New Fall TV...

Everyone who knows me knows that my favorite time of year is the Fall. (In fact, I wrote about my affection for Autumn in an earlier post!) I usually wax poetic about the colors changing and the characteristic weather of the Fall, but there's one thing about this season that usually goes unmentioned: the new shows of the Fall TV season!!

Right around this time is where all the major broadcast TV networks debut new shows to the world! Brand new stories, that the networks hope will light new fires in the minds of their audiences, step out onto the stage and get their chance to shine! And this year there are several new shows out that I've latched on to. Now, because of how many shows are out there, the premieres are usually staggered  throughout the fall, so some shows still haven't started yet, but for the ones that have, here are my personal favorites:

The Last Resort - LR is a military drama about the crew of the US Navy submarine USS Colorado and what happens when they ask for confirmation of a nuclear fire order that they received via a questionable protocol. I know soldiers aren't supposed to question their orders, but DAMN!

I know, I know. I'm making it sound like dried dirt, but trust me this show is INTENSE!! The cast, led by Andre Braugher, has been nothing less than AMAZING so far. I was going through tough times this summer, so I wasn't as vigilant as I usually am about the upcoming TV schedule. I had NO CLUE about this show whatsoever!! Thankfully, my friends know me well enough to keep an eye out for quality tv programming or I would have missed this gem!

Arrow - This show is the CW's darker take on the comic book super-hero, The Green Arrow. Given that I hated Smallville, I had mixed feelings about this show. But the promotional footage was awesome, and I knew the work of one of the producers from another show he did, so I gave the show a shot, so to speak. And it was great!

I do have to admit, I have some issues with the creative choices they made, but the quality of the show did shine through and the story is compelling.

666 Park Avenue - 6PA is a show about a couple who move into a residential hotel, The Drake, located at 999 Park Ave and the supernatural events that occur there. When I first heard about this show, I knew instantly that it was going to be a slow burn. It sounded like one of the main themes of the show was the corrosive nature of the desire to have "the good life". Hollywood has proven time and time again that stories like that work best when the corruption has time to play itself out and from what I've seen of the show, I'm not too far off the mark.

The problem with the slow burn is that it takes awhile for the story to really gain traction with audiences. From the iffy response I've seen the show get from people, I'm not sure the show will last long enough to get to the really great parts of the story. But, given the potential for greatness, I really hope this show stays around for a long, long while.

Revolution - This show is about what might happen if all the electricity on the planet simply stopped working. The brainchild of Supernatural creator, Eric Kripke and produced by J.J. Abrams, Revolution is a very high-concept show and that made me very wary about it. These shows tend go to very bad, very quickly. (Anyone remember Terra Nova? Yeah, exactly.) But, the concept was interesting, and I loved Kripke's first show so, after a long waiting period, I gave the show a watch. And much to my surprise, it didn't suck!

The story was interesting, the progression of the world after all tech stopped working made sense, and the acting was excellent. Before I knew it the show had me very much engaged. I really can't wait to see what comes next for the Mathesons.

Vegas - Vegas is based on the true story of Sheriff Ralph Lamb who was Sheriff of Vegas in the 60s & 70s. From what I can tell, the show is going to be about the clash between Sheriff Lamb and the newly arrived mobster, Vincent Savino. Now, there are some actors who are just born to play a certain type of role. This show stars TWO of them. Dennis Quaid, who is born to play down-on-their-luck stubborn jackasses that you have to respect, and Micheal Chiklis, who was born to embody no nonsense, don't give me bull or I'll turn you into paste, serious mofos. Quaid plays Sheriff Lamb and Chiklis plays the mobster.

You can see why I'm watching this show.

Elementary - The show is a modern day take on Sherlock Holmes with the added kick of placing him in New York City. This show first caught my eye because of the legal battles the producers were having with another modern day Holmes show called "Sherlock" created by the BBC. I've watched "Sherlock" and I believe it to be an amazing show. So, coming into this show, I was wary of what I might see. Despite my worries, the show turned out to be really well done.

Jonny Lee Miller does a very wonderful performance, exhibiting a more true-to-life man in Holmes than the typical "larger than life" intensity that is shown in movies & shows. Another interesting twist is Lucy Liu's performance as Joan Watson. She bonds an atypical vulnerability with Watson's trademark strong will, and intense personality to make an exemplary foil to Holmes.

I have to say that in an era where most shows feature a male & female leads being romantically interested in each other and spend seasons on why they should get together, but delaying the inevitable, it is refreshing to see a show where that isn't happening. From the jump, it was made clear that there was no romantic interest on EITHER side. However, I would like to see an escalation in the complexity of the cases being brought to Holmes' attention. There's only so many times that you can play the "cops messed up because they are myopic and don't consider alternate theories" card before it gets tiresome. 

The Mob Doctor - TMD is about a doc, Grace Devlin, who agrees to work for the Mob to pay off her brother's debt to them and to keep him alive, by providing medical assistance to whomever they demand. I started to watch this show because of William Forsythe. He is an actor who is born to play Mobsters. I think the Mob was invented JUST to give Forsythe an endless series of roles. I like the actress playing Grace Devlin, Jordana Spiro. She is very believable as a surgeon and she portrays the fire of woman who would stand in front of the mob to protect her brother exceptionally well.

The storyline is intense. This is another show playing on the effects of corruption, but this is much less of a slow burn than 666 Park Avenue. The choices are much more blunt and visceral. There are some issues with the storyline, but those aside, TMD is an excellent ride. But out of this list of shows, I think this would probably be the first to be cancelled. I'm trying not to get too invested in it, until I hear the network has picked it up for a full season order.


Those are my new shows this season. If any of them sound interesting, please look them up and check your local listings for when they air. I guarantee you won't regret it.

What about you my dear readers? What new shows got YOUR motor running? Sound off in the comments below!!