2013 Fall Preview: CBS

RETURNING SHOWS:

• Survivor: Blood vs. Water (9/18)
• How I Met Your Mother (9/23)
• 2 Broke Girls (9/23)
• Mike & Molly (MIDSEASON)
• Hawaii 5-0 (9/27)
• NCIS (9/24)
• NCIS: LA (9/24)
• Criminal Minds (9/25)
• CSI (9/25)
• The Big Bang Theory (9/26)
• Two and a Half Men (9/26)
• Person of Interest (9/24)
• Elementary (9/26)
• Blue Bloods (9/27)
• 48 Hours Mystery (9/28)
• 60 Minutes (9/29)
• The Amazing Race (9/29)
• The Good Wife (9/29)
• The Mentalist (9/29)

NEW SHOWS:

• Mom (9/23)
• Hostages (9/23)
• The Crazy Ones (9/26)
• We Are Men (9/30)
• The Millers (10/3)

SHOWS I AM MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO:

• Person of Interest: Where is the damn machine?
• How I Met Your Mother: The Last Season 😦
• Elementary: Irene was a baddie the whole time.  How does that impact Sherlock?
• The Good Wife: Four Words: Florrick, Agos, & Associates!
• Hostages: One of the new shows I’m most looking forward to.  Premise is great and the cast is outrageously good.
• The Crazy Ones: SMG trying another return to TV and Robin Williams as her dad.  How can I not watch?
• Mom: If Allison Janney is on a show, I will always give it a try

SHOWS I AM LOSING INTEREST IN BUT WILL GIVE ONE MORE SEASON TO:

• The Mentalist

SHOWS I COULDN’T CARE LESS ABOUT:

• We Are Men
• CSI
• Hawaii 5-0
• The Big Bang Theory
• Two and a Half Men

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

• The Final Season of How I Met Your Mother!   We have seen the mother but the big question is will we actually get to meet her?   What I mean by that is, will we get to know her?   There are a few theories out there.   First is that we will get to know her because fans will be outraged if we don’t.  Second is that the end of the series will be Ted meets her for the first time and that’s it…fade to black.  Because after all, the name of the show is How I MET Your Mother…not How I Courted, Dated, Slept with, Proposed, and Married Your Mother.  Third, and more morose, the mother has died at some point (which is why Ted is telling the story to his children) and he is now married to Aunt Robin, which is why there has been so much still on the Ted/Robin front these last few seasons.   I don’t know about that last one but anything is possible!
• Person of Interest Moving to Tuesdays. This show has been successful the last two seasons on Thursday nights.  Although it’s going against Chicago Fire and new show Lucky 7.  I think POI will be just fine.  I’m also curious to see how the addition of new regular cast members Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi will work.   They were great in their small doses but will too much be a bad thing?
• Hawaii 5-0 to the Dreaded Friday Night.  I don’t watch this show so it makes no difference to me, but it can never be a good sign to move from Monday to Friday.
• The Mentalist: Red John will be revealed and solved this season.  Unfortunately, I didn’t keep up with The Mentalist last season because the NFL games always ran long and I was never extended my DVR to tape past 11pm.  So I lost most of last season.  I’ll catch up at some point because after all this time, I want to know who Red John is, which the show runners have confirmed will be solved this season.    But then what?   Where does the show go from there since Jane always said he would leave after Red John was caught?

EARLY THOUGHTS ON NEW SHOWS:

• CBS doesn’t have a ton of new shows because their schedule is already so strong.  Only five shows!  Absolutely I will be watching Hostages.   The shows centers around Toni Colette as one of the best surgeons in DC whose family is taken hostage by a rogue FBI agent (Dylan McDermott) who is asking her to kill the President when he goes in for surgery.  Lines get blurred and the question of who’s good and who’s bad isn’t so easily answered.  Just when you want to hate or love someone, something happens and your viewpoint completely changes because you’re seeing this person from a whole new perspective. And I can’t wait.   Plus, McDermott, Colette, James Naughton, Sandrine Holt, Billy Brown, and Tate Donovan?   Seriously with that cast?   WOW.  I’m already in with both feet.
• Next comes Mom and The Crazy Ones.  I’ve heard good things about both of these shows so I’m checking them both out.   Mom starts Anna Faris and Allison Janney as mother and daughter who are both recovering alcoholics.  The chemistry between them works and while the show is funny, there are some heartwarming moments that draw me in.   I love when comedies can also have that heart that really attracts you to their characters.   Plus, Janney’s due for one to stick.   The Crazy Ones looks solid as well.   My only fear with this show is Robin Williams.   If he can keep his Robin Williamsness in check, it could be fabulous.   If he’s too over the top and takes over the show in a bad way, it could lose me sooner than later.   But I’m going in with high hopes.
• Finally, We Are Men and The Millers.   The Millers I will check out.  The cast is terrific (Will Arnett, Margo Martindale, Beau Bridges) and the premise is funny enough (recently divorced man finds out his parents of 43 years are divorcing and his mother is moving in with him.)   Now reading that doesn’t sound like a knee slapper but after seeing the clips on line, I laughed out loud a few times.  Plus, I couldn’t get over seeing Martindale in a comedic role after all the dramatic, dark roles she’s been in lately.   But I’ll give this show a few chances to see how it will do.   We Are Men?  Yeah, no.  Not happening.

 

ANOTHER Comedy Pick Up for NBC

Seriously, another comedy?   According to TV by the Numbers, NBC has picked up freshman comedy “Guys with Kids” for the 2012/2013 TV Season.   This really is lining up with what I posted about earlier with NBC going to more comedies for shorter runs.    There wasn’t any word about the length of the pick up or when it was slated to hit the air (fall or mid-season.)

Is this gloom and doom for some NBC comedies on the bubble….Are You There, Chelsea and Up All Night?   I’ve heard Whitney referred to as a bubble show but based on the ratings, I figured it would be renewed.  I can’t believe people actually watch and enjoy that show, but I guess they do.   But Whitney has been thrown in as a “bubble show” as well.

I don’t know what to think at this point.  NBC is picking up 6 comedies at this point.  Where are they going to put them all?  It has to be this idea of a staggered schedule because it’s the only thing that makes sense.  Let’s break it down:

I’m leaving out 10pm because comedies typically don’t run after the 9:30pm slot.  Thursday night comedies are Community, 30 Rock, The Office, and Parks and Rec….all rumored to be back next season.  Not going on Thursday nights.  Friday, Saturday and Sunday aren’t comedy nights.  So they’re out.  Monday is The Voice and America’s Got Talent.  No room there.  Tuesday usually has the recap from the night before.  So that leaves Wed night which has 2 slots…which I believe rotated between Whitney, Up All Night, and Are You There Chelsea.

Either NBC is going to cut back the reality time (which is the only programming that’s been consistently working for them every year) or it’s going to stagger the comedies throughout the season (which I am in favor of.)   I guess we’ll know Monday at 11am!!!

 

RENEWED SHOWS: Law & Order: SVU

NBC has picked up and renewed two Dick Wolf shows (they really like that guy.)  Law & Order SVU has been renewed for a 14th season (Holy Crap it’s been on that long) and new series Chicago Fire has been given the go ahead.

After 14 seasons, if you don’t know L&O SVU, I don’t know what to tell you.  As for Chicago Fire, it’s set in Philadelphia and focuses on the lives of nurses.  Oh relax, I’m having some fun!   CF will focus on the lives of firefighters and the brave men and women who take this risk everyday.  It stars Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymond, Eamonn Walker, Teri Reeves, Charlie Barnett, Merle Dandridge, David Eigenberg, and Lauren German.  I guess the only good thing about Monica Raymond being on this show, is that she won’t be on The Good Wife anymore!!!   I don’t know what it is about this actress but I HATE every character she ever plays.  I’m not a fan.  But I still watch it regardless of her casting.

The closer we get to upfronts, the more this information will be leaking out.  So keep checking in so we can discuss as the news unfolds!!!!

 

HBO Renews “Luck” For a Second Season

Well I haven’t even watched the first episode but I guess I should because HBO has already renewed Luck, which premiered on Sunday night, for a second season.

These cable networks don’t mess around.  Game of Thrones, The Borgias, Luck were all renewed after 1 or 2 episodes.  Hell Boss was renewed before an episode even aired!!!  Cable knows what they like and they know what works.  If only some of the networks were that confident and decisive.

Congrats to the cast and crew.  I’m looking forward to checking out your show…probably this weekend!

 

2011/2012 Fall and Mid Season Grids

I am still battling this dreaded 4G card that keeps kicking me off and it took me about 5 hours to post 2 posts.   Ugh!!!  So I need to wrap up for the day to go play a little afternoon golf!

I will update the new shows coming to a TV near you next season probably next week.  But if there are any early thoughts, post them below!

 

Mid Season Preview

Happy New Year TV fans!!!  After a few weeks off for hiatus and for some shows, it will be even longer by the time they come back, tonight kicks off the 2nd half of the 2010-2011 TV season.  I don’t know how you all felt about the first 8-11 episodes of your favorite shows but I thought it was a disappointing first half overall.   Most of the new shows I have already dropped (Running Wilde, Chase), some I am about to drop (The Event), and some are already canceled or about to be canceled (Outlaw, The Whole Truth, Detroit 1-8-7.)  As for my recurring shows, there are some I am ready to drop (Brothers & Sisters, The Office) or have already dropped (Desperate Housewives, CSI, Lie to Me.)    It’s been one of those seasons where the good shows have been really good and the bad shows have been really bad.  Which is why I am really looking forward to this mid-season.  There are some shows I was hoping were going to launch in the fall but were pushed to mid-season so I am anxiously awaiting their premieres.  And it makes it easy because there were so many new shows that didn’t do it for me this year and will get bumped from the DVR, I won’t have to have my 3 DVRs explode with 10 new shows added!!  It also makes me a bit nervous because usually the good stuff comes in the fall and the “we’re-not-so-sure-how-this-show-will-do” shows premiere now.   Well if the good stuff was in the fall, I’m really scared for the spring! Here’s my early breakdown of mid-season:

New Shows I am most looking forward to seeing:

1. The Cape
2. Mr. Sunshine
3. Harry’s Law
4. The Borgias
5. Body of Proof
6. Mad Love

I’ve already talked about the Cape on here and you can search the blog for those thoughts and some clips.  My biggest fear with the Cape is that it will be unlike anything else on TV and has a great premise, which usually means, no one will watch it (just like Eli Stone.)  Harry’s Law, The Borgias, and Body of Proof are right up my alley and barring some awful writing (because they have great casts) I should like them very much.  Mr. Sunshine and Mad Love are comedies that bring back some of my favorite comedic actors (Sarah Chalke, Matthew Perry, Allison Janney, Judy Greer, and Andrea Anders.)

New Shows I will check out but will reserve judgement:

1. Off the Map
2. Perfect Couples
3. The Chicago Code
4. Chaos
5. Happy Endings
6. Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior
7. Mixed Signals

These are shows that I can see going either way.  Chaos, Perfect Couples, and Happy Endings I can see not making it.  Don’t ask me why but it’s a gut feeling.  Criminal Minds 2 should make it because people love spinoffs (see CSI, Law & Order, and NCIS.)  The Chicago Code could go either way.  I can see people loving it and it being really great cop show.  But I thought the same thing about Detroit 1-8-7 and that show won’t make it.  Off the Map should be interesting to see what happens.  It’s from Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers (Grey’s and Private Practice.)  It’s one thing to spinoff Addison from Grey’s into her own show and surround her with a great cast.  It’s another thing to grab some no name actors (with the exception of Jason George and Mamie Gummer…both whom I love) and do a medical show on the Lost island.  Now don’t get me wrong, just because you don’t recognize most people in the cast, doesn’t mean it won’t do well.  I mean think of all the shows that started with one name and a bunch of nobodies (Friends, Lost, Criminal Minds, Frasier.) But I am very hesitant with this show.  I really felt the quality of Grey’s went down SIGNIFICANTLY when she started Private Practice.  And up until the last 2 seasons, PP was not a very good show.  Season 3 and 4 have gotten much better but it still has it’s issues.   Grey’s went from being one of the best shows on TV between the writing and the cast, to one of the biggest jokes on TV with all the Katherine Heigl crap to the HORRIBLE writing (Dead Denny…need I say more?)  Grey’s has gotten better this season and reminds me of the show I was loved, but I know many people who gave up on Grey’s 2 season ago.  Now Rhimes and Beers has Off the Map and they are also working on another show for next season.  Are they spreading themselves too thin?  Again, don’t get me wrong, there are other show runners who have multiple shows out there doing just fine (Jerry Bruckheimer and Dick Wolf) but I don’t know how hands on Bruckheimer and Wolf are with the creative and writing of their shows.  The concept and premise and characters may be theirs’, but I think they leave most of the creative decisions to their writing teams.  Rhimes is very involved in what happens with her shows and I believe she does most of the major storyline writing and development.  Charlotte’s rape story, the Seattle Grace shooting, Dell dying, the Post-it marriage with Meredith and Derek…these are all Rhimes’ decisions.  She decides what happens to her characters, no one else.  So who knows how good or bad Off the Map will be, but I will check it out.

Returning Shows I am most looking forward to:

1. Supernatural
2. Pretty Little Liars
3. Parenthood
4. Castle
5. Chuck
6. The Mentalist
7. Blue Bloods
8. How I Met Your Mother
9. Cougar Town
10. The Good Wife
11. Nikita
12. Bones (I’m onto Season 5 and I can hopefully get Season 6 on demand!!!)

These are the best shows on TV right now, for me.  Well written, great casts, and intriguing plot lines.  These are must watch shows for me and I am very happy they are back this week!!!

Returning Shows I will still be watching:

1. Criminal Minds
2. 90210
3. Gossip Girl
4. Survivor
5. Better with You
6. Community
7. Grey’s Anatomy
8. Private Practice
9. Glee
10. Mike and Molly

These are also good shows.  They aren’t must see TV but I also want to make sure I watch them as soon as I can because I enjoy them.  Some guilty pleasures and some intense shows…it’s a good mix.

Returning Shows I am giving up on or will watch when I get around to it:

1. Brothers & Sisters
2. The Office
3. The Vampire Diaries
4. The Event
5. The Defenders
6. Modern Family
7. American Idol

I’m very torn on these shows.  Some I still kind of like but feel indifferent about and some I have just lost interest.  Idol I gave up on years ago.  It isn’t good anymore, the talent isn’t good and it’s a complete waste of 2 hours a week.  The Defenders is probably getting canceled at the end of this season so do I really want to put effort into this show knowing it won’t be here much longer (and has already been moved to the dreaded Friday night slot?)  Probably not.  I know I will get daggers thrown at me for my next comment but Modern Family sucks this season.  It’s had some funny moments but it isn’t nearly the gut buster it was last year nor does it deserve the heaping praise some TV critics give it.  It’s just not that funny and I will only watch it when I have nothing better to do.  The Office has run it’s course for me and will give it the same consideration as Modern Family…if it’s on and there is nothing else to watch, I will watch it.  The Vampire Diaries is weird because we only watched the first 11 episodes last year and never really caught up.  Part of it was because some of the episodes got deleted off my DVR and we wanted to wait until the DVD came out of S1 to watch it.  We bought the DVD and still haven’t watched them and I have the 1st 10 episodes of this season taped.  So the idea of having to watch 22 episodes to get caught up (when I can be watching Bones) sounds daunting.  It’s a good show but maybe I need the summer to get back up and running.  The Event…ugh.  I don’t know.  I don’t hate it but it’s not appealing enough for me to follow what is going on.  I have 4 episodes on tape and have no desire to watch them.   Every time I go to press play, I find something else to watch or do.   What does that tell you?   Finally B&S.  Like Grey’s, this was one of my favorite shows when it came out.  Last season wasn’t that great and this season is absolutely horrible.  What the hell happened to the Walkers?  I still love Kitty.  Kevin has gone from lovable, quirky guy to down right annoying and I wish Scotty would leave him to find someone better.  He treats Scotty like crap and it drives me nuts.  I used to love Kevin.  I don’t hate him but I find him to be more grating than charming, but he still has his good moments.  I really don’t know what the point of Justin is anymore.  He was in the Army and had substance abuse problems and now he is home and dealing with it.  He was going to med school, now he isn’t.  He was married to Rebecca, now he isn’t.  The man has no life.  He has no job, no education, and no purpose.  They need to figure out what to do with him or send him away.  Sarah is the most annoying and awful character on TV right now.  She definitely makes my top 10 list (coming soon!)   She is a horrible sister and daughter (ever notice how someone tells her something and they ask her to keep it quiet and she then runs and tells the whole family?)  She has an arrogance about her that I want to smack right out of her.   Remember in my Bones post how I mentioned that Brennan is arrogant and sometimes condescending nature is completing charming and funny?   Yeah, not so much with Sarah.  She’s just a jerk.  Saul is Saul.   They never knew what to do with him and they still don’t.  And Nora.  I still like her but she has crossed the line of protective and wise mother to pathetic, know-it-all, pain in the ass.  Really, she goes away for one night and she freaks out because not one of her children has called her and she needs to run home to them?   What is she 12?   If I were Christian Shephard, I would have run for the hills and far away from Nora.  And one of the best characters on the show, Holly, is practically invisible since Rebecca and Ojai are gone.  This may be my last season of B&S (especially if it is Calista Flockhart’s last season.)

Let me hear from you.   What are you most excited to see, new or returning?  Is there anything you are done with or aren’t sure going to pick back up?

Make sure you check back because the new shows will get precedence for reviews and will be coming as fast as I can write them.  But I will still be checking in with the existing shows as well.

 

New Shows: The Borgias Trailer

Hopefully this video will be a little bigger for you to see it better!

 

New Shows: The Borgias Trailer

 

New Shows: The Borgias

While I was watching my beloved The Tudors come to an end (wiping tears from my eyes) I saw a preview for a new show coming to Showtime in 2011…The Borgias.   Check out Showtime’s quick synopsis on the new show:

Oscar®-winning actor Jeremy Irons will star in the epic drama series as Rodrigo Borgia, the cunning, manipulative patriarch of The Borgia family who ascends to the highest circles of power within Renaissance-era Italy. Additionally, Academy Award® winning director Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) will create and executive produce the series as well as direct the first two episodes.

THE BORGIAS will be a complex, unvarnished portrait of one of history’s most intriguing and infamous dynastic families. The series begins as the family’s patriarch Rodrigo (Jeremy Irons), becomes Pope, propelling him, his two Machiavellian sons Cesare and Juan, and his scandalously beautiful daughter, Lucrezia, to become the most powerful and influential family of the Italian Renaissance.

I love historical fiction stories/shows like this!!!  And this will fit the bill nicely since the Tudors are now no longer.  Can I just say that they could have kept that show going and highlighting the rise of Edward, Mary, and Elizabeth.  It would have been incredibly fascinating.  Oh well.  I guess I need to watch The Borgias!!!   There hasn’t been an official premiere date announced yet but as soon as there is, I will let you know.  Preview clip coming soon!!!

 

ABC Mid-Season Schedule

ABC is the last of the major networks to announce their mid-season schedule.  Looks like 3 shows are entering the mix: 1 in January and 1 in February and 1 in April.  Check out the trailers below:

Off the Map (Premieres Wednesday January 12th at 10pm)

Mr Sunshine (Premieres Wednesday February 9th at 9:30pm)

Happy Endings (Premieres Wednesday April 13th at 10:00pm)

Of all these shows, I am most excited for Mr Sunshine.  Matthew Perry, Allison Janney, Andrea Anders, James Lesure…how can you not be excited with that cast?  The other 2 I will give a chance to but I don’t have high hopes for them.

From ABC.com, here is a brief summary on each show:

Mr. Sunshine

Matthew Perry stars as Ben Donovan, the self-involved manager of a second-rate San Diego sports arena who begins to re-evaluate his life on his 40th birthday. Working alongside him is his boss and arena owner, Crystal—attractive, powerful and highly erratic; Alice—the cute, tomboyish marketing director and Ben’s friend with benefits; Alonzo—a former basketball player, handsome and unbelievably happy; Ben’s assistant, Heather—pretty, sweet, but terrifying because she once lit a boyfriend on fire; Crystal’s son, Roman—sweet-faced, clueless and Ben’s newest employee; and a hapless operations crew whom Ben refers to collectively as the “Steves.”

Mr. Sunshine stars Matthew Perry (Friends) as Ben, Allison Janney (The West Wing) as Crystal, Andrea Anders as Alice, James Lesure as Alonzo, Nate Torrence as Roman and Portia Doubleday as Heather.

Off the Map

Welcome to “la ciudad de las estrellas” (the city of stars), a tiny town in the South American jungle which has one understaffed, under-stocked medical clinic. That’s where idealistic young Dr. Lily Brenner just landed, along with fellow doctors Mina Minard and Tommy Fuller. All of these young doctors are running away from personal demons, but they aren’t the only ones with emotional baggage. Take the legendary and enigmatic Ben Keeton, who was the youngest Chief of Surgery at UCLA. He walked away from it all to found the clinic. Together with his right-hand doctor, Otis Cole, the mysterious Dr. Ryan Clark and local doctor Zita Alvarez, he’ll teach the newcomers how to save lives in the most challenging environment they’ve ever worked in—while taking them on adventures of a lifetime.  In this ensemble drama, six doctors who have lost their way will go to the ends of the earth to try to remember the reasons why they wanted to become doctors in the first place.

Off the Map stars Jonathan Castellanos as Charlie, Valerie Cruz as Zitajalehrena Alvarez (Zee), Caroline Dhavernas as Lily Brenner, Jason George as Otis Cole, Zach Gilford as Tommy Fuller, Mamie Gummer as Mina Minard, Martin Henderson as Ben Keeton and Rachelle Lefevre as Ryan Clark.

Happy Endings

Forget who gets to keep the ring—when a couple splits, the real question is, who gets to keep the friends? In this modern comedy, a couple’s break-up will complicate all of their friends’ lives and make everyone question their choices. When life throws you for a curve, hold on tight to the people you love. Every circle of friends has someone who’s the gravitational center. For years, perfect couple Dave and Alex drew their friends in and held them together. Now that they’ve split, does this group have the stuff to stay together? Or do Max, Brad, Jane and Penny have to choose sides? Suddenly every event is a negotiation… like, who gets to go on the annual ski trip? There are a lot of big questions to be answered, but this group has been together so long, somehow, little by little, they’ll figure out how to hold on, even though their center is split up. It helps that Dave and Alex have agreed to stay friends. But there will definitely be other complications down the road. This show isn’t afraid to ask the embarrassing personal questions that inevitably arise in every long-term, close-knit group of friends.

Happy Endings stars Elisha Cuthbert (24) as Alex, Eliza Coupe as Jane, Zachary Knighton as Dave, Adam Pally as Max, Damon Wayans, Jr. as Brad and Casey Wilson as Penny.