Networks tout many shows that require devoted viewing to understand
CORRECTION ON 09/19/06 -- A story about television shows in the Living section on Sunday contained the incorrect name of a new local show on KVVU-TV, Channel 5. The program is called “More.”
The Thing in the Corner You're Afraid to Turn Away From Because It Requires the Same Devotion You'd Otherwise Give a Loved One.
Not quite as catchy, is it?
TV was never designed to be complicated. It was designed to sell soap. And the viewer who ponders his next big Dove purchase isn't the kind who wants to be challenged after a long day. Which is why you had "Dynomite!" And "Kiss my grits!" And "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?"
But viewers eventually got hooked on "24's" bad days and "Lost's" crazy numbers. Suddenly just cobbling together a bunch of doctors, lawyers or cops for weekly stand-alone episodes wasn't good enough.
This fall, "Kidnapped," "Vanished," "The Nine," "Heroes," "Ugly Betty," "The Knights of Prosperity," "Jericho," "Runaway" and "Six Degrees" will dole out pieces of a larger story each week, making every single episode a priority.
The season's other trend? Bad names. "Men in Trees." "Smith." "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." "30 Rock." "The Nine." "The Game." "The Class." And the worst? "The Knights of Prosperity." As one of the show's characters says when he first hears it, "OK, issue one: That name sucks."
Unlike most years, there's not one obviously great series. There's also not a truly horrible one. But there's a lot of potential out there for both.
Here's a look at what the fall has to offer; as always, times and dates are subject to change:
SUNDAY
The inaugural "Commander in Chief" Doesn't Play Well With Others Award goes to "Brothers & Sisters," easily the season's most troubled series.
Like "Chief," which had a very public meltdown in the middle of last season, "Brothers & Sisters" has endured more drama backstage than on-screen.
As part of several casting changes after the pilot was filmed, Sally Field replaced Betty Buckley as the matriarch of the show's damaged family. There were rumors that the series was undergoing a change in tone to be a better fit with its lead-in, "Desperate Housewives." And "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" writer-producer Marti Noxon, who was running "Brothers & Sisters," quit last month.
I'd like to say the show's talented cast -- which also includes Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, Patricia Wettig and Balthazar Getty -- is good enough to survive the upheaval. I'd even like to say it's not. Pilots for every other new fall series were sent to critics in May; "Brothers & Sisters" still hadn't landed on my desk in time to write this. (10 p.m., KTNV-TV, Channel 13; premieres Sept. 24)
Elsewhere ...
"The Game" takes its concept from BBC America's "Footballer's Wives" and its raucous laugh track from "The Kings of Comedy."
The "Girlfriends" spinoff focuses on the significant others of one of those ridiculous sounding, fake pro football teams: the San Diego Sabers. The first episode has one legitimate laugh and a couple of clever lines, which puts it squarely between "Everybody Hates Chris" and every other WB-UPN-CW comedy. (8:30 p.m., KVCW-TV, Channel 33; premieres Oct. 1)
MONDAY
"Are you coming to save us?" a production assistant asks hot-shot writer Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," "West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin's backstage look at a sketch comedy show. Given that Matt is a stand-in for Sorkin, it's not hard to imagine someone at NBC asking the writer the same thing -- the series is just that important for the struggling network.
The dialogue is crisp and funny, but largely without its author's trademark rat-a-tat pacing. And it looks gorgeous, with the sort of long, sweeping tracking shots that Thomas Schlamme, Sorkin's right-hand man, specializes in. But it's not without a few hiccups.
Perry and Bradley Whitford, as Danny Tripp, Matt's directing partner, are the heart and soul of "Studio 60," and they already have the rapport of an old vaudeville team. Perry, especially, hits a career highlight. Yet they don't turn up until a good 25 minutes into the pilot.
To get to them, you'll have to sit through an on-screen meltdown, a dinner party, and several tension-filled meetings. There's nothing wrong with those scenes, I just don't know how many viewers will sit through what appears to be two commercial breaks waiting for things to pick up.
I've also heard doubts from people who've seen the pilot -- it's been available on Netflix for weeks -- whether viewers will care much about what goes on behind the scenes of a TV show. But who could have guessed that millions of viewers would get wrapped up in the inner-workings of the White House? (10 p.m., KVBC-TV, Channel 3; premieres Monday)
Elsewhere ...
Andrea Anders moves from a thankless role on the "Friends" spinoff "Joey" to a thankless role on "Friends" co-creator David Crane's "The Class."
To surprise his fiancée on the 20th anniversary of their meeting, Ethan (Jason Ritter) stages a reunion of their third-grade class. There are a few subversive laughs, several awkward moments and the whole thing feels like late-night experimental theater -- take that however you want.
On the plus side, Jesse Tyler Ferguson delivers some amusing shtick as the suicidal Richie, and Kat (Lizzy Caplan) looks a lot like Leather Tuscadero. (8 p.m., KLAS-TV, Channel 8; premieres Monday)
A group of far-flung strangers is slowly discovering superpowers and "will not only save the world, but change it forever" in "Heroes," which looks like the beginnings of an "X-Men"-style adventure -- without all the cool spandex and leather.
Among the soon-to-be "Heroes" are Niki Sanders (Ali Larter), a single mother/online stripper in Las Vegas who has an uncontrollable mirror image; Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka), who learns how to bend time and space in his native Japan; and Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere), an indestructible high school cheerleader in Odessa, Texas.
Shows like "Heroes" almost never work, and unless it can reach beyond the fan boys who embrace anything comic-related, this one won't either. (9 p.m., Channel 3; premieres Sept. 25)
Sara Collins, the wife of a prominent Georgia senator has been kidnapped. Or has she? And is she even Sara Collins? Those are just some of the mysteries of "Vanished."
The drama will follow the FBI's search for her throughout the season, or however long it holds up in the ratings given that "24" will take its time slot in January. The time needed to follow all this, let alone understand it, is a pretty big commitment for such a lackluster show. (9 p.m., KVVU-TV, Channel 5; already airing)
Donnie Wahlberg, who was so good in "Boomtown," and "24" alum Leslie Hope are finally back on TV in "Runaway."
When attorney Paul Rader (Wahlberg) is wrongly accused of murder, the real killer threatens his children. Paul, his wife Lily (Hope), and their three kids then change their names and appearances before settling in a small Iowa town, hiding out from the killer and the U.S. Marshals.
The big letdown: Being on The CW, "Runaway" is bound to squander most of its time focusing on the bland kids. Wahlberg and Hope deserve better. (9 p.m., Channel 33; premieres Sept. 25)
TUESDAY
CBS makes its living with sensational crimes and elite teams of experts. But on "Smith," the experts are the criminals.
Ray Liotta stars as Bobby Stevens, a world-class thief -- and not the fun, wink-and-a-smile, George Clooney variety -- with a second life as a suburban family man selling supplies to movie theater concession stands. Not even his wife (Virginia Madsen) knows the truth -- although she's starting to suspect.
Bobby's second family is made up of Annie (Amy Smart), a master of disguise who's running cons as a Las Vegas showgirl (at least in the pilot); Joe (Franky G), who's responsible for transportation; Tom (Jonny Lee Miller), who joins them despite being on house arrest; and Jeff (Simon Baker), who brings the firepower -- literally and otherwise.
"Smith" -- the name refers to the file the FBI is keeping on Bobby -- is obviously Liotta's show. But Baker may just swipe it out from under him. His Jeff is the ultimate man's man -- even when he's walking around in a one-night stand's silk shorty robe.
It may be tough coming up with a flashy new heist each week, but at least "Smith" handles balancing home life with a bullet-riddled day job better than its lead-in, "The Unit." (10 p.m., Channel 8; premieres Tuesday)
Elsewhere ...
Movie-to-TV transfers rarely work, and there's no reason why they should. That's why "Friday Night Lights" is hands-down the most surprising series of the fall.
Writer-director Peter Berg, who handled the same duties on the film, updates the story of the powerful hold high school football has on small-town Texas, setting this version in the present and at a different school.
Some parts of the pilot's big game are a bit clichéd, but even those scenes are unexpectedly touching. "Friday Night Lights" is going to need each and every one of those feel-good moments, though, if it's going to survive against "Dancing With the Stars" and "NCIS" and, if it makes it till January, "American Idol." (8 p.m., Channel 3; premieres Oct. 3)
Ron Livingston, the heroic slacker from "Office Space," finds himself playing for much higher stakes as an FBI hostage negotiator dating his partner in "Standoff."
Livingston, who seems to be turning into Kyle MacLachlan, is a welcome addition to any show, but "Standoff" has a problem with its tone. It's not quite lighthearted enough, nor does Livingston have enough chemistry with his partner (Rosemarie DeWitt), to be a "Moonlighting"-style workplace romance. And the danger never feels real enough to make it as a traditional crime drama. (8 p.m., Channel 5; already airing)
They may be far from the well-oiled stealing machine of "Smith," but the lovable losers of "The Knights of Prosperity" are just as committed.
The comedy, from "Ed" creators Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman, plays out like "My Name Is Earl" in reverse: Good-hearted, blue-collar types try to change their lives by turning to crime. There's even an improbably hot Latina along for the ride. Soon "The Knights," led by janitor Eugene (Donal Logue), become a real criminal organization -- they even have an intern. Their target? Mick Jagger and his "$52 million apartment."
"Knights" looks terrific, but it's a bit of a bait-and-switch: Jagger walks away with the pilot with an insane caricature of himself, but he'll only appear again occasionally, if at all. (9 p.m., Channel 13; premieres Oct. 17)
Ted Danson stars as Dr. Bill Hoffman, a group therapist who's as screwed up as his patients, in the comedy "Help Me Help You."
ABC tried this in 2000 with Jon Cryer in "The Trouble With Normal." It didn't work then, either. (9:30 p.m., Channel 13; starts Sept. 26)
WEDNESDAY
A cop, a doctor, a lawyer, a social worker, a geek and two gunmen walk into a bank. Add a duck and a rabbi and you have the beginnings of one of Playboy's party jokes. As it is, you have the most gripping new drama of the fall.
"The Nine" follows the survivors of a particularly gruesome 52-hour hostage crisis stemming from a botched bank robbery. ATMs and direct deposit have never looked so good.
The series, from "Without a Trace" creator Hank Steinberg, looks at how the nightmarish incident changes each of the characters -- two bank tellers, the bank manager and his daughter round out the victims -- while each week offering up pieces of the horrors they encountered.
The strong ensemble is led by Chi McBride, Scott Wolf, Kim Raver and Tim Daly, who, after a few false starts, will make you forget all about "Wings."
With its similarities to its lead-in "Lost" -- a "Party of Five" alum, stories framed around flashbacks -- "The Nine" almost feels a little calculated. But you'll be so wrapped up in it you won't care. (10 p.m., Channel 13; premieres Oct. 4)
Elsewhere ...
Tina Fey left "Saturday Night Live" -- taking with her its primary reason to exist -- to executive produce, write and star in "30 Rock," NBC's other behind-the-scenes look at a sketch comedy show. The result is the best new comedy of the fall.
Fey, "SNL's" former head writer, plays, naturally, the head writer of the show-within-the-show. As the network's new vice president of East Coast television and microwave programming, Alec Baldwin is quite possibly the best he has ever been. As the troubled star brought in to boost ratings, Tracy Morgan -- channeling the worst of Martin Lawrence -- is definitely the best he has ever been. (8 p.m., Channel 3; premieres Oct. 11)
The best premise of the fall -- a small Kansas town may be the last one in America after a series of nuclear attacks -- is done in by the execution in "Jericho."
Skeet Ulrich, who stars as Jake, the black-sheep son of Jericho's mayor (Gerald McRaney), is one of the most underrated actors around. And I'd watch Ashley Scott, as Jake's former flame, read Canadian Football League box scores if that's all she could get. But the whole thing feels a little too, well, hopeful, with too much of a neighbors-gotta-stick-together, it-takes-a-village vibe.
It would have been better on the edgier ABC, which has a more solid track record with this kind of show. (8 p.m., Channel 8; premieres Wednesday)
John Lithgow is a surgeon made to take partial retirement. Jeffrey Tambor is a fussbudget judge who has accrued 212 vacation days. Best friends, they decide to make the most of the rest of their lives in "Twenty Good Years."
This pairing should have been comedy gold, but the writing is just not there. Tambor can't make much of anything out of his understated character, and he just gets swallowed up by Lithgow's usual more-is-more antics. The forced premise, which promises all sorts of wacky stunts as they seize the day (think carpe di-ugh), sounds like an excuse to keep putting the aging leads in various states of undress. (8:30 p.m., Channel 3; premieres Oct. 11)
Kerr Smith shakes off all the dust of "Dawson's Creek" as "the good-looking, all-American face of not guilty" in Jerry Bruckheimer's legal thriller "Justice."
It's fairly standard Bruckheimer crime-of-the-week fare, set in a high-profile Los Angeles law firm, complete with forensic experts, shadow juries and all the gizmos you'd expect from the producer of all three "CSIs" and "Without a Trace."
At least it keeps Victor Garber, as the notoriously unlikable leader of the firm, on TV now that "Alias" is gone. (9 p.m., Channel 5; already airing)
Take two parts "Ransom," one part "Man on Fire" and a dash of whatever that movie was that Meg Ryan left Dennis Quaid for Russell Crowe during and you have "Kidnapped."
The eccentric 15-year-old son of an upper-crust Manhattan couple (Timothy Hutton and Dana Delany) has been, well, kidnapped, in an elaborate, violent, public way. It's up to a retrieval expert (Jeremy Sisto), an FBI agent (Delroy Lindo) and the boy's bodyguard (Mykelti Williamson) to get him back.
Although we see who has taken him before he even goes missing, we're not sure why, or who else is involved. And everyone's a suspect. They'd better be if "Kidnapped" is going to maintain this level of intensity over the entire season. (10 p.m., Channel 3; premieres Wednesday)
THURSDAY
The name "Ugly Betty" may be a tough sell for viewers. If it helps, think of it as "The Devil Wears Skittles." You should think twice about watching the comedy-drama in HD -- the bright, vivid colors may just overwhelm your set. They're positively Wonka-licious.
Based on the Colombian telenovela "Yo so Betty, la fea" -- which has spawned successful reworkings throughout Latin America, as well as Spain, Holland, Germany, Russia, Israel, India and China -- "Ugly Betty" follows the travails of Betty Suarez (America Ferrera).
Betty dreams of exploring social issues at a serious magazine, but a publishing magnate (Alan Dale) hires her as the assistant to his playboy son, newly promoted fashion magazine editor Daniel Meade (Eric Mabius), solely because she's so unattractive, Daniel can concentrate on his work instead of sleeping with her.
Daniel wants the awkward Betty to fail so he can hire someone more attractive. Others want her to fail so they can have her job. But when it becomes obvious that even more people want Daniel to fail, the two form an uneasy alliance.
Vanessa Williams is delicious as Daniel's rival. Salma Hayek, who executive produces the series, is a hoot in her cameos in the telenovela-within-the-telenovela -- an over-the-top parody of an over-the-top genre. And Ferrera is inspiring as Betty.
"Ugly Betty" looks and feels like a fairy tale -- with more bed-hopping. There's nothing else like it on TV. At least not in English. (8 p.m., Channel 13; premieres Sept. 28)
Elsewhere ...
Everybody may have loved "Raymond," but Brad Garrett is going to find a much smaller following for " 'Til Death," an angry, hateful little comedy that would be a perfect fit with Fox's equally unfunny "The War at Home."
Young newlyweds Jeff (Eddie Kaye Thomas) and Steph (Kat Foster) clash with Eddie (Garrett) and Joy (Joely Fisher), whose overlong marriage should be taken out into the woods and shot. But the series is mostly one long excuse to joke about the newlyweds' last name: Woodcock. (8 p.m., Channel 5; already airing)
"Happy Hour" doesn't have much of a premise -- something about how drinking afternoon martinis with your friends makes you appreciate life -- and most of the jokes fall flat. You'd expect its creators -- former "That '70s Show" executive producers Jackie and Jeff Filgo -- to have a better idea of what Fox is looking for in a comedy.
Still, most of the cast is likable -- especially Beth Lacke as the sexy mess Amanda. Look for many of them elsewhere next year. (8:30 p.m., Channel 5; already airing)
It's official: Simon Cowell must be stopped. After bringing the world "American Inventor" and "America's Got Talent," his "Celebrity Duets" proves he should only be allowed in front of the camera.
On this latest "American Idol" clone, David Foster is the Simon, Marie Osmond is the Randy, and Little Richard is most definitely the Paula. This is his entire criticism of "Diggin' Up Bones," as performed by Cheech Marin and Randy Travis: "Oh you said you was diggin' up bones. I thought about dry bones in the valley! I said, my, my, my. Diggin' up bones. I hope you get 'em outta there! I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm -- get the bones! Grab the bone. Bone. Bone." Paula would be proud. (9 p.m., Channel 5; already airing)
When one of his high-profile clients goes off the deep end, flamboyant Los Angeles defense attorney Sebastian Stark (James Woods) has a change of heart and begins heading up a high-profile-crimes unit for the district attorney (Jeri Ryan) in "Shark."
The manic Woods needs talented actors he can play off, which is why he was so good earlier this year on "Entourage." But "Shark" must have blown all its money on him and director Spike Lee, who doesn't bring much flair to the pilot, because the drama finds Woods surrounded by what appears to be the kids from "Fame" as his young prosecutors. It just doesn't work. (10 p.m., Channel 8; premieres Thursday)
If Dr. Phil, Jewel and Kathie Lee Gifford got together to write one of those commercials for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it would look something like "Six Degrees."
In the drama, which has half of a solid cast -- Campbell Scott, Bridget Moynahan and Erika Christensen -- six diverse strangers in New York keep crossing paths. And crossing paths. And crossing paths. You have to hope there's some sort of higher power at work, because you could have a mosh pit in a Miata and not run into the same people this often.
Nothing about this show feels real, and since it's taking up the valuable post-"Grey's Anatomy" time slot, look for it to get a quick hook. (10 p.m., Channel 13; premieres Thursday)
FRIDAY
An uptight New Yorker stuck in a small Alaska town is won over by the picturesque setting and quirky locals in "Men in Trees." I liked it better when it was called "Northern Exposure."
Anne Heche stars as a best-selling "relationship coach," full of pithy sayings and bad stand-up, who, for no apparent reason, has been booked to lecture in tiny Elmo, Alaska. On the flight there, she learns her fiance has been cheating on her, and she soon doubts that she ever really knew anything about men. Luckily for her, Elmo is one of those mythic towns overrun by rugged men just looking for a few good women.
Between this outdated stereotype and "Six Degrees," which pretends it discovered the concept of six degrees of separation, it's like somebody at ABC just got his hands on a People magazine from 1995.
Thankfully, those rugged men -- specifically old-school pilot Buzz (John Amos), surprisingly sophisticated bar owner Ben (Abraham Benrubi) and rugged, quiet wildlife expert Jack (James Tupper) -- are watchable, if not necessarily believable.
"Men in Trees" -- the name comes from a road sign that warns passers-by to watch for falling limbs -- probably won't be around long because it has been hung out to dry between "America's Funniest Home Videos" and "20/20."
More importantly: Sixty minutes is a lot of Anne Heche. (9 p.m. Channel 13; already airing)
Saturday
Don't bother looking for new series; the networks gave up on this night years ago.
'The Nine' to watch
In honor of ABC's "The Nine," the best new series of the fall, these are the nine shows you should be watching:
1. "The Nine"
2. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"
3. "30 Rock"
4. "Smith"
5. "Friday Night Lights"
6. "Heroes"
7. "The Knights of Prosperity"
8. "Ugly Betty"
9. "Kidnapped"
RETURNING SERIES
While Monday is the official kickoff of the fall season, several series have already returned, and many more won't be back for weeks. Here's what's coming:
Today -- "The Amazing Race 10"
Monday -- "CSI Miami," "Deal or No Deal," "How I Met Your Mother," "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "Two and a Half Men," "Wife Swap"
Tuesday -- "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," "NCIS," "The Unit"
Wednesday -- "America's Next Top Model," "The Biggest Loser," "Criminal Minds," "CSI: NY"
Thursday -- "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "ER," "Grey's Anatomy," "My Name Is Earl," "The Office"
