I know you have been waiting for this. It’s only been two weeks since the new TV season really got underway, but I have been relatively quiet so far. I know you all want to know what I think of the new shows. Well that is why I am writing this today. 21 new shows have premiered thus far. All of them being “scripted” with the exception of two reality shows. I will throw those two into this list as well, since it’s only two. I have watched 16 of the 21 new shows to debut so far. I don’t really plan on watching the other 5 for various reasons I will get into later. But what you really want to know is what I think of the 16 shows I have watched so far.
Here is how I have broke down these shows. You have shows that you have to watch LIVE right as they air on television. These are “must-watch”. We then have shows that you have to TiVo for later. Those are shows that are very good, but ones you don’t have to watch right away. You want to watch them soon, though. Then, there are shows that you could either skip or watch. Basically the ones I’m undecided on as of now. Finally, you have the ones that either I don’t plan on watching or shows that I watched once and will never watch again. So without any more delay, lets get to my first thoughts on the new shows this Fall…
Must-Watch Shows
Chuck – Right now, this show is fighting hard to gain an audience in an extremely competitive time slot. Dancing with the Stars is no doubt the overall winner here, but Chuck is pretty much been in a photo finish race with CBS’ How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, and FOX’s Prison Break for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place. That being said the writing is smart on this show. It comes from Josh Schwartz, creator of The O.C.. It’s a comedy more than a drama, but there are definite elements of both here. In fact, I would compare this show to Psych on the USA Network. Or maybe even a lighter version of 24, if that makes any sense. What really makes this show work is the actors involved. They are all pretty much unknown, but the chemistry between them all is great.
Gossip Girl – One of two great new shows on The CW, of all places. Again, this show is from the creators of The O.C.. It basically takes the place of One Tree Hill or The O.C. with one big exception. This is a teen drama located on the East Coast. This show has a gritty, New York City feel to it. It’s also a “new-age” show. So it feels old and new at the same time. Also, if you love “love triangles”, then say hello to your newest guilty pleasure.
Reaper – The new genre of TV is the “dramedy”, which means a show is a combination of a comedy and a drama. See Chuck for an example above. Reapers is just that with an extra dimension added to it. This show is for science-fiction fans who don’t like things to be complicated. It’s no more scary than an episode of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, but it’s no less funny than an episode of Scrubs. It’s another “light” show, which we should see more of in the next few years. Bottom line, it’s entertaining and most everyone can find something to like about this show. If only it weren’t on The CW.
TiVo Shows
Private Practice – It’s the spin-off of Grey’s Anatomy and it pretty much feels like it so far. It could have the potential to be as good as Grey’s Anatomy, but it also could have the potential to not live up to the hype. Still I will be sticking with this show for however long it lasts, because the cast are all pretty likable. They just need time to develop the strong relationships between each other, which made Grey’s Anatomy a great show. If you were an Addison fan, this is the show for you.
Dirty Sexy Money – I wasn’t sure about this show to begin with, but it seems entertaining enough. The writing is pretty sharp so far and the characters are fairly interesting. Sure, they are all walking cliches, but somehow everything seems to flow together rather nicely. I don’t know where this show will go, but I will be probably be around to watch it anyways.
Life – It’s another crime procedural show with a twist. The twist is that I’m actually interested in this one. Mainly because the main character is such an odd one, but a great one. The overall mystery of how Charlie Crews got wrongly accused is also intriguing. But mainly it’s about the characters on this show.
Watch or Skip Shows
Journeyman – The first show I am undecided on. It’s in the “death slot” of 10 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Last year, two great shows, Studio 60 and The Black Donnellys were cut short in that timeslot. I don’t think Journeyman is as good as those shows, but it is pretty solid. The lead actor is a fantastic one. But you do have a lot of questions with this show. A man travels through time and that means you could get lost very quickly here. Still if you stick with the show from the beginning, you’ll probably enjoy it. I’m just not sure yet if I will enjoy it or not, which is why it falls under this category.
Kid Nation – Basically, this is Kid Survivor. It’s a harmless reality show. It actually can be compelling yet annoying at the same time. If you don’t like kids, this may not be the show for you. It also is a cheap rip-off of Survivor. If you can get past that, though, it is actually cool to watch kids interact with each other and form bonds in this type of environment. It’s unique, so that means you should at least check it out a few times. It might lose steam over time, but it should “survive” to see another day. Of course, CBS did pull Pirate Master without prior warning.
Cane – If you like Jimmy Smits, then welcome to his new show. “Sugar is the new oil” apparently. There is nothing really wrong with this show, but it’s not that unique either. The best thing about this show is that it really has a Latin Miami feel to it. It’s pretty slick, but nothing about the show really interests me enough to stick with it. But others may really enjoy this show. It’s really a flip of the coin here.
Pushing Daisies – This could easily slide up into the “TiVo Show” category. The reason why it’s not is because I only have seen one episode so far. You really need to watch a couple of episodes before making judgment on a show. Most critics seem to love this show. It definitely has an unique premise. My only concern is if that premise can hold up over an entire season. Right now, I’m leaning towards sticking with this show, but it’s just too early to be sure.
Big Shots – This is the male version of Sex in the City. Once again, what really makes me want to watch a show over all other reasons is the actors involved and the characters they play. The four main male leading actors are decent enough, but I’m not huge fans of any of them. Right now the storylines involving these four are pretty cliche and unoriginal. It is interesting to see these four men in different stages of love, but it’s nothing you haven’t seen before. On the plus side, guys do talk like this for the most part. Still if this show gets cancelled before the year is up, I wouldn’t be that surprised.
Won’t Be Sad If I Missed These Shows
The Big Bang Theory – I honestly liked The Class better than this show. The main comedy comes from the guys being smart and saying smart things that dumb and beautiful Penny doesn’t understand. I’m afraid that a lot of people won’t get the jokes. It’s not really laugh-out-loud funny either.
K-Ville – It’s good that this show has a New Orleans feel to it. However, it’s really nothing you haven’t seen before as far as the content of the show.
Cavemen – It’s a show based on some funny commercials. But that doesn’t mean you should drag out the commercials for 23 minutes. You either are going to love or hate this show. Actually, these guys are more like hairy humans than cavemen. If you can look past the cavemen image, you may actually find this show funny. But that’s a big IF and the novelty should wear off fairly quickly.
Carpoolers – I honestly loved the opening scenes of the first two episodes. Ironically enough, they both took place in the car. But there is not a lot of riding in a car for a show with that title. That could get old, but those times have been the funniest for me so far. Should really just be another short-lived sitcom.
Back To You – I’m not a fan of Kelsey Grammer or Patricia Heaton. That’s mainly why I won’t be sad if I miss this show. It’s funny in a “FOX way”, but I would rather watch ‘Til Death after it than this show. If you are a fan of the two aforementioned actors, you might find this show funny.
The No Interest Shows
Bionic Woman – It actually has a lot of buzz around it being a “remake” of a popular show from earlier years. But I have no interest in seeing it at all. I guess this show could be for comic book fans and fans of the original show. I just won’t be watching it.
Aliens in America – It’s a pure comedy on Monday nights on The CW. That spells death. Too much competition and no time to watch this show for me.
Moonlight – Some say this is a rip-off of Angel. I never watched that show or Buffy for that matter. So this show is not interesting to me.
Life Is Wild – I barely know what this show is about. It’s on Sunday night on The CW, so I could catch it but from what I do know it doesn’t interesting me. Seems like a typical “teen drama” that is not risque at all. No thanks.
Kitchen Nightmares – I might actually like this show, but it’s in a bad timeslot as I will watch Private Practice and Gossip Girl over this show. If you like Hell’s Kitchen, you should like this show. Too bad there are too many other options here.
So that is my early take on all the new shows that have debuted so far. My opinions could change over time, so I will be sure to check in with you at the end of the year. There is a good chance that more than half of these shows may not even make it a full year, but only time will tell. So stay tuned…
You heard what I had to say, now head on over to the forum and voice your opinion. What do you think of the new shows so far?
