Fall is a time for many things: going back to school, entering autumn, and of course, the new fall television season. Some exciting old shows are returning, others have been cancelled, and others are brand new. Let’s hope this season gives us something to look forward to every week. Good luck to the new and congratulations to those still standing. The hot picks:
THE HOT LIST
The New Normal
NBC
(Comedy)
Premiere: Sept. 11
This show is right along the lines of Modern Family. A gay couple hires a woman to be their surrogate, and they form an untraditional family. Compared to Modern Family, it seems to have a less of a chance to be a family show. The humor is a lot more mature, but is still sure to deliver a lot of laughs. The New Normal is a lot different than this season’s competitors. The supporting cast is essential to this show, including the surrogate mother, played by Ellen Barkin from Ocean’s Thirteen.
Partners
CBS
(Comedy)
Premiere: Sept. 24
Shying away from ABC’s hit Modern Family, Partners enters the territory of Will & Grace and Friends. Friendship is a major theme the two main characters experience. The series tells the story of two childhood friends who now own a business together: Joe, who is straight, and Louis, who is gay. Problems arise when Joe gets engaged. The series is based on the life of the show’s creators, who also are the minds behind Will & Grace. The sketch comedy seems like a very promising laugh factory. It may be one of the only surviving sketch comedies of the season. The cast includes David Krumholtz (Numb3rs), Michael Urie (Ugly Betty), Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) and Brandon Routh (Superman Returns, Chuck).
The Mindy Project
FOX
(Comedy)
Premiere: Sept. 25
Is Mindy Kipling, the breakout actress from The Office, ready to take center stage? Nobody knows if she is ready to be leading lady on this hit show. The Mindy Project is about an OB/GYN navigating her personal and professional life, as she pursues her dreams of becoming the perfect woman, finding the perfect man and getting her perfect romantic comedy ending. Most shows endure this premise but only the special shows approach it differently. Take New Girl’s Zooey Deschanel. The show was a hit and charmed audiences. It may not have been a rating pull but it was critically praised. Mindy and Zooey are both in shows with similar premises, but will Mindy be able to live up to Zooey’s perfect New Girl? The two will battle it out on Tuesday nights.
Animal Practice
NBC
(Comedy)
Premiere: Sept. 26
It might be the most-hated show of the season and it hasn’t even premiered. Due to its heavy marketing during the Olympics, people have grown exhausted of the series. Imagine a hybrid of House and Dr. Dolittle and you’ll have Animal Practice. Hopefully, the show will make a better impression when it premieres but people have gotten annoyed with the advertising. The show has showcased some good aspects: the animals perform really well. The only reason why I would love to watch the show is to see these animals. The show’s budget skyrockets due to the spending on animal training. The human cast doesn’t look bad either, but the animals are the highlight of this new show.
Elementary
CBS
(Drama)
Premiere: Sept. 27
Lately, there has been a crave for more Sherlock Holmes than ever. CBS has now picked up a modern interpretation for devoted fans of the beloved, fictional detective. Detective Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) meets his new sober companion, Dr. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). After a fall from fame in London and a failed escape in rehab, Sherlock finds himself in Manhattan solving the NYPD’s most impossible cases. Having Lucy Liu play the supposed male character of Watson, is incredibly fresh and appealing. This series is at the top of many viewer’s watch list and should also be on yours. I am excited to see the chemistry between Miller and Liu on this very contemporary adaptation of the mystery series.
Made In Jersey
CBS
(Drama)
Premiere: Sept. 28
Who knew a British girl can play a New Jersey gal so well? Janet Montgomery (Entourage) plays Martina Garretti, a typical Italian-American girl. Martina is the first of her family to graduate from college and move on to the big city. Because of her big hair and accent, Martina faces obstacles as an outsider in a hectic law firm. This series casted the great and Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives) as Martina’s demanding and posh boss, Donovan Stark. Director Mark Waters (Mean Girls) directs the pilot with a serious tone which contradicts today’s depiction of New Jersey natives. Don’t watch Made in Jersey because you expect something like The Jersey Shore. The series targets the fans of Marisa Tomei’s performance in My Cousin Vinny. Even though Montgomery is British, she and Tomei share a certain charm. Montgomery disguises her English accent on screen perfectly. The cast and crew seem to be the most impressive and experienced this fall. Made in Jersey might just be the underdog of this season.
666 Park Avenue
ABC
(Drama)
Premiere: Sept. 30
This sexy series follows the life of a couple who moves into a grand apartment. Little do they know, the apartment is filled with a supernatural ambiance. The couple’s needs, requests, desires, and ambitions will be met, thanks to the building’s mysterious owner, Gavin Doran (Terry O’Quinn) and his vixen wife, played by the beautiful and talented Vanessa Williams. The sneak peeks seem very promising and the series shows many signs of success. Supernatural soap operas, like Once Upon A Time and Grimm, have shown success last season. With actors like Vanessa Williams, you can expect something juicy and very exciting.
The Neighbors
ABC
(Comedy)
Premiere: Oct. 3
Right around the lines of 3rd Rock From The Sun, The Neighbors is a comedy which will be added to ABC’s Wednesday comedy block. Marty (Lenny Venito), with hopes of providing a better life for his wife and three kids, recently bought a home in Hidden Hills, a gated New Jersey community that even has its own golf course. The last thing Marty ever expected is that all his neighbors are aliens. The expectations of this show do not seem too high from critics, but it has an immense opportunity to gather an audience. The colors are bright and eye catching, but will it be enough to capture our attention?
Arrow
The CW
(Action/Drama)
Premiere: Oct. 10
A millionaire playboy, Oliver Queen, was supposedly dead for five years. He was later discovered on an island in the Pacific. He comes back with a new mentality and tries to eliminate all his father’s enemies, but now hides the truth about the man he has become. Oliver suits up, resembling Robin Hood with his green tights. This show can be compared to The Count of Monte Cristo and the hit ABC show, Lost. Does anybody remember The Legend of the Seeker? Well it is right around Arrow’s corner. Will the seemingly big-budgeted television saga succeed?
Beauty And The Beast
The CW
(Drama)
Premiere: Oct. 11
Don’t expect signing candlesticks and speaking tea cups to appear in this version of the fairy tale. Detective Catherine Chandler witnessed the murder of her mother but was saved by someone, or something. Catherine encounters a doctor named Vincent Keller, who was reportedly killed in Afghanistan in 2002. Catherine realizes Vincent saved her that day. When he was ‘killed’ he developed a type of super human ability which has socially exiled him from the city. He blames his excommunication on his beast like manner and aggressiveness. It seems like a complicated plot that will either bore audiences or confuse them because of the program’s misleading titled. Will the ‘tale as old as time‘ catch our interest? Maybe…if they hire the dancing plates and utensils.
Emily Owens, M.D.
The CW
(Drama)
Premiere: Oct. 16
Oscar-winner Meryl Streep’s daughter, Mamie Gummer (Off the Map) stars as Emily Owens, a fresh-out-of-med-school intern at Denver Memorial Hospital who has gotten the chance to work with a world-famous cardiologist. She then finds out her past crush works at the same hospital. Emily soon realizes that working at the hospital is pretty similar to being in high school. Isn’t the world already over hospital dramas? Classics such as ER and Grey’s Anatomy, created a bar that most M.D. shows try to reach. The CW also broadcasts Hart of Dixie, which has a familiar premise. Lets hope that this show can at least last a couple of episodes and Gummer can show off her acting genes.
The Carrie Diaries
The CW
(Midseason Dramedy)
Premiere: January 2013
Get Carrie’d away about 28 years back in time. The very popular Sex and the City franchise is returning to the small screen after eight years off-air, this time showing a younger Carrie Bradshaw (Anna Sophia Robb) and still an ageless city. Carrie’s mother has just passed away and she is left looking after her younger sister Dorrit, who is currently in a rebellious stage. Carrie becomes head-over-heels for the new exchange-student, Sebastian. She is soon offered the chance to intern in Manhattan and the rest is history. The series will deal with the fading of Carrie’s innocence and the beginning of her writing career. The series will soon take Gossip Girl’s timeslot, which is entering its last season. If this prequel is written with the same wit and spirit as the original, this is sure to be a hit.
The Red Widow
ABC
(Drama)
Premiere: Early 2013
When Marta Walraven’s (Radha Mitchell) husband is brutally murdered, she decides to be strong for her three young children. Her husband’s business partners were involved in an illegal drug business deal with rival gangsters, and Marta’s husband paid the price of death. Marta fears this world and knows it because of her own father’s past. To get her family out of the mob, she needs to defeat the bad guys at their own dangerous game. The show can he compared to Revenge and Missing. Mitchell presents to us a new kick-butt woman we can cheer on every week. It might be the best heroine since Jennifer Garner’s character in Alias. I am excited to see where this show may go and to what extremes Marta Walraven will go to protect her family.
