New Show Reviews

Now that the fall TV season is in full swing, here are my thoughts on the new shows. I've made an effort to watch almost all of them. That's the level of dedication I have to my addiction readers.

Probably not really a report card, since I'm not passing out grades...

A while back I gave you my rundown of the season, including a full schedule of all broadcast networks and a few cable channels. Just to be clear, I don't watch every show on TV but yes, I watch a lot. The day I got DVR was one of the best days of my life. I'm not even exaggerating.

First I'll let you know that Lucky 7 was the first casualty of this season. It aired twice. I watched about 10 minutes of the first episode before I could take no more. I had to laugh when I read Entertainment Weekly's Bullseye section, which read "we liked Lucky 7 better when it was called Windfall and starred Luke Perry." I said pretty much the same thing before I even read that issue. Or watched the show.

Sunday

The only new Sunday show is Betrayal. I watched the first one and didn't hate it, but didn't love it, and the buzz is that it may be next on the chopping block.

Monday

As I predicted, We Are Men is full of lame divorced-dude jokes (and a lot of Jerry O'Connell sans shirt) but I have to admit, I kinda like it.

So far, I like Mom, in spite of its premise (two three generations of teen moms, of which the youngest who is actually a teen is the most mature of the three). But Allison Janney can do no wrong in my book, and that's enough to keep me watching.

I haven't given up on Sleepy Hollow. I really like the two lead actors. And good news for fans: it's already been picked up for a second season.

I enjoy Hostages. Aaron keeps saying "your boyfriend is not a nice guy." I don't care. But as much as I love seeing Dylan McDermott back on TV, if I had to choose just one 10:00 show, it would be Blacklist. It's full of twists and intrigue. James Spader is wickedly awesome, and I'm liking Megan Boone. Again, thank you tiny baby Jesus for DVR.

Tuesday

I watched the first episode of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but it's just not my thing. It's got a good chance of getting picked up so for those of you who like it (and I suspect there are a lot), you may be in luck.

I've watched two episodes of The Goldbergs and it's not as horrible as I thought it might be. It's kind of fun laughing at the 80s fashions and hearing some of the music I listened to growing up. Trophy Wife, however, cannot be saved by Bradley Whitford. In the two episodes I've seen, the title character lives up (or down) to every stereotype of a trophy wife.

I've already talked about how much I hated Dads, and it looks like it's not long for this world. I'm still enjoying Brooklyn Nine-Nine; I like how Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher play off each other, and the rest of the supporting cast is fun as well.

The Originals is one of those shows that I didn't watch at all. It's a spin-off of The Vampire Diaries, which I've never watched so I wasn't interested. I'm really not that into vampires.

Gwensday

Back in the Game. Last week, James Caan took the Little League misfits to a prison to get them over their fears of being in the batter's box. Child endangerment? Yeah, probably. But I laughed. Still, I don't know that this one will stick.

There's only been one episode of Super Fun Night and I might have to reserve judgment until I've seen another one. I love Rebel Wilson. I hate the show's title. I like the camaraderie between her and her besties. I hate the over-the-top caricature portrayal of her rival. We'll see.

I haven't watched Ironside yet, and I will, but the pilot got seriously low ratings. Check back to see if I start a "keep Blair Underwood employed" campaign.

Both The Tomorrow People and American Horror Story: Coven start tonight. I'll watch them both, especially Coven. I don't dig vampires, but witches are another story.


Thursday
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland hasn't started yet, so I got nothin' there. Same with Reign.

I feel like The Millers has potential. I love Will Arnett (though I'm still saddened by his split with Amy Poehler), I like Jayma Mays in this non-Glee role, and Margo Martindale is really funny. Plus the pilot had Dirty Dancing references throughout. I'm sticking with it.

The Crazy Ones has the wackiness of Robin Williams paired with the seriousness of Sarah Michelle Gellar, who plays his daughter. So far, I like it.

As much as I want a show with Mike O'Malley and Mary McCormack to succeed, the pilot of Welcome to the Family didn't give me much hope. As for Sean Saves the World (what's up with some of the titles this year?), I'll give it another shot but I didn't love the pilot. I also wasn't in love with the pilot of The Michael J. Fox Show, but I felt that the second episode calmed down and I liked it better.

Friday

I haven't watched Master Chef Junior and Dracula hasn't started yet, but I won't watch it anyway. Vampires, ya know.


In short (so you could have skipped all that BS up there), I'm not super high on any of the comedies, but I'm not totally giving up on them either (except for Dads, which is just awful). In the drama category, The Blacklist and Hostages are my favorites, with Sleepy Hollow close behind, and there are still some new shows to be watched.





PS -

Go Bucs!