Let The Cancellations Begin!!

The new season of TV is upon us and it’s time for the cancelations to begin! What the networks were thinking in requesting 13 or more episodes of most of these shows is beyond me. Most of the reviews I read were pretty bad and even most of the ones that got decent reviews didn’t sound like winners to me. I’m only going to highlight a few shows.

Two of the most hyped shows of the season are on CBS.

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS/Global) - Premieres: Monday, Sept. 20 at 10/9c
This show has gotten so much hype that I highly doubt it can live up to the buzz. The original "Hawaii Five-O" (1968-1980) is such an iconic and beloved show that it will always overshadow this wannabe. In the updated version only the theme music and a few of the character names remain the same. Steve McGarrett (now played by Alex O'Loughlin) returns to Hawaii to investigate the murder of his father and ends up being approached by the governor to head up an elite crime fighting team. Two of the other members of the team are conveniently named Danno and Chin. Remaking a classic didn’t work for Dragnet and it probably won’t work for this one either – I hope!

S#*! My Dad Says (CBS/CTV) - Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 23 at 8:30/7:30c
Ed (William Shatner), a politically incorrect curmudgeon, harangues his youngest son, Henry in this Twitter feed-turned-sitcom.

This show has gotten more buzz than pretty much any other new show this season – if only for the fact that you can’t actually say the “S” word on primetime network TV. William Shatner may well be a TV icon to many as he starred in "Star Trek" eons ago and more recently in "Boston Legal". I remember him as “The Giant Head” on “3rd Rock From The Sun”. Frankly I can’t stand the actor and the whole premise sounds a bit similar to the much loved bigot Archie Bunker – yet another character I couldn’t stand. I’ll pass on this show.

So much for the pans! Here is my picks for possible hits:

The Defenders (CBS/CTV) - Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 10/9c
Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell stars as colourful Las Vegas defence attorneys in this dramedy. Might be worth checking out but not holding my breath since this seems somewhat similar to "Boston Legal" which I was not a fan of. I wasn’t impressed with the promo’s but it could surprise us and actually be decent.

Body of Proof (ABC) - Premieres: TBD, Fridays at 9/8C
Dr. Megan Hunt (Desperate Housewives' Dana Delany) plays a feisty neurosurgeon whose career ends after a car accident. She takes a job as a medical examiner in Philadelphia, where she helps cops solve murders by "reading the body."

Dana Delany is a great actress so if the show is as good as the hype this could be another hit! On the down side, ABC has scheduled it for Friday nights which isn’t a big TV night so this could disappear before fans catch on. Hopefully the network will give it a real shot and a better night!

Better with You (ABC) - Premieres: Wednesday, Sept. 22, 8:30/7:30c
Sisters Maddie (Jennifer Finnigan), a high-strung attorney, and Mia (Privileged's JoAnna Garcia), a free-spirited "inventor," are fundamentally different. Maddie lives with, but has not married, Ben (Josh Cooke), her boyfriend of nine years. "It's a valid life choice," she repeats throughout the pilot. Mia, on the other hand, has just agreed to marry Casey (Jake Lacy), her boyfriend of seven-and-a-half weeks. Kurt Fuller and Debra Jo Rupp play the girls' quirky parents.

Canadian actress Jennifer Finnigan who played Bridget on “The Bold And The Beautiful” (2000-2004) and starred in “Close To Home” (2005-2007) headlines this cast with Debra Jo Rupp – Kitty from “That 70’s Show” playing her mother. This is the only comedy I’m looking forward to checking out!

So much for the new shows!

As for returning shows – well there seems to be less for me to watch each year as the shows I tend to like never stick around long. There are a few exceptions though!

Survivor Nicaragua (CBS/Global) premiered Wednesday, September 15
Here we go again with yet another group of castaways vying for the million dollar prize. The show has moved to Wednesday night and this time the teams are divided by age – the under 30 and the over 40. I know what team I’m rooting for!

Amazing Race (CBS/CTV) premiers Sunday September 26
I’ve loved this show from the start and can’t wait to see what teams I loathe or love!

Criminal Minds (CBS/CTV) premiers Wednesday September 22
We last saw the BAU head to LA to track an unsub who likes to kill in the dark. The city is in the midst of a heat wave and going through rolling blackouts to protect the power grid from complete failure. The unsub has also come back to the city to taunt the only survivor of his previous murder spree – a young hot shot detective who, as a child, watched his own mother die at the killers hands over 20 years ago and now has a daughter of his own. I love this show! The complexity of the main characters and how they manage to figure out the killers behaviour and ultimately bring them to justice is always an interesting view!

Desperate Housewives (ABC/CTV) premiers Sunday September 26
Paul Young returns to the neighbourhood and there is also a new housewife in town. She just happens to be a former college friend of Lynette’s. When we last saw the ladies of Wisteria Lane, Bree was about to tell Gabby about the hit and run that Andrew was in that landed Carlo’s mother in the hospital where she met her demise. We also learned that there had been a baby switch in a hospital involving the birth of a Wisteria Lane baby. The show is entering its seventh season but Mark Cherry is still keeping us guessing and entertained!!

How I Met Your Mother (CBS/Citytv) – premiers Monday, September 20
Will we finally get to meet the mother this year? Will Lily and Marshall get pregnant? What’s new with Barney and Robin? Apparently Ted does meet someone special this season but whether or not it will be “THE” mother is debatable.

The Good Wife (CBS/Global) premiers Tuesday September 28
The second season finds Alicia having to prove herself once again as the firm merges with another law firm. Even her detective pal Kalinda will have to prove herself against the other firms detective.

~*~*~*~

In The Wings -

Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviour (CBS/CTV)
A spinoff of the original show. This version stars Forest Whitaker as Sam Cooper who heads up an elite team of profilers who work as far outside the FBI bureaucracy as possible. Word has it that Kirsten Vangsness from the original Criminal Minds) will be moving her wonderfully quirky character Penelope Garcia into this series. A loss for the original show but a big plus for the spinoff! Looking forward to this one!

Happy Endings ABC
The effects of a couple’s breakup on their friends. The show has been getting positive buzz. Some are wondering why it isn’t on the fall schedule. From what I read, it could be quite good, but ABC hasn’t got a great record of promoting good shows – I still haven’t forgiven the alphabet network for their lack of support for “Men In Trees” a few seasons ago! So this potential hit may get lost in the midseason shuffle.

Harry’s Law NBC http://tvguide.ca/Special_Features/Fall_Preview_2010/Articles/100830_Harrys_Law_DW Kathy Bates stars as a lawyer who along with several other lawyers wants a fresh start so they open a practice – in a rundown shoe store. Not a new concept (Ed ran a law firm out of his bowling alley a few years back) but a unique mix of cast so it may just turn out to be a winning case!

Mr. Sunshine ABC
Mathew Perry stars as a manager of a sports arena re-evaluating his life on his 40th birthday. Can he pull off a believable character after playing Chandler Bing on Friends for so many years? Maybe, but at least this show has the brilliant Allison Janney (C.J. on The West Wing) as a supporting actor in this series so I’ll check it out!

Well, that’s it! A so-so season at best. Most new shows will be gone by Christmas – if not before. If you want to check out the full TV schedule you can go to TV Guide Canada or TV Guide. You can also go to each of the networks to check out the shows synopsis, stars and previews.

USA major networks: ABC CBS NBC FOX
Canadian major networks: CBC CTV Global Citytv

Happy Viewing!

dn