The State of Fall TV So Far

We are getting very close to the beginning of the new television season, and I for one could not be more excited. Not only are my favorite shows coming back on the air with new episodes, there are some brand new shows that look very promising.

The trend in recent years has been to offer the pilot of new series online before their broadcast date. The idea being that this strategy will generate positive buzz before the show airs and draw more people into watching.

There have been six new shows that have premiered online already, and I have watched them all. Here my first impressions listed in order of favorite to least favorite.

"Ben and Kate" - Premieres Tuesday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. central on FOX
The strongest of the sitcoms, and the strongest of all the shows I have seen so far, is this new FOX show about two siblings (can you guess there names?). Kate is the young single mom looking for love. Ben is her older brother that has never gotten his life together. Each is supported by a best friend and the cast is rounded out by Kate's daughter, in the stereotypical kid-who-seems-to-be-more-mature-than-the-adults role. The pilot featured everything a good first episode of any series should do. It established a story, showed off the talents and chemistry of the actors, and demonstrated an ability to be laugh-out-loud funny and heartwarming to watch. As someone who lives with a similar sibling dynamic (meaning  I have sister, and we're white, and that's about it) I liked how grounded the show was. It dealt with the relationships between siblings and the lengths they go to help each other out. Plus, the small cast keeps the show focused, whereas a show like "Modern Family" can almost feel too big for the 22 minutes it has to tell a story. Definitely check this one out on Hulu.

"Go On"- Premieres Tuesday, September 11 at 8 p.m. central on NBC
I've already devoted a blog post about this back when the pilot premiered during the Olympics, so I won't rehash what I've already said. Here's the link. The short version is: fans of Matthew Perry and shows like "Community" will not be displeased with this new sitcom.

"Revolution" - Premieres Monday, September 17 at 9 p.m. central on NBC
One of two shows this season aiming for the title of being the next "Lost," "Revolution" picks up fifteen years after a mysterious global blackout puts an end to anything remotely related to electricity.
The main problem with many shows that have looked to be the next "Lost" is that they put the mystery before the story telling. There is too much focus on creating something that will draw viewers in that characters are never fully developed. That is one of the things that is an issue in the pilot of "Revolution." The viewer is expected to understand the characters through singular qualities, like "Bow and Arrow Girl" or "Former Google Millionaire" or "Kid With Asthma" (btw, asthma is apparently a pretty serious problem when you don't have modern medicine to rely on). The other issues include a mystery that never seems that intriguing, action scenes that are underwhelming even by broadcast TV standards, and the fact that I never was on the edge of my seat the way I was when I watched the "Lost" pilot. That being said, there is also nothing actively bad happening in "Revolution," and the show has a lot of potential to grow into something more than the first episode offers.

"The Mindy Project" - Premieres Tuesday, September 25 at 8:30 central central on FOX
This season's attempt to replicate the success of "New Girl," "The Mindy Project" focuses on, you guessed it, Mindy (played by Mindy Kalig of "The Office"), a young doctor trying to manage life, love and her career. While last year FOX was all about "adorkable" this season seems to be about "abrashable." Kalig's humor is much more in your face than Zooey Deschanel, which may delight some and repulse others. There were plenty of instances where I laughed during the premiere, but I don't know that I would keep coming back every week. While "New Girl" was established as a vehicle for Zooey Deschanel, her supporting male counterparts let the audience know they were an important part of the show from the very beginning. I tuned in for Deschanel but I stuck around for the ensemble. In "The Mindy Project" the story is less about the female lead interacting with other characters, and much more about how they simply revolve around her.

"The New Normal" - Premieres Tuesday, September 11 at 8:30 p.m. central on NBC
This new sitcom from "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy portrays the lives of gay couple looking for a surrogate mother. The surrogate they choose has already had a child, but is looking for money and the chance to provide a loving couple with a child. Her mother (played by Ellen Barkin) is the type who says she is fine with gays, but clearly isn't. Oh, and for some reason a "Real Housewife from Who-the-hell-cares" is also on, but I could never figure out why. Sounds like hilarity ensues, right? Well, no actually. The main issue with this show is that it doesn't know what it wants to be yet. It doesn't seem edgy or fresh, especially when most of the concerns in the pilot have already been dealt with on shows like "Modern Family." And unlike "Modern Family" though, this show isn't funny. I can't recall laughing a single time during the episode, and there wasn't even anything offensive about the jokes they were trying to make that might help explain why. It simply wasn't funny. I would be surprised if this made it past its initial 13 episode order.

"Animal Practice" - Premieres Wednesday, September 26 at 7 p.m. central on NBC
I can't say much about this show because I turned it off halfway through. Again, there just wasn't anything interesting or funny happening to keep me watching. Now, clearly, as a person who isn't a fan of pets, a sitcom set at a veterinary hospital is not for me. Also, I rarely find animal humor funny. What frustrated me about this show though was the unfortunate circumstances the cast has found themselves in, because by all accounts this should be a good show, if only it had a different premise. I like Justin Kirk, Tyler Labine and Bobby Lee. They are talented, funny actors who I normally enjoy, and were pretty much the only reason I attempted to choke down this show in the first place. However, it just wasn't enough.

Other premieres I am looking forward to:
The CWs "Arrow," an adaptation of the origin of DC Comics superhero Green Arrow a la "Smallville," has been getting positive early buzz. The decision to set it in a world absent of superpowers is an interesting choice, but one that just might work out.

ABC's "Last Resort"is the other show vying for the next "Lost" title. This show is centered on a U.S. nuclear submarine that refuses orders to fire a warhead at Pakistan and takes up residence on a tropical island, declaring itself a sovereign nation in the process. I'm very interested to see how this show plays out and am pulling for it to grab me more than "Revolution" did.

Who can deny the glamour and appeal of Las Vegas? CBS is counting on "not many" with their new drama "Vegas" set in the early days of Sin City. The period setting and big name cast that includes Dennis Quaid as a sheriff, and Michael Chiklis as a mob boss, have the potential to be a winning combination.

I'll come back with my verdicts on these shows and any others as soon as I see them.

Hit the comments and let me know what you're most looking forward to this TV season

Top 3 New Fall TV Shows

Summer may have just started, but it's never too early to start gearing up for fall. I'm off course taking about the new fall TV season. As many shows wrap up their seasons, the networks are revealing what their schedules will look like in the fall. Here are my top three picks for what to check out this fall.

3. Person of Interest (Thursdays 8 p.m. CBS)
The only drama on this list with a plot that may seem a little uninventive, but the people involved have certainly sparked my interest. Coming from J.J. Abrams this new show stars  Michael Emerson (Ben Linus from Lost) and Jim Caviezal (Jesus Christ from Passion of the Christ) as a software billionaire, and a retired CIA agent. The two team up to help those in need and bring down the bad guys. I know it sounds a little trite, and maybe even like its stealing a little bit from shows like Leverage, and Human Target, but here's why I'm excited. Lost has been off the air for about a year now, and if there's one thing i miss more than the story telling, it's the number of fantastic actors that show had. In addition Jim Caviezal has been struggling to say the least after Passion of the Christ. I've been a fan of Caviezal's ever since he played the lead in The Count of Monte Cristo (an underrated film, and an underrated performance).  it will be nice to have these two actors working together every week under the guidance of J.J. Abrams who needs a win in the spy genre after this year's failure Undercovers (bet you don't even remember that one right?).

2. Free Agents (Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. NBC)
With The Office fading fast after Steve Carrell's departure, NBC needs a new sitcom adapted from Britain to fill the potential void. Enter Free Agents starring Hank Azaria, a comedy about people who work for a talent agency (or something). Think of it as Entourage if the show was focused solely on Ari and his agency. Hank Azaria seems to be playing some type of sad-sack who is having a mid-life crisis (think Matthew Perry from the recently cancelled Mr. Sunshine). While this doesn't sound like an instant hit, the jokes seem pretty solid, and the cast seems to have a good chemistry.

1. New Girl (Tuesdays 8 p.m. FOX)
I saved the best for last. Zooey Deschanel takes a break from the big screen for some reason I can't fathom to bring her quirky self into the realm of half-hour comedy. She plays a girl who finds out her boyfriend is cheating on her and subsequently moves into an apartment with three other guys. While this good quickly delve into lame jokes about how guys don't understand women, this show seems to have a special charm to it that makes the concept seem fresh. Also, props to whoever decided to avoid implying that any of her new male roommates will be her potential suitors. Check out the preview below and tell me I'm wrong.

So there you go three shows to check out this fall. Agree? Disagree? Something I missed you think I should have mentioned? Hit the comments and let me know.*
*Please note I only included shows premiering in the fall, not show premiering midseason.