Here in the US, the fall tv season is about to start, and I’m idly fascinated by the themes of this fall’s new shows. The supernatural character shows have progressed – much like the paranormal grows ever more familiar in romance publishing, superpowers are everywhere on tv this fall.
There are shows that deal with death, hell and mortality-related superpowers, such as Reaper and Pushing Daisies. There’s shows that are flat out about superpowers, like Bionic Woman, and Aquaman, which go along with Heroes. And there’s a time traveler dude on Journeyman.
A few years ago, everything was crime procedurals and forensic dramas – still is, to some degree, since CSI: Original Recipe is still on, as is CSI:Sunglasses and CSI:New Yawk. Now it seems a good half of the new hour-long shows involve someone who has a superpower, and I’m so curious about that. I heard once that some colors move through popularity cycles, from clothing to car exteriors to room paint, but I can’t find anything online that supports that idea. Nonetheless, I wonder if themes move from books to tv or tv to books, and in this case, the popularity of paranormal fiction has spread even more into tv shows. Of course, the lead time for tv show development is a bit different than a book’s development, but I am still curious to see which shows thrive and which do not.
What shows are you looking forward to this fall – and if you’re not in the US, what’s new on your tv that you’re way into?
I can’t wait for the glut of westerns after the critical success of Deadwood and the receipts from 3:10 to Yuma.
It’s all a function of one or two cool things being done well. X-men and Spiderman begat Heroes. Buffy and Angel (not to mention a buttload of successful urban fantasy novels) gave the viewing public a taste for the paranormal. Gladiator and Troy brought us HBO’s Rome. I’m just glad that Deep Impact and Armageddon weren’t good enough to spawn a dozen natural disaster TV shows.
Crime procedurals/forensics—I’ve still got a soft spot for L&O and SVU, but I’d actually rather watch reruns of Crossing Jordan than any of the CSIs. Without a Trace is good in a pinch, but I don’t go out of my way to watch it.
I don’t watch Heroes, simply because there was no place in my schedule for another hour-long drama. I’ll send the kids to bed early for Dexter, though, and if I could be the meatballs in a Dr. House, Dr. Cuddy sub…
hmmm…suddenly I’m hungry.
I have to admit I haven’t really watched TV in ages (mainly because I stuffed my sitting room with junk), but I’ve become totally addicted to watching DVDs on the laptop, in particular British documentaries like The British Isles—A Natural History; A Picture of Britain; Francesco’s Venice; and Coast.
And I’m looking forward to the next episodes of Blood Ties—I hope some kind sould will put them on YouTube, or I’ll finally have to get my act together and download iTunes (and then find out that I can’t access those episodes ‘cause they’re North American and everything … *grrr*)
Let’s see.
Has the second series of Life on Mars been shown in North America yet? Life on Mars is excellent. It is about a modern day British policeman who is transported back in time/in a coma/is mad and ends up in Manchester in 1973. British television at its best. Philip Glenister is apparently coming back for the next series, but they are moving the time period to the early eighties. My fingers are so crossed that they do not ruin Gene Hunt. It just is.
I believe they are making a US version of this. But do try to seethe British verision.
The lead in Life on Mars—John Simms also plays Saxon in the latest series of Dr Who. It is an absolutely brilliant send up of a certain British politician.
And I am looking forward to the 3 BBC adaptations of Elizabeth gaskell novels. I believe Dame Judi Dench is starring in one of them. But the autumn line up looks good.
My days of being glued to the TV and having must-see shows ended when Angel went off the air, LOL (the good old days of the WB’s reign). I’m really only anticipating the new cycle of America’s Next Top Model and The Game and if I happen to watch anything else, it’ll probably be by accident.
About the only show I’m looking forward to is NUMB3RS…for some reason I find the geeky math professor brother to be sexy…it’s the same old same old crime show, but I watch just to see Charlie Eppes at the blackboard.
Leah:
Do you know if the show New Amsterdam is based on the book by that name by Elizabeth Bear? Because I just read that recently, and it was way too cool for TV. I’d love to see Fox’s idea of steampunk, though. snerk
Damn, seriously? That was the only new show I was interested in. Of course, last season The Black Donolleys was the only new show I liked and sadly it died. Maybe my interest is bad luck.
Well they all made noises like that at the end of the last season but I swear to god if all three of them really do go I’ll write my first angry fan letter of my life. So there. (Yeah, that’ll scare the producers, for sure.)
I’m totally gay for Doctor Who.
They’re taking a year off after (new)season four, while David Tennant plays MacBeth, so in 2009 I’ll be hunting down Classic Who and filling up on Second Doctor episodes, (followed by the rest, even Colin Baker, who I’m developing a soft spot for).
I prefer my entertainment to be excessively fictionalized, so as you can imagine, I went into a serious decline when TV turned into one ginormous game show wherein we degraded and humiliated everyone as much as we could for prizes and money.
Only obsessively watching Law & Order reruns on TNT kept me sane (I miss Jerry Orbach like you can’t imagine, cried like an idiot when I’d heard he passed away).
But now, I have hope again! Thanks for all the great suggestions. I may have to recalculate my entertainment budget to include HBO et al.
Don’t know if I’ll be able to watch Spike on anything else. Heard him talking in an interview once and felt horribly betrayed when I realized his accent wasn’t his. Got me to thinking that maybe he didn’t sneer in the unbelievably sexy way or listen to the Sex Pistols.
“And speaking of X-Files… have you heard that Duchovny and crew are working on a new “X-Files†movie? They swear that it isn’t going to suck like the first one.”
Hehe, my friend Dawn made fun of Scully’s beesting ramble of symptoms for months.
Yes, I heard about it. My dad keeps telling me to watch Californication.
And the fifth cylon thing..oh…I was thinking Starbuck but that might be too obvious.
We now know Sam, Teigh, Tyrol, and random chick Sam makes out with are Cylons.
I wish we had BBC America, we have like every cable channel BUT because it wasn’t ordered on out package. My boss was basically yelling at me to watch Robin Hood.
I’d rather try to catch Coupling honestly to get me my Jack Davenport fix (oh yes Swingtown on CBS…)
I want to watch Torchwood, I might have to settle for DVDs.
Ugly Betty is my #1 for next season. Heroes, Lost, and I can’t wait to see Reaper. Michelle Styles mentioned the show ‘Life on Mars’ here. I’m gonna try that one next. I don’t have cable so I usually have to catch up episodes on the computer. I’ve listed a site below with a link to one of my favorite sites for people who have trouble keeping up with tv. *sigh* I’d give my husbands left nut for tivo.
http://www.tv-links.co.uk/listings/1
I’m such a TV junkie, it’s pretty pathetic. But I con myself into thinking it’s valuable because I discuss the shows online and get to use my film/TV studies degree. *g*
I have a metric fuckload of shows I’m going to check out or continue watching this season, so I won’t list them all. Some that I’m anticipating in particular are:
Stargate Atlantis: Somehow, the boys got even hotter over the break. I’m not sure how that happened.
Journeyman: Interesting premise, and I’m required to watch it because a Homicide: Life on the Street alum is in it. (Reed Diamond, who played Kellerman.)
Life: Why, hello, Damian Lewis!
K-Ville: A cop show set in New Orleans. Anthony Anderson kicked ass on The Shield, so this could be great. Also, I REALLY REALLY NEED to see a show that isn’t filmed in New York, Los Angeles, or frakkin’ Vancouver!
Reaper: A guy turns 21 and finds out his parents sold his soul to the devil before he was born, and now he has to work as Satan’s bounty hunter. And Ray “Leland Palmer” Wise plays Satan. How is that NOT awesome?
Pushing Daisies: Everything I’ve heard about the pilot has been ecstatic, and I’m curious to see how the premise gets played out over time.
Swingtown: I’m bummed it’s been bumped to midseason, but when it premieres, I am SO there that I’m hosting viewing parties. Suburban spouse-swapping in the 1970s, wheeee! Plus Jack Davenport!
I’m so psyched to see all of the Torchwood love—I caught the episodes earlier this year online and the show is great. Wait ‘til you get to Episode 12…. *g*
As for the trend toward speculative elements in TV shows (SF, superpowers, paranormal), I think this is mostly related to the success of Lost and Heroes, as well as smaller hits like Smallville and Supernatural. Television executives imitate what works, and think the audience is there for more. As one of my coworkers said the other day, “NBC is the new Sci-Fi Channel.”
I’m gonna second the How I Met Your Mother from WAAAY up this thread. Love that show!
I’m also a bit addicted to House and Boston Legal, and since Blood Ties is based on one of my favorite series of books, I’m definitely making room in my schedule for it.
And I might have to check out the Josh Malina show since, after all, it IS Josh Malina . . . (yeah, West Wing and Sports Night fan here.)
“adorkable”
That is my new favorite word.
Oh, and for all you recovering Veronica Mars fans out there – Kristen Bell is gonna be on Heroes this season. Someone may want to give specifics on this because I am not a regular watcher.
Spike is also going to be on Torchwood next series (filming now). I would be watching it anyway. Its nuts but I love it.
Meanwhile, anything with dancing – Strictly Come Dancing (US version: Dancing with the Stars), Dancing on Ice, etc. No other talent shows. I do have some standards!
Meanwhile David Tennant is in a one off drama “Learners” this Autumn on BBC1 sometime, with Jessica Stevenson/Hynes. That looks pretty charming.
“CSI: Sunglasses!? *snorts milk out of nose* Horatio’s bespectacled antics are the only reason to watch that show—so snarkworthy.”
How I LOVE to HATE that show. It’s sooooo bad I just have to watch it, his overacting cracks me up. Maybe I need rehab?
I did read that BONES is going to moved to 8pm Friday night – if so, we can begin the requiem now for that show, sob sob.
It’s the same old same old crime show, but I watch just to see Charlie Eppes at the blackboard.
I so agree – I don’t watch for the crime procedural. I watch for the scenes with Charlie, Don and their father. I get irritated with the crime drama part because the writers are using lazy pathos-laden crutches to establish emotional drama without doing any actual work – kidnappings, crimes involving children, etc. It bugs me. But I love Charlie, Don, and their dad.
CSI: Sunglasses is so irritatingly bad that when it’s on, I put it on the tv for a second just to make Hubby howl in rage.
Oh… CBS isn’t airing The Amazing Race until January or February… that just is NOT right!
Blood Ties has just started over here (UK). I think they’re cutting it though, some of the ad breaks have very dodgy timing.
I’ve been grabbing hold of anyone within reach to bend their ears about “Saving Grace” on TNT. What a fabulous character for an actress (Holly Hunter) and for an audience (me) who’s thrilled to watch something not geared towards the usual audience demographic. Grace is so horrendously, in-your-face flawed and human—could any one person make more poor choices?—but I am riveted by her struggles to find her way. AND one of Grace’s lovers/co-workers is played by Bailey Chase, he of the student-soldiers on BtVS. Yup, she’s nearly 50 and living proof that “older” is still hot.
SB Sarah: Bones is still on Tuesdays, so no worries about it being dumped on Fridays.
Check out the Entertainment Weekly guide to the Fall TV schedule—it’s got everything. EW Fall TV 2007
X-Files Movie: Chris Carter SWEARS there’s really a script for it (and Scully and Mulder are IN)
Lauren: I’ve only seen one ep of Californication but I thought it was awful. I’d rather spend my time watching my Battlestar DVD’s and looking for clues about the last Cylon (I’m thinking Starbuck as well because her story-lined ended oddly but my husband swears that it’s Baltar, although we’re both kind of hoping that it could be Lee Adama just because that would be crazy).
If you lived near me, I would have you over for BBC America marathons. I love it. Robin Hood makes me swoon. I’m so excited that Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares are coming to the US for fall TV. I like him better when he’s yelling at people for a reason, not just screaming nonsense like on Hell’s Kitchen.
Spike on Without A Trace: Checking in with James Marsters, EW.com (The picture with the article is freaky—Spike has gotten OLD. But still hot. Even with the Modesto accent because it’s not even that bad. I was born and raised near Modesto and, believe me, his accent could be a LOT worse.)
Chicklet: I don’t know how you could tell me but I really, really want to hear what you think of K-Ville. You seem to be a big TV junkie, just like me, and I’m not sure if I can stomach a drama like K-Ville. Even though it looks like it’s The Wire for network television. And that’s a great thing.
Seems like I’m the only one with a reality-TV fetish. Well, except for Proj Run, of course (can’t wait!)—Did any of you ProjRun fans see Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style? Second ep airs tonight and the first one was… bleh. Sad rip-off of What Not To Wear and I’d rather watch Stacy and Clinton tell a girl that she dresses like a ho, than watch Tim Gunn send girls to a Life Coach who makes them put on garbage bags because if you can wear a garbage bag, you can wear anything! Stacy would never let that happen on WNTW. (Nor would Trinny, and Susannah, the Brits who started it all—but I think they’ve been replaced, which made me angry.)
Reality TV is my big guilty pleasure. Watching Rock of Love right now and will probably watch some Bachelor episodes because girls crying over a guy they just met makes me laugh. Top Chef, to learn about cooking food and The Biggest Loser, to remind myself that I need to exercise. Intervention on A&E because I need the weekly reminder about the importance of remaining sober (from what I can tell, the only people who like this show are either recovered addicts, such as myself, or the friends and families of addicts). Ice Road Truckers is a new favorite of mine. Dr. 90210 because I’m weird and like watching girls who swear that getting the perfect boob job will completely change their lives. And Girls Next Door because I love Holly, Bridget and Kendra, and Hef, I suppose, but not as much as the girls.
(I have got to work on writing smaller posts. I apologize for my verbosity.)
For those with Tivo, the pilots for Journeyman, Bionic Woman, and Life are available for free download through Amazon Unbox. US only, sorry.
value11- well, yeah. They’re free!
Darlynne… I LOVE saving grace
she is so flawed and the tie in with the aftermath of the oklahoma city bombings is insightful.
other shows I like are Californication and the new hbo ” tell me you love me”
tell me you love me follows several couples in different stages of their relationships,the character who plays the therapist is in her 60s and it even shows her love life with her husband.
just one episode has aired so far but i’m interested enough to keep watching it.
network tv.. i’m looking forward to the return of” my name is earl” and i’m curious about the new bionic woman. i hope it has the neat sound effects of the old one.. i think i drove my poor mama into early menapause running thru the house in slow motion making those noises LOL
Bionic Woman is very good, and as tightly wrapped as Heroes. A good part of the tension came from BSG’s “#6”. Don’t miss the first minute of the first show. (“Do You Love Me?”). Let’s hope they develop the actress playing the Bionic Woman, because early in the pilot, she’s pretty lame and wooden.
The Sarah Conner Chronicles starring River Tam from Firefly is a boring retread.
Reaper should appeal to kids who don’t usually watch TV, so it should be interesting. I saw the pilot ep of Reaper, and fast forwarded through most of it.
Pushing Daisies is for those who wish Desperate Housewives was written by the people who did Wonderfalls. Wonderfalls was good in its own quirky way, but the shows started repeating ideas before the plot ever really got started. Pushing Daisies should be okay to watch until the fourth episode. I didn’t fast forward through Pushing Daisies, but I did roll my eyes with the obvious story points. Loved Chi McBride playing a funny role, though. I have a suspicion that half the stories will treat our hero’s “skill” like Samantha’s in Bewitched. Blah.
I’m looking forward (after having no TV for 3 years) to seeing season 8 of SCI: Original Recipe and Bones and sort of Heroes.
I also think that Hollywood goes through phases of having NO FUCKING IDEA as to what to put on the TV. All the ideas are done and rehashed and instead of coming up with something moderately new they all jump on a bandwagon the second someone makes a “hit” show.
There have always been people interested in parallel worlds and stories and the supernatural. Just as when the rating get low for THIS round of super shows people will swing back to crime dramas or something else.
That’s why I love me some PBS and BBC. Their programming tends to suck slightly less than the others.
As an aged fangirl of the original Dark Shadows and Kolchak: the Nightstalker I’m loving more paranormals on tv. Reaper sounds cool and I’m eagerly awaiting the new Blood Ties and the other vampy shows in the works.
Ghost Hunters amuses me greatly. Dave Tango is Teh Man 😛 and my daughter and I have gotten many lulz out of the Brian & Steve bickering.
I have been a TV addict since kindergarten, but for the past couple years I haven’t gotten too excited about new shows. Half the shows on my slate now are there because my husband was interested in them and I happened to be in the room. None of this fall’s slate excites me right now, but I’m sure I will become a fan of at least one of the shows if someone shoves it in front of my eyeballs :-).
As for returning shows, I’m looking forward to Ghost Whisperer. I watch a lot of the other shows (Grey’s Anatomy, Heroes, Ugly Betty, Medium) but Ghost Whisperer is the only one whose season finale stayed in my brain over the summer.
Returning shows: House, Ugly Betty, Stargate Atlantis.
New shows: Not sure. Maybe Journeyman, ‘cause I lurve time travel stuff. Reaper sounds interesting, too; reminds me of series on Fox a few years ago, about a dead guy (from New Jersey, lol) who’s dead but is allowed to return to Earth as long as he harvests souls for the devil.
Or something like that. It was interesting and quirky, but of course it was cancelled after only a few episodes.
~jerseygirl
Jerseygirl, you’re thinking of “Brimstone,” I think. As I recall its tone was a bit more serious than Reaper appears to be aiming for—otherwise the resemblance is pretty spot-on.
I’m about a season behind the US on most things but season 6 of “The Shield” starts Sunday (cannot wait!) Still watching “House”, have no idea how far behind I am or at what point in the season but House just got shot.
Love Bones too. Can’t stand Horatio – even with the CSI drinking game…
House just got shot? Oh honey, you have many wonderful hours of “new” episodes still waiting for you.
Oh yes, I believe that was the season finale of 2, which means tons of Housage ahead. And in season 3, Cameron stops sucking quite so much!!
“X-Files Movie: Chris Carter SWEARS there’s really a script for it (and Scully and Mulder are IN)”
Squee!!!! Don’t toy with me; I’ve been hurt before…
SUPERNATURAL! Yes, eye candy, but yes, GREAT stories.
Grey’s is going to have to woo me back after last year, especially since now The Office is in the same timeslot and Supernatural has dibs on the Tivo.
I thought The Sarah Conner Chronicles would be good – I’m going to give it a shot. Moonlight, too. I hear Hugh won’t be in Viva Laughlin that much, so I’m passing. I’m a little tempted to watch Aliens in America since Luke from Gilmore Girls will be in it.
And I’m a recent Friday Night Lights convert.
There’s a fascinating discussion of color trends and shifts here at Making Light.
As for TV, we’ve been watching a lot of British shows, downloading them on limewire.
Life on Mars was GREAT until the end, which I hated. The new series is called Ashes to Ashes, and we’re well excited.
The IT Crowd is our new must-watch – tech nerd comedy by Graham Linehan (of Father Ted).
BF really likes Jekyll, but the lead chews so much scenery his dentistry bill must break the show’s budget.
Torchwood was, in a word, terrible.
Yay TV!
Haha—yep, I’m a Supernatural kind of fangirl, and elbows-deep in the fandom to boot.
Yes, everything you’ve ever heard is true.
Even that.