New on TV (Fall 2014)

Warning, this post is extremely long, proceed with caution.

There are all together 30 new shows premiering this fall and I just had a tiny heart attack just thinking about it because who am I kidding, I’m going to start watching at least 10 of them! Hereby I try to separate the good from the bad, decide what to add to my weekly schedule and what to avoid at all costs.

For some reason 2014 Fall seems to be pushing it over the edge when it comes to new TV-shows, with NBC and ABC both bringing out 6 and CBC and Fox following with a whopping number of 5 and 4 shows accordingly. Other networks seem to be more grounded with 1 or 2 shows but all together, the number of pilots is remarkably high and unusual considering the fact that this list doesn’t include the 2015 Spring newcomers!

NB: Show titles will take you to the trailer.

GOOD

With Gray’s Anatomy, Scandal and now How To Get Away With Murder, Shonda Rhimes is slowly taking over ABC. There’s no doubt in the matter that Shonda can create interesting and strong female characters, and the fact that her shows are still running means she’s doing things right. With Viola Davis taking the lead, her newest show will most likely have a great first season, now if only it had a shorter title!

There’s no doubt about it, I’m a sucker for crime shows, Forever is no exception and the fact that the leading character is immortal is just a cherry on top of it all. Also, it kind of helps that Ioan Gruffudd is there because he is nice to look at.

Among the crap that is about to follow, Manhattan Love Story brings back hope that there could be room for cute new comedies out there. The synopsis reads: The unfiltered internal monologues of a young man and a young woman are exposed as they begin a new relationship together – and I love it! Analeigh Tipton and Jake McDorman are cast perfectly and I’m fairly certain this will be my favorite this fall.

BAD

Among the three comedies, Black-ish seems to be the most normal but considering it’s about an African American family trying to find their black roots among the so called white community, I’m not hopeful at all. No amount of Anthony Anderson or Laurence Fishburne could make me watch the pilot because I didn’t even get through the trailer.

But things get worse with Cristela, a sitcom that feels so fake that I could barely take it seriously. Something about a woman studying law for 6 years gets a job but still lives with her sister? I’m just not even going to try and understand what it’s about because I won’t watch it.

Last but not least, the award for the most ridiculous sitcom premiering this fall goes to Selfie! The worst part is, it currently holds a pretty high score on IMDb and I’m not sure what is going on. Karen Gillian goes from Doctor Who to Selfie and my mind is blown on how she can even consider that as a good move. But maybe I’m wrong.. but I don’t think so.

GOOD

It seems that by now, there has been a crime show about every possible division out there but no, there’s still room for the people who handle all the creepy stalking. Stalker does just that, takes on all the cases in relation to stalking and I’m pretty certain that I’m a fan. Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott leading the team, what could go wrong? Oh yeah, Kevin Williamson, but I just have to take that risk.

Though I don’t watch this franchise of shows, NCIS: New Orleans will most likely be decent enough to follow the original and Los Angeles. Besides, though I would be excited to see Scott Bakula, I would be also pleased to hear that southern Alabama accent Lucas Black has going on, as odd as it sounds I seem to enjoy it.

“GOOD”

With the following shows I’m conflicted because all of them sound alright on paper, good even, but I’m just not that convinced. Scorpion being the one that bothers me the most because the premise, a genius putting together a group of other mega minds to solve various problems, sounds exciting. The casting on the other hand isn’t as strong considering the big, Oscar winning! names hitting the screens this fall. I’m just not sure.

Madam Secretary is one of two shows focusing on women trying to solve international crisis situations like kidnappings and so on. It is better than the other one, on paper, but there’s not enough something to crab my attention. I like Téa Leoni though, so I’ll give this one a chance but it might get lost in the crowd. Also, there seems to be a clear focus on creating strong, independent, powerful leading women this year, I like it!

BAD

The definite newcomer I’ll be avoiding is The McCarthys which sounds like another one of those sitcoms that will be over before it even started. Nothing really stands out, not the story nor the actors, so it’s just an attempt to fill the empty space left from How I Met Your Mother but it’s nothing special.

“GOOD”

For years now, CW has established itself as a network that feeds a certain demography and it’s doing a pretty good job. Seeing the growing success of the Marvel franchise, CW released Arrow and now, it’s bringing us The Flash. Now, this means we get a show with flashbacks mixed in with superpowers and I’m not excited. The thing is, I watch Arrow, but I don’t watch it watch it , if you know what I mean.

BAD

As hard as I try to take the next show seriously, there’s just no way I’m going to give Jane the Virgin a chance with a synopsis like this: A young, devout woman discovers that she was accidentally artificially inseminated. What makes matters even worse is the fact that the trailer is a complete joke with that awful voice over and that Jane apparently has been dating a guy for two years and they haven’t had sex!

GOOD

There hasn’t been any good teen/kid dramas on US television for years, and it seems the UK series take all the credit for delivering believable and likable teenagers with real issues (not vampires and dopplegangers). Red Band Society has the chance to turn it around by focusing on kids living in a hospital, suffering from various medical problems from cancer to anorexia. Octavia Spencer is amazing, Dave Annable is good for resting your eyes and a handful of young actors, with Charlie Rowe taking the lead, feel authentic and what’s even worse, worth the possible tears I have to cry over this show.

“GOOD”

With Gotham I have high hopes and big fears because I already saw glimpses of changes that I’m not willing to accept. The trailer showed the kid version of Catwoman being all sneaky, wearing black and far from what I always imagined her as a child. Ben McKenzie as the lead though, I like him and I’m way too interested to see where this show will take me before I dismiss it from my TV schedule.

Another hit and miss possibility is the American remake of Broadchurch called Gracepoint. First off, they kept David Tennant but not his sexy accent. Second, they are following the same plot and I already watched Broadchurch, including its powerful reveal of the killer. The only possible reason I would watch it again, and without Tennant’s accent, is to see Anna Gunn in action.

BAD

No offence to Saturday Night Live fans or to people who like John Mulaney (my best friend included) but his new show Mulaney seems bad, like very bad. I can’t even tell what the show is trying to be with a synopsis John’s desire to be a good person challenges his friendship with his roommates Jane and Seymour – what is this? Are Jane and Seymore criminals? I just don’t get it.

GOOD

The only show NBC had me smiling for this fall season was Constantine. The supernatural show revolving around demons and a debt to hell or something, sounds good enough for me. It helps that the lead character is portrayed by a Welsh actor Matt Ryan because the accent always makes everything so much better.

Like I told you, I’m a sucker for crime shows and The Mysteries of Laura is yet another show featuring a female detective that might end up in my TV schedule because I can’t help it. Two additional reasons why I will tune in for this show are Debra Messing and Josh Lucas because how can you not adore them!?

“GOOD”

Here come two comedies that might appeal to many but I’m not willing to promise anything. Bad Judge has all the signs of a bad idea because a judge who acts like an irresponsible teenager can get old really fast. There’s of course Kate Walsh who might make the whole thing worth while but it might not be enough.

Another possible miss is A to Z that states right from the beginning that the two main characters will break up. I’m not certain how well that is planned out for the whole show but they know their stuff better than me, hopefully. Ben Feldman is very charismatic though, has always been so he will most likely steal some hearts with this show for sure.

BAD

Next to the two other comedies, Marry Me sounds and looks weak and for the lack of a better word, lame. It seems to be over the top, over acted and far too gimmicky to attract my attention.

As previously mentioned, there’s another show that focuses on a woman who solves international problems from the White House but State of Affairs doesn’t look good on paper. Firstly, it stars Katherine Heigl and last time she was on TV, she disrespected the writers and nobody will forget that. Secondly, it seems to be more personal-drama driven but I do respect the fact that Alfre Woodard plays the president.

GOOD

Showtime has always been consistent with its shows, though I don’t watch most of them, I still appreciate the existence of them and well, Shameless runs on this network so, I rest my case. Anyway, this fall The Affair will premier and it looks so good. It looks thrilling and they hinted a homicide in the trailer which was so subtle that you couldn’t actually tell who was killed! Can’t wait for this and well, frankly, I can’t wait to see Joshua Jackson and Ruth Wilson on TV again.

A network I have never heard before, DirecTV, launches a 10-episode series Kingdom about a family that is involved with mixed martial arts. The thing is, it sounds so good and it looks as good, and all of this despite Nick Jonas. What makes Kingdom stand out are Frank Grillo, Jonathan Tucker and Matt Lauria, all small names that can have big impacts.

“GOOD”

Amazon launches two new series, both of which have already premiered their pilot episodes and to be honest, both look a bit off. Hand of God is about a judge who goes a bit mad after his son attempts suicide and is left in a coma. He starts hearing his sons voice and does all kinds of weird things, including letting a bad guy off with no warning and making him kill a guy purely based on his own delusions.

Hysteria is as confusing with an unknown epidemic causing cramps and infecting people who simply look at a video of this girl having this attack. It does possess a back story that I’m interested in and then there’s Mena Suvari, T.R. Knight and the forever lovely Josh Stewart who I’ve loved ever since he appeared on Criminal Minds. I just don’t know where this show will take me and this confusion irritates me.

BAD

Having almost finished the pilot episode of Intruders on BBC America I can definitely say that this show is not for me. It makes sense after reading the synopsis, a secret society devoted to chasing immortality by seeking refuge in the bodies of others, but the execution just lacks on so many levels.

Though MTV has actually delivered a few of my guilty pleasures over the years, some for many seasons, others just for one, Happyland looks like it won’t catch my interest even by throwing everything at me at once. The cliché South-American soap opera twist where the guy you like turns out to be your half brother is just not something I’m into.

I’m surprised it has taken so long to follow in The Walking Dead’s footsteps but Syfy is giving it a try, launching Z Nation this fall and going after that zombie-tastic show title. Not sure if it will beat the amazing first season of TWD because the trailer already threw me off a bit by showing us a character who survived a zombie bite because that’s a big mistake. I’d rather have a show staying true to the whole zombie culture and I don’t like it when things are changed (vampires who sparkle).

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Congratulations, You made it to the end!  Now as you know everything you need to know about the new television shows this fall, let me know what shows sparked your interest and who’d you fancy seeing on screen this fall.

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