Welcome! It's been a busy week and this preview is
already late, , so in the interest of not reinventing the wheel, here is my
introduction from last year's TV preview (slightly edited):
Welcome to my annual Fall TV
preview.
To those of you who are returning readers, you
know the drill. For those of you new to my write-up, here's the
story. By day (and some nights) I work
on health care policy, but by night (and some days) I enjoy my pop culture,
especially my TV. So each year I share
what I'm watching and my impressions of the new shows.
A couple of things to keep in mind - TV is
changing - in fact to continue to call it "TV" is a bit of a
misnomer. People watch on their
computers, their tablets and even their phones (kids today, I'm telling you,
get off my lawn). Also, while when I was
growing up there were 3 networks to choose from, now there are over 300 channel
options on most cable systems. This year
we can add original programming coming from Netflix and Amazon - shows that are
never "broadcast" at all. And
of course, we can't forget all the premium cable channels. It's exhausting just writing about it, so as
much as I would like to, I can't cover it all (at least not while I still have
this health care crisis to deal with).
So here are my parameters - I am not (yet) covering the non-broadcast
shows (so no House of Cards and no Orange is the New Black). I also have a large enough cable bill with my
two DVRs, so no premium channels for me (which means no Homeland and no VEEP).
(2014 Mitchell here, I finally broke down
and got my Netflix subscription, so have now caught up on House of Cards (loved
it) and halfway through Orange (the book ruined the show for me, loved the book
but the show is very different and I can't seem to get past that. OK, back to 2013 Mitchell now.)
OK, we're almost ready to start, my last
warning is that I like what I like - I have a bias towards sci-fi shows and
against Law & Order and reality TV.
For the new shows, I share what I've read about all of them but for
existing shows I stick to what I watch.
As you read on remember, I won't judge your taste, please don't judge
mine.
Below
you will find a section looking at this Fall's new shows, a link to my personal
fall schedule and a list of resources (including a link to a very useful
premiere data calendar showing when all your favorites are returning).
Happy
viewing!
NEW SHOWS
Below is an alphabetical list of
(most) of the shows on broadcast and non-premium cable premiering this fall. I've taken the TV guide summaries and added
my comments above them. The titles of
the shows I'm watching are bolded and my comments are in italics, the standard
print is copied from this page: NEW FALL TV SHOWS
(unlike certain consulting firms working for the State of Maine, I know not to plagiarize). I also refer to the Television Critics
Association survey results which can be found here: Television Critics of America
survey of most promising shows.
A to Z, NBC,
Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9/8c
A TV Guide Editor's Pick and number three on the TCA list of most
promising new comedies - Plus it stars the mother (miraculously back from her
untimely death on HIMYM). So I'm
in.
A student of the How I Met Your
Mother school of television, A to Z is a romantic comedy that chronicles a
relationship from beginning to end, à la 500 Days of Summer. Mad Men's Ben
Feldman stars (with both of his nipples!) as Andrew, a true believer in destiny
and romance, while HIMYM's ever-charming Cristin Milioti plays the object of
his affection, Zelda. (A to Z, get it?) Lenora Crichlow, Henry Zebrowski, and
Christina Kirk round out the cast.
Bad Judge, NBC, Premieres: Thursday,
Oct. 2 at 9/8c
Some are betting this will be the first show cancelled. Yes Kate Walsh is
talented, but the best we can hope is that this show dies a fast merciful death
and she finds a place to use her talent.
This single-camera comedy stars Kate
Walsh (Private Practice, Fargo) as Rebecca Wright, one of L.A.'s most respected
criminal court judges. But here's the (overused and kind-of-boring) catch:
While Rebecca totally and completely has it together in her work life, her
personal life is the exact definition of a hot mess. She's flaky, she sleeps
around without a care in the world, and she parties like she's still in college
(so we're guessing she has the world's worst hangovers). She does drive a sweet
van, though! John Ducey, Tone Bell, and Theodore Barnes also star.
Black-ish,
ABC, Premieres: Wednesday, Sep. 24 at 9/8c
Also a TV Guide Editors' pick and number one on the TCA list of promising
comedies. Looks funny so it dubbed DVRworthy!
Created by and starring comedian
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish explores one man's efforts to establish a cultural
identity for his family after he discovers his children don't have one.
Anderson stars as man-of-the-house Dre, and Tracee Ellis Ross plays his
biracial wife Rainbow; they've got their hands full working and raising kids
Zoey, Andre (who prefers to be called Andy and really, really wants a bar mitzvah
despite the fact they're not Jewish), and twins Jack and Diane. Hannibal's
Laurence Fishburne appears as Dre's father, Pops, and wears velour tracksuits
because he's Laurence freaking Fishburne.
Constantine,
NBC, Premieres: Friday, Oct. 24 at 10/9c
Not for everyone, what we in the biz (don't I wish) refer to as a genre
show. Based on a very dark comic. Martha will not be watching this one with me.
One of many comic book adaptations
this season, Constantine is based on the DC Comics series Hellblazer. Welsh
actor Matt Ryan stars as the titular John Constantine, a seasoned demon hunter
and master of the occult who abandoned his campaign against evil after failing
to save a young girl's soul from hell. However, he's pulled back into the fight
when the balance between good and evil somehow winds up on the line and an
angel named Manny (Lost's Harold Perrineau) tells him to man up and get his act
together. True Detective's Charles Halford also stars.
Cristela, ABC, Premieres: Friday,
Oct. 10 at 8/7c
Sorry, I have no interest in this at all.
Maybe it will be funny and I'll miss out, but I don't think so...
Loosely based on comedienne Cristela
Alonzo's life and stand-up routine, this family sitcom opens as the title
character enters her sixth year of law school and takes on an unpaid internship
at a law firm where she's frequently mistaken for the help. As she works to get
her life and career started, she must also deal with her traditional
Mexican-American family, who struggles to understand her ambitions. Carlos
Ponce, Terri Hoyos, Andrew Leeds, Sam McMurray, and Jacob Guenther also star.
The Flash, CW,
Premieres: Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 8/7c
This might be the show I'm most looking forward to. For those who watch Arrow, no need for me to
discuss this, for those who don't think a fun, funny show with some tension but
the good guys end up winning. While I'm
mostly a Marvel guy (see my discussion of Gotham below) DC has me with their CW
shows. Also a TV Guide Editors' pick.
The CW's highly anticipated Arrow
spin-off stars Grant Gustin as Barry Allen, who becomes the fastest man alive,
aka The Flash, after an explosion at the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator
bestows him with superhuman speed. More lighthearted than its parent series,
The Flash is set in Central City, where Barry works as a forensic investigator
and uses his special power to help fight crime. He's aided in that endeavor by
Det. Joe West (Law & Order's Jesse L. Martin), a cop who also serves as
Barry's surrogate father; Barry's real father (TV's original Barry Allen, and
Dawson Leery's dad, John Wesley Shipp) is in prison for allegedly murdering
Barry's mother. Rounding out the cast are Candice Patton as Iris, Joe's
daughter and Barry's BFF; Danielle Panabaker and Carlos Valdes as S.T.A.R. Labs
scientists Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon; Rick Cosnett as Det. Eddie Thawne; and
Tom Cavanagh as Dr. Harrison Wells.
Forever, ABC,
Premieres: Monday, Sep. 22 at 10/9c (then moves to Tuesday's at 10 the
following week)
I'm curious - think Elementary meets Vampire Diaries. Not generating a lot of buzz but at least the
premise is (a little) different. Will
give it a try to see if they can make it work.
Ioan Gruffudd stars as New York City
medical examiner Henry Morgan, who harbors an unusual secret —he can't die.
Working alongside his new partner, Det. Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza), Morgan
studies the dead in an effort to discover the mystery of his own immortality.
Also, the ladies in the crowd might want to take note: When Morgan dies (and he
dies semi-often for some reason), he always comes back naked. Judd Hirsch,
Donnie Keshawarz, and Joel David Moore also star.
Gotham, Fox,
Premieres: Monday, Sep. 22 at 8/7c
This is the show I'm most conflicted about, but as a TV Guide Editors'
pick and getting the TCA pick for the top new show, how can I not give it a
try. As I said above, I'm more a Marcel
(Iron Man Avengers, etc) guy than a DC (Batman, Superman, etc) guy. And this show is clearly in the Christopher
Nolan Batman tradition. This time
looking at the city of Gotham when Batman was just a boy and Commissioner
Gordon was just a beat cop. In addition
to focusing on Gordon will also look at the origins of some of Batman's most
famous enemies. So I'll be watching,
mostly because I think I should be...
Described as the origin story of
future Gotham police commissioner Jim Gordon, Gotham is Fox's effort to get in
on TV's comic-book craze. Southland and The O.C. alum Ben McKenzie stars as
Gordon, a fresh-faced police detective whose life begins to change when he and
his partner, the brash Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue), start investigating the
murder of the parents of none other than a young Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz).
However, the noir crime drama isn't just about Gordon's rise through the ranks
of Gotham City's PD; it also promises to tell the origin stories of several DC
Comics' villains, including Catwoman (Camren Bicondova), the Penguin (Robin
Lord Taylor), and the Riddler (Cory Michael Smith).
Gracepoint,
Fox, Premieres: Thursday, Oct. 2 at 9/8c
You know how I just said Gotham was the show I was most conflicted
about? We'll I lied. This is really the show - I needed to toss a
coin to see if it made the schedule. Here's my problem, I loved Broadchurch,
the BBC show on which this is based.
Really, if you're at all intrigued, watch that one instead of this. But having loved Broadchurch I'm curious to
see what Fox does to it. Plus, the Fox version
stars David Tennant - who also starred in the original (and also happens to be
the Tenth Doctor).
When a young boy is found dead on an
idyllic beach, a major police investigation gets underway in the small
California seaside town where the tragedy occurred. Soon deemed a homicide, the
case sparks a media frenzy, which throws the boy’s family into further turmoil
and upends the lives of all of the town’s residents. Based on the British
series Broadchurch, the event series stars David Tennant and Anna Gunn as the
pair of cops investigating the case. The cast also includes Nick Nolte, Michael
Pena, Jacki Weaver and Kevin Rankin.
How to Get Away With Murder, ABC, Premieres: Thursday, Sep. 25 at 10/9c
Shonda Rihimes (creator of Grey's Anatamy (don't watch) and Scandal
(obsessed with) adds a third show making Thursday nights on ABC all Shonda all
the time. Staring Viola Davis how could
you not watch. For those who don't watch
either of Shonda's other shows, buckle up - they move fast and take hairpin
turns without any warning! Also a TV Guide Editors' pick and TCA number 3
promising new drama.
Shonda Rhimes continues her push
toward world domination with this legal thriller, which stars Viola Davis as a
serious-as-the-death-penalty law school professor whose attractive students vie
for her approval and a desk at her prestigious law firm. But their biggest
lessons are learned outside the classroom, when they get caught up in a murder
plot and, presumably, must figure out how to get away with it. Expect
Scandal-sized twists and Grey's-like drama!
Jane The Virgin,
CW, Premieres: Monday, Oct. 13 at 9/8c
This gets the award for the show you would be mostly likely to think is
stupid. Yet the buzz on the show and its
star, Gina Rodriguez, is as good as for any other new show. TV Guide Editors' pick, TCA number 2 most
promising new show and Gina is number one pick to be the breakout star of the
season. Don't get bogged down in the
summary. Critics who've seen the pilot
loved it, so put aside your skepticism and give it a try.
Come on, it's all right there in the
title: Gina Rodriguez stars as a young woman named Jane, and Jane is a virgin!
What more is there to know? Well, okay, there is the fact that she's pregnant
because she was accidentally artificially inseminated by her gynecologist.
Whoops! And to make matters even more complicated, Jane has to decide whether
or not to keep the baby after discovering the sperm specimen belonged to cancer
survivor Rafael (Justin Baldoni), who's not only a former crush of Jane's, but
also her new boss.
Madam Secretary,
CBS, Premieres: Sunday, Sep. 21 at 8/7c
We like Tea, the show looks like in spirit it is a successor to the West
Wing (although I don't expect it to be on that level). In this day and age, who
doesn't want to see a political fantasy where Washington gets things done...
Also a TV Guide Editors' pick
Tea Leoni plays a former CIA agent
whose former boss, now the president of the United States (Keith Carradine),
asks her to take on the role of Secretary of State after an accident claims the
life of the office's previous occupant. Using her no-nonsense, unconventional
attitude toward politics, she shakes things up in Washington, D.C. while also
juggling her home life as a wife and a mother. Tim Daly and Bebe Neuwirth also
star.
Manhattan Love Story, ABC, Premieres:
Tuesday, Sep. 30 at 8/7c
Move along, nothing to see here...
This new comedy uses the power of
voiceover to broadcast the internal monologues of a New York City dude (Jake
McDorman) and a Midwestern transplant chick (Analeigh Tipton) as they navigate
an awkward first date and subsequent budding romance. What you'll learn early
on from the voices in their heads is that guys like sex and women like purses;
but as the series — and their relationship &mdash ;progresses, we expect
things will get a bit more complicated than that.
Marry Me, NBC,
Premieres: Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 9/8c
It's Penny, oh sorry, Casey Wilson - so I'm in. (If you didn't like Happy Ending's don't
watch, if you never watched Happy Ending's, shame on you, it's your fault it
got cancelled!)
Happy Endings' David Caspe is the
writer behind this rom-com about a couple (played by Ken Marino and Caspe's
real-life wife Casey Wilson) who are well on their way to tying the knot.
There's just one problem: They can't get the marriage proposal right! Is it a
sign that they aren't supposed to be together? Or do they need to just stop
screwing up their overly inventive attempts to get engaged? Sarah Wright and
John Gemberling also star.
The McCarthys, CBS, Premieres:
Thursday, Oct. 30 at 9/8c
Really? Why? No thank you.
A loud-mouthed, sports-crazy Boston
family (aren't those things redundant?) is at the center of this multi-camera
sitcom based on the life of series creator Brian Gallivan. But what happens
when the patriarch asks the resident black sheep — a gay, sports-averse son — o
be his assistant basketball coach? Madness! Will there be a "you throw
like a girl" joke? Probably! Tyler Ritter, Laurie Metcalf, Jack McGee,
Jimmy Dunn, and Joey McIntyre (yes, that Joey McIntyre, of New Kids on the
Block) star.
Mulaney, Fox, Premieres: Sunday, Oct.
5 at 9/8c
Don't really think he's that funny, I won't be watching.
What's the deal with this show?
Stand-up comic and former SNL writer John Mulaney does his best Jerry Seinfeld
impression as a comedian who lives and works in New York City and whose pals
(Nasim Pedrad and Seaton Smith) and wacky neighbor (Elliot Gould) like to butt
into his life. But John will have a more regular gig than Jerry ever did: He
writes jokes for a game-show host and comedian played by Martin Short. Yada,
yada, yada...
The Mysteries of Laura, NBC,
Premieres: Wednesday, Sep. 17 at 10/9c
As much as I love Debra Messing, Smash proved she can be in bad
shows. This one looks like another one
that fits in that category - count me out.
Things at NBC are about to get
Messing again! This lighthearted drama brings Will & Grace and Smash
actress Debra Messing back to the small screen as Laura Diamond, an NYPD
homicide detective who spends her days cleaning up the streets and the rest of
her time cleaning up after her rambunctious twin sons and soon-to-be ex-husband
(Josh Lucas) Laz Alonso also stars.
NCIS: New Orleans, CBS, Premieres:
Tuesday, Sep. 23 at 9/8c
I can honestly say I've only watched one episode of NCIS in my life (and
none of CSI), so I won't be watching this spinoff.
Why should Washington, D.C. and Los
Angeles have all the fun? The Big Easy gets its own iteration of TV's
most-watched drama, with Scott Bakula, Lucas Black, Zoe McLellan, and C.C.H.
Pounder solving crimes on Bourbon Street and beyond. We guess the Navy boys get
into lots of trouble while they're on leave!
Red Band Society, Fox, Premieres:
Wednesday, Sep. 17 at 9/8c
This one gets the award for the best show I won't be watching. Getting good buzz but I'm just not that
interested in watching sick children. Even as a TV Guide Editors' pick I'm not
in.
Set in the children's ward of a Los
Angeles hospital (and narrated by a kid who's in a coma), Red Band Society is a
coming-of-age drama that follows a Breakfast Club -esque group of patients as
they such face life-changing (and life-threatening) challenges as cancer and
heart defects. Griffin Gluck, Zoe Levin, Charlie Rowe, Astro, Ciara Bravo, and
Nolan Sotillo star as the young protagonists, while Dave Annable, Rebecca
Rittenhouse, and Octavia Spencer take on the adult roles of the doctors and
nurses who mentor them through the ups and downs of adolescence.
Scorpion, CBS,
Premieres: Monday, Sep. 22 at 9/8c
Think Big Bang meets Elementary meets Covert Affairs. Need I say more? OK, how about Katharine McPhee as Penny, does
that do it for you?
Based on the experiences of
real-world genius Walter O'Brien, Scorpion is about a bunch of nerds who form a
team to solve some of the world's most complex problems. (It's like if the
Justice League of America traded their superpowers for supersmarts, computer
wizardry and hacking skills.) And to give the show a Big Bang Theory-esque
twist, Katharine McPhee plays the diner waitress who glues them all together.
Elyes Gabel, Robert Patrick, and Eddie Kaye Thomas also star.
Selfie, ABC,
Premieres: Tuesday, Sep. 30 at 8/7c
Karen Gillan (Doctor Who) drops her
adorable Scottish accent to star in this modern spin on Pygmalion that takes
place in today's social media-driven world. Gillan's Eliza Dooley is obsessed
with becoming Internet famous, but her constant Instagramming and Facebooking
has left her devoid of any real friends — not to mention the social skills
required to make any. Desperate for a fix, Eliza hires marketer Henry
Higenbottam (John Cho) to help her rebuild her image and put down her damn
phone for once.
Stalker, CBS, Premieres: Wednesday,
Oct. 1 at 10/9c
I watched Nikita all the way to the end.
Clearly I'm a fan of Maggie Q.
But even that devotion couldn't get me to watch this train wreck of a
concept. Every week a new
stalker... No thanks.
This violent and shocking thriller from The Following's Kevin Williamson
has already drawn plenty of pre-air criticism, and with good reason. It follows
a division of the LAPD that deals with stalkers, voyeurs, and love-obsessed
weirdos who target mostly women, often with deadly results. Maggie Q and Dylan
McDermott star as our law enforcement heroes who may be more complicated than
they seem.
State of Affairs, NBC, Premieres:
Monday, Nov. 17 at 10/9c
I never watched Grey's and I still resent Katherine Heigl for her
behavior, and her lack of acting ability.
No thanks.
Former Grey's Anatomy star Katherine
Heigl is making her grand return to television, whether you want her to or not.
In this political drama, she plays a top CIA attache who's tasked with one heck
of a job: put together a briefing for the president (Alfre Woodard) to assess
the greatest threats to national security. And just in case that doesn't sound
stressful enough, she spends what little free time she has hunting down the
terrorists who killed her fiancé, who also happened to be the president's son.
Utopia, Fox, Premieres: Sunday, Sep.
7 at 8/7c
And talking about train wrecks - since I'm a little late with this
preview, this show has already premiered.
It is supposed to be a key element of Fox's schedule this fall (airing
twice a week)and is already tanking in the ratings. You can bet that as you're
reading this several Fox executives are staying up nights trying to figure out
how to fix it. Good luck with that!
In this experimental reality series
based on a Dutch format, 15 contestants — of varying backgrounds and
temperaments, of course —are thrown into the wilderness to spend an entire year
building their own society with their own rules. Think Kid Nation for
grown-ups. Will they govern by democracy, or will a dictator rise to power?
Will they practice a certain religion, or will atheism rule? Will they farm
their own food or eat each other as things devolve into anarchy and
cannibalism? It'll be paradise or chaos (or something in the middle), and it'll
be filmed for your enjoyment!
Z Nation,
Syfy, Premieres: Friday, Sep. 12 at 10/9c
OK, even I'm embarrassed I'm watching this one - but if I look at it as a
comic version of Walking Dead maybe it will be OK...
Syfy goes after the Walking Dead
crowd with this action-horror series about — what else? — a group of survivors
trying to save humanity after a zombie apocalypse. But this show's ragtag group
(including Lost's Harold Perrineau, Southland's Tom Everett Scott and Road
Trip's DJ Qualls) aren't traipsing around the Southern countryside. Instead,
they are trying to get the only person unaffected by the zombie plague from New
York to California, where a viral lab hopes to turn his blood into a vaccine.
What could possibly go wrong during their 3,000-mile journey?
MY FALL 2014 SCHEDULE
I used to include a JPEG of my
spreadsheet, but no one could read it.
So click on this link to see a PDF stored in Google Docs: Fall 2014 Schedule
RESOURCES:
Fall Preview (TV Guide)
Fall Stuff (EW.com)
HAPPY VIEWING!
