The TV Date: Fall Shows to Check Out

When I should be reading at night, my eyes sometimes drift from the printed page to my television screen. Lately my vice has been binging on three seasons of Parenthood on Netflix streaming. Now that I’m almost caught up, there are a few new Fall shows that are on my radar that I’m testing out.

1. Revolution, from J.J. Abrams Bad Robot Productions and Supernatural‘s Eric Kripke. Premieres Monday Sept. 17 on NBC @ 10/9c

Revolution: Image from TVLine and NBC

Revolution caught my interest because it’s a J.J. Abrams production and I’m hoping for some Lost magic. As a fan of post-apocalyptic books, I was intrigued enough to watch the Jon Favreau directed pilot on NBC.com. The set-up is that one day there is a massive worldwide blackout that takes out all the technology. Like Lost, the first episode shows planes scarily falling from the sky (I didn’t notice if any of them were Oceanic) and there are some ominous scenes and sound effects. We don’t get to learn much about the immediate aftermath though, because the scene jumps ahead 15 years into the future, where life is challenging to say the least. There’s a young Katniss Everdeen type girl equipped with bow and arrow that sets out to find her brother (Hey, it sounds like Blood Red Road!) and her uncle, who is someone who may hold the key to solving the power outages. From what I’ve seen so far, it has a Walking Dead vibe. Starring Billy Burke, Giancarlo Esposito, Tracy Spiradakos, and Elizabeth Mitchell.

2. The New Normal, from Ryan Murphy Productions. Premiered September 10, Airs Tuesday’s on NBC at 9:30/8:30c

The New Normal: Image from Out.com and NBC

As a Gleek, I wanted to check out Ryan Murphy’s new sitcom The New Normal. The premise is that a gay couple (Bryan and David) wants to have a baby via surrogate. The surrogate (Goldie) has a tween daughter and has recently left her cheating husband behind. She’s looking to earn some money and start a new life. Her daughter Shania is quirky and likes pretending she’s Little Edie from Grey Gardens, and her bigoted mother Nana plays the evil nemesis, a la Sue Sylvester. So far, I don’t think the show has quite found its groove yet. The characters are over the top and it’s pretty campy but, then again, so is Glee. This show does have potential and I’m willing to wait and see. Starring Justin Bartha, Andrew Rannells, Georgia King, Bebe Wood, NeNe Leakes, and Ellen Barkin.

3. Nashville, from Callie Khouri. Premieres October 10 on ABC at 10/9c

Nashville: Image from TVLine and ABC

What caught my eye with Nashville is the fact that Connie Britton is starring, and after watching her as Tami Taylor on Friday Night Lights, I’ll try anything she appears in. The premise is that Britton plays Rayna Jaymes, a country star whose career is on the rocks. Hayden Panettiere plays Juliette Barnes, a new up and coming singer who is paired with Rayna on tour to increase ticket sales.  It looks like it will be quite the soap opera drama and I’m interested to see how the music is incorporated in the show. Though I’m not a country music fan, I do like TV shows with a musical theme, and Nashville sounds like the TV version of Country Strong.

4. The Mindy Project, from Mindy Kaling. Premieres September 25 on FOX at 9:30/8:30c

The Mindy Project: Image from TVLine and FOX

I wish more of the Fall sitcoms looked interesting, but The Mindy Project is one of the only ones that shows promise. I watched the pilot on Hulu, and it is super cute. Mindy is a charming, nervous talking OB-GYN, who loves romantic comedies but doesn’t have the greatest track record with love. This show airs opposite The New Normal and I daresay I enjoyed The Mindy Project much more, though I’ll make room for them both on my DVR.  I’m new to the cult of Mindy Kaling (never watched The Office), but color me impressed – in fact, I put her book on hold after watching the pilot since I liked her sense of humor. Also starring: Chris Messina, Ed Weeks, Anna Camp, and Stephen Tobolowsky.

In addition to these four shows, I can’t wait for the return of Homeland, The Good Wife, Grey’s Anatomy, and Don’t Trust the B, and somehow I’ll keep up with my reading and other commitments of course! What shows are you looking forward to this Fall?

Ornament

11 thoughts on “The TV Date: Fall Shows to Check Out

  1. Dixie says:

    I just saw The New Normal last night and liked it, loved Goldie & Shania, as well as Bryan & David. It’s a keeper. I also really want to see The Mindy Project, she’s awesome. The other two look pretty good, too.

    1. Lucy says:

      I’m looking forward to seeing The New Normal again. I think it will keep getting better and better. Hope you like The Mindy Project!

  2. I saw the Revolution premiere at Fan Expo and I’m intrigued too! Also hoping for some Lost magic 😉 Another one I’m REALLY excited about is Arrow! SO GOOD. Can’t wait for Mindy Project! 🙂

    1. Lucy says:

      Oh yeah- Arrow! I’ve heard good things about that show too. Thanks for the tip!

  3. Barbara says:

    I decided to check out Revolution despite the name. I’m a soap fan and there was another show of the same name put on to replace a beloved soap. I must be living under a rock since I didn’t realize it was Eric and JJ. I’m going to give it a shot even though the first episode started off a bit blah.

    I also watched The Normal. I kind of liked it. I also watched The Mindy Project and really liked that despite the dumb name. Just like you can’t judge a book by its cover you can’t do the same with a TV show’s name.

    I’m not a fan of country music but I might check out Nashville. I really liked Good Christian Bitches so I was bummed when hat was cancelled. I hate how networks cancel shows without giving them a real chance. Xena which goes on my list of best shows ever was a show that I found out about when they were airing season two.

    1. Lucy says:

      Thanks for your comments on the new fall shows, Barbara! Glad you liked the Mindy Project too. Wonder what the other title options for that show were?
      It is disappointing when shows are cancelled. It seems like networks lose patience quickly with new shows. I’ll have to check out Xena sometime.

  4. Ooh, thanks for the Revolution reminder! I just went to set my PVR to record it tonight, in case I don’t catch it live.

    I’m also SUPER excited for Nashville!! Loveee Connie Britton, and I adore the concept. I’m excited to see what the music is like as well. Totally agreed re: the Country Strong comparison. I loved that movie, so I’m psyched to see what the tv version will be like.

    I’m definitely looking forward to Revenge, The Good Wife, and The Vampire Diaries returning, as well as a few others. =)

    1. Lucy says:

      Hope you like Revolution, Ashley! And Nashville does look great, doesn’t it? So excited for that one.
      It sounds like The Vampire Diaries had an exciting finale so I hope the momentum continues!

  5. fishgirl182 says:

    i’ve seen the new normal pilot twice now (they keep playing it after the voice) and i don’t know if i love it. i think ellen barkin is kind of hilarious but, other than that, it’s not really that exciting to me. but i do want to watch revolution, which i need to before it expires on hulu.

  6. Elizabeth says:

    I liked what I saw of The New Normal, though I think some of the dialogue will get old (it felt like they were saying their feelings instead of acting them in some parts), but it does have potential.

    I am curious about Revolution, but those sorts of shows tend to burn me bad. (I still get angry when I think about how Lost ended.) When I saw the commercials for it I thought– huh, if that was a book, I’d probably read it!

    1. Lucy says:

      Agreed, Elizabeth, I’d read the book of Revolution too. I was not a fan of Lost’s ending either, but I loved all the other seasons. I’m not getting too attached to any show yet just in case of cancellation. We’ll see how The New Normal progresses…I haven’t watched this week yet.

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