Welcome back!
September is here, and that means a few things: back to classes, the NHL pre-season begins, the shakes from excessive caffeine return, and of course the fall TV season.
The summer has treated us to some good shows, like the highly-addictive True Blood, the brilliantly-written Nurse Jackie and Mad Men, and guilty-pleasures such as Big Brother and Hell’s Kitchen.
But the really good stuff is in the fall. So sit back and relax as I guide you through this season of television.
Let’s start with the new shows.
For comedy fans, this season will offer a lot of options, but two have the potential to become the next great comedy.
Chevy Chase returns to TV in the new NBC comedy Community (Sept. 17th), where he plays a mature student attending community college. The show also stars Joel McHale (The Soup), John Oliver (The Daily Show), and Ken Jeong (The Hangover).
The second comedy, though, is the funniest show I’ve seen in years. ABC’s Modern Family (Sept. 23rd) has a great cast, which includes former Married with Children star Ed O’Neill. It follows the life of three different families – one nuclear family, one extended family, and a same-sex family.
For other new shows to watch there’s the very entertaining FOX dramady Glee (Sept. 9th). For the LOST fans, there’s a potential heir in ABC’s Flash Forward (Sept 24th). Imagine the world freezing for two minutes and 17 seconds. Then you start to remember stuff that will happen six months from now. That’s the plot for Fast Forward.
Did you miss Jay Leno this summer? Yes? No? Well get ready for him five nights a week at 11 pm on NBC. The Jay Leno show will occupy a third of the network’s primetime space. Genius!
This season we’ll also see some shows try to bounce back from a troubled past season.
CSI (Sept. 24th) had a major shake-up last season, and took a hit in the ratings. Now with the new season coming, the show welcomes back a familiar face. Jorja Fox returns as Sara Siddle. But what does that mean for Grissom?
Speaking of cast shake-ups and slumping ratings, Grey’s Anatomy (Sept. 24th) ended its season with one of the biggest cliffhangers in recent memory. The life of two characters was left in the air.
If you’ve read any news this summer, you know who makes it and who doesn’t, so I won’t spoil it. But the season kicks off with them dealing with the loss. But will the show be able to win back the fans it once had, or will this loss hurt it more?
CSI and Grey’s Anatomy better gain numbers soon, because their competition got tougher. Moving to Thursday nights is one of the biggest new shows of the past season, FOX’s Fringe (Sept 17th.) How will the sci-fi hit do against two former juggernauts?
Finally I’ll finish with two of my favourite characters on TV today, both of whom are facing new environments.
When we last saw Dexter (Sept. 27th), he just got married, and was expecting a child. How will our favourite serial killer juggle the family life, being a new dad, and his little hobby, all while dealing with the Trinity Killer, played by John Lithgow?
And of course, our favourite cranky doctor was admitted to a mental intuition during the season finale of House (Sept. 21st). Will a saner House emerge this season, or will he sink further into the deep end?
As you see, there’s a lot to watch this fall. September, welcome back. Readers, welcome back. I look forward to feeding your brain and entertaining you all year long.
For more all the latest TV news, and more info on the fall season, check out www.tvdonewright.com
