Thursday, August 19, 2010
By Gail Pennington
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Don’t let the weather fool you. Fall will be here before you can say “back to school,” and with it the new TV season. This summer has been unusually busy for television, but premiere week on the broadcast networks still feels like an event, with dozens of shows making debuts and old favorites returning within days of one another.
But abundance can quickly turn into overload, with so many shows to sample in just a few hours of prime time. Most people can now watch one program while recording at least one other, thanks to the DVR and that old standby, the VCR. The question remains, though: Why do all the shows you like air opposite all the other shows you like? Here are some potential night-by-night conflicts for fall.
Mondays:
Scrappy “Chuck” (NBC) is up against longtime hit “House” (Fox), ratings giant “Dancing With the Stars” (ABC) and “90210” (CW) at 8 p.m. CBS has ruled with sitcoms on Mondays, but “How I Met Your Mother” may be running out of steam at 8 p.m., and “Big Bang Theory” is moving to Thursdays. At 9 p.m., new entries “Lone Star” (Fox) and “The Event” (NBC) will challenge “Two and a Half Men” (CBS) and “Gossip Girl” (CW). At 10 p.m., “Castle” (ABC) could have smooth sailing opposite newcomers “Chase” (NBC) and “Hawaii Five-O” (CBS). Projected winners: ABC, CBS.
Tuesdays:
Top-rated “NCIS” (CBS) and pop-culture darling “Glee” square off at 8 p.m., with ABC throwing buzzworthy newcomer “No Ordinary Family” into the mix. NBC stands fat — er, pat — with “The Biggest Loser.” At 9 p.m., Fox offers new sitcoms opposite CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles” and CW’s “Life Unexpected.” “The Good Wife” and “Parenthood” go head-to-head at 10 p.m. Projected winners: CBS, Fox.
Wednesdays:
“Survivor” (CBS) moves off Thursdays to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, where its major competition looks like NBC’s new spy series “Undercovers” and CW’s “America’s Next Top Model.” ABC slots “The Middle,” the funny and underrated Patricia Heaton sitcom, also at 8. At 9, there’s something for everyone — comedy (“Modern Family” and “Cougar Town”) on ABC; procedurals (“Criminal Minds” on CBS and “Law & Order: SVU” on NBC); and reality (“Hell’s Kitchen” on Fox). The 10 p.m. hour is entirely new, and all legal, with “Law & Order: Los Angeles” opposite CBS’ dramedy “The Defenders” and ABC’s “The Whole Truth.” Projected winners: CBS, ABC.
Thursdays:
CBS tries its increasingly popular “Big Bang Theory” out in the old “Survivor” slot, while NBC leads off its comedy lineup with “Community” and “30 Rock” and CW has “The Vampire Diaries.” The 9 p.m. hour looks unusually competitive: “Grey’s Anatomy,” “CSI” and “Fringe” against NBC’s “The Office” and newcomer “Outsourced.” At 10 p.m., where NBC once ruled, the network calls on “The Apprentice” to take on ABC’s “Private Practice” and CBS’ “The Mentalist.” Projected winners: A tossup, but don’t write NBC off.
Fridays:
On a throwaway night, only CBS and Fox seem to be trying very hard. CBS leads off with the returning “Medium” at 8 p.m., opposite unscripted shows on ABC and NBC. Fox gives “Human Target” a shot at 8, with “Good Guys” moving to 9 p.m. opposite the relocating “CSI: NY” on CBS and the new “Body of Proof” on ABC. One of the strongest-looking new dramas of fall, Tom Selleck’s “Blue Bloods,” airs at 10 p.m. Fridays on CBS, and NBC has the new “Outlaw.” The CW is stable with “Smallville” at 8 and “Supernatural” at 9. Projected winner: CBS.
Sundays:
If you liked Sundays last season, you’ll like them this season, when the lineups on ABC, Fox and NBC (with football) are unchanged, and CBS’ only move is to make “Undercover Boss” permanent at 9 p.m. Projected winners: NBC and Fox, with its animated block that includes “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy.”
Network by network:
Here’s what you can expect for fall television:
NBC
Premiere dates: The week of Sept. 20.
Most exciting new show: “Undercovers,” from J.J. Abrams (”Alias,” “Lost”), about sexy married spies who get back in the biz.
What were they thinking?: “Outsourced,” a sitcom about a young American running a telephone center outsourced to India, produces only uncomfortable laughs.
Also new: “The Event,” “Chase,” “Law & Order: Los Angeles,” “Outlaw.”
Back for fall: “Chuck,” “Parenthood,” “Law & Order: SVU,” “Community,” “30 Rock,” “The Office.” “Parks and Recreation” returns at midseason.
CBS
Premiere dates: The week of Sept. 20.
Most exciting new show: “Blue Bloods,” with Tom Selleck as the head of a New York police family that includes Donnie Wahlberg as his son. This might have been just another CBS procedural, but the pilot offers sharply drawn characters and an absorbing story line.
What were they thinking?: For starters, “$(*)! My Dad Says” is an impossible title. For another, the show isn’t funny. In fact, it’s anti-funny. So unfunny, it’s embarrassing. The only winner here isn’t William Shatner, who plays the dad; it’s Ryan Devlin, who played the son but escaped when the role was recast.
Also new: “Mike & Molly,” “Hawaii Five-0,” “The Defenders.”
Back for fall: The three editions of “CSI,” “Criminal Minds,” “Medium,” “The Mentalist,” “The Big Bang Theory,” “Rules of Engagement,” “Two and a Half Men,” “How I Met Your Mother.”
ABC
Premiere dates: The week of Sept. 20.
Most exciting new show: “No Ordinary Family,” with Michael Chiklis (”The Shield”) as the dad of a family that develops unusual powers, is smart, funny, intriguing and all-around delightful.
What were they thinking?: Cop drama “Detroit 1-8-7” was introduced as a show about a documentary film crew following a Detroit police precinct. For better or worse, the “mockumentary” format has reportedly been ditched, leaving only a cop show.
Also new: “Better Together,” “The Whole Truth,” “My Generation,” “Body of Proof.”
Back for fall: “Modern Family,” “The Middle,” “Cougar Town,” “Castle,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “V.”
FOX
Premiere dates: “Cops” returns Sept. 11, but most premieres are the week of Sept. 20.
Most exciting new show: “Lone Star” is the twisty, tasty story of a Texas schemer (James Wolk) living a double life.
What were they thinking?: Live-action sitcoms haven’t done well for Fox, but how could “Arrested Development” veterans Mitchell Hurwitz and Will Arnett go wrong? Unfortunately, the “Running Wilde” pilot is uncomfortably close to awful. Fingers crossed for improvement.
Back for fall: “House,” “Glee,” “Bones,” “Fringe,” “Human Target,” “The Good Guys,” Sunday night animated block. “Lie to Me” returns in November.
CW
Premiere dates: Getting a jump on the big networks, the CW begins premieres Sept. 8.
Most exciting new show: “Nikita” could be a winner. The action drama stars Maggie Q as a trained assassin who has turned on her covert government handlers.
What were they thinking?: The CW has only two new scripted series, and the other is “Hellcats,” about college cheerleaders in Memphis, an awkward mix of “Felicity” and “Mean Girls.”
Back for fall: “Gossip Girl,” “90210,” “Vampire Diaries,” “One Tree Hill,” “Life Unexpected,” “Smallville,” “Supernatural.”
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