Get Your Remotes Ready: CW Day

So far on SSF, we’ve talked about the new shows on all the four major networks, even some of the returning ones to watch out for. It’s time for the last, and sometimes least, network: the CW. 

 

 

Arrow: You remember Green Arrow right? Maybe you know him as the snarky Oliver Queen on the CW’s hit Smallville, who played both a friend and rival to young Superman. Maybe you know him as Ryan Reynolds in the lackluster 2011 movie. Or maybe you know him as the comic book character who, according to D.C., has been declared their first (openly) gay comic book hero. 

Well, the CW’s new Arrow is none of those guys. Oliver is a millionaire who had been stranded on an island for much too long, and comes back with new strengths, powers, and vengeance. And his weapon of choice? Um…guess.

Emily Owens M.D.: Riding the success of its first doctor show, the sweet comedy Hart of Dixie with Rachel Bilson, the CW tries out another medical comedy. This time it’s about the outrageously awkward Emily Owens, someone whose social insecurities are almost crippling. If it wasn’t for the fact that she went though eight years of school to get where she is now, Emily Owens would clearly be a shell of a human. It’s hard to see this show really take off, but with Emily’s crazy thought process and the added irony of her high school bully being her co-worker, it might be worth a watch or two.

Beauty and the Beast: If you’ve seen any of the glimpses of promos of this new romantic drama, then you’ve probably already figured out that the CW’s Beauty and the Beast is a far cry from Disney’s yellow dresses, singing teacups, and roses. 

“Beauty” is a young, attractive woman working as a detective. And “Beast” is a young man who saves her life more than once, but can’t be with her because of that whole turns-into-a-monster problem he has (thanks to the government of course). Will star-crossed love conquer all - even hairy, scary, monster faces? (Okay, so technically there isn't a "romance" to speak of yet, but it's pretty obvious that's next). Only time can tell.

Returning favorites:

Gossip Girl: After finally reading the book series this summer (and realizing how the show and series have nothing in common except the character names) I can honestly say I will miss this show. Why? Well, it’s the final season of everyone’s favorite show about over-privileged, naughty young adults living on Fifth Avenue. Only one more season of wondering if Chuck and Blair will last, will "Gossip Girl" (a.k.a. Michelle Trachtenberg, as we know now) reveal herself, and if Serena Van Der Woodsen will ever be happy. Get the popcorn and tissues ready.

Vampire Diaries: Okay, catch me up I missed last season…what? WHAT? Elena actually started falling for Damon (geez, took you long enough. Ian Somerhalder not good enough for you or something?). And what? She chose his brother Stefan in the end anyways? BUT WHAT!? After her brother nearly died, she gave her own life instead, so Elena ended up being made a vampire? Oh heavens no….

Well, CW, we wish you good luck. And if you fail this time around, at least we have those awesome-looking shows mid-season to look forward to, like The Cult or The Carrie Diaries. For now, just work on giving Britt Robertson a new show (no more Life, Unexpected and no more The Secret Circle, gotta do something) or the LA Complex a new season. Trust me, you will not regret it.

Later.

Get Your Remotes Ready: Fox Day

Well, it’s been a couple weeks since SSF’s new Fall 2012 TV series special has began, and it’s time to get a little “Fox-y”. What new shows are playing on the Fox network?

The Mindy Project: A show that’s gotten a lot of positive hype thanks to its charming star, The Office’s Mindy Kaling, The Mindy Project follows Bridget-Jones-esque “Mindy” as she searches for love as an awkward, talkative, and overly-thoughtful OB/GYN. Of course, this quest for love involves irresistible mean boys (like co-worker Jeremy Reed), odd friends, and a lot of maybe-Mr.-Right’s? The humor seeps through though - like with Mindy’s “red flag test” (no drug habits, no skinny jeans, no secret families, etc. Sounds fair enough).

The Mob Doctor: Before you laugh at the title of this show, just remember this is a drama to be watched. Its intense premise? A doctor, played by Jordana Spiro, works for the mob so she can pay off her brother’s gambling debt. All while balancing job at Chicago Roosevelt Medical Center, of course. Well…mobs need doctors too, right?

The Following: The creator of the Vampire Diaries and Dawson’s Creek is the mind behind this show - which is peculiar, because this drama sounds like the next Prison Break or 24, not the next teen-friendly soap. After serial killer Joe Carroll escapes along with a whole cult of other murderers, his original capturer, former FBI man Ryan Hardy, must return to the field to capture him again. If the premise isn’t enough, maybe the stars will be - with everyone from Kevin Bacon to Natalie Zea, there isn’t much to disappoint.

Ben and Kate: So the critics have basically thrown fruit at this show the second it aired. But to each its own, so: Ben and Kate follows the odd life of a brother and sister, and her daughter, as they struggle to grow up themselves. Both get each others’ advice, help each other out of awkward predicaments, blah blah blah. Hopefully there is enough quirkiness between the stars Nat Faxon and Dakota Johnson to keep you interested. If not, then just remember: New Girl comes on right after. It’ll be okay.

Some returning shows…

Glee: Some of the gang is in New York. Some are at war. Somewhere are at college. But the rest of the New Directions show choir is still at school, dealing with new bullies, new friends and relationships, and - of course - even more Top 40 songs to choose from.

The X Factor: Need more singing? Then look no further than the X Factor! After Britney Spears and Demi Lovato joined the judges’ panel, the show certainly got a noticeable facelift. However, is the snarky soundbites painting Britney Spears as the new Simon Cowell and Lovato as the new Paula Abdul enough to convince you? Watch for yourself. After all, while singing competition shows aren’t for everybody, the auditions are always worth watching. Trust me.

Well, that’s all for Fox. Join us for the final installment in this series on CW Day!

Get Your Remotes/DVR's Ready: ABC Day

Part three of SSF’s Fall TV Line-Up special. Need to know more? Go here. Otherwise, let’s get to the shows on ABC.

THE NEIGHBORS: It’s been a while since we’d had a sci-fi themed family show (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids anyone?) but the time is right. And I mean time as in time slot - ABC conveniently placed it among its other menagerie of family shows, so it just feels right. As right as clone-esque and possibly cannibalistic aliens can feel, of course. Will premiere September 26th.

666 PARK AVENUE: After a young, attractive couple’s job leads them to a mystic, beautiful penthouse in New York City, they quickly get in over their heads. The owner of the building and his wife are an older but powerful couple played by Terry O' Quinn and Vanessa Williams. Their new home hides fantastical and seductive secrets. And…that’s all I know. Hopefully what’s so magical about this building will be revealed in the pilot. Will premiere September 30th.

 

LAST RESORT: While I wish this show wasn’t coming out during both an election year annnd now a year where Libya is turning our war in the middle east inside out, this show still does have an important theme. After some Navy Seals at sea refuse to do a mission for the US government, something immoral we could only guess, the government decides to take them out. And there is no way they are going down without a fight - not against their own country of birth. Will premiere September 27th.

KATIE: Katie Couric jumps on the talk show bandwagon, and whether you’re a fan of her excessively sugary, bubbly personality or not, you can appreciate that her years in journalism gave her a lot of connections. Already Katie has talked to everyone from Demi Lovato to author of 50 Shades of Grey. Matt Lauer's already made an appearance. And we’re only getting started. Already premiered, watch at 4-3 pm central each weekday.

NASHVILLE: It’s the darker side of sweet country music. An older singer nearing the end of her glory days suddenly gets a wake-up call when a young, new starlet Juliette Barns (Hayden Panetierre) becomes the new talk of town, and suddenly there just isn’t room for Rayna James (Connie Britton) anymore. There’s lots of secrets, horrible people, life-changing decisions, and staring at rain clouds (at least in the commercials). Will premiere October 10th.

As for the returning shows…

ONCE UPON A TIME: Storybrooke’s curse is broken and both the fairytale characters’ identities and magic return to them. I don’t care what goes down, but I hope there is more awesome CGI dragons.

MODERN FAMILY: Sofia Vergara is pregnant, with 1002-year old (give or take) ex-Al Bundy Ed O'Niell as the aging father. Should be fun.

Get Your Remotes Ready: CBS Day

It's part two of SSF’s Fall TV Line-Up special. Today we tackle the shows on CBS.

Okay, so CBS’s older audience basically has ultimate control over ratings so, unsurprisingly, CBS doesn’t have a whole crop of new shows to offer. After all, why fix what's as far from broken as possible? What can we expect though?

PARTNERS: So far this seems like a Will & Grace spin-off mixed with Rules of Engagement’s flair. But if you find out more about this show, you might like what you see. It’s about a masculine enough, heterosexual guy whose best friend growing up is more on the effeminate side. However, the two work together now and manage to help each other out in their rocky love lives anyways. Will the relationship dynamic be enough to keep us watching? We’ll just have to find out.

ELEMENTARY: Sherlock Holmes…like you’ve never seen him before! Yep, just in case the British drama or even Robert Downey Jr.’s version of the detective wasn’t good enough for you (Robert Downey Jr? Really?) then CBS has you covered. They give the character a dramatic, crime show feel. Even better: their “Dr. Watson” is *drum roll* female, Asian American Lucy Liau. Here’s to getting farther away from the 50’s every single day!

MADE IN JERSEY: While true New Jersey-ians might be peeved that the star of this show isn’t really “made” in NJ and that she’d hated having to make her hair so big, they can appreciate her character. Janet Montgomery plays a lawyer from you-know-where whose, ah, uniqueness helps her when it comes to cases and life in general. Is it a crime show? Is it at comedy? You’ll have to see.

VEGAS: We got us some Dennis Quaid, some Michael Chiklis, some mobsters, and now add in the retro Vegas setting and...BAM. The masculine show of fall, I do believe.

Old favorites to watch?

THE BIG BANG THEORY: This show is in its ratings prime right now, which means mega-guest stars and juicy story writing. Enjoy it while you can. It’ll also be interesting to watch Jim Parsons as the lovably pretentious Sheldon considering his quick, painless coming out this summer. Further proof that gay actors will probably take up every screen.

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER: If you saw my philosophical predictions post about HIMYM’s eighth season, then you already know that I truly, truly believe this is the season we FINALLY meet Mrs. Ted Mosby. The clues add up. The scenery is right. It’s all ready to go down. Until then, we can also look forward to the HIMYM songs compilation album CBS is making. Robin Sparkles better be present.

Later. Tomorrow, by the way, is ABC DAY! (yay...)

Get Your Remotes Ready: NBC Day

Part one of SSF’s Fall TV Line-Up special. Click-eth here for more info. Today we tackle the NBC shows.

What shows are premiering/re-appearing on everyone’s favorite peacock (no, Katy Perry, no puns) network this fall? Let’s see.

 

THE VOICE. Oh yes, you have seen the dramatic commercials of Christina, Adam, Cee Lo, and Blake all jumping in slow emotion to hit the red button. But is the hype worth it? While it seems like every other singing show is undergoing major plastic surgery, The Voice has only added a couple new “mentors” to its current approach. It’s no Britney Spears…but hey, The Voice has always been about the talent first, as little gimmicks as possible and *yawnnn*. Sorry, that was America’s attention span shortening. (Already premiered, Monday/Tuesday nights)

NEW NORMAL. Okay, I will continue tuning into this. From the “creator of Glee” (who I assume is extremely pro-gay rights) we get a cutesy show about a sweet girl with a young daughter and “bigot” mother (I quote the young daughter) who decides to help out a young Cam/Mitchell-esque male couple have a child. Her reasoning? She wants a whole-hearted, complete family. It seems sugary sweet. Can we just make sure Republicans don’t know about this show? I can hear the rants already. (Already premiered, Tuesday nights)

REVOLUTION: It’s an end-of-the-world adventure where the world’s power is out and everyone has crossbow and kills each other. Okay, okay, back up: it’s also about a girl who, fifteen years ago when the “black-out” began, learned her father was involved and grew up in a new world, a new life. When said father dies, she goes to find the only family she has left - that is, if no one kills each other first. (Will premiere September 17th...or, you know, today).

CHICAGO FIRE: Um. Okay. So I haven’t seen much about this show, but it has a refreshing number of female firefighters and since my current “top” choice college is in Chicago, I am required to say that it is the number one city in the world and everybody and everyone should watch this show. (Will premiere October 10th)

GO ON: Matthew Perry! Group therapy! Community-like randomness! A girl who’s crazy about her dead cat! Everybody Hates Chris! Sure a lot of critics have ranted about its expiration date of a premise (group therapy typically only lasts a few weeks, guys) but the characters are quirky, dialogue snarky, camera angles fuzzy, and emotions heavy. If you can deal with seeing Chandler Bing as a confident sports journalist instead of a self-deprecating underdog of the group, then watch. (Already premiered, Tuesday nights)

ANIMAL HOSPITAL: Based on the pilot, I don’t see this “doctor” show becoming the next ER, especially with legitimate hospital shows appearing on other networks. But why not watch, if only to see the world’s most talented monkey and all his…well, monkey business. But I’m serious. This monkey is in everything. IMDB him. (Premieres September 26th).

GUYS WITH KIDS: Well, in case you need a sitcom about grown men who handle the challenge of "parenthood" like bros...here you go. (Already premiered, Wednesdays)

SNL…WITHOUT KRISTIN WIIG AND ANDY SAMBERG. Okay, sure, we have Saturday Night Live’s primetime election coverage to look forward, and they have a lot of Mitt Romney jokes to get out of their system…but no Kristin Wiig? No Andy Samberg? I just…I-I just can’t, man. I just can’t. (Already premiered, and Saturday nights of course!)

Whattaya think of the NBC line-up? What will you for sure be watching or avoiding?