New Fall '07 Shows

[jaybeans]

So the TV season has begun and now is the time to sit back and look what these TV executives hath wrought and if there's anything good in there. Here are the shows that Martha and I gave a chance to and were quite surprised how much we liked most of them.

In order of my liking them...

1. Life - My surprise of the season, actually. I hadn't really given this show much thought and probably would've skipped over it if not for Martha loving the actor (or hating him actually, but since he played a villain on Forsyte Saga, that's actually a compliment). This show has gotten a lot of flak for having a distant protagonist and cheap Zen comments but I love it. I think the metaplot will be fun to watch unfold and we all know that I love slightly detached, zany people solve crimes (Psych, Monk, Dead Zone, Law & Order: CI).
2. Reaper - The CW already had one show that I love about a guy named Sam who fights off demons, so why not try for a second? To be honest, I probably wouldn't have paid so much attention to this show if not for Kevin Smith directing the pilot. However I tuned in and enjoyed it immensly. While other shows on this list might grow into something better, I have to say that this show hit the ground running. It was the only show where I said, "well I'd prefer it if they did X" or "I hope they stop doing Y." From the moment the show started, it made right choices. And the entire cast is great from the hero on down.
3. Pushing Daisies - This was the show that every critic loved and I expected to like a lot. Instead I liked it a whole lot. I thought the premise was a bit too limiting, I mean, how long can we watch a love story where if the leads even brush against each other, one of them will die? But the fairy tale nature of the storytelling made the pilot delightful and easy to enjoy. I don't know if the show's got legs but I'll keep tuning in as long as they keep making it fun.
4. Journeyman - I didn't want to watch this show as it seemed like a poor man's Quantum Leap. It just didn't grab or excite me very much and I have to say watching the pilot didn't do much to win me over. The whole thing played as good and solid but not great. The fact that it was on immediately after Heroes helped it and meant that I'd probably keep tuning in. But then there was the last three minutes, which are probably the best three minutes of any of the pilots I saw. The ending was iconic, if it was a movie it'd be right up there with any Cameron Crowe memorable scene or the very similar moment from Last of the Mohicians where Daniel Day Lewis says "I will find you."
5. Aliens in America - This show was pimped as a new take on the Wonder Years; thoughtful and heart-warming but with a slightly more cynical tone. The show delivered and was just about as good sa I expected it to be.
6. Moonlight - If I weren't a sucker for vampire cop shows, I would've ranked this show way lower. Actually, let's be honest, it probably wouldn't have even made the list. But Jason Doring and vampires is enough to get me to watch a lot. The show can definitely improve if it can find its tone.
7. Chuck - I was skeptical about Chuck and it feels like I had good reason. This show had been trumpted quite a bit by NBC and while it was solid, it didn't blow my socks off. Things seemed a little too forced, a little too gimmicky. It feels more like a very tight series of skits rather than a quirky story. I mean, any show that has a scene with a ninja and crotch-hitting jokes at the same time is definitely fishing for laughs. It seems a little too labored, like it's trying too hard to get a lot of the same stuff that's coming so easily to Reaper (especially the sidekick, who leaps off the page in Reaper and feels flat here). Perhaps when things settle in a bit more, the show will feel more organic.
8. Bionic Woman - This was the show that feel the farthest from my hopes. It was being made by someone from Battlestar Galactica and someone from the X-Files. They got a great supporting cast. And when I watched it, I felt bored whenever the protagonist was on screen. There's zero subtext, everything's very black and white morally (and both Battlestar and X-Files were known for their gray) and the lead actress keeps getting blown off the screen whenever Katee Sackhoff would come on. Martha and I purposefully plan on skipping the next four or five episodes and then perhaps binge watching them in the hopes that they can build up some steam. But so far, it ain't looking likely.
9. K-Ville - This is probably the show I wanted to like the most. I love New Orleans, I love cop shows and the pitch for this was pretty unique. It's not often that we get to see a show set in America dealing with the issues that come after such a devastating event like Hurricane Katrina. However, this show just lacked subtext and instead of letting the N'awlins stuff just play in the background they kept bringing it to the forefront. If only the show could grow more comfortable with itself and allow things to simmer a bit, this should could be great. However, I'm betting it's cancelled by Christmas.

These shows joining How I Met Your Mother, Heroes, Bones, My Name is Earl, 30 Rock, Supernatural and Numb3rs makes for one of the best TV seasons for me in memory. Of course, I realize that most of these shows will be cancelled and then I can go back to claiming that British TV is more awesome.