New TV shows, Part I

If anybody is actually reading this, you probably thought I died! Well, I didn't, but I have been very busy with the new school year. But I've decided to come out of retirement now to post my thoughts on the new TV shows. Not that you can't find the same thing on about 70 million other blogs out there, but only at Snowie's Place can you get my expert opinion. ;)

In this post I'm going to talk about the non-sci fi or fantasy shows, and then I'll make another post just for the sci-fi, fantasy, and paranormal shows, since there are so many of them this year.

Back to You
Grade: B+

This is an old-school sitcom, so if you've liked those in the past, you'll probably like this one. It's set in a newsroom, bringing back memories of my favorite, The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The first couple of episodes have been just fine but nothing really wowed me about them. Then again, it usually takes sitcoms a little longer to get off the ground, since there's only so much story you can tell in half an hour. I'd keep watching this one if it wasn't at the same time as Pushing Daisies, which I expect to adore and which starts next week.

Gossip Girl
Grade: B

This series is based on the book series which has been popular with teenagers recently. I haven't read the books, so I don't know what the similarities and differences might be. All I know is that this isn't like any high school I went to! In fact, the only way I can watch this show with a straight face is by convincing myself that these characters are really in college. Only then do the absent parents, drinking in public, and adult spending habits make any modicum of sense. That being said, I enjoyed the first episode in an escapist sort of way, but the second episode failed to build on the strengths of the first. I'll probably watch once more just to make sure that nothing interesting starts happening, but if not, I might be watching Bionic Woman in this timeslot instead.

Cane
Grade: B

I'm required by law to like this series because it's about Latin Americans, right? (It's about a family of Cuban sugar growers in Florida, the Duques.) And I do like the Hispanic aspects, but they haven't been enough to draw me in. As far as plot goes, there's the usual family angst and an unsolved murder mystery from the past. It's all been done before, so after viewing the first episode I'm not sure if this one is going to hold my interest or not.

Dirty Sexy Money
Grade: B+

This series is very similar to Cane in a lot of ways, except that the central family is white and Episcopalian. The pilot didn't bowl me over, but I can see there are elements here that might be fun in the future. The members of the Darling family just seem more memorable than the Duque family, and it seems like the show will have a more light-hearted tone, the way Brothers and Sisters (which I've come to adore) has turned out. Still, it's a hard decision for me whether or not to keep watching, because of....

Life
Grade: B+

I didn't expect to like this, because it's gotten pretty bad reviews from the critics. I was planning to skip it entirely, but then I found out the pilot was available for viewing online. I watched it last Saturday morning and was surprisingly drawn in. It's about a police officer who has been wrongfully imprisoned for murder and now has been pardoned. He's back on the force and trying to solve murders using the unusual techniques he picked up in prison (where he avidly studied books on Zen buddhism.) I've always liked quirky detectives like Monk and Poirot, so I see potential here. On the other hand, it has a slightly darker tone than either of those shows, and I don't like dark murder mystery shows. I honestly don't know if I'll end up watching this or Dirty Sexy Money next week.

Big Shots
Grade: A-

I wasn't expecting to like this show either, because I heard it got very bad reviews. However, the New York Times gave it a good review, saying that it was a very rare thing: a satire on television. I watched it and thought it was pretty funny, although not perfect. I think that the bad reviews, which mostly said that the problems of the four main characters were too trivial to take seriously, missed the fact completely that the show is meant to be over-the-top and farcical. It seems like other people did as well, as the show got very bad ratings. I'm afraid it will probably be cancelled soon.

K-Ville
Grade: B-

I almost forgot that I'd watched this show last week, and I guess that tells you something. It's been billed as a dramatic look at life in New Orleans following Katrina, but it turned out to be a completely routine cop show. Great if you like that sort of thing, but I don't. Plus it's on at the same time as Heroes, so there's not really a contest.

Well, there you have it. My look at all the non-sci fi shows I've watched so far this fall. I'll be back later with the sci fi pilots, and then I guess in a few weeks I'll wrap it up with all the stragglers that are premiering late this year.