Here are a few of the new shows that I am most looking forward to this season.
Genre: Comedy
Network: Fox
Creator(s): Elizabeth Meriwether
Premier Date: September 20, 2011
Plot Summary: The series is about a girl who moves in with three guys delving into the sexual politics of men and women.
Why It Made the List: New Girl seems very generic and uninteresting – then why is it on the list? Well, the people involved are fantastic, which means it has a lot of potential to be fun. Creator Liz Meriwether wrote No Strings Attached, which is very funny, and has worked on Children’s Hospital, which is also funny. Series regular Max Greenfield has potential, while I have never seen Ugly Betty and very little of Greek he was good in Veronica Mars. I am excited about Jake Johnson getting a comedy role on a sitcom, because he has great delivery. He was funny in No Strings Attached, Ceremony and Get Him to the Greek. And finally, the series star is played by Zooey Deschanel. She is funny and completely adorable and awesome – if there was ever a reason to give a sitcom a chance, her involvement is a very good one.
Trailer: Here
Genre: Mystery
Network: Fox
Premier Date: 2012
Plot Summary: The series is about the unlikely team of San Francisco Police Detective Rebecca Madsen and Alcatraz expert Dr. Diego Soto, who come together when former prisoners of Alcatraz who disappeared decades ago begin to reappear.
Why It Made the List: The show is executively produced by J.J. Abrams and we all know his TV credentials. Elizabeth Sarnoff is also a great writer coming from Lost and Deadwood. The cast looks to be a good group. Alcatraz seems to be yet another shot at recapturing the magic and formula of Lost (and at least this time it is by the guy who brought us Lost). I will give anything Abrams does a chance (I mean, he is four for five so far), but based on the previews this looks interesting and could be quite good.
Trailer: Here
Genre: Action Mystery Crime Drama
Network: CBS
Creator(s): Jonathan Nolan
Premier Date: September 22, 2011
Plot Summary: The series is about Reese, a former CIA agent who is hired by a mysterious billionaire, Mr. Finch, to stop crimes from happening (sort of a pre-crime type thing).
Why It Made the List: For me three names made this a lock for me definitely watching: J.J. Abrams (who producing), Jonathan Nolan (Chris Nolan’s brother and co-writer of The Dark Knight) and Michael Emerson (Ben from Lost, my favorite character on the show). CBS claims that it tested better than any other show they have tested in the last fifteen years. It sort of has a Fringe vibe to it (based on the trailer, and that is a good thing as Fringe is fantastic). It is like TV Christmas with two new shows involving J.J. Abrams coming this season.
Trailer: Here
Genre: Comedy
Network: Showtime
Creator(s): Matthew Carnahan
Premier Date: January 8, 2012
Plot Summary: The series is about a self-loathing management consultant who is not above any means to get what he wants and what is necessary for his clients.
Why It Made the List: While the show’s creator Matthew Carnahan’s last series was the unsuccessful (critically and commercially) Dirt, House of Lies has a great cast. Finding almost nothing worth her time film wise, Kristen Bell is back on TV (which for fans of Veronica Mars, like me, is awesome). Don Cheadle is a wonderful actor, so of course his involvement is a plus and Ben Schwartz is hilarious on Parks and Recreation as Jean-Ralphio (cannot wait to see what he does with a bigger role). On paper, House of Lies has a lot of potential to be a good comedy, and Showtime has done well with the genre with shows like Weeds (at least in the first four seasons) and Californication.
Genre: Psychological Thriller Drama
Network: Showtime
Premier Date: October 2, 2011
Plot Summary: The series is about Marine Sergeant Scott Brody, a prisoner of war who returns home after eight years missing in Iraq, and CIA officer Carrie Anderson, who suspects that Brody might be a sleeper agent plotting an attack on America.
Why It Made the List: Homeland features two of my favorite TV (and film) actors in Claire Danes (who is amazing in Temple Grandin) and Damian Lewis (Band of Brothers and Life), and Mandy Patinkin (The Princes Bride) and Morena Baccarin (Firefly) have been great in past projects as well. The writers are also great for the genre. Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa executively produced and wrote on 24, while Gideon Raff comes from a horror background. With such good leads and the psychological thriller premise, Homeland has the potential to be the best new show. Plus, being on Showtime gives it a lot of flexibility to go as dark as it need to go, or as gritty. I am really excited for this show.
Trailer: Here
Genre: Comedy
Network: HBO
Cast: Warwick Davis
Premier Date: 2012
Plot Summary: The series is about a fictional portrayal of Warwick Davis and his day-to-day showbiz life.
Why It Made the List: If you love The Office, Extras, Cemetery Junction, and The Ricky Gervais Show, chances are you are as excited about this project as I am. Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant will also make cameos as fictionalized versions of themselves. More than likely this is going to be brilliant and really funny. I cannot wait to see it.
Trailer: Here
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