News > FEATURE: The Five Most Anticipated Shows for the Fall Season
August 10, 2007
Written by Josh Karp
Fall is a time when trees die, women get pregnant and networks launch their new series. Exciting? Sometimes, but more often than not it turns into a rather frightening proposition. A hit new series or two can make or break a network's ratings. This type of financial pressure often leads to some strange decisions, and this fall is no exception. The crop of new shows is meager at best, but we still thought it prudent to give you a rundown of the 5 shows we'll most “peruse.” Observe with caution, and don't hold us accountable if any/all of these end up as bad as that time ODB stole the mic during the Grammy's. Hmmmm...
The Bionic Woman
The recent success of Heroes seems to have opened the door for a (recently) untapped world of live-action superhero shows. Lois and Clark and Smallville notwithstanding, the genre had been basically absent prior to last year's Heroes breakout. Thankfully, another show with significant promise has come along to ride the Heroes-train. Bionic Woman, set to debut on NBC this fall, will star the sultry Michelle Ryan as Jaime Sommers, the girl who survives a near-fatal accident only to learn that she has been blessed/cursed with some seriously bionic powers. Certain, ahem, issues follow suit. I'm pretty pumped about the potential for this show to develop into a beautifully serialized comic book show. The icing on the cake, however, is that the mysteriously intriguing Katie Sackhoff shows up in a semi-recurring role as Sarah Corvus, the "first" bionic woman and a suitable arch nemesis to poor Jaime. Let the Bionic catfights begin!
The IT Crowd
From where I'm standing, NBC is quickly becoming the HBO of network television. They seem invested in taking risks and pushing for the underdog, and they actually seem committed to bringing quality programming to the non-cable subscribing masses. Corporate brainwash? Never! Next up in the network's ongoing string of comedy home runs is The IT Crowd. It is, in many ways, the spiritual equivalent of The Office. It's an American remake of a British cult classic about some dudes in an office building... hmm. Thing is, the British version is pretty damn funny, leading me to believe that, unless NBC really really screws it up, it will be a solid show. Nothing savagely original, but that's alright as far as I'm concerned. If I want original, groundbreaking programming, I turn to The CW. Yes! The IT Crowd, insofar as I can tell, follows a group of socially incompetent IT dudes as they attempt to navigate the incredibly complicated landscape of an American office micro-society. Jokes abound!!
Tell Me You Love Me
Real sex on HBO? Hellllls yes! Alright, so it's not exactly full-on porn (the production team is rumored to be using a cadre of incredibly lifelike prosthetics) but I'm not too mad. As long as boobies look like boobies, I'm a happy man. Honestly, though, HBO has been consistently churning out some of the finest television programming this side of, well, the Berlin Wall (it's still there, correct?). I will gladly accept just about anything that the network puts out. New HBO show + boobies is a pretty damn good proposition. Sure, the show "claims" to focus on more than just breasts and such, giving viewers an inside (and often agonizingly intimate) look at several couples navigating the intricacies of relationships... think of it as Sex in the City with waaay more nipples. Capisce?
The Carpoolers
Whoa. Four dudes in a car for thirty minutes every week. Doesn't sound that appealing, does it? You might be right, but against my better judgment I'm relatively excited about this show's upcoming debut. Something about the pilot reminds me of the opening sequence from Office Space combined with a more mature version of the weed-soaked basement confessionals from That 70s Show. A bizarre combination, but one that seems to have a fair amount of potential. The show follows the morning carpool-exploits of four working men. Different lives, different jobs, different troubles -- same car pool. Sounds fairly banal, but my gut says this is going to be a winner. On the other hand, my gut also encouraged me to move to the middle of nowhere, so it's a bit of a toss up. Wavering faith in my gut notwithstanding, I would give this show a chance. Do it for the kids.
Chuck
As is often the case someone else has managed to describe something far better than I could ever hope to. Chuck, the upcoming comedy on NBC, is outlined right here, courtesy of... wait for it... NBC:
Chuck Bartowski is just your average computer-whiz-next-door. He spends his days working for Buy-More with his band of nerdy cohorts, longing to find a woman who can appreciate him. But when an old friend, who happens to be a CIA agent, sends Chuck a mysterious encoded email, the world’s greatest spy secrets are embedded into his brain.
He never asked to become the government’s most powerful weapon, but the fate of the country suddenly lies in his unlikely hands. Hopefully, this won’t take away from his video game time! International terrorist plots, sexy spies and cold pizza – it’s all in a day’s work for our trusty hero…Chuck.
