Re: Fall Schedule 2011
Posted: May 22nd, 2011, 10:04 pm
WEDNESDAY
Wow, Wednesday is the most jam-packed night of the week, and this fall, there will be no fewer than SEVEN new shows debuting on Wednesday night.
Probably the most notable debut is that of Simon Cowell's pride and joy, X-Factor, which will finally cross the pond and make its debut on American soil. (This is the reason he left Idol.) Hosted by former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger (who is also a judge on NBC's The Sing Off) and Steve Jones, this show seems to be a lot like Idol except that it's not just individual singers but groups and bands that can also apply, and the age limit for auditining is 12 and over, not just 15-29.
The show will run for 90 minutes, from 7:00 to 8:30, and then lead into a new sitcom called I Hate My Teenage Daughter, starring Jamie Pressly (My Name is Earl) and Katie Finneran (Wonderfalls) as Nikki. They both are divorced, and both have teenage daughters (who are also best friends) that they allow to do pretty much whatever they want. Both girls are masters of manipulation, and so it falls to the ladies' exes and family members to help rein in their little spoiled hellions. I love Jamie Pressly, but this just seems wrong for her.
CBS will counter Mr. Cowell with the 22nd season of Survivor, which just keeps on a-ticking. Following that will be Criminal Minds, which is entering its seventh season. Both shows are coming off Top 20 finishes, don't look for CBS to be pulling or moving either of these veterans. Worry instead for their competition.
NBC will lead off its Wednesday evening with two new sitcoms of its own. The first is Up All Night, written by SNL writter Emily Spivey and co-produced by Lorne Michaels himself. It stars Christina Applegate and Will Arnett as Reagan and Chris, a married couple whose lives are turned upside-down by a new baby. She works for a living, so he gets househusband duties. It's not one of those sitcoms with the three walls and the live studio audience, and if this show can take off like Lorne's other show 30 Rock, it could be a hit. Following that is Free Agents, which stars Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan) as Alex and Helen, two co-workers who find solace in each other's arms as a means to atone for their miserable lives thus far. Sounds peachy. At 8:00, NBC will send up Kathy Bates and Harry's Law, which enters its second season after being a successful mid-season addition. (At leaste, I hope it was successful... I really enjoy this show.)
ABC sends FOUR sitcoms to open its Wednesday evenings. The first is The Middle, which will enter its third season with a lot of competition. Following that is a new show called Suburgatory, starring Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order) as George, a single dad who up and moves himself and his teenage daughter Tessa (Jane Levy) from the hustle and bustle of NYC to a suburban hell of teeth whitening, boob jobs and big hair. The trailer looks kind of funny, like Malcolm in the Middle-weirdness filtered through the whimsy of Easy A. I might actually give it a look if it survives more than a month. At 8:00 is the third season of the multiple-Emmy-award winning series Modern Family, which will in turn lead into Happy Endings, another mid-season replacement that will be given a full year to stretch its legs.
A lot of quality here. A lot of returning veterans with solid fan bases, and a lot of new shows with terrific pedigrees. It would seem that The X Factor is the wild card... if it takes off like most talent shows seem to, it could be the deciding factor on how well everything else does.
At 9:00, two grizzled veterans will go head-to-head for the first time: NBC's Law & Order: SVU and CBS's CSI. SVU, which for years was on Tuesday night but moved to Wednesday last year, enters its 13th season, and changes may be in the works: rumor has it that Mariska Hargitay's character will get promoted halfway through the season, and a new detective (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) will be introduced. I've been a fan of this show for years, but I've started to grow tired of the overwrought, hand-wringing drama that seems to permeate every storyline. And I, as a rule, hate Jennifer Love Hewitt, so there we are. Meanwhile, CSI, entering its 12th season, continues to be a Top 20 show, and moving it from Thursday to Wednesday has apparently not hurt it at all. But will moving it from 8:00 to 9:00? Doubtful. Laurence Fishburne has proved a worthy replacement for William Petersen, and the show shows no signs of stopping.
ABC is sending up a rookie to challenge these two former favorites, a new show called Revenge. Aussie director Phillip Noyce (Sliver, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Salt) is behind the camera for this show, which stars Emily Van Camp (Brothers and Sisters) as Emily Thorne, who moves into the wealthy neighborhood known as The Hamptons, and seems to effortlessly blend in with the elite of society that live there. But she has a dirty little secret: she used to live there when she was a kid, and the people she is now associated with are responsible for destroying her family, and Emily is back to exact revenge on all of them. Murder? Humiliation? Who knows what she has in store... Movie veterans Madeleine Stowe and Henry Czerny also co-star.
Since my DVR has the ability to record two shows simultaneously, I'm torn. I am a regular watcher of CSI, but if SVU continues its downward spiral, I may give up on it entirely if Revenge proves to be even remotely interesting. As a fan of some of Noyce's work, I'm intrigued to find out whether he can transition to the small screen.
Up next: Thursday.
Wow, Wednesday is the most jam-packed night of the week, and this fall, there will be no fewer than SEVEN new shows debuting on Wednesday night.
Probably the most notable debut is that of Simon Cowell's pride and joy, X-Factor, which will finally cross the pond and make its debut on American soil. (This is the reason he left Idol.) Hosted by former Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger (who is also a judge on NBC's The Sing Off) and Steve Jones, this show seems to be a lot like Idol except that it's not just individual singers but groups and bands that can also apply, and the age limit for auditining is 12 and over, not just 15-29.
The show will run for 90 minutes, from 7:00 to 8:30, and then lead into a new sitcom called I Hate My Teenage Daughter, starring Jamie Pressly (My Name is Earl) and Katie Finneran (Wonderfalls) as Nikki. They both are divorced, and both have teenage daughters (who are also best friends) that they allow to do pretty much whatever they want. Both girls are masters of manipulation, and so it falls to the ladies' exes and family members to help rein in their little spoiled hellions. I love Jamie Pressly, but this just seems wrong for her.
CBS will counter Mr. Cowell with the 22nd season of Survivor, which just keeps on a-ticking. Following that will be Criminal Minds, which is entering its seventh season. Both shows are coming off Top 20 finishes, don't look for CBS to be pulling or moving either of these veterans. Worry instead for their competition.
NBC will lead off its Wednesday evening with two new sitcoms of its own. The first is Up All Night, written by SNL writter Emily Spivey and co-produced by Lorne Michaels himself. It stars Christina Applegate and Will Arnett as Reagan and Chris, a married couple whose lives are turned upside-down by a new baby. She works for a living, so he gets househusband duties. It's not one of those sitcoms with the three walls and the live studio audience, and if this show can take off like Lorne's other show 30 Rock, it could be a hit. Following that is Free Agents, which stars Hank Azaria and Kathryn Hahn (Crossing Jordan) as Alex and Helen, two co-workers who find solace in each other's arms as a means to atone for their miserable lives thus far. Sounds peachy. At 8:00, NBC will send up Kathy Bates and Harry's Law, which enters its second season after being a successful mid-season addition. (At leaste, I hope it was successful... I really enjoy this show.)
ABC sends FOUR sitcoms to open its Wednesday evenings. The first is The Middle, which will enter its third season with a lot of competition. Following that is a new show called Suburgatory, starring Jeremy Sisto (Law & Order) as George, a single dad who up and moves himself and his teenage daughter Tessa (Jane Levy) from the hustle and bustle of NYC to a suburban hell of teeth whitening, boob jobs and big hair. The trailer looks kind of funny, like Malcolm in the Middle-weirdness filtered through the whimsy of Easy A. I might actually give it a look if it survives more than a month. At 8:00 is the third season of the multiple-Emmy-award winning series Modern Family, which will in turn lead into Happy Endings, another mid-season replacement that will be given a full year to stretch its legs.
A lot of quality here. A lot of returning veterans with solid fan bases, and a lot of new shows with terrific pedigrees. It would seem that The X Factor is the wild card... if it takes off like most talent shows seem to, it could be the deciding factor on how well everything else does.
At 9:00, two grizzled veterans will go head-to-head for the first time: NBC's Law & Order: SVU and CBS's CSI. SVU, which for years was on Tuesday night but moved to Wednesday last year, enters its 13th season, and changes may be in the works: rumor has it that Mariska Hargitay's character will get promoted halfway through the season, and a new detective (played by Jennifer Love Hewitt) will be introduced. I've been a fan of this show for years, but I've started to grow tired of the overwrought, hand-wringing drama that seems to permeate every storyline. And I, as a rule, hate Jennifer Love Hewitt, so there we are. Meanwhile, CSI, entering its 12th season, continues to be a Top 20 show, and moving it from Thursday to Wednesday has apparently not hurt it at all. But will moving it from 8:00 to 9:00? Doubtful. Laurence Fishburne has proved a worthy replacement for William Petersen, and the show shows no signs of stopping.
ABC is sending up a rookie to challenge these two former favorites, a new show called Revenge. Aussie director Phillip Noyce (Sliver, Rabbit-Proof Fence, Salt) is behind the camera for this show, which stars Emily Van Camp (Brothers and Sisters) as Emily Thorne, who moves into the wealthy neighborhood known as The Hamptons, and seems to effortlessly blend in with the elite of society that live there. But she has a dirty little secret: she used to live there when she was a kid, and the people she is now associated with are responsible for destroying her family, and Emily is back to exact revenge on all of them. Murder? Humiliation? Who knows what she has in store... Movie veterans Madeleine Stowe and Henry Czerny also co-star.
Since my DVR has the ability to record two shows simultaneously, I'm torn. I am a regular watcher of CSI, but if SVU continues its downward spiral, I may give up on it entirely if Revenge proves to be even remotely interesting. As a fan of some of Noyce's work, I'm intrigued to find out whether he can transition to the small screen.
Up next: Thursday.