Saturday, September 06, 2014

Fall Television Preview 2014

It’s September, so the fall television season is almost upon us. This weekend, Boardwalk Empire’s final season kicks it all off. From last year, five of my new series lasted and are returning (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Sleepy Hollow, Blacklist, Agents of SHIELD, About a Boy). This year’s crop does not look that great, so I’ll only be giving a chance to five new shows. Here’s my schedule (starting with Sunday):






THE SIMPSONS
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 26
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Sept 28 @ 8pm
Genre: Animated Comedy
Starring: Dan Castellaneta (Hey Arnold!)
Hank Azaria (Smurfs, Huff, Godzilla)
Creator: Matt Groening (Futurama)
Showrunner: Al Jean (The Critic)
Why I watch: I’ve seen every episode, why stop now?
Coming up: A character dies in the premiere







ONCE UPON A TIME
[ABC]
Upcoming Season: 4
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Sept 28 @ 8pm
Genre: Fantasy Drama
Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin (Big Love, Ed)
Jennifer Morrison (House, Star Trek)
Creators: Adam Horowitz & Edward Kitsis (Lost, Tron: Legacy)
Showrunners: Horowitz & Kitsis
Why I watch: Love the twists and turns of fairy tales
Coming up: Their take on Frozen







BROOKLYN NINE-NINE
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 2
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Sept 28 @ 8:30pm
Genre: Workplace Comedy
Starring: Andy Samberg (SNL, Hot Rod, Celeste & Jesse Forever)
Andre Braugher (Last Resort, Homicide:Life on the Street)
Creator: Michael Shur (SNL, The Office, Parks & Recreation)
Showrunners: Shur & Dan Goor (Daily Show, Parks & Recreation)
Why I watch: Love the chemistry between Samberg & Braugher
Coming up: Eva Longoria as a lawyer and love interest for Peralta







[NEW!] MULANEY
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Oct 5 @ 9:30pm
Genre: Comedy
Starring: John Mulaney (SNL, Kroll Show)
Martin Short (SNL, Primetime Glick, Three Amigos)
Creator: Mulaney
Showrunners: Jon Pollack (Spin City, 30 Rock, Go On)
Premise: Comedian works for has-been who’s now a game show host
Why I’ll give it a chance: The cast looks really funny.
What could hurt it: Terrible timeslot and unknown star







BOARDWALK EMPIRE
[HBO]
Upcoming Season: 5
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Sept 7 @ 9pm
Genre: Crime Drama
Starring: Steve Buscemi (Fargo, Reservoir Dogs, Monsters Inc.)
Stephen Graham (Snatch, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stanger Tides)
Creator: Terence Winter (The Sopranos)
Showrunner: Winter
Why I watch: Beautifully shot and acted. Buscemi is great.
Coming up: The final ten episodes of the series. Lots of death.







HOMELAND
[SHOWTIME]
Upcoming Season: 4
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Oct 5 @ 9pm
Genre: Drama / Thriller
Starring: Claire Danes (Romeo+Juilet, My So-Called Life)
Mandy Patinkin (Princess Bride, Dead Like Me)
Creator: based on Israeli series Prisoner of War by Gideon Raff
Showrunners: Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa (24, X-Files)
Why I watch: Great drama despite its slow burn. Great cast.
Coming up: Carrie on a new mission in South Asia







THE WALKING DEAD
[AMC]
Upcoming Season: 5
Premiere Date/Time: Sun, Oct 12 @ 9pm
Genre: Drama / Horror
Starring: Andrew Lincoln (Love Actually, Strike Back)
Norman Reedus (Boondock Saints)
Creator: based on Robert Kirkman’s graphic novel
Showrunner: Scott Gimple (Chase, Flash Forward, Life)
Why I watch: It’s an intense hour of drama and zombies
Coming up: The cliff-hanger conclusion in the Terminus train car







THE BIG BANG THEORY
[CBS]
Upcoming Season: 8
Premiere Date/Time: Mon, Sept 22 @ 8pm
Genre: Friends Comedy
Starring: Jim Parsons (Garden State, The Muppets, Normal Heart)
Johnny Galecki (Roseanne, In Time, Christmas Vacation)
Creators: Chuck Lorre (2½ Men) & Bill Prady (Dharma & Greg)
Showrunners: Prady & Steven Molaro (The Class, All That)
Why I watch: One of the most consistent comedies on TV right now
Coming up: Wedding planning with Leonard and Penny







[NEW!] GOTHAM
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Mon, Sept 22 @ 8pm
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Starring: Ben McKenzie (Southland, The OC)
Donal Logue (Vikings, Terriers, Zodiac)
Creator/Showrunner: Bruno Heller (Rome, The Mentalist)
Premise: The origin stories of Commissioner Gordon and Gotham villains
Why I’ll give it a chance: Looks stylistically cool; Penguin looks awesome
What could hurt it: Trying to cover too many Batman villains







SLEEPY HOLLOW
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 2
Premiere Date/Time: Mon, Sept 16 @ 9pm
Genre: Sci-Fi  / Thriller
Starring: Tom Mison (Parade’s End, One Day)
Nicole Beharie (42, Shame)
Creators: Phillip Iscove (new) Alex Kurtzman & Robert Orci (Alias, Fringe)
Showrunner: Mark Goffman (West Wing, White Collar, Studio 60)
Why I watch: One of the most consistent comedies on TV right now
Coming up: Wedding planning with Leonard and Penny







[NEW!] SCORPION
[CBS]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Mon, Sept 22 @ 9pm
Genre: Action/Drama
Starring: Elyes Gabel (World War Z, Body of Proof)
Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie, How to Make it in America)
Creator/Shworunner: Nick Santora (Prison Break, Lie to Me)
Premise: Super-geniuses are the last line of defense against terrorism
Why I’ll give it a chance: The premise looks exciting enough
What could hurt it: The busy Monday timeslot







THE BLACKLIST
[NBC]
Upcoming Season: 2
Premiere Date/Time: Mon, Sept 23 @ 10pm
Genre: Crime Drama
Starring: James Spader (Boston Legal, Stargate, The Office)
Megan Boone (Law &Order: LA, Step Up Revolution)
Creators: Jon Bokenkamp (The Call, Taking Lives)
Brandon Margolis (new) & Brandon Sonnier (new)
Showrunner: John Eisendrath (Alias, My Own Worst Enemy)
Why I watch: Spader is electrifying. He’s reason enough.
Coming up: Paul Reubens (PeeWee Herman) in a two-ep arc







MARVEL’S AGENTS OF SHIELD
[ABC]
Upcoming Season: 2
Premiere Date/Time: Tue, Sept 23 @ 8pm
Genre: Action Drama Sci-Fi
Starring: Clark Gregg (Avengers, New Adventures of Old Christine)
Ming-Na Wen (ER, Mulan,The Single Guy)
Creators: Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel, Firefly, Dollhouse, Avengers)
Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog)
Showrunner: Jed Whedon & Tancharoen (Dollhouse)
Why I watch: Every episode is full of action, humour & great stories
Coming up: More Marvel tie-ins and mysterious characters







[NEW!] MARRY ME
[NBC]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Tue, Oct 14 @ 9pm
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Casey Wilson (Happy Endings, SNL)
Ken Marino (Burning Love, Veronica Mars, Party Down)
Creator/Showrunner: David Caspe (Happy Endings)
Premise: A couple work through a number of botched marriage proposals
Why I’ll give it a chance: Wilson and Marino will do well in Caspe’s hands
What could hurt it: The premise doesn’t seem like it can last







NEW GIRL
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 4
Premiere Date/Time: Tue, Sept 16 @ 9pm
Genre: Friend Comedy
Starring: Zooey Deschanel (Elf, 500 Days of Summer, Yes Man)
Jake Johnson (Safety Not Guaranteed, Let’s Be Cops)
Creator: Elizabeth Merriwether (new)
Showrunners: Brett Baer & David Finkel (Just Shoot Me, 30 Rock)
Why I watch: Love the camaraderie among the roommates
Coming up: Jessica Biel playing the hottest scientist in the world







THE MINDY PROJECT
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 3
Premiere Date/Time: Tue, Sept 16 @ 9:30pm
Genre: Workplace Comedy
Starring: Mindy Kaling (The Office, Wreck-It Ralph)
Chris Messina (Newsroom, Damages, Argo, Ruby Sparks)
Creator: Mindy Kaling (The Office)
Showrunner: Matt Watburton (Simpsons, Community)
Why I watch: Kaling and Messina are great together (but not dating)
Coming up: Danny’s mom causes a bunch of problems







ABOUT A BOY
[NBC]
Upcoming Season: 2
Premiere Date/Time: Tue, Oct 14 @ 9:30pm
Genre: Family/Friend Comedy
Starring: David Walton (New Girl, Perfect Couples)
Benjamin Stockham (1600 Penn, Sons of Tucson)
Creator/Showrunner: Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood)
Why I watch: The chemistry between Walton and Stockham rocks
Coming up: Hopefully a non-romantic relationship between Will & Fiona







MODERN FAMILY
[ABC]
Upcoming Season: 6
Premiere Date/Time: Wed, Sept 24 @ 9pm
Genre: Family Comedy
Starring: Ty Burrell (Back to You, Out of Practice)
Julie Bowen (Boston Legal, Weeds, Lost, Ed)
Creators/Showrunners: Steve Levitan (Just Shoot Me, Frasier, Wings)
Christopher Lloyd (Wings, Frasier, Out of Practice, Back to You)
Why I watch: Best family sitcom on television
Coming up: Andy returns to possibly date Hayley







AMERICAN HORROR STORY: FREAKSHOW
[FX]
Upcoming Season: 4
Premiere Date/Time: Wed, Oct 8 @ 10pm
Genre: Horror
Starring: Jessica Lange (The Office, Wreck-It Ralph)
Sarah Paulson (Newsroom, Damages, Argo, Ruby Sparks)
Creators/Showrunners: Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk (Glee, Nip/Tuck)
Why I watch: It’s disturbingly campy and dark but very stylistic
Coming up: Two headed characters and other freaks







[NEW!] GRACEPOINT
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 1
Premiere Date/Time: Thu, Oct 2 @ 9pm
Genre: Mystery
Starring: David Tennant (Broadchurch, Dr. Who)
Anna Gunn (Breaking Bad, Deadwood)
Creator: Based on British series Broadchurch by Chris Chibnall (Torchwood)
Showrunner: Dan Futterman (The Birdcage, Judging Amy)
Premise: A young boy is found dead in a small idyllic town
Why I’ll give it a chance: Curious to see comparison to awesome original
What could hurt it: Could fail to be as awesome as Broadchurch







PARENTHOOD
[NBC]
Upcoming Season: 6
Premiere Date/Time: Thu, Sept 25 @ 10pm
Genre: Family Drama
Starring: Peter Krause (Sports Night, Six Feet Under, Lost Room)
Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls, Bad Santa, Evan Almighty)
Creator/Showrunner: Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights)
Why I watch: Great writing and character work
Coming up: A death in their final season (probably Zeek)







AMAZING RACE
[CBS]
Upcoming Season: 25
Premiere Date/Time: Fri, Sept 26 @ 8pm
Genre: Reality Competition
Starring:Phil Keoghan (No Opportunity Wasted)
Creator: Elise Doganieri (Amazing Race Philippines, Asia, etc.)
Showrunners: Bertram VanMunster & Evan Weinstein
Why I watch: Best reality competition on television.
Coming up: New places I suppose.







MASTERCHEF JUNIOR
[FOX]
Upcoming Season: 2
Premiere Date/Time: Fri, Nov 7 @ 8pm
Genre: Reality Competition
Starring: Gordon Ramsay (Hell’s Kitchen, Hotel Hell)
Joe Bastianich (Iron Chef America)
Creator: Based on the British version of the show by Franc Roddam
Showrunner: Robin Ashbrook (As Seen on TV)
Why I watch: Great dishes and the judges are a bit nicer
Coming up: More kids that make me feel bad about my lack of skills







SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
[NBC]
Upcoming Season: 40
Premiere Date/Time: Sat, Sept 27 @ 11:30pm
Genre: Sketch Comedy
Starring: Taran Killam (The Awesomes, 12 Years a Slave, Scrubs)
Cecily Strong (The Awesomes)
Creator/Showrunner: Lorne Michaels (30 Rock, Portlandia)
Why I watch: It’s an institution. Always something to talk about.
Coming up: 40th Anniversary celebrations

Of the new shows, it’s Gotham that looks most interesting.. What new shows are you going try this year?

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Fall Film Preview

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