedy that explores the trials and tribulations of two public relations executives on the rebound.
What I've heard:
Skip It.
The Secret Circle - September 15 (CW)
Plot:
An orphaned high school student relocates to live with her grandmother. She comes to suspect that something is amiss and eventually finds out that she is a witch, as are many of her friends.
What I've heard:
According to a well placed source who saw the pilot at this year's Comic Con - "A typical angsty teeny-bopper show, but not as annoying as most. The actors are fairly good, and the lead, while looking kind of stunned throughout, seems able to carry the show. The characters are flat stereotypes, but maybe that will improve. There were a lot of cliches (dead parents, adults keeping secrets, love triangle, mean girl, bad boy, good girl, etc, etc.) but if you like teen shows, this may be one of the better ones"
Plot:
Set in the 1960s, a new bunny has a run-in with a mobster then gets a helping hand from a high-powered attorney/club regular which does not go over well with his girlfriend.
What I've heard:
Trying to be Mad Men on network TV. Doesn't live up to the hype.
2 Broke Girls - September 19 (CBS)
Plot:
One girl juggles two jobs to make ends meet while the other is a Park Avenue princess rendered penniless by her infamous father.
What I've heard:
Although the plot sounds awful, it's getting decent reviews.
Plot:
In the wake of a break up, a cute but geeky girl moves in with three boys.
What I've heard:
Getting the best reviews of any new show this fall. I adore Zoey Deschanel and will be tuning in week after week after week.
The X Factor - September 21 (FOX)
Plot:
Have you seen American Idol?
What I've heard:
Same old Paula and Simon, but hopefully LA Reid and Nicole "Pussycat Doll" Scherzinger can inject some much needed life into a concept that's been done over and over again.
Plot:
A woman with a dark past heads to the Hamptons to exact revenge on the people who destroyed her life and her family when she was just a kid.
What I've heard:
A dark, soap-opera like drama that has reviewers torn. Some seemed to enjoy it, others give it a slim chance of surviving this fall.
Charlie's Angels - September 22 (ABC)
Plot:
Three woman - a street racer, a former cat burglar, and a former cop, work as detectives.
What I've heard:
Fun show that is getting very average reviews. People may tune in for the nostalgia, but will soon tune out when they realize that there are much better shows on at the exact same time on other networks.
Whitney - September 22 (NBC)
Plot:
Whitney and Alex, a happily unmarried couple, realize that they are close to relationship boredom after attending yet another one of their friends’ weddings.
What I've heard:
Haven't seen any official reviews, but based on the commercials alone, I'll be skipping this one.
Plot:
A presumed-dead ex-CIA agent who is living under the radar is recruited by the mysterious Mr. Finch to help stop crimes before they happen.
What I've heard:
According to a well placed source who saw the pilot at this year's Comic Con - "I really expected to like this show, but mostly it bored me. At its core, it just wasn't very interesting. It combined crime-of-the-week with spy-show-paranoia and not successfully. Michael Emerson was good (though what's with the limp?), but James Caviezel mumbled his way through the script, enough that I had no idea what he was saying at times (everyone else was clear, so it wasn't the sound). Cliche-ridden crap."
A Gifted Man - September 23 (CBS)
Plot:
About a successful surgeon whose life and perspective on his career changes drastically when his deceased ex-wife begins visiting him from the afterlife.
What I've heard:
Most critics agree that the show is superbly cast and that the pilot was wonderful. However, most aren't sure how it will stand up as a weekly series.
Pan Am - September 25 (ABC)
Plot:
A retro-look at the glamor and downside to being a flight attendant for Pan Am in the 1960s
What I've heard:
Skip It.
Plot:
Dr. Zoe Hart moves to a remote town in Alabama when there are no jobs available for her in New York.
What I've heard:
Not getting the best reviews...but because I miss Summer Roberts (and Seth Cohen) I'll probably tune in.
Plot:
It’s the year 2149, and Earth is in a bad way, due to pollution, depleted natural resources and humanity’s excesses. To offer the world a future, scientists use a cosmic wormhole to send people 85 million years into the past, to partake in the biggest do-over ever.
What I've heard:
Most reviewers seem very smitten with this show, giving it thumbs up across the board.
Suburgatory - September 28 (ABC)
Plot:
A single father moves with his 16-year-old daughter out of their apartment in New York City to a house in the suburbs.
What I've heard:
Getting lots of good reviews for witty dialogue and unexpected heart.
How to Be a Gentleman - September 29 (CBS)
Plot:
A comedy about the unlikely friendship between a traditional, uptight columnist and an unrefined personal trainer.
What I've heard:
Decent reviews - still not sure I'll be tuning in.
Last Man Standing - October 11 (ABC)
Plot:
Mike is king of the hill at work, but he's the odd man out in a home that is dominated by women -- namely his wife, and their three daughters.
What I've heard:
Skip It.
Man Up! - October 18 (ABC)
Plot:
Three modern men try to get in touch with their inner tough guys and redefine what it means to be a "real man".
What I've heard:
There is no way this will last the entire fall season. Skip it.
Grimm - October 21 (NBC)
Plot:
Set in present-day Portland, the series puts a new twist on the stories of the Brothers Grimm in which a homicide detective learns that he is a descendent of a group of hunters known as "Grimms", who fight to keep the balance of humanity safe from the supernatural creatures of the world.
What I've heard:
According to a well placed source who saw the pilot at this year's Comic Con - "This was good. It was dark, and even genuinely scary in places (including within the first minute or two). The acting was solid, the comedic parts were spot-on, and the production values were high. Shot in Portland, the show uses the lush greenery almost as a character, evoking the untamed forests of the fairy tales. It has a crime-of-the-week format, but the subtle integration of fairy tale elements makes that a little more interesting than normal. If they can keep it up, this is definitely worth watching."
Plot:
A New England town is a parallel world in which fairy tale characters look like normal people and don't remember their true identities or anything about their true lives.
What I've heard:
Some reviewers love it, others seem to hate it. With two of the writers from Lost on board, I'm going to check it out!
2 comments:
How on Earth do I pick? Funny that you immediately said no to Whitney, Rob has put it on his must watch list!!! Is the girl in the teen witch drama the girl from my cancelled show last season? Lux? (already forget show name).
Jen, you should watch Up All Night, The Secret Circle, New Girl, and Hart of Dixie.
Yes, the girl in The Secret Circle was the lead in Life Unexpected.
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