Friday, September 13, 2013

Figuring out Fall TV - Fridays and Saturdays

It's fall TV season again, which means decisions! How ever will you keep up with your old favorites while packing in a bunch of new shows that may or may not have a chance of making it? I'm here to help, breaking down each day hour by hour, letting you know what you should watch, what you should avoid, and how exactly you're going to fit it all in.

In general, I'm focusing on the four main broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) as well as HBO, Showtime and a few other pay cablers. New shows are in bold.

It's Friday and Saturday. If you're not out for a night on the town, you've got a couple of new things to choose from. Or, you can use this time to catch up on what you couldn't get to the rest of the week.

Friday
8 p.m.
Last Man Standing/The Neighbors (Sept. 20, ABC)
Undercover Boss (Sept. 27, CBS)
Masterchef Junior (Sept. 27, Fox)

Regarding "Masterchef Junior": Who doesn't want to see Gordon Ramsay yell at kids?

"The Neighbors" starts its sophomore season on a new night. It picked up steam with critics last year.

9 p.m.
Hawaii Five-O (Sept. 27, CBS)
Grimm (Oct. 25, NBC)

10 p.m.
Blue Bloods (Sept. 27, CBS)
Dracula (Oct. 25, NBC)

"Dracula" stars Jonathan Rhys Meyers ("The Tudors") as the vampire, here posing as an American entrepreneur with revenge on his mind.

Saturday
11:30 p.m.
Saturday Night Live (Sept. 28, NBC)

The sketch show adds five new cast members, including that guy who interviews kids in the AT&T commercials. Tina Fey is host and Arcade Fire is the musical guest for the season premiere.


Related:
Fall TV Sundays
Fall TV Mondays
Fall TV Tuesdays
Fall TV Wednesdays
Fall TV Thursdays

Thursday, September 12, 2013

Figuring out Fall TV - Thursdays

It's fall TV season again, which means decisions! How ever will you keep up with your old favorites while packing in a bunch of new shows that may or may not have a chance of making it? I'm here to help, breaking down each day hour by hour, letting you know what you should watch, what you should avoid, and how exactly you're going to fit it all in.

In general, I'm focusing on the four main broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) as well as HBO, Showtime and a few other pay cablers. New shows are in bold.

Thursdays offer another packed night, mostly with new comedies.

8 p.m.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (Oct. 10, ABC)
Big Bang Theory/The Millers (Sept. 26, CBS)
Parks and Rec (Sept. 26)/Welcome to the Family (Oct. 3, NBC)
The X Factor results (Sept. 12, Fox)

If you watch "Once Upon a Time," chances are you'll watch the spinoff. As for the comedies, I have no sixth sense about either "The Millers" or "Welcome to the Family." Reviews for both seem to be all over the map. "The Millers," about a guy whose recent divorce inspires his parents to do the same, has a solid cast in Will Arnett, Margo Martindale and Beau Bridges. The premiere is full of fart jokes, but that doesn't seem to deter a lot of critics. "Welcome to the Family," available now on Hulu, is about two disparate families who have to learn to get along after they find out their kids are having a baby. It features Mike O'Malley, who's always good for something. This bloc is going to be trial and error.

9 p.m.
Grey's Anatomy (Sept. 26, ABC)
The Crazy Ones/Two and a Half Men (Sept. 26, CBS)
Sean Saves the World (Oct. 3)/The Michael J. Fox Show (Sept. 26, NBC)
Glee (Sept. 26, Fox)
White Collar (Oct. 17, USA)

Big-name actors vying for your attention. "Sean Saves the World," with Sean Hayes, is getting the least love. "The Michael J. Fox Show" will be hard to say no to, because it's Michael J. Fox. Plus, it's already guaranteed a full season. "The Crazy Ones" sees Robin Williams' return to television as an ad man teamed with his ad-woman daughter Sarah Michelle Gellar. This one will depend entirely on your Williams threshold -- i.e., how well you can handle mania. (Times two, actually, because the show is created by David E. Kelley.)

"Grey's Anatomy" fans: It's Sandra Oh's last year. Soak it up.

10 p.m.
Scandal (Oct. 3, ABC)
Elementary (Sept. 26, CBS)
Parenthood (Sept. 26, NBC)
Covert Affairs (Oct. 17, USA)

You should watch "Parenthood." That is all.



Related:
Fall TV Sundays
Fall TV Mondays
Fall TV Tuesdays
Fall TV Wednesdays
Fall TV Fridays and Saturdays

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Figuring out Fall TV - Wednesdays

It's fall TV season again, which means decisions! How ever will you keep up with your old favorites while packing in a bunch of new shows that may or may not have a chance of making it? I'm here to help, breaking down each day hour by hour, letting you know what you should watch, what you should avoid, and how exactly you're going to fit it all in.

In general, I'm focusing on the four main broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) as well as HBO, Showtime and a few other pay cablers. New shows are in bold.

There's nothing really exciting on Wednesdays until "Ironside" premieres in October. Catch-up night?

8 p.m.
The Middle/Back in the Game (Sept. 25, ABC)
Survivor (Sept. 18, CBS)
Revolution (Sept. 25, NBC)
The X Factor (Sept. 11, Fox)

The "Bad News Bears"-esque "Back in the Game" didn't make much of an impression, though it did get a few chuckles out of me. It stars Maggie Lawson ("Psych") as a divorced mom who becomes the reluctant coach for a baseball team of misfits, including her son. James Caan is her father who tells her how she's doing it wrong. If you don't like the competition at 8, it's worth a watch. It's also on Hulu and elsewhere right now.

9 p.m.
Criminal Minds (Sept. 25, CBS)
Law & Order: SVU (Sept. 25, NBC)
Modern Family/Super Fun Night (Oct. 2)

"Super Fun Night" is being called a super dud, in part because star Rebel Wilson, who's Australian, adopts an American accent, which takes away half of the funny. Best stick to what you know.

10 p.m.
CSI (Sept. 25, CBS)
Nashville (Sept. 25, ABC)
Ironside (Oct. 2, NBC)
Top Chef (Oct. 2, Bravo)
American Horror Story (Oct. 9, FX)

(Sexy) Blair Underwood is getting good reviews as the wheelchair-bound detective in the "Ironside" remake, but the show as a whole is reportedly lacking. The premiere is available online now, so give it an early try to see if you'd rather spend time with the other shows in this time slot. "CSI" is hitting a milestone 300 episodes this season (and Marg Helgenberger is coming back for it).



Related:
Fall TV Sundays
Fall TV Mondays
Fall TV Tuesdays
Fall TV Thursdays
Fall TV Fridays and Saturdays

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Figuring out Fall TV - Tuesdays

It's fall TV season again, which means decisions! How ever will you keep up with your old favorites while packing in a bunch of new shows that may or may not have a chance of making it? I'm here to help, breaking down each day hour by hour, letting you know what you should watch, what you should avoid, and how exactly you're going to fit it all in.

In general, I'm focusing on the four main broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) as well as HBO, Showtime and a few other pay cablers. New shows are in bold.

Tuesdays, like Sundays, are going to be brutal. For starters, ABC has scheduled a full night of new shows.

8 p.m.
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Sept. 24, ABC)
NCIS (Sept. 24, CBS)
The Biggest Loser (Oct. 8, NBC)
Dads/Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Sept. 17, Fox)

If you're a superhero geek, or even a casual fan like yours truly, "Agents of SHIELD" is a no-brainer. For the Fox comedies, Seth MacFarlane's "Dads" is being lambasted for being racist, sexist, ageist and generally not funny, while "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" (a cop comedy with Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher) is catching many critics by surprise, in a good way. "NCIS" is about to have a big year with the departure of Cote de Pablo after the first two episodes of the season.

This is a classic case of watch one and record the others. And I do mean record. You won't be able to catch "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" online or On Demand until eight days later.

9 p.m.
The Goldbergs/Trophy Wife (Sept. 24, ABC)
NCIS Los Angeles (Sept. 24, CBS)
The Voice results show (Sept. 24, NBC)
New Girl/Mindy Project (Sept. 17, Fox)

ABC has made the first episodes of its sitcoms available online (on the network site and on Hulu). "The Goldbergs" -- a "Wonder Years"-esque take on an angry family in the 1980s -- was so painful I couldn't even make it halfway through. On the flipside, I really enjoyed "Trophy Wife," which stars Bradley Whitford as a guy with a new wife (Malin Akerman, getting a great reception from critics) and two exes (Marcia Gay Harden and Michaela Watkins) who are very much still a part of his life.

10 p.m.
Lucky 7 (Sept. 24, ABC)
Person of Interest (Sept. 24, CBS)
Chicago Fire (Sept. 24, NBC)
Sons of Anarchy (Sept. 10, FX)

I haven't seen much about "Lucky 7," about lottery winning co-workers who learn mo' money means mo' problems, but the trailer doesn't make much of a case for it. You could roll the dice, or just stick with what you know. Tuesday is a new night for both "Chicago Fire" and "Person of Interest."



Related:
Fall TV Sundays
Fall TV Mondays
Fall TV Wednesdays
Fall TV Thursdays
Fall TV Fridays and Saturdays

Monday, September 9, 2013

Figuring out Fall TV - Mondays

It's fall TV season again, which means decisions! How ever will you keep up with your old favorites while packing in a bunch of new shows that may or may not have a chance of making it? I'm here to help, breaking down each day hour by hour, letting you know what you should watch, what you should avoid, and how exactly you're going to fit it all in.

In general, I'm focusing on the four main broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) as well as HBO, Showtime and a few other pay cablers. New shows are in bold.

Mondays are pretty light, although you're going to run into trouble at 10 p.m.

8 p.m.
How I Met Your Mother (Sept. 23)/We Are Men (Sept. 30, CBS)
Dancing with the Stars (Sept. 16, ABC)
The Voice (Sept. 23, NBC)
Bones (Sept. 16, Fox)

In "We Are Men," Tony Shalhoub, Jerry O'Connell, Kal Penn and Chris Smith are four guys in various states of broken relationships who all live in the same apartment complex. If you're a dude, this one's for you. Be warned, though: Early reviews have not been great.

9 p.m.
2 Broke Girls/Mom (Sept. 23, CBS)
Sleepy Hollow (Sept. 16, Fox)

"Mom" stars Allison Janney, which earns it an automatic try. But the sitcom from comedy vet Chuck Lorre -- about a newly sober single mom (Anna Faris) who blames her problems on her formerly estranged mother (Janney) -- is getting lukewarm reviews. A common theme is that the pilot isn't great, but there's potential. So give it a few episodes.

The word on "Sleepy Hollow" -- about a resurrected Ichabod Crane teaming up with a modern-day police officer to fight the Headless Horseman -- is that it's so bonkers it just might work.

10 p.m. (All shows premiere Sept. 23)
Hostages (CBS)
Castle (ABC)
The Blacklist (NBC)

Given the gusto with which NBC is promoting its James Spader-starring "Blacklist," I'm going to assume you already know what's what and will plan accordingly. You may be less familiar with "Hostages," starring Toni Collette (!) as a doctor whose family is held hostage by Dylan McDermott to try to force her to kill the U.S. president. I'll definitely try out both; "The Blacklist" is likely to be more of a talker, so watch that one first.



Related:
Fall TV Sundays
Fall TV Tuesdays
Fall TV Wednesdays
Fall TV Thursdays
Fall TV Fridays and Saturdays

Figuring out Fall TV - Sundays

It's fall TV season again, which means decisions! How ever will you keep up with your old favorites while packing in a bunch of new shows that may or may not have a chance of making it? I'm here to help, breaking down each day hour by hour, letting you know what you should watch, what you should avoid, and how exactly you're going to fit it all in.

In general, I'm focusing on the four main broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox) as well as HBO, Showtime and a few other pay cablers. New shows are in bold.

Let's start this soiree with Sunday. Most shows are premiering Sept. 29, the same day as the "Breaking Bad" finale. If you're not watching football (go Broncos!), this is what you have to look forward to:

8 p.m.
Once Upon a Time (ABC)
The Amazing Race (CBS)
The Simpsons/Bob's Burgers (Fox)

All of these are established, so you're going to watch the one you've been watching. There's unlikely to be any overlap in tastes anyway.

9 p.m.
Revenge (ABC)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Family Guy/American Dad (Fox)
Boardwalk Empire (HBO)
Homeland (Showtime)
The Walking Dead (AMC, season premiere Oct. 13)

Good luck guys! This is the moment you fire up your DVR or hang tight till after midnight to watch online or On Demand. My advice: Watch the talkers live -- the shows you like to gab with your friends about the next day, or the ones that get the most play in the media (most likely "Homeland" and "The Walking Dead.") Record the rest and save them for down times throughout the week.

If your DVR runs into conflict issues, it's better to record the network shows, where you'll want to fast-forward through commercials, and save the premium cable ones for online or On Demand, where that's not a problem.

10 p.m.
Betrayal (ABC)
The Mentalist (CBS)
Eastbound and Down/Hello Ladies (HBO)
Masters of Sex (Showtime)

I haven't seen many reviews yet of "Betrayal," targeted toward the "Revenge" folks, but what I have seen is not positive. "Masters of Sex," on the other hand -- starring Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan as pioneering sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson -- is being almost universally praised.  And you probably can't go wrong with "Hello Ladies," a half-hour comedy from Stephen Merchant (i.e., the tall half of Ricky Gervais) about a bloke just looking for love in L.A.

Wild card
The last couple of years have seen a steady stream of big-name movie actors coming to play leads on the small screen, and at 10 p.m. on Sundays, Julia Ormond joins their ranks -- on, of all networks, Lifetime. She's starring in "Witches of East End" (premiering Oct. 6) as the head of a family of witches. Even if it's not your batch of brew, aren't you at least just a little curious?



Related:
Fall TV Mondays
Fall TV Tuesdays
Fall TV Wednesdays
Fall TV Thursdays
Fall TV Fridays and Saturdays