Mike’s Fall TV Preview - Wednesdays

Welcome to the Wednesday edition of my week-long Fall TV Preview. Thus far most of the feedback I’ve gotten on some of my choices for Season Passes has been mixed. The demographic here at Pop Critics obviously leans more towards the male persuasion and thus shows like Gossip Girl or One Tree Hill raise their ire.

What can I say? I’m a man with a wide variety of tastes (I hear those snickers at the “man” comment). I like sports, Lost, science fiction, Swingers, computers, high definition, happy endings, Dirty Dancing and The O.C.

I yam what I yam.

So let’s get on to Wednesday. Again, we find a night with only a few shows I watch on a regular basis, with the promise of a single pilot that I’m looking to check-out.

It’s probably better this way. Wednesdays are almost the calm before the storm if you think about it. Thursday nights offer such a jammed-packed schedule of great shows, you almost need a night off just to prepare for it.

Fall TV Preview - Wednesdays

The list below is broken up into Mike’s Season Passes, Pilots I Like and  The Rest. The Rest will include current shows and new pilots that I don’t have any real intentions of watching.

The premiere date and network will be noted next to each in parenthesis. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Mike’s Season Passes

Fright Night Lights (October 1st, DTV 101 / 2009, NBC)

If you watch this show, you really don’t need me to tell you how good it is. The acting, writing, humor and characters speak for themselves.

Friday Night Lights almost died in the offseason, but was saved through the combined efforts of NBC and Direct TV. The only downside is that when the new season premieres, it will only be on Direct TV’s HD 101 Network. The 13 episodes ordered will then appear on NBC in February of 2009.

Some called last season disappointing, and sure, the Landry murder fiasco was a bit much. But the second half got things back on track and the old FNL was back.

This season we’ll say goodbye to a few people, like Jason Street and Smash Williams, which will suck big time, but may be good for the series as a whole. After all, FNL revolves around high school football and keeping all these college kids around wouldn’t make much sense.

Pushing Daises (October 1st, ABC)

Waiting until October 1st to rejoin the Pie Maker is truly painful. Pushing Daisies was one of the more unique and intriguing shows that debuted last season.

A child is born with the ability to raise someone from the dead by just touching them. But the cost for the power is that a nearby person will end up dying for the returned life. But if he touches that risen person one more time within a minute, that person dies for good and no one else perishes.

A unique concept told in a fairy tale style, with clever writing, enchanting music and great humor.

According to the creator who I heard at Comic Con, we’ll pick up ten months after the last episode, with all characters having kept their corresponding secrets.

Pilots I Like

Sons of Anarchy (September 3rd, FX)

All I’ve seen are ads for this show starring Ron Perlman, Charlie Hunnam and Katey Sagal. It’s apparently revolved around a gun-running motorcycle club headed up by Perlman, who has to deal with trouble coming from Hunnam, the son of the man who founded the club.

The previews look interesting and Damages was an FX show last year that blew me away, so I figure I’ll give this a shot.

The Rest

Returning Shows

• Bones (Sep 3, FOX)
• ‘Til Death (Sep 10, FOX)
• Criminal Minds (Sep 24, CBS)
• CSI: New York (Sep 24, CBS)
• New Adventures of Old Christine (Sep 24, CBS)
• Lipstick Jungle (Sep 24. NBC)
• Dirty Sexy Money (Oct 1, ABC)
• Private Practice (Oct 1, ABC)

New Shows

• Gary Unmarried (Sep 24, CBS) - The only reason I’d watch this is Jay Mohr, but I’m not hearing good things about it.
• Knight Rider (Sep 24, NBC) - The Knight Rider movie was awful, the writers know it and supposedly revamped the series before filming actual episodes. Will it work?
• Stylistas (Oct 22, The CW) - Eleven aspiring fashion enthusiasts vie for a coveted job at Elle Magazine. The reality show version of The Devil Wears Prada.
• Do Not Disturb (Sep 10, FOX) - A comedy starring Jerry O’Connell and Niecy Nash, both of whom work at a trendy hotel in New York. The show is written by a former writer from Back to You and Arrested Development. Jason Bateman is directing.