Well it's that time of the year again the leaves are falling off the trees, kids are going back to school and there are new and interesting things to watch on TV-- at least I hope. I dumped Cable and I'm able to watch almost everything on the Roku. Sports, CBS & HBO are unfortunately not included in my package but that's what the internet is for. I'm preparing to introduce two new ones to the Marvin clan. I don't expect to get much sleep, nor am I expecting to speak normally or be able to function properly in general but I do expect to watch a butt load of TV. That's what you do when you find yourself rocking and nursing babies keeping your mind on the beautiful escapism of the boob tube and I intend on escaping as much as humanly possible. This year the networks have provided the usual smorgasbord of comedies, dramas, sci/fi and yet more comedies. So lets not waste time and get down to some business.
SUNDAY: Sunday has lately been the prime viewing of the week. All the best shows for Cable and the Networks seem to crop up on this day. For returning shows one of my favorites is
The Good Wife which returns for it's 4th season on
Sept. 30th on CBS at 9:00 PM. I'm also a big fan
of
Revenge which returns for its second season on
Sept. 30th on ABC at 9:00 PM. And yes I've been watching
Once Upon a Time. I know it's a little kitschy but it's fun. It's starting it's second season on
Sept. 30th on ABC at 8PM. On HBO
Boardwalk Empire Returns this coming Sunday the
16th at 9:00 PM for it's third season. I'm a little behind on
The Walking Dead I was only able to see the first season and then I lost my cable and I haven't been able to catch up ever since and now they are on their third season starting on
AMC at 9:00 PM tomorrow Oct. 14th. I'm also behind on
Dexter by about two seasons as it is about to start season six on
Showtime at 9:00 PM on Sept. 30th. Another Showtime Show that I completely missed last year that blew up big is
Homeland on
Showtime which aires
Sept. 30 at 10:00 PM. I'm going to have to wait for DVD on this one but I do intend to watch this one as soon as humanly possible. Other returning shows that I don't watch or don't care to watch are:
Sept. 23 -
Treme at 10:00 PM on HBO;
Oct. 21 -
The Cleveland Show at 7:30 PM on Fox;
Oct. 30 -
The Amazing Race at 8:00 PM on CBS, The Simpsons at 8:00 PM on Fox, Bob's Burgers at 8:30 PM on Fox, Family Guy at 9:00 PM on Fox, American Dad at 9:30 PM on Fox, The Mentalist at 10:00 PM on CBS. Apparently there is only one new show airing on Sunday:
666 Park Avenue
The trailers for this one were definitely intriguing. It seemed a lot like the movie Devil's Advocate with a much more subtle devil in Terry O'Quinn. Frankly if it were anybody else I may not be as interested but no one can question the awesomeness of O'Quinn especially in a setting like this. The premise of this show follows a couple who move into this palatial Park Avenue Apartment Building and are seemingly manipulated by resident owners played by Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams. This seems like a particularly fun show, and as my friend Cody would say, deliciously evil. I'm also encouraged by creator David Wilcox's resume. He's been a writer and producer on one of my favorite shows on TV Fringe for the past 3 seasons. There is also Producer Matthew Miller who also has some pretty good shows, at least in my opinion, under his belt. Like Chuck when it was still pretty good he seemed to have left before it started to go south in 2010. He also has credits on Las Vegas and Human Target which were both enjoyable shows. Especially Human Target which was woefully promoted on Fox until it's untimely demise. In the end I just hope that O'Quinn isn't just some cardboard cut out devil incarnate and that there is much
more to this picture. But for now they have me and I intend to give
this one a shot.
Aires September 30th at 10:00 PM on ABC
MONDAY: This one is shaping into an interesting day. You have a few new ones including a J.J. Abrams produced show which should be an automatic watch at least for the first few episodes. I'll put my review below but I can thankfully say after watching the sneak peek it was a great improvement from the snoozer Alcatraz from last year. I really wanted to enjoy that show. Alcatraz had a great premise but the execution and the story telling just felt like a rehash of other more popular shows and characters. It was a justified cancellation for sure. A certain returning show on Monday is one of the wife's and my new favorites, Castle. We started watching Castle on a whim earlier this year mostly cause we both love star Nathan Fillion and we were rewarded with a clever show with Procedural elements but mostly interesting characters and some pretty twisty fun story arcs. I suggest if you haven't seen Castle you should check it out on Hulu or you can get the first 4 seasons on discs at Netflix.
Castle returns on
Sept. 24th at 10:00 PM on ABC. Also returning is another favorite of ours is Bones which left us with a doozy of a cliffhanger where a smart ass psychopathic hacker has killed and framed Brennan forcing her to take her newborn baby on the run.
Bones returns on
Sept. 17th at 8:00 PM on Fox. I used to watch Hawaii Five-O back when I had cable but CBS makes it so damn hard to watch any of their network shows I put it on hold for a while so I could watch The Good Wife and Blue Bloods. Honestly CBS needs to update their website watching episodes on there can be painful. I wish they would take the hint and allow their shows on Hulu. Anyway the team at
Hawaii Five-O returns for it's third seson on
Sept 24th at 10:00 PM on CBS. Other returning shows are
How I Met Your Mother, a favorite of my sister-in-law, comes back for it's 8th season on
Sept. 24th at 8:00 PM on CBS. I tried to watch 2 Broke Girls last year as it starts it's second season. I really like Kat Denning but the writing on this show is too sarcastic for it's on good, it borders on obnoxious and it falls into some bad stereotypes with some of the supporting characters. But if you are hooked I ain't gonna stop you.
2 Broke Girls returns on
Sept. 24th at 9:00 PM on CBS. Other returning shows that I don't watch or really care that much about are:
Sept. 24th -
Dancing With the Stars: All Stars at 8:00 PM on ABC;
Mike and Molly at 9:30 on CBS.
Oct. 8th -
90210 at 8:00 PM on the CW;
Gossip Girl at 9:00 PM on the CW.
Revolution
I got a chance to see a sneak preview this past weekend on Hulu. We start out with the premise that we as a culture are way to attached to our digital devices. It explores the quandary proposed if we were to suddenly lose those devices would our society crumble to ashes. The answer is a grey one as we see that a post-apocalyptic world has been created out of the ashes but it feels more like they are shot back to more simpler times before the Industrial Revolution. It is not fully explained what happened to all of the tech and it seems to be squarely on one family starting with their patriarch Ben (Tim Guinee) his two kids Charlie (Tracy Spiridakos), Danny (Graham Rogers) and his estranged brother Miles (Billy Burke). A seemingly psychotic leader of a Militia group thinks that Ben has the secret to turn on the juice and he is willing to kill everyone around him to get what he wants. It's certainly an ambitious program with a lot of different avenues to explore. It looks like they are doing a combination of tricks from Lost with the flashbacks interspersed with the present. After watching big bombs over the last few years like Terra Nova, the Event and FlashForward this one feels the most fleshed out and evenly paced. I really enjoyed the pilot and almost all the characters. There is a really great hook here and I think that if they can sustain the momentum from this first episode then I think you can expect to see a nice long run. The creator Showrunner is Eric Kripke who was the showrunner/writer of the cult favorite Supernatural. As an added bonus Iron Man Director Jon Favreau is also a creative consultant and he directed the pilot. Also, as mentioned above J.J. Abrams is listed as a producer. Just looking at the names it looks like this show is in very good hands. And since this is Fringe's last season it'll be nice to transition into another smart sci/fi show. If you haven't seen the pilot yet you can catch the debut on:
Aires September 17th at 10:00 PM on NBC
Partners
I don't know much about this show other than seeing the trailer. It's a sit-com with laugh track about two childhood friends, Louis (Michael Urie) and Joe (David Krumholtz) who are roommates and partners in their Architecture firm and an added twist Louis is Gay and Joe is straight. Apparently this scenario is based on Showrunners David Kohan and Max Mutchnick's actual relationship. Kohan and Mutchnick are known for their biggest TV hit Will & Grace. The trailer was funny and looks like it could be cute but I really hope they lose the laugh track quick. I have had real trouble watching shows lately that institute the laugh track it's distracting and they laugh at everything even the shit that isn't funny and sometimes it makes watching the show unbearable. It's one of the things I didn't like about How I Met Your Mother and 2 Broke Girls and I just couldn't watch them anymore. If you are a fan of Will and Grace then I'm sure you will love this new show. It seems to have a pretty great cast and it does look genuinely funny. But it's on CBS and if you read my rant on Sunday I probably won't be catching this one live. If it makes a few seasons I may be able to catch it on Netflix streaming.
Aires September 24th at 8:30 PM on CBS
The Mob Doctor
I caught the trailer for this one the other day and was intrigued. It's a drama about a resident Dr. Grace Devlin (Jordana Brewster) in Chicago who finds herself in a pickle. Her brother has a astronomical debt to the Mob whom she has grown up with her whole life. She is forced to live a dual life as a physician for the public and providing her medical expertise for some nefarious folk behind the scenes. Looks like an interesting dilemma, I'm sort of on the fence about this one. I can only watch so much stuff. It looks like it should be playing on Hulu so we'll have to see. It does have some pretty familiar faces especially William Forsythe who is playing what he plays best, a bad ass mobster.
Aires September 17th at 9:00 PM on Fox
TUESDAY: Holy Crap the networks seem to have dumped a bunch of shows on Tuesday new and old. Tuesday is going to be a bloodbath I have this feeling. There are quite a few returning shows here so let's see if we can hit them all. One of my favorite comedies of last year New Girl is back for it's second season. This was a genuinely sweet and funny comedy that did have a few bumps especially in the last episode where it seemed like the writers just decided to get a little lazy for the climax as things went back to normal after Nick (Jake M. Johnson) moves in with his ex and then just as quickly moves right back in regardless of the sexual tension they created between him and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) all season. It was sort of weird as it seemed like it was going to leave the season on a cliffhanger and then they just don't. But it still doesn't diminish the hilarious power of Schmidt (Max Greenfield) I'll definitely be tuning in for the season premiere.
New Girl returns on Sept. 25th at 8:00 PM on Fox. Parenthood is returning for it's 4th season and even though almost all the characters tried my damn patience last year I'm still hooked on the show and I'm looking forward to Showrunner Jason Katims to right the ship from last years uneven tone and silliness to hopefully reach some Friday Night Lights level of drama. I may be asking for too much though. Anyway
Parenthood came back on Sept. 11 at 10:00 PM on NBC. Here are some other shows that are returning that I don't watch or don't care to:
Sept. 11 -
Sons of Anarchy at 10:00 PM on Fox. Sept. 25 -
NCIS at 8:00 PM on CBS;
NCIS Los Angeles at 9:00 PM on CBS;
Private Practice at 10:00 PM on ABC.
Oct 2 -
Raising Hope at 8:00 PM on Fox;
Hart of Dixie at 8:00 PM on The CW.
Oct. 23rd -
Happy Endings at 9:00 PM on ABC;
Don't Trust the B-- in Apt. 23 at 9:30 PM on ABC.
Go On
I got a chance to see the sneak preview on Hulu
a couple of weeks ago. NBC is smelling of desperation as they have gone insane this summer especially during the Olympics to promote these new comedies. The critics seem to think that this show could survive but it did get a mixed bag. I liked it but I like Matthew Perry, if you find him annoying then I suggest you not watch this at all. He's in full Chandler mode from Friends on this show and he tried even my patience a few times but I liked the cast of characters and I think over time this has real potential to grow as a comedy. Its in the vein of Community where you have a collection of people with different backgrounds coming together for grief counseling. It does have a bit of a dark edge since the main character is trying to find his laughter again after his wife is killed in an accident. But again it does have potential and I have faith in Perry to deliver it. Plus no laugh track. Thank God!
Go On aired on Sept. 11 at 9:00 PM on NBC
The Mindy Project
Tamar and I decided to watch this sneak preview mostly cause I was curious to see how funny creator and star Mindy Kaling could be outside of the Office. It wasn't bad I know Tamar really enjoyed it, it was a bit Chic-lite for me but Mindy is funny and I liked the cast. Mindy plays an ob-gyn who as most people do on these shows struggles with her sex life, but I will say that is the only thing that makes this a generic rom-com show. For one the lead is a smart Indian female doctor you don't see too many shows like that around. I think this has potential to be a hit with women and couples especially if they keep bringing the funny, and again no laugh track.
The Mindy Project aires Sept. 25 at 9:30 PM on Fox
Ben And Kate
It did just occur to me I got to see a lot of early previews here, since I don't have cable I'm not sure how available they are on TV but it's kind of cool to be able to see the Pilot episodes before the release to get a sense of these shows. Especially the comedies. Tamar and I really liked this one about a Brother and Sister, Ben (Nat Faxon) and Kate (Dakota Johnson). Ben is a man-child but a funny one at that and his little sister is Kate a single mom who is the straight man or straight woman of the duo. It's silly and charming and I think it could work as a safe comedy that isn't begging for laughs for 30 minutes as a lot of situational comedy has. It's not quite Modern Family but it definitely has potential.
Ben and Kate aires Sept. 25 at 8:30 PM on Fox
The New Normal
This is the new controversial show that has angered Conservative Christians all over the country once they heard the premise of this one. A Gay couple Andrew (Andrew Rennels) and David (Justin Bartha) are attempting to start their own family via a surrogate named Goldie (Georgia King) and all the trials and tribulations that come with raising a child. I'm not a fan of Glee it's a little too over the top for me and I hate musicals so I was intrigued to see what Showrunner Ryan Murphy could do with a show without a lot of teens singing and dancing. I did a little digging and I discovered that Ryan Murphy also created one of Cody's favorite shows American Horror Story which from what he tells me is the complete opposite of Glee. This is probably one of the more controversial new shows this year. Although some of the early reviews have panned it as overly stereotypical and some felt the cast was uneven. But I haven't seen it so I can't comment.
The New Normal aired Sept. 10th at 10:00 PM on NBC
Emily Owens M.D.
I didn't see this one but it looks like Mindy has some competition for funny lady doctors. I can't really judge this one from just the synopsis but--A heavily monologued dramedy about a Intern, Emily Owens (Maime Gummer) at a Denver Hospital where she has catty relationships with a Fre-enemy and romantic relationships with other doctors--wait a minute this sounds like Grey's Anatomy. I know it's Meryl Streep's kid but I don't think I'll be watching this one. I'm already bored and it's on the CW. Double whammy.
Emily Owens aires Oct. 16th at 9:00 PM on the CW
Vegas
I saw a quick teaser for this one a couple weeks ago and I was intrigued. For one it's about Mobsters in the 60's in Vegas. I always have a soft spot in my heart for Gangsters some of my favorite shows of all time Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire and favorite flicks are Goodfellas, Godfather I & II and Casino. So this is certainly right up my alley. Then I saw that it was written by Mob writer extraordinaire Nicholas Pileggi and the pilot is directed by James Mangold (Copland, 3:10 to Yuma & Walk the Line). How can I not watch this! Based on the true story of a rancher turned Sheriff, Ralph Lamb (Denis Quaid), who has to contend with the Hoods flying into Vegas as they begin their hostile takeover of the little desert community. He has to contend with slick mobsters like Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis). It's great to see Chiklis playing a morally gray character again after a brief hiatus to play superhero in Fantastic Four and that Fantastic Four style ugh worthy show No Ordinary Family. It's nice to see a version of Vic Mackey back in bad ass mode again. I'm definitely going to try to--shit it's on CBS--ugh, I guess I'll have to figure out a way to watch this on-line.
Vegas aires Sept. 25th at 10:00 PM on CBS
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