by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
For diehard TV fans, fall is like Christmas and new network pilots are beautifully wrapped gifts just waiting to be opened. As with the holiday season, sometimes you watch that pilot and it’s as good as getting a diamond encrusted Rolex. Other times, it’s like getting a box full of socks. This year, think of EU as the older sibling who snuck into Mom’s closet and took a peek at all the presents two weeks before Christmas. We’ve seen nearly all of the most anticipated new original shows of the 2007-2008 television season and are ready to share which shows are keepers and which ones you’ll want to return for a full refund of your time and energy.
While most of their pilots are hidden away under lock and key until the official premiere dates, we did manage to find out some dishy details about ABC’s new shows. We’ll start at the top with Monday’s new half hour comedy Samantha Who?, starring Christina Applegate. On the show, Samantha is the victim of a hit-and-run and wakes up in the hospital to discover she has severe amnesia. Unable to remember anything about her old life, Samantha goes about her business and quickly finds that she was apparently a horrible person before the accident. With a new lease on life and a renewed state of mind, Samantha sets out to find out the terrible things she’s done and make amends. TV insiders say this show’s premise is a little too familiar (My Name is Earl, anyone?), but Christina Applegate’s performance makes it worth checking out. Tune in on October 15th at 9:30 to find out for yourself.
Two more half hour comedies pop up on ABC on Tuesdays. Everyone has been talking about Cavemen since it was announced the popular Geico characters would be jumping from commercials to prime time. I had high hopes for this series but after viewing an early version of the pilot, I found myself disappointed. Like the commercials, three un-evolved guys live in a world where they are discriminated against by modern society. A satirical look at racism in America, Cavemen had potential to be a hit based on the premise and the fact that the characters are already beloved by commercial watchers nationwide. The problem is the show just isn’t funny. What I saw failed to connect on any level and came off talky and, what’s worse, a smidge racially insensitive. Word is ABC has completely retooled the first episode in an effort to make it more tolerable (and hopefully tolerant). We’ll see if they succeeded on October 2 at 8 pm. Afterward, we’ll get a look at Carpoolers, a new comedy about four guys who bond while carpooling to work. Word is this one has more laughs than Cavemen, but the characters are far less likable. So far it’s not looking good for ABC. Luckily, Wednesdays turn things around for the usually winning network.
The all new ABC Wednesday kicks off with the most buzzed about new show of the network’s line up, Pushing Daisies. Ned (Lee Pace) has the ability to bring the dead back to life but there is a catch- a second touch will kill the newly revived forever. Using his power to solve murders, Ned’s got a good thing going. Things get complicated though when he brings his childhood sweetheart Chuck (Anna Friel) back to life. This whimsical fairytale is beautifully told and shot and has potential to be as big as Lost as long as it stays on track and people are willing to give the off-kilter series a chance. Quirky and original, this is easily one of the top three best pilots of the season. Be sure to check it out on October 3rd at 8 pm. Following Pushing Daisies is another sure-fire winner, the Grey’s Anatomy spin-off Private Practice. While the original is still light years better, even after jumping the shark 50 times last season, if just half of Grey’s audience tunes in, the show will do just fine in the ratings department. The series begins on September 26th at 9 pm. Whether you choose to watch Private Practice or not, be sure to switch over to ABC at 10 pm that same night to catch the premiere of Dirty Sexy Money. From what we’re hearing, this drama about a lawyer (Peter Krause) taking over his dead father’s job as the personal counsel of a crazy, rich New York family is dark, intriguing and highly entertaining.
Thursday nights bring one new show, Big Shots, which premieres at 10 pm on September 27th, a primo spot since it’s on right after Grey’s. From what many insiders are saying, the show is going to need all the help it can get. The words “trite,” “demeaning” and “preposterous” are being thrown around a lot to describe this series about a group of four high-powered executives who jump between the boardroom and the bedroom. Besides the cast, which includes Joshua Malina, Dylan McDermott, Michael Vartan and Christopher Titus, there’s apparently nothing worth watching here.
ABC’s final stab at fall TV success comes from Women’s Murder Club, a series based on novels by bestseller James Patterson. In it, a San Francisco detective (Angie Harmon) teams up with a medical examiner (Paula Newsome), an assistant DA (Laura Harris) and a crime reporter (Aubrey Dollar) to solve some of the city’s most gruesome murders. Those sick and tired of procedural dramas should steer clear; this show doesn’t cover any new territory. Still, the girl-power element mixed with Patterson’s massive fan base may be enough to keep this one from sliding down the ratings drain. Women’s Murder Club premieres on October 12th at 9 pm.
In the past I’ve had a terrible time finding a show I actually like on CBS. Apparently, they’ve noticed folks from my demographic have been having an equally difficult time because the new pilots from the Eye are skewing much younger this year. Mind you, that doesn’t mean they’re all good, but it is a step in the right direction.
Monday, September 24th brings the first of CBS’s new fall shows, The Big Bang Theory. A geek lovefest if there ever was one, the series follows the cripplingly nerdy lives of Leonard (Johnny Galecki) and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and their shock, awe and dorkitude when they meet their hottie of a new neighbor (Kaley Cuoco). These poor characters are so inept at talking to the opposite sex it’s almost painful to watch. There were a few laughs here and there, but even the most hardcore of the geek population will have a hard time identifying with the leading men. This one was a miss.
The new Tuesday offering, a drama called Cane, does a lot better. Set in Miami, this spicy series revolves around the Duque family, a clan of Cuban-Americans living the high life in the sugar and rum business. The family itself has some issues, especially when the adopted son (Jimmy Smits) is given control of the company by the ailing patriarch (Hector Elizondo), leaving the eldest Duque (Nestor Carbonell) stunned and betrayed. On top of this infighting, the empire is also being challenged by the Samuels, a rival family looking to obtain the Duque sugar cane crops by any means necessary. The series is strong, with a terrific cast and a quality premise. Correctly pitched as a “Latino Godfather,” Cane is soapy but with enough of an edge to redeem itself. The series premieres on September 25th at 10 pm.
Friday nights brings the curiously under-the-radar series Moonlight. Part Angel, part Beauty and the Beast, this drama is about an immortal private investigator (Alex O’Loughlin) who uses his supernatural abilities to help humanity. In short, he’s a vampire detective. Because of excessive behind-the-scenes drama, which led to a show-runner bowing out at the last minute and an entire cast overhaul, it’s hard to say if Moonlight will be any good. What we do know is that former Veronica Mars dreamboat Jason Dohring is one of the show’s leads and that makes Moonlight worth at least one viewing. Check it out on September 28th at 9 pm.
Last and possibly least is Sunday’s Viva Laughlin, which begins on October 21st at 10 pm. It’s a musical! It’s a murder mystery! It’s based on a hit BBC show! I don’t know of any of these facts will do anything for anybody, but if this sounds like the show for you, there may be reason for concern. Early reviews from critics have been less than great, most saying the drama doesn’t work, the premise is too “out there” and the multi-episode mystery arc lacks the oomph to get the audience really invested. Because of the mega-star cast, which includes Hugh Jackman and Melanie Griffith, I want to give Viva Laughlin the benefit of the doubt, but so far it’s not looking good.
A few months back The CW incurred my wrath for canceling the cult hit Veronica Mars. While I am still healing from that loss, I must say that with a couple of the new pilots, the C-Dub has renewed my faith in the fledgling network. Beginning with Monday night’s half hour comedy Aliens in America, which premieres on October 1st at 8:30. The show centers around the family of an awkward teen (Dan Byrd) who plots to be hosts to a foreign exchange student to up their son’s cool. What they wanted was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed European, what they got was a devout Muslim from Pakistan (Adhir Kalyan). The humor is completely politically incorrect and at times just plain wrong, with Raja, the foreign exchange student, taking a lot of flack for his religion and race. What the show does is shine the light on the ignorance of prejudice in a way that may make some really uncomfortable. Aside from some of the off-color stuff, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I laughed during the Aliens in America pilot. It’s smart and provocative without taking itself too seriously. Check this one out.
If there was ever a show to take over my beloved Veronica’s timeslot, Reaper would be it. Bret Harrison plays Sam, a slacker who discovers on his 21st birthday that his parents sold his soul to the devil. Satan (Ray Wise) has plans for young Sam: he wants him to round up the evil doers who have escaped Hell. Teaming up with his best friend Sock (Tyler Labine), Sam begins working as the devil’s bounty hunter while trying to figure out a way to get his own soul back. With Kevin Smith as the pilot’s director (and apparently un-credited co-creator of sorts if you believe his MySpace blog), the result is a terrific first episode with perfect performances, snappy dialogue and a hilarious story that takes the basic (and frankly absurd-sounding) premise to a whole new level. Remember how I said Pushing Daises is easily one of the top three new pilots of the year? Reaper is right there with it. Clear your calendars on Tuesday, September 25th at 9 pm for this show.
Beginning on Wednesday, September 19th at 9 pm, the young adult lit smash Gossip Girl comes to the CW. Like the books, the show centers on the lives of rich private school kids who are all about hooking up, getting wasted and partying, all under the watchful eye of Gossip Girl (narrated by Kristen Bell), who posts the deepest and darkest secrets of the elite teens on the web. A series based on teen bestsellers is naturally going to have a built-in following, but it seems they didn’t want to take any chances with this one, so they hired Josh “The OC” Schwartz as show-runner. Honestly, this show’s almost critic-proof with the target demographic. The pilot didn’t really do anything for me, but I’m sure TMZ-loving teens will eat it up.
The weakest of the bunch is Life is Wild, scheduled to premiere on Sunday, October 7th at 8 pm. In it, a blended family packs up and heads to South Africa, much to the dismay of teen step-siblings Katie (Leah Pipes) and Jesse (Andrew St. John). Predictable (and that’s putting it kindly) and dull, the early pilot I saw fails to engage at any point. None of the characters were particularly likable, except perhaps the younger kids, and the premise was a bit too similar to Everwood, only without the stuff that made that show good. Perhaps the retooling that took place a couple months ago will put Life is Wild back on track. If not, I suspect this will be the first pilot the CW will pull the plug on this fall.
Fox has far less fall releases than all the other networks, saving much of their new stuff for later in the year. Having seen many of their spring offerings, I’m disappointed that those shows won’t see the light of day for several months since some of them are really good. Alas, we’re stuck with a mediocre police drama and a disappointing comedy for now. Oh well, let’s get to it.
Monday, September 17th at 9 pm will bring K-Ville, a cop show set in post-Katrina New Orleans. The show centers on Marlin Boulet (Anthony Anderson), a stressed out police officer who is trying to keep his family together, his neighborhood from sinking and himself from completely going off the deep end. Saddled with a new partner (Cole Hauser) and working one difficult case after another, Marlin seems to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Meanwhile, the rest of the department tries to reel him in and solve the broken city’s crimes. After seeing the first episode, I really have to question where this show can go. Anderson is great, I’m a big fan of his work, but set this show in another city and there’s nothing special here. And, since the first episode covered so much Hurricane Katrina ground, I’m not sure how many more episodes the writers can come up with without repeating themselves. K-Ville is worth a look for Anderson’s performance, but I don’t see it lasting very long.
Back to You, a half hour comedy that takes place in a Pittsburgh newsroom, will air on Wednesdays at 8 pm. In it, Kelsey Grammer plays a disgraced national news anchor that is forced to move back to Pennsylvania and the people he left behind after an unfortunate on-air mishap. Of course his old co-anchor (Patricia Heaton) is concerned the former superstar will steal her spotlight, one that she’s patiently developed during his 10 year absence. I was unimpressed with Back to You. While I did laugh a couple of times, most of the gags fell flat. Fred Willard, who plays the sports anchor, is completely underused here and is really the only reason the show elicited any laughs from me at all. I don’t see Back to You lasting too long after its September 19th premiere date.
After years of losing in the ratings, NBC is finally picking itself up again. Because of the wildly successful premiere for Heroes last year, the Peacock is hoping lightning will strike twice and one of their new pilots will take off. I suspect they may get their wish.
Chuck kicks off premiere week on Monday, September 24th at 8 pm. In this action/comedy, mild-mannered computer geek Chuck (Zachary Levi) is the accidental recipient of an email that contains all of the government’s secrets in a format that essentially downloads them into his brain, making him a walking, talking super-computer. The CIA (whose representative is a sexy, butt-kicking agent played by Yvonne Strzechowski) and the NSA (Adam Baldwin plays the agent assigned to this particular issue) both want their info out of civilian hands, but it soon becomes apparent that they’ll need to keep Chuck around if they want to have access to all those files. Although the premise sounds really bad when explained, this is a smart and funny show. Across the board, Chuck is a keeper. The acting is great, the casting is superb and the story has just the right mixture of comedy and action. If the writers can stay on course, Chuck will be a huge success.
Later, at 10 pm on Monday, Journeyman will air. I predict this will be NBC’s second success of the 2007-2008 season. Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd) is a successful journalist who seems to finally be getting his life on track after loosing his first fiancée. Now happily married with an adorable son and a good job, Dan seems to be living the American dream until he inexplicably begins traveling back in time. Of course everyone thinks he’s lost his mind, but when it keeps happening Dan knows it’s got to be for a reason. Finding out what he’s been sent to do and why this is happening to him is the driving force behind this brilliantly executed drama. As with all time travel stories, there are things that can’t be explained and may not make complete sense this early on in the story. Thankfully, the writers of the pilot didn’t try to go into too much detail to appease viewers who like their stories neatly tied up in a nice little bow. Journeyman is going to be a hit with fans of Lost and Heroes. Since I happen to love both, this show was right up my alley and is my favorite pilot of the 2007-2008 season so far.
Here’s where it gets sticky for NBC. Wednesday nights will bring Bionic Woman back to the small screen. In this series, Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan) is saved from death when a top-secret medical facility outfits her body with robo-parts after a terrible car accident. Instead of going back to the life she once knew, the former mild-mannered bartender is forced to turn to the people who made her this way in order to get used to her new enhancements and stop the first bionic woman (Katee Sackhoff), whose gone rogue. It literally took me three tries to get through this pilot. I found myself bored stiff after the first 15 minutes and then again after the first 35 minutes. The show finally picked up the pace in the last act, but by then I didn’t care anymore. Michelle Ryan is a poor choice to play a badass; I didn’t buy her role for a second. Admittedly, the special effects were cool, but beyond that I’m just not feeling the Bionic Woman love. See if it’s more your cup of tea when it airs on September 26th at 9 pm.
Finally there’s Life, a cop drama with a twist, though not enough of one to make it worth a TiVo Season Pass. Charlie Crewes (Damian Lewis) is a recently redeemed police officer who served 12 years of a life sentence for a murder he didn’t commit. With a massive, multi-million dollar settlement for his wrongful conviction, Crewes is back on the force and is something of a wildcard since his stint in the pen has given him some quirky character flaws. In addition to solving crimes, Crewes is also out to track down the people who ruined his life by framing him all those years ago. Life is just ok. The premise is fine and the acting is good but there’s no reason to drop everything for this show. I will give it a couple more viewings before writing it off forever, but I don’t see this one lasting long. Still, if you’d like to give it a shot, Life premieres on September 26th at 10 pm.
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EU Critic’s Choice Awards
