After the Wes-Craven-gory show cancellation sweep a few weeks ago, and the as-of-yet unexplained installment of Ashton Kutcher in the role of Charlie Sheen in Two and a Half Men, we just hope TV comes out of the whole mess with some actually decent shows to watch this fall. As the previews begin to hit YouTube and the weekly schedules solidify, here are five new shows to look forward to:
1. “Terra Nova,” Mondays at 8pm, FOX
This one seems to have “Lost”-level ambitions, with its special effects hijinks and focus on a group of rando strangers fighting off monsters in a jungle. Basically, it’s the year 2149 and the Earth is just about dunzo. In order to save the human race they (i.e. The Scientists) send some people back 85 millions years to correct our environmental irresponsibility before it happens—except, BTW, there are dinosaurs. For its interesting political relevance, its fantasy element, and the sheer of amount of money being juiced into the project, “Terra Nova” should be a winner.
2. “Suburgatory,” Wednesdays at 8:30pm, ABC
The suburbia niche might very well be near full, but this fall, “Suburgatory” is making another attempt. The protagonist is a city kid whose father ships the family to the Connecticut suburbs after she gets into some sort of condom-related trouble (the trailer is, understandably, vague on this matter). The subject material is what you’d expect from a show about WhiteRichPeopleville—girls getting nose jobs, horny housewives—but the urban perspective looks to be fresh and authentic. If pulled off, the show will strike a nice balance between the Mean Girls plot lines we’re secretly hoping to see all over again and an urban-suburban dynamic we’re less used to (and probably need).
3. “I Hate My Teenage Daughter,” Wednesdays at 9:30pm, FOX
I’m allowed one trashy pick. Jaime Presley and her co-star play two now-hot moms whose daughters are the exact type of girls who made fun of them in high school. They resent their daughters (see: the title) for being bitchy girls and talk shit about them, effectively becoming the bitchy girls themselves. This one should provide some highly decent mindless entertainment and even a few Jodi-Picoult-grade heartwarming scenes.
4. “How to Be a Gentleman,” Thursdays at 8:30pm, CBS
I have high hopes for “How to Be a Gentleman.” The protagonist, Andrew, is a buttoned-up, old fashion manners columnist who has trouble reconciling his fixation on propriety with actually maintaining a social life in twenty-first century Manhattan. The old-fashioned world vs. young-professional-work-force dynamic, along with that between mannerliness and masculinity, seems to touch all the right cultural notes without overstating itself. The characters are distinct, and the writing looks tight. It also has some indie appeal for the primetime-television-wary.
5. “Grimm,” Fridays at 9pm, NBC
JK—this looks terrible! Someone with no brain and unfair access to the NBC production department watched one episode of True Blood was like, “OMG I have an idea for a show.” The jist of the show is that this super-hot detective investigating all these supernatural incidents is actually the descendant of the Grimm family, of Grimm ‘s Fairy Tales fame. Except the seven dwarfs took a sip of the Evil Juice because this show looks scaaaarry (and by that I mean every once in a while a normal person’s face will become momentarily monstrous). Small town with dark secrets, strapping gentleman learning about his ancestry, and a show title that doubles as both a reference to its original inspiration and denotes the show’s overall feel? I’m just jizzing.
Main pic via
By Daniel Lefferts
