The New Fall Season:2006

[maggiethecat]

I thought it might be fun to have a general forum for the new fall offerings, especially for those shows that may not warrant their own threads. And I’ll start by throwing out a few extremely random thoughts:

Shark: Crisp, smart and well-written, and Spike Lee directed the pilot. (Holy cow. That Spike Lee?) Okay, it’s another lawyer drama (like we needed one) but it’s James Woods, who makes the best out of bad lines as well as good. He’s definitely the reason to watch.

Smith: I had great hopes for this one because of the cast: Ray Liotta, Virginia Madsen, Simon Baker (anyone else remember The Guardian?), Johnny Lee Miller (a marvelous young British actor who was stunning in a little-seen movie called Regeneration, from the Pat Barker novel of the same name), and that lovely Iranian actress who played Ben Kingsley’s wife in House of Sand and Fog. (Not that I can remember, or spell, her name right now.) The pilot was slick and sharp and dark, very Ocean's 11 caper film-ish . . . and about halfway through I got the uncomfortable feeling that I was watching a slicker, less gritty, and far less emotionally engaging version of Thief. (Crew of thieves headed by lead actor whose clueless wife thinks he has a straight job, crew reporting to and acting on the directive of strong woman character.) I haven’t bailed yet, fhowever, and I may keep watching simply because it’s opposite Law & Order: SVU and Boston Illegal. But the old VCR is humming this month because Smith is also opposite Nip/Tuck . . .

. . . and I'm glad Housemouse also watches so I can talk about this with someone. I should probably post in the Nip/Tuck thread but I'm putting this here because, with all the new fall shows this past week, this is the show that has stayed with me. Just as Rescue Me can switch between tragic and comic in a heartbeat, Nip/Tuck can make that lightening-fast segue from frivolous to meaningful. This year they're heading into uncharted waters with Sean and Julia having a disabled baby, and all manner of interesting issues are being raised in between the bonking and liposuction. (This week’s guest star, Melissa Gilbert. Laura has plastic surgery? What will Pa say?) Plus it’s a complete hoot that the ever-troubled son Matt has finally gotten his act together because of . . . oh, Jeez . . . Scientology. Too funny.

Men in Trees: I tried twice and I have to say, honestly, that it just made me wish someone would rerun Northern Exposure. Anne Heche ain’t no Rob Morrow, and so far the people in the so-called Alaskan town aren’t anywhere near as quirky, interesting, or attractive (obviously I’m thinking of John Corbett) as they were in NE. I predict early cancellation, or at the very least shifting time slots.

Jericho: Of course I turned it on for Michael Gaston, who so far seems to have about as many lines per episode as Fisk, but is playing a character nowhere near as well rounded or well written. Plus the show is so damned dark you can barely see anyone’s face. And do I want to get hooked on another sequential show in addition to Prison Break? Maybe not.

Tonight I am looking forward to Brother and Sisters. It's been a while since there was a network family drama, and Sally Field is always worth watching.

And that Ugly Betty thing looks really sweet and different.

[shmeep]

I'm glad you started this thread, Mags. Sometimes it's nice to be able to discuss TV as a season and not as individual shows.

I am trying not to get into too many more shows because my TV habits are downright silly. I taped nine hours of television just while I was gone from Wednesday to Saturday. Insane. Still haven't caught up.

I caught the beginning of Brothers and Sisters last night. I didn't expect to like it much, but it hooked me enough to impel me to tape what I missed so I can see the whole hour. I'm not a big Calista Flockhart fan and knowing she plays a right-wing radio pundit didn't really endear me to her further, but she was surprisingly watchable and sympathetic--although I have yet to catch the entire episode. I hadn't planned to watch this one at all, but I just may change my mind. The cast overall is just too good.

I didn't bother with Men in Trees. I don't like Anne Heche and thought it had been done before--and better--with Northern Exposure (as Mags said). I thought I was being too harsh, but now it sounds like I may have been on the right track.

Ugly Betty sounds really good. I'm going to have to tape it, although it will share a time slot with Smallville, My Name is Earl, and The Office. I hate to have to watch one show while taping two others, but I guess I'll have to do just that for a while. Oh well. Smallville is something I always do with the husband, so that will be what we watch.

I am intrigued by the concepts behind both Six Degrees and The Nine so I plan to watch them--at least to begin with.

As for returning shows...I'm loving this season of Bones and House so far and the premier of How I Met Your Mother was fun. My Name is Earl didn't quite live up to last season, but I still have hope. The Office cracked me up and appears to be as good as ever. Grey's Anatomy was pretty dark, but still gripping. I've always liked that show. I caught Desperate Housewives last night (I know it's not for everyone) and thought it was better than last season. More like the quirky fun of Season One.

I'm still eagerly awaiting the premiers of Lost, Smallville, Gilmore Girls, and 24.

I taped ER but didn't get to it yet. I've watched it faithfully since it began, but...can't anyone on that show be happy for long? I don't know what happens in that episode yet, but they really need to lighten up a little if they want us to stick by it. I always end up enjoying it and it's very well made and well written, but I always dread watching an episode because it brings me down. I'm all for drama and overcoming tragedy, but...there needs to be a little more comic relief.

[maggiethecat]

I know, I know, my VCR is also getting a real workout until this all shakes out and I see what I'll be watching. Or not watching, and already that list is longer. *Sigh.*

Am I the only one around here with a serious Law & Order addiction? (I mean the mothership, not the spin-offs.) The show has really sagged without Jerry Orbach but I hung in there: S. Epatha Merkeson, Jesse L. Martin, and Sam Waterston ain't exactly chopped liver. So I wasn't too excited about the season premiere (opposite Numb3ers now, more taping), and was pleasantly surprised. The new cast members are a shot in the arm -- plus the season premiere was written by Nicholas Wooten. Here's something I'm guessing only Blind Justice devotees would catch: Jesse L. Martin's character has a new partner this season, a young "eye candy for the male viewers" woman, who got bumped up to detective after she foiled a shoot-out and got a huge amount of media attention. So the first ten minutes we get a lot of comments about "really brave thing you did" and "Why did you let yourself get splashed all over the media?" and "You're gonna have to prove yourself around here." Plus every person she encountered said they'd read about her in the papers, and the lieutenant resents being saddled with a high-profile detective who clearly has something to prove . . . does any of this sound familiar? I mean, a number of the lines were almost exactly the same. Heh.

As for your comments about ER, Shmeep, I agree. After they turned Carter into the dreariest rich kid on the planet, they seem to be heading in the same direction with Maura Tierney and Goran Howeverthehellyouspell his name. (Referred to in my house, I blush to admit, as Sexy Croatia Man.) I do have one observation but I don't want to be a spoiler so I'll wait until after you've watched the episode.

As for Brothers and Sisters, so far it seems okay but I smell a lot of formulaic writing. (The minute I saw dear old Dad sitting on the edge of the pool looking woozy I knew he was gonna have the big one, Elizabeth, and pitch right in.) So far the brothers all seem to have come out of a catalogue (tall, dark, rumpled, cropped hair, wisecracking, oh, and of course the gay one is the smartest and the nicest). I've never been much for Calista Flockhart, either (whose character is supposed to be 38 -- when donkeys fly), but it's nice to see Rachel Griffiths, who may just quietly walk away with the whole shebang. My jury's still out on this one.

[inuvik]

maggiethecat said:

Shark: Crisp, smart and well-written, and Spike Lee directed the pilot. (Holy cow. That Spike Lee?) Okay, it’s another lawyer drama (like we needed one) but it’s James Woods, who makes the best out of bad lines as well as good. He’s definitely the reason to watch.

Loved it. But I am not allowing myself to continue with any new shows this season, because my TV plate is already full. Like Shmeep says, it's easy to get too much on your TV plate! And you all know my thoughts about serialized dramas from my rant. (I always watch Pilots though). But if I was, so far this would be the one! My fave so far.

And, Maggie, had to get this in!

Tonight I am looking forward to Brother and Sisters. It's been a while since there was a network family drama, and Sally Field is always worth watching.

EVERWOOD!!! My fave show which was just cancelled! It was on for the past 4 or 5 years! Hasn't been that long!


My thoughts now. Here's what my regular viewing will look like this year:

Prison Break
Gilmore Girls
Monk (hopefully! So far my local station is not carrying it, but it did for the last 3 years)

And that's it for American shows. Mostly I watch Canadian shows.

This Hour Has 22 Minutes
The Rick Mercer Report
Royal Canadian Air Farce
Canadian Reflections
Corner Gas
Godiva's (if it is renewed, not sure what happening with it)
The Jane Show

The first three are political satire, sort of like Colbert or Stewart. Canadian Reflections is independent short films, Godiva's is nominally a drama about restaurant workers, but is really about sex (kinda like Gray's Anatomy I gather). The Jane Show is a sitcom, and Corner Gas is Canada's most popular half hour comedy. I started a thread about it as it is now available in the States. If anyone can get it, it's well worth watching! It's set in a teeny tiny Canadian town on the prairies.

I really enjoy watching Pilots, this is my fave time of the TV year!

Also enjoyed The Class, looks fairly quirky and funny.

[kenina]

I have a few thoughts about the new season that I wanted to contribute, but I haven't seen too many new shows or season premieres. Partly on purpose and partly just because I forget when things are coming on. I haven't wanted to get attached to any new show since Blind Justice, because seems like every time I do, it goes away, and it sucks.

That said, I did happen to catch Shark, and I really enjoyed James Woods' performance, and the story was good, too. If I happen to catch it again, I won't be disappointed. I guess I'm going to try Ugly Betty just because of all the hype, if someone will remind me when it's coming on!

As for premieres...

NCIS was really fantastic--I was so glad to see Gibbs isn't *really* retired. I mean, he is, but he's coming back. I was scared Mark Harmon wanted to leave the show, which would leave it a shell of its former self. Very fun, quirky show--one of the few I don't miss from week to week.

I didn't realize L&O had been moved to Friday, so I missed it! That does bite. I'm a regular viewer from several years back--started watching reruns in grad school. I liked Dennis Farina okay, but the new detective sounds *very* intriguing! Thanks much for the heads up, Maggie.

I gotta take a moment to stick up for L&O: SVU. I actually prefer SVU to the original, though I did stop watching it briefly during B/J's run (I caught up during summer reruns). I enjoy SVU because of the dynamics of the partnership between Olivia and Elliott (I was always reminded of them by Jim and Karen), and the fact that there's much more character development going on than in most procedural dramas. And the plots are original and interesting for the most part. The season premiere was terrific, though I hate that Olivia's going away for a while (so Mariska can go have a baby). I really disliked the approach they used last season of having either Olivia or Elliott featured in an episode while the other is nowhere to be seen. I love the show when they're together--not so much when they're apart.

I'm not surprised, but I was very gratified, to see Shmeep expressing the very thoughts I'd been having about ER since I watched the season premiere. I've watched regularly for many years, mostly out of habit and because I'm so familiar with the characters and stories...but wow, they need to give us a break with the big tragedy. I have a story to tell associated with ER drama, so bear with me...I was watching an episode on TiVo one day last spring after work. It was the one when Gallant was blown to bits in Iraq, so by the end tears were literally streaming down my face. Well, I don't cry much in real life, so when my husband came home and found me sobbing, he thought something had happened to the baby (I was 3-4 months along). When he realized it was ER (which he hates), he was so upset with me! And I didn't blame him.

And the season premiere I'm most looking forward to is...Battlestar Galactica (Oct 6)!! Anyone else? The best-acted show out there at the moment, in my opinion. Check out the cover story in Entertainment Weekly this week--the producer says market research shows that BG attracts the same type of viewer as The Shield and Nip/Tuck, but a lot of those viewers refuse to watch on the basis of the title and/or the genre.

Edited to add: I forgot to second Shmeep's mention of Bones--loving it this season! I know some people are a little put off by the interjection of more character backstory and personal drama mixed in with the procedural stuff...but I like the new direction. Although is it just me, or has Emily Deschanel (is that her name?) lost weight this season? She looks positively skeletal.

[maggiethecat]

Great stuff, kenina, and I'll respond more fully when I have a little more time.

Right now I want to give everyone a big heads-up on Heroes. Not my usual glass of tea and I just turned it on because, bascially, nothing else was on last night at 9:00 (Two and a Half Men is still cute but no surprises).

It is absolutely wonderful. Crisp smart writing, beautifully shot, any number of interwoven stories that all make sense individually -- and the casting is terrific. Some genuinely funny stuff, too. If I had to describe it in one word it would be imaginative. Maybe even magical. I AM HOOKED!!!

NBC is repeating the pilot tonight at 8:00 EST. I'm going to tape it while I watch House, then I'm going to watch it again. It's that good. Surprise, surprise.

[shmeep]

maggiethecat said:

Right now I want to give everyone a big heads-up on Heroes. Not my usual glass of tea and I just turned it on because, bascially, nothing else was on last night at 9:00 (Two and a Half Men is still cute but no surprises).

It is absolutely wonderful. Crisp smart writing, beautifully shot, any number of interwoven stories that all make sense individually -- and the casting is terrific. Some genuinely funny stuff, too. If I had to describe it in one word it would be imaginative. Maybe even magical. I AM HOOKED!!!

Me too! I was planning to say the same thing! I am dying to know where they're going with all of this. I love the concept, although I don't have time to try to describe what that is, exactly. And Milo What's-his-face from Gilmore Girls! So nice to see him NOT being a bad boy for once. He played that same character in American Dreams so now it's nice to see him playing a nurse who may be developing the ability to fly. It's better in execution than in my description.

[maggiethecat]

Having only watched Gilmore Girls once (I know, I know, it's a failing on my part), I have no idea who Milo Whatever is . . . but you, Shmeep, liked the show and now we can talk about it.

Don't you love the way they just started to link the threads together by the end of the episode? And didn't that darling Japanese fellow have you laughing out loud? "Spocko!" I am so pleased that you had the same response. This show is different.

[Duchess of Lashes]

What a fascinating beginning to a new series - stumbled across the season premier of Heroes tonite. Although I had seen previews for the show, it was so different than anything I had expected.

It is magical and wonderful, the cinematography is riveting, the characters are deep, and I am not afraid to say that in less than an hour, there are a couple that I am slightly attached to. (I laughed out loud at the Star Trek references!)

I am also not sure where they are going with any of this or how they are going to get there, but I definitely think I'm gonna go along for the ride!

[Deleted]

admin said:

I caught the beginning of Brothers and Sisters last night. I didn't expect to like it much, but it hooked me enough to impel me to tape what I missed so I can see the whole hour. I'm not a big Calista Flockhart fan and knowing she plays a right-wing radio pundit didn't really endear me to her further, but she was surprisingly watchable and sympathetic--although I have yet to catch the entire episode. I hadn't planned to watch this one at all, but I just may change my mind. The cast overall is just too good.

I watched Brothers and Sisters and I thought it was very good - I agree, not so much a Calista fan, but the premise of the show now has me hooked!

[Eyphur]

kenina said:

... but I haven't seen too many new shows or season premieres. Partly on purpose and partly just because I forget when things are coming on. I haven't wanted to get attached to any new show since Blind Justice, because seems like every time I do, it goes away, and it sucks.

This is mainly my reasoning for not watching too many new shows. (Actually I haven't seen any.) I am looking forward to the new season of Little People, Big World and Numb3rs. I will watch Law and Order (any) and CSI:NY (I just can't take Miami, I tried) if the're on, but I don't plan my week around it.

[shmeep]

eyphur said:

I am looking forward to the new season of Little People, Big World

Me too! I love that family. They annoy me sometimes because they let their kids talk back to them too much, but you won't see a more "real" family anywhere on television. I find them interesting. I just wish those kids used sheets. I've seen many shots of them sleeping right on their matresses and that grosses me out. Maybe now that they have the home addition (cool custom kitchen, huh?) they'll clean up a bit.

[bump]

admin said:

eyphur said:

I am looking forward to the new season of Little People, Big World

Me too! I love that family.

I watch that, too! Boy do they have a messy house.

I wanted to watch "The Class" (with Jason Ritter), but it's on at the same time as Prison Break. Fortunately, they're repeating the first two episodes this Saturday, so I'm TiVoing it. We'll see if it's a keeper.

I'll probably check out "Ugly Betty." Originally, that was a Spanish show several years ago and it was very successful. I knew several people back in Miami who watched it regularly though I never did. I wonder how the English version will do.

I gave up on Vanished. It just didn't hold my attention. Other than that, I haven't been watching many shows on the major networks. I tend to watch a lot of stuff on National Geographic, TLC, BBC America, etc.

I recently discovered one documentary show called "Seconds from Disaster" (on Nat'l Geographic, I think) which I think is really interesting. They break down all that went wrong prior to a disaster, such as the Valujet crash in the Everglades, the KLM jet crash in Tenerife in the '70s, etc.

[shmeep]

rmiro13 said:

I wanted to watch "The Class" (with Jason Ritter), but it's on at the same time as Prison Break. Fortunately, they're repeating the first two episodes this Saturday, so I'm TiVoing it. We'll see if it's a keeper.

I caught it and...eh. Just there, so far. I think it will try to be Friends, but it was pretty run-of-the-mill. I was disappointed. I love Jason Ritter, but this just didn't do it for me. I taped it again on Monday so once my parents leave and I have time to catch up on all my shows, I'll watch the second one and decide if there's any reason to tune in again. I haven't been very into sitcoms in recent years so those I do watch have to not be so formulaic. That's why I love The Office, Scrubs, and My Name is Earl so much. I really enjoy How I Met Your Mother. Yes, it also follows a formula and has a laugh track, but the writing is good and the characters are lovable. So far, The Class didn't have any characters I cared about at all and it's a pretty thin premise. Hopefully it will improve, but if it doesn't, it's off my schedule.

[carl1951]

Thanks Mags for strating this Thread.

What has been really blatant about the new fall season is all the psychic crime-solvers.

It is definitely more believeable to have a psychic solve a crime than someone visually-impaired.

And, as true to form, no descriptive programing in the offering.

Later, Carl