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Every year, TV network execs in the US get together to negotiate their ‘fall schedules’ for the next season of television. While this leads to endless renewal/cancellation buzz for existing shows, what’s often paid less attention to is new pick-ups. After realising that a year ago I hadn’t even heard of Glee or Modern Family, two of my current weekly staples, I thought it was time to plunge into no less than 36(!) new shows coming next year and discover some future classics. Not everything can be tackled here, but I’ll do my best to cover the highlights (and the duds too).
I love a good David E. Kelley courtoom dramedy (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal), and Harry’s Law starring Kathy Bates is just that. It’s a quirky legal show with unlikely characters thrown together and a dash of fate to spice things up. On a slicker note, The Defenders starring Jim Belushi is about criminal defence lawyers in Las Vegas. For you legal TV traditionalists, The Whole Truth looks at cases from the perspectives of the defence and prosecution. With Joely Richardson on the cast it gives me hope, and any legal shows trying to inject some originality into the battered genre are worth giving a chance. Finally there’s the Hawaii Five-O remake about the Honolul-based Hawaiian State Police force. Fans of the original will surely tune in, but whether they’ll be impressed or not when comparing will determine its fate. Having never seen the original, I’m intrigued nonetheless.
Mike and Molly is the new Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men) sitcom about, well, fat people. Who meet at Overeaters Anonymous. But its stars insist it’s not about poking fun but about being accessible – and when you have the best sitcom creator in the biz, I believe them. Its classic format won’t hurt it either. Arrested Development fans rejoice – creator Mitch Hurwitz is back with Running Wilde, starring Will Arnett (also from AD) and Felicity’s Keri Russell about a playboy falling for a humanitarian worker. This glowing team alone may be enough to make success. Less promise is shown by cringe-worthy Outsourced about an American manager transferred to a call centre in India to teach them the ‘American way of life’ to sell their products. After two minutes of watching, its hideous stereotypes and borderline racist jokes did not win me over – and I imagine other viewers will feel the same. Controversy awaits us...
Conspiracy thriller The Event has arrived at the perfect time, filling the gap left by the disappointing FlashForward and old favourite 24. With its five-minute trailer using a lot of high-concept phrases such as ‘destiny’ and ‘biggest cover-up in US history’, this could work – but only if given a sense of direction from day 1. I’m a little more than excited for No Ordinary Family about a family developing superpowers. It may sound like a The Incredibles/Heroes crossover, but with super-talented Julie Benz playing the mum and its genre-defying nature (sci-fi primarily but slipping into comedy/drama) it could be a break-out. Though not arriving until mid-season (Jan), the most promising high-concept show is Steven Spielberg’s Terra Nova about the year 2149 when families time-travel to prehistoric times to correct mankind’s mistakes. Being shot in Hawaii, having settlers in unfamiliar territory and allegedly its own mythology will certainly earn it comparisons to Lost. Bearing in mind it looks like it’ll keep things relatively simple and the fact that they're hiring the best special effects team from Avatar, I’d be surprised if this didn’t do well.
Look out for the second part next week when we delve deeper into shows under the banner of action, drama and romance!
The trailer for Outsourced is just plain offensive... since when was racism on TV ok!? However, of this lot, I'll definitely be looking forward to The Event and No Ordinary Family.
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