Random thoughts on the New Fall Season - September 28, 2008

Random thoughts: While "only" 10 million people watched the opening night of Heroes, the show runners clearly have hit the ground running. Its clear how they will manage to make some of our "heroes" into "villains" and without a clue as to where it will go. While we are bound to re-visit the future (the opener actually began there) I am sure we will have a cleanup episode from the recent past that should shed light on some of the story threads, especially "Nicky/Jessica/Tracy."

The DVR conflict on Monday night between Heroes, Two and 1/2 Men and Prison Break finally got me off the Prison Break main line. There is hope for me. ON the same note, Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles at the earlier hour is a blessing.

While I am still not happy with "Sweets" as a regular on Bones, it was great to Dr. Addy again. More significantly, I am amazed at how well the writers have kept up the relationship between Bones and Booth. Their banter and chemistry is still spot on.

When is House going to get back to Chase and Cameron, who did not even appear in the last episode? Not only do these characters have nothing to do, but House has added a character?? (actor Michael Weston playing a detective hired to spy on Wilson. Since the rumor is that Hugh Laurie is about to get Kiefer Sutherland money, how can this show afford to go on?

Fringe looks like it is living up to its hype, but the fact that every one of their investigations connects up to Dr. Bishop's past, while most likely not a coincidence, will probably reach a point, ala Lost, where the twisty mythology starts to unravel.

And speaking of Fringe, has anyone noticed the number of The Wire alums that are scoring new shows. Lance Riddick on Fringe, Jamie Hector on Heroes, Amy Ryan on The Office and Tristan Wilds on 90210 (will not and never will watch it). I could have sworn on I also saw Clarke Peters (Lt. Freeman) on previews for Life on Mars.

Smallville and Grey's Anatomy seem to be back in stride. Smallville is transitioning Clark to Metropolis, while Grey's seems to be trying to soften up Yang and Hahn. They can't do anything with Meridith's constant self-absorption.

The New Fall Season: Out with the old, in with a few – Part Two

The following is a continuation of the blog post begun yesterday.

Thursday

Somewhere between the old “Must See Thursday,” when NBC controlled the night, and the present day, Thursday became a huge night for the network, lead in large part by the add revenue from movie studios pushing their Friday openings.

Only three new programs are scheduled, all with sheltered show case spots, and all remakes of shows from other countries.

Kath and Kim, a half-hour comedy programmed after My Name Is Earl, stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as a quirky mother and daughter, and is based on an Australian show of the same name. If he writing is as good as the casting, this show may add to NBC’s list of prestige (but relatively low rated) comedies on Thursdays (the other being The Office and 30 Rock).

The who-can-keep-it’s-its-audience-from-the-show-before-it sweepstakes entries are the 11^th Hour (CBS after CSI) and Life on Mars (ABC after Grey’s Anatomy). 11^th Hour is based on a BBC show that starred Patrick Stewart, about a science investigator and his female body guard who looks into the misuse of science. The original was not interested in pursuing a love relationship between he two main characters, but this is the U.S. after all, and this likely plot element, combined with Jerry Bruckheimer’s production hand, will probably make this show more predictable than its source material deserves.

When The Videot first heard of an effort to remake Life on Mars for an American audience, optimism was not rampant. The original, also a BBC program, involved present day police detective Sam Tyler who, after a car accident, wakes up in 1973 assigned as a police officer in a rough and tumble, smoke filled sexist police department. While Sam tries to figure out if he is “mad, in a coma, or back in time,” he works without a cell phone or DNA evidence to solve crimes, establishing relationships with his fellow cops. Of the shows many pleasures, the character of Sam’s boss, Gene Hunt, played by Philip Glenister, brings the greatest impact to show, as a cop who will ignore a victim’s rights to get an arrest, but is willing to listen to Sam’s approach if it will get the job done.

The Videot had intended to check out this new version out of curiosity, but now sees this as a must see. Why? Harvey Freakin’ Keitel has been cast as Gene Hunt!! The Soprano’s Michael Imperioli plays Sam’s precinct competitor!! I’m in.

Fridays

Only two new shows grace the most forgiving night on television. Fridays of the not so recent past often contained such long lasting shows as The Rockford Files, The Incredible Hulk, Dallas, Miami Vice and, of course, The X-Files. Now, middling shows like Numbers (does anybody under 60 watch this show?) and Wife Swap (people watch this idiotic thing but skipped out on Swingtown?) populate a night where shows go that the networks feels fit some sort of demographic, or as in the case of critical darling Friday Night Lights, are given a chance to survive on a slow night.

The two new shows are not pushing this envelope. The Ex-List (CBS) is about a woman who is told by a psychic that she has already met her future husband and must find with him within a year or forever remain single. So she sets out to get in touch with all her previous boy friends. Hmmmmm….how long is this show supposed to last? Lets assume for the moment that this show runs for three years (bad assumption, I know, but work with me). This would mean that she does not find the man of her dreams for at least two and one-half seasons. Do you see where this is going? Now let’s also assume that the shows structure involves her with one of her old boyfriends in each episode. With 22 episodes a season, well….this lady is a slut!!! Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

NBC’s Crusoe is the other new Friday show: the preview looks like it expands upon the simple premise of a man alone on an island with pirates, natives, flashbacks and lots of expensive stuff. The official website however, www.nbc.com/Crusoe, claims it is faithful to the novel. It also says it is a thirteen part series. Worth a try, but worth the investment? Will all thirteen episodes be shown if the ratings are low? Are you not following me? This is Friday – ratings will not matter that much.

Saturday

The elephant’s graveyard of network television. Nothing new unless you count reruns of Knight Rider. I don’t.

Sunday

The only thing new on Sunday night is the CW’s experiment in outsourcing television programming. A company called Media Rights Capital has put together a mix of four shows: reality type In Harms Way, a show that tracks a new dangerous job each week, a half-hour family comedy Surviving Suburbia, starring Bob Saget, Valentine, in which modern day Greek gods (as in THE Greek gods) influence the love lives of deserving people and Easy Money, an hour long drama about a family that owns a company that provides short terms loans. This last sounds bizarre but stars Laurie Metcalf and Judge Reinhold which makes it sound more interesting, but I can think of better things to do on Sunday Night, like football.

More interesting is whether the normally low rated CW will do better with this business model. Hopefully, this and the Friday Night Lights experiment with DirectTV won’t be the most interesting result of the 2008 season.