What’s new and good on TV this fall and beyond

One of the perks of continuing to write for TV is getting access to screeners for not only upcoming episodes of some shows, but most of the pilots of the new shows coming in the next season. In particular with new fall shows, the networks make it very clear to us that what we’re being given to view should not be considered “for review,” meaning we’re asked not to pass judgement publicly based on the provided copy. After quite a few years of seeing these unfinished pilots, I’ve found it’s safe to say that as long as you’re not judging the preview copy on its production elements like visuals and music, you’re pretty much viewing the real deal. Unless there are drastic (and usually very public) casting changes, it’s at least fair to give a general impression of what you saw.

That all being said, I’ve watched quite a few of the new pilots coming this fall — and some for midseason (meaning premiering sometime after January 2012) — and I’ve got a few favorites I’m hoping continue to provide the same level of entertainment delivered in the pilot preview.

#1. Revenge (ABC) [Wednesday, September 21] — I may not have had the time I would have liked to participate much in Veronica Mars week here on CCTV, but I really was in love with that show — well, at least the first two seasons. I loved the setting, the characters and the soundtrack. Even when I wasn’t digging season three all that much, I looked forward to it every week because of those three elements. Revenge may not have the quirk that was Veronica Mars, but there’s no denying it reminded me a lot of it.

I won’t get into too much detail for risk of spoiling things, but the general plot revolves around the daughter of a man who was wronged by a very rich and uppity family, who then goes about a complex method for getting revenge, hence the show’s title. Think Veronica Mars meets The Count of Monte Christo and you’ve got Revenge. Another show one might be reminded of is Damages, as the show starts out with a pivotal scene from present day, and then picks the story up from some time in the past, eventually leading up to that moment.

This is one of those shows that, like with the mysteries and cases in Veronica Mars and Damages, I’ll be waiting impatiently for the next week’s episode. Definitely my number one pick of the new season.

#2. Awake (NBC) [Midseason] — This is a mis-season show, and it saddens me I’ll have to wait that long to pick up from where the pilot left off. While I really dug this show for several reasons, it’s not going to appeal to a whole lot of people, unfortunately. The show is going to pull the heartstrings of many, and in a way that might be a bit too much for some people to consider it entertainment.

The show follows a man who is living two lives after getting into a horrific car accident with his wife and son. In one life his wife is alive and his son is dead from the crash; in the other, his wife is dead and his son is alive. The son and wife may know that he lives this dual life — or at least that he thinks he does — but they don’t necessarily believe him. One day he’ll be with the wife alive, then he goes to sleep that night, awaking the next morning to his wife dead from the crash. There’s much more to the story than that, and it’s what makes the show much more enticing to people not interested in that emotional aspect of it, but I don’t want to spoil that here.

For me, the emotional aspect was all the more gripping because I have the same family structure as the lead character — a wife and a son. To imagine living a life like this man has to is one that’s soul-crushing to imagine, and it’ll either be one that’s too much for some to handle or just too little for them to care. The main question everyone’s going to want to know is “what’s going on with this guy?” throughout the series, and if people get too impatient with wanting to know, it could kill it before it finishes out a season.

#3. Terra Nova (FOX) [Monday, September 26] — This show has had quite a wild ride already, as it should have premiered already! Given the level of special effects the show demands, it’s no wonder why it’s had to encounter delays. While perhaps this show might heartily earn a higher spot on my to-watch list here, only the first part of the two-part premiere was provided to preview, so it’s really tough to judge it fully.

You probably already know the show’s premise. It’s the distant future and Earth is a mess of pollution and overpopulation. Some select individuals are either chosen — due to worthwhile profession or by lottery — to take a “pilgrimage” through a time portal that takes them back millions of years into the Earth’s past, dinosaurs and all. As I was very much hoping, there’s quite a bit more to the story than that, and it’s what made me decide to place it in my #3 spot.

Fans of Lost are going to dig this show, as there are definitely elements of that going on here. Thankfully I really like all of the characters, and I’m happy to see Jason O’Mara in another great role. There’s going to be a lot of following around kids and teens in this show, which I’m afraid might turn me off down the road. So far, though, they’ve definitely got my attention.

#4. Grimm (NBC) [Friday, October 21] — This is one of two shows that takes on the notion of fairy tales being real. The other is Once Upon a Time, which won’t make my list here but I’ve got high hopes it improves from the pilot, now that Jane Espenson is on board to help things out. Grimm, though, is quite different in its approach to the fairy tale genre (if you want to call it that). Instead of fairy tales coming from somewhere else and being placed here, as with Once Upon a Time, Grimm tells us that they’ve been here all along … and they’re not nice.

While I liked the pilot alright, it’s not enough for me to give it complete much-watch status yet. So far it comes of as a sort-of X-Files-like procedural, and things could get hokey real fast, depending on what kinds of fairy tales they throw at us.

#5. Alcatraz (FOX) [Midseason] — People are going to be reminded of Lost when they see this show, for several reasons. For one, it’s a JJ Abrams project, and it definitely reeks of his handiwork (for better or worse, but mostly better). Related to that, it also stars lovable former Lost star Jorge Garcia. Then, of course, there’s the big mystery going on: why are people from the once-thought evacuated Alcatraz prison suddenly reappearing now, and none of them aged a day? But … there’s more to it than that, and the pilot does a great job of setting up an “oooo!” moment that instantly makes one wait eagerly for the next episode.

As for the other shows not on this list, I’m either not impressed yet by what I saw, completely not interested in (or completely turned off by) the plot, or haven’t seen the pilot yet. Of the ones I haven’t yet seen but am eager to see, there’s Showtime’s Homeland and FX’s American Horror Story. Though I have the pilots available for viewing, I haven’t yet caught Secret Circle, mostly because I’m simply tired of the idea; the same goes for Pan Am and The Playboy Club, though I may have to watch the latter after hearing from fellow Clackers that it’s decent.

Ones that almost made my list: CW’s Ringer and ABC’s Suburgatory. They are definite contenders, but I wouldn’t put them above those I’ve listed. Suburgatory certainly has a very strong set of main characters that will have me checking it out again, and its time slot pretty much demands that I will.

So, there you have it — my picks for what’s good this coming season. Check out our list and calendar for premiere dates and more, and let me know in the comments what you’re looking forward to and whether you’re a fellow TV writer who’s seen any of them yet. And if there are shows I haven’t listed that you want more of my opinion on, let me know about that too.

Clacked by Keith McDuffee
on Aug 17, 2011 @ 13:00 EST5EDT