Getting Nerdly With The New Fall Season

Well, folks, the new fall season is about to start and unlike you guys, I am a nut for television. Sometimes I am that nerd that knows so many details, you can’t talk to me about it and sometimes I’m that girl that’s crying because Izzie and Denny didn’t end up together. I run the gamut. Anyway, I’m picking the shows that will succeed or fail based solely on the previews (I mean, hell, that’s what you use to pick the shows you’ll watch) and I always give every new show at least 3 episodes to prove me right.

The new fall season will not be as full of new shows as the past seasons, mainly because of the writer’s strike, which was totally worth it because now they make a whole dollar on new shows after the first week of viewing, which, as you all know, is about a week after we’ve watched them.*

So, if you want to know what’s going on for the upcoming fall season, read on. Well, sometimes I’ll tell you about the show and sometimes, I’ll just talk out of my ass. That’s what I’m good for.

CBS

The Mentalist - Simon Baker is Patrick Jane, a detective and consultant with the CBI with a razor sharp skills of observation. He’s also a jerk, which seems to work when guys are smarter than you want them to be. If he’s not better than Shawn Spencer, I’m writing in for this show to be cancelled. Sept. 23 - This is getting cancelled.

The Ex-List - Elizabeth Reaser is Bella Bloom, and instead of being Alex’s one true love on Grey’s Anatomy, she has her own show and is searching for the ex that is “the one”. Well, at least that’s what her psychic said. Oh, yeah, and she has a year to find him or lose him forever - which makes me wonder… have the writers figured out how to keep this concept going? Instead of being a comedy, this is a one hour dramady. Oct. 3 - This is getting cancelled

Worst Week - One man wrecking crew? We like the sound of that! A guy tries to impress his girlfriend’s parents and fails miserably. Which is what normally happens when a guy falls for a girl and tries to impress her family. A new CBS comedy? We can’t wait. Sept. 22 - This is not getting cancelled

Gary Unmarried - Jay Mohr is a single father of two who must deal with being divorced and finding love again. Sounds boring, but we hope Mohr can keep it going. We don’t think he will. Sept. 24 - This is getting cancelled

Eleventh Hour - Ahhh, someone has said, “screw supernatural crime! People are committing scientific crimes everyday!” And sometimes, those scientific crimes can be very supernatural in nature. Stars Rufus Sewell, who is very smart, but apparently not as big a jerk as Simon Baker’s character. Oct. 9 - This is not getting cancelled

Harper’s Island - Technically a midseason show, Harper’s Island is some kind of murder mystery. A destination wedding on a picturesque island that was once the site of a homicidal maniac’s murderous rampage leads to more murder. Is the killer one of the group? Midseason - This is not getting a full season pickup.



ABC

Life on Mars - Based on the BBC series of the same name, a cop chasing a serial killer gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. Is he dead, is he in hell, is he in a coma? We don’t know. Hopefully, we will care or that show is out of here! Oct. 9 - This is not getting cancelled

Pushing Daisies - Returning series that only got out half a season before the writer’s strike. A hilarious season with nice comedic turns by Chi McBride and Kristin Chenoweth. It’s 9 episodes in - which is new enough. You should watch it. Oct. 1 - This better not get cancelled

Scrubs - Not appreciated by NBC audiences, the funny show is moving to ABC. Let’s hope the humour stays the same. Midseason - This is not getting cancelled



NBC

My Own Worst Enemy -Christian Slater is a spy who has a chip planted in his brain (a la the Manchurian Candidate) that separates his suburban father alter ego from his superspy alter ego. The drama unfolds when the chip begins to malfunction and his identities begin to slap fight. Oct. 13 - This is not getting cancelled

Knight Rider - The not so great made for tv movie was a backdoor pilot for the new series. May eventually contain the Hoff himself - which makes me breath a nerdly sign of relief. The cheese returns! Sept. 24 - This is not getting cancelled

Kath and Kim - a comedy about a dysfunctional mother and daughter and their adventures in suburbia. Starring Molly Shannon and Selma Blair, I’m interested in seeing how they make Molly Shannon look old enough to have given birth to Selma Blair. Oct. 9 - This is getting cancelled

Heroes 3 hour premiere event - which usually means a one hour “how did we get here” special, the last episode and the new episode. Hopefully, it’s not a pop up video. The Lost one was annoying as hell - but that was Disney owned ABC. Sept. 22

SNL Weekend Update Thursday - The SNL comedy series takes on the 2008 presidential elections. Yippee. I thought we got enough presidential election humour from CNN and Fox. Oct. 9

Crusoe - The classic Lost tale is brought to life for NBC. NBC pulled out all the stops to make this series. I wonder if he will get off and if they will discover what the smoke monster actually is, because Lost really let me down in that respect. Oct. 17 - This is getting cancelled (thanks to nymag.com for the scoop - I still think Knight Rider will succeed because people like procedurals)



Fox

Bones has 2 hour premiere Sept. 3 - I love this show, worth a mention and a look, plus they will be in London for the premiere. *waggles eyebrows suggestively*

Prison Break 2 hour premiere Sept. 1 - I could give a fuck about this show, but it is one that people like. Strange, crazy people.

Fringe - J.J. Abrams has a new sci-fi thriller drama. Fringe has found the Lost Plane. I’m sure it will all tie in together. Despite the fact that Joshua Jackson from Dawson’s Creek is in it, I think it will succeed! 90 minute premiere Sept. 9 - This is not getting cancelled

Do Not Disturb - A comedy starring Jerry O’Connell about a ritzy hotel run by a sleazy womanizer and a black woman, each having a totally different take on running a hotel and who totally fall into stereotypes we hoped we’d grown to avoid. Sept. 10 - This shit is getting cancelled



The CW

90210 - Reimagined or 2.0, this series is about a family who moves to the ritzy zip code after the father gets a job as principal at West Beverly Hills High School. Two hour season premiere, September 2 - This is not getting cancelled

Privileged - A girl becomes the tutor to two spoiled twins. It looks stupid, but so did Gossip Girl and I still watch it with a warm bowl of popcorn like it’s porn. (that means I will probably be ashamed of myself for watching it). Sept. 9 - This is not getting cancelled

Surviving Surburbia - Bob Saget vehicle about new neighbors who immediately sue their neighbors. I assume it’s a comedy. Midseason - This is nonsense

Valentine - Greek gods in disguise bring people together without revealing that they are deities. Sept. 21 - This was a book

Easy Money - A drama about a family that runs a shady high interest loan business and the son that wants to make it legit. Lauri Metcalfe of Roseanne fame stars. Sunday, Sept. 21. - This looks idiotic



Midseason

Bad Mother Handbook (ABC)

Mugan Mullally, Alicia Silverston, Alia Shawkat - A mother must take care of her teenage daughter and her mother. Where’s George Michael created sexual tension when you need him?

Dollhouse (Fox)

Penikett finds a new show now that Battlestar Galactica threatens to end and shoots itself in the face with that god awful non revelatory midseason finale. Joss Whedon returns to television (but not with Firefly like we wish. And by “we” I mean me) with Eliza Dushku for a show about human beings who have no memories and are programmed to be whatever the lab wants. January 2009 - This will become a full season show.

Kings (NBC)

A modern day retelling of David and Goliath (and we know how that ended for Goliath) about a soldier who saves a king and has his life inextricably intertwined with the king and his daughter. Which sounds exactly nothing like David and Goliath, but does sound a lot like David and Saul.





*This information is totally not true. I’m picking at the drama as well as how little they got while at the same time applauding them for standing up for themselves as writers.