What to Watch Fall 2013 TV Season

It’s that time of year again y’all… I’ve done all of the Fall TV research for you so you don’t have to lift a finger! Just sit back and read this long long long but very detailed blog about what you should and shouldn’t watch this fall TV season, according to me. Do we have the same taste in TV shows? Maybe we do and maybe we don’t. Will we disagree on the watchability of some of these shows? Absolutely, but I’m the one doing the heavy lifting by extensively researching it all, so shut up. You’re welcome. I likely won’t profile EVERY show that’s coming on this season, if it’s a show that is well established and I don’t watch it I won’t go into detail about it. And the shows that I do watch that are well established will get a channel, premiere date, time and probably a bit of commentary. I figure if you haven’t watched the first 9 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy, my description of it isn’t going to convince you that NOW is the time you should start from the beginning. Mmkay? Also, as always the shows will be listed in order by day of the week but not necessarily by premiere date. New shows are indicated by an *. I will be randomly inserting trailers for some of the shows and not for others. I hope you’re prepared for what’s in store for you… because it’s sortof a novel. Also be forewarned that these may be the last intelligent words you ever hear from me because my brain is likely to turn into mush after the hundreds of hours of TV that it is going to be taking in over the next few months. 


MONDAY It seems like Monday is the new Thursday this Fall TV season. So far they are jam packed with action, suspense thrillers and a dash of comedy. I can’t wait!!

I Met Your Mother CBS- Season 9 premieres September 23rd 7pm. I love this show but am 2 ½ seasons behind. I will catch up at some point but this is the final season and I have NO time to catch up now… just wait till you see how much TV I have to watch this fall.

*We Are Men CBS- Series Premiere September 30th 7:30pm. Any time a new 30 minute comedy comes out that ISN’T set to a laugh track it makes me both happy and anxious. Happy because… faked laughs= blegh, anxious because… people might not watch and love it as much as I do and it will probably get canceled! This show gets an automatic thumbs-up for casting Tony Shaloub and Jerry O’Connell. Carter gets left at the altar by his fiancé who runs off with another man. In his post-wedding life crisis he has to find somewhere else to live so he moves to a bachelor pad apartment complex and meets some of his divorced neighbors. Enter Frank (Tony Shaloub), Dr. Stuart Webber (Jerry O’Connell), and Gil (Kal Penn) who decide that they are going to help him get his life back on track. To help him forget about his ex they engage in shenanigans, debauchery and shameless flirting. I love it already. I really hope that this show makes the cut and gets a few seasons of air time.

Bones FOX- Season 9 premieres September 16th 7pm. I watched Bones on Netflix up until the point that they didn’t have the “newest season” so I quit watching. Is it still a good show? No clue but if you watch it… that’s when it starts. Also, Bones will be moving to Fridays at 7pm on November 8th. 

*Almost Human FOX- Series Premiere November 4th 7pm. At first glance this looks like a RoboCop type action police show. It takes place in 2048 and there are cyborgs called MX or Synthetics that assist police in the field and use their computer brains to assess the situation and make tactical decisions based on statistical information and other robot type stuff. There is an incident that causes officer Kennex to go on extended medical leave. When he returns to duty an MX partner is mandatory for every human officer. He doesn’t adjust well to working with the Synthetics and ends up “losing” his assigned partner. He is re-assigned a decommissioned model that is more realistic but has a few bugs. This series is from J.J. Abrams who I LOVE and I’m glad to see a new show from him that has a fighting chance. There’s action, comedy, action, guns… what’s not to love? The fact that the show has a late premiere date worries me some, by November most people will already be established in their other “new favorites” of the season and may pass on watching this one since it premieres 6 weeks after fall kickoff. I really hope that this show makes it, though FOX is the worst about canceling fantastic shows (ahem… Sarah Connor Chronicles anyone???) 


*Sleepy Hollow FOX- Series Premiere September 16th 8pm. When I first read this show’s title I thought, ugh- not another ye olde lore/fairy tale type show. I was wrong. Ichabod Crane is alive and well y’all. He reveals to police that he was hired by General George Washington to dispatch of a menacing figure. He started by shooting the man then beheaded him. Obviously the police think this guy is totally cray-cray so they arrest him while trying to figure out if he actually DID kill and behead someone. There is definitely a Hocus Pocus “olde time witches in the modern day world” vibe going on, which I always love. Events happen that lead one police officer to believe that he’s strangely telling the truth or at least not completely insane. She brings him along to help her catch the headless man who is killing people. I like it already. FOX definitely isn’t afraid to take some chances on shows that wouldn’t make it on other networks so I hope this show holds up to it’s potential. 


The Following FOX- Season 2 no premiere date 8pm- I thoroughly enjoyed the first 3 episodes of this show, then it completely lost me. I still tried to watch and made it through episode 5 before giving up entirely. I just found it completely unbelievable that this man could convince THAT many strangers via the internet to be crazy kidnapping murderers for him. I know there are some insano people out there, but it’s one thing to be insane and another for multiple insane people to murder strangers for a whacko in jail. Sorry Kevin Bacon, I like you and adore your wife but I’m out on The Following.

Beauty & the Beast CW- Season 2 October 7th 8pm. I watched the first episode of this show and felt “meh” about it. I caught a few more and had neither positive nor negative feelings so I just quit. I have too many other things to watch to spend time on something I don’t reeeeally want to see.  

*Mom CBS- Series Premiere September 23rd 8:30pm. Two words: LAUGH TRACK. If you don’t know how I feel about shows with a laugh track see the paragraph directly below this review.  Starring Anna Faris and created by Chuck Lorre I know some of you are already100% sold on Mom.  Here’s what I gathered from the preview: Mediocre jokes, mediocre laughs on a show about a former teen mom Christine (Faris) turned weepy alcoholic waitress with severe mother issues. Her mother tries to make things right for giving her a horrible childhood and Christine tries to correct her current parenting mistakes because obviously she is basically turning into her mother. If it were on TV randomly somewhere I wouldn’t bother to turn off the TV but I certainly won’t set my DVR to record this. I’m sure it’ll be a huge hit with all the canned laughter but it’s not for me. 

Why I hate laugh tracks (re-post from last year’s blog): Live audiences with enhanced laugh tracks worked for the Cosby Show, Cheers, Seinfeld and Friends but this is a new millennium and it just seems a little forced and fake.  If the comedy is really strong it doesn't need someone laughing in studio to let me know that the joke was funny and it's time for me to laugh, or maybe that's just me.  Upon further investigation I have come to realize that I don't like MOST new shows that use laughter, and like quite a few that have none, coincidence?  Laughter: Two and a Half Men, Mike and Molly, 2 Broke Girls, Big Bang Theory.  I never realized before that for the most part I just don't like laughter added to my TV! The only currently airing show I can think of that does have laughter that I enjoy watching is How I Met Your Mother.  NO-Laugh shows that I like: Arrested Development, Community, Parks and Recreation, Cougar Town, It's Always Sunny, Modern Family, Glee... I like being able to chose when to laugh and how funny something really is.  Here is a quote that sums it up perfectly: "Comedic shows without laugh tracks imply that the audience can decide what is and isn't funny."  And I wholeheartedly agree with that statement.
I know some of you are completely taken with all shows set to a laugh track but I just can’t stomach it 99% of the time. Now stepping off my soap box.

*The Blacklist NBC- Series Premiere September 23rd 9pm. James Spader stars as Raymond “Red” Reddington, the world’s most wanted fugitive who surrenders himself to the FBI, which completely confuses them. He clarifies his purpose of surrender in wanting to thwart another bad guy that he has beef with. Red insists that he’ll only work with one specific agent, Elizabeth Keen who is completely unknown to the higher-ups. He is kept in a Hannibal type “cage” indicating that he is very dangerous and not to be trusted. He meets with agent Keen and tells her of a kidnapping plot… blaah blaah blaah kidnap happens, they decide maybe he’s not full of ish after all. He makes some comfort demands in order to help them find the bad guy, yadda yadda then he reveals to them that he has compiled a list of criminals that he is prepared to help them catch. This seems to be a very fast paced show with lots of twists and turns. I know it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea but I’m certainly going to watch. I hope it doesn’t turn into last season’s “The Following” because I got bored with that pretty quickly. 

*Hostages CBS- Series Premiere September 23rd 9pm. Dylan McDermott? Yes please. Toni Collette? Yes please. This show had me at those two being cast. FBI hostage negotiator (?) Duncan Carslisle isn’t one that plays by the rules (which we all know is TOTALLY realistic in the FBI). He, for reasons unknown takes Dr. Ellen Sanders’ (Collette) family as hostages and advises her that when she operates on The President of the United States she will kill him. If she does not they will kill her whole family. “Don’t think of it as assassinating The President, think of it as saving your family.” From Jerry Bruckheimer I don’t see how this show couldn’t be a total success- I do question the show’s longevity if she kills the president in the first episode or two but who knows?? I love the tagline from the trailer: FBI agent/ Terrorist. Husband/ Cheater. Advisor/Conspirator. Surgeon/ Traitor? I’m excited about this show.


Castle ABC- Season 6 Premiere September 23rd 9pm. I never began watching this show when it premiered because I thought it would get canceled. I’ve been told that I should watch and maybe I will one day after it’s all said and done.


TUESDAY

*Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC- Series Premiere September 24th 7pm. When I heard that there was going to be a Marvel Avengers-ish TV show I really thought it would probably suuuuck. I do love a good action movie and have to (shamefully) admit that I haven’t seen The Avengers, or even MOST of the recently released Marvel comic hero series (except of course for X-Men). Is that bad? Apparently it is. So between now and September I’m making it my mission to watch: Hulk, Thor, Captain America, The Avengers, and the newer X-Men/Wolverine movies. I’m going to blame being a mom AND my extreme TV addiction as to why I’ve never seen these movies. And that is totally a cop out because we even own some of these movies- they’re Blue’s and I still haven’t watched them. Gaah, now I’m making myself feel bad about myself. ANYWAY the trailer for this TV show seems like a movie trailer, it’s phenomenal. ABC isn’t cutting corners on the special effects and explosions just because it’s TV. I will watch this show, period.


NCIS CBS- Season 11 Premiere September 24th 7pm. Season 11… need I say more? Watch if you watch and it’s too late to start if you don’t.

*Dads FOX- Series Premiere September 17th 7pm. My first thought when I saw this title was, “I’ve never heard of this show…wait… isn’t there “Mom” too?? Then I remembered that I did see an almost completely unmemorable trailer for this show. LAUGH TRACK. Eli (Seth Green) and Warner (Giovanni Ribisi) are work friends having dad issues aka… annoying old fart dads intruding on their personal and work lives. I will watch ONE episode because of the cast and will likely not tune in again because of the unbearable laugh track.

*Brooklyn Nine Nine FOX- Series Premiere September 17th 7:30pm. Andy Samberg, need I say more? If you love him I don’t see how you won’t love this show, if you hate him don’t even bother watching. Also if you’re a laugh track lover… it doesn’t have one so again total plus for me.  This show is about Precinct 99 in Brooklyn, they just got a new captain who is sure to not be as laid back and fun as the previous one. The new man in charge wants to shape up the precinct and make them the best of the best. I laughed multiple times during this trailer and if you don’t, I really think we should stop being friends five minutes ago. Again… Andy Samberg, SOLD!

*The Originals CW- Series Premiere October 8th 7pm. If you’re a fan of The Vampire Diaries then you know who The Originals are and you are super excited about them getting their own spinoff show! Klaus, Elijah and Rebekah are all in it. The show takes place and is filmed in New Orleans, which totally makes me want to go down and stalk the set in hopes of seeing them. There was a tie-in episode last season on Vampire Diaries to introduce some of the new characters and I can’t wait to start watching The Originals. Tagline: “In New Orleans the air is thick with blood.” Love it! If vengeful vampires, voodoo magic, angry ex-lovers and general dark myterious supernatural shows aren't your thing definitely don't watch The Originals.

*The Goldbergs ABC- Series Premiere September 24th 8pm. This comedy is for any of you children OR parents of the late 70’s and early 80’s. I’m sure it will flood you with childhood memories from back in the day with all of the retro clothes, music and parenting styles. How can you go wrong when the teenager screams:  “The only one who understands me is Flavor Flave!” Right? I’m watching this and I hope you do too. P.S. no laugh track!!


New Girl FOX- Season 3 Premiere September 17th 8pm. Any of you who know me, know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE New Girl!! And while I did technically say that it’s too late to start watching an established show if you weren’t already watching, I implore you to check out New Girl if you are a fan of funny. And for those of you who have watched the first two seasons and wondered, “Where the hell did Coach go?” HE’S BAAAACK!! At least for the first episode of this season but I’m hoping he’ll be back in the full cast soon, even if not a roommate maybe a next door neighbor? On a sad note, the reason Coach is back is because the ever fantastic show Happy Endings was canceled by the evil ABC and no other cable network picked up it’s broken bits and put it back together… moment of silence please.



The Mindy Project FOX- Season 2 Premiere September 17th 8:30pm. Let me start off by apologizing for the horrible name for this show. It made me seriously question whether I wanted to be a part of a show that was so un-creatively monikered. BUT I love Mindy Kaling (Kelly from the Office), she is witty, kooky, self assured and self-critical at the same time and so is her character Dr. Mindy Lahiri. She is a part of an OBGYN practice in New York City her fellow doctors are: Dr. Danny Castallano the brooding moody doctor from Staten Island and he’s a total hottie. Dr. Jeremy Reed- a British manwhore doctor who you both DO and DON’T want to be your gynecologist. The office staff is kindof “meh” at times but they are obviously needed because what doctor’s office doesn’t have a support staff? Morgan is possibly one of my favorites, he’s a loveable ex-con male nurse. They all have quirky love/hate relationships and a fantastic cast dynamic. If you didn’t catch the first season of The Mindy Project it’s not too late to catch up! I love everything about this show, except of course the name. 

*Trophy Wife ABC- Series Premiere September 24th 8:30pm. Why haven’t I seen a trailer for or even heard of this show yet??? I’m in, I will watch this show for sure 100%. One night a hot young chick, Kate (Malin Akerman) “meets” middle aged Brad (Bradley Whitford) and later that night meets his ex-wife Diane (Marsha Gay Harden), their two kids… the other ex-wife and THEIR kid… Brad and Kate start seeing each other. Neither the kids nor the ex-wives take her seriously because she’s in her 20’s so obviously not really an adult. I like it, the trailer made me laugh out loud and I’m already sold on this show. If it doesn’t appeal to you, I seriously question our friendship and you’re obviously not my people. 

*Lucky7 ABC- Series Premiere September 24th 9pm. I had never heard of this show before right now… and maybe there’s a reason for that. Some working class neighborhood people who are all pretty hard up for money have been playing the lottery for years… and of course at their lowest point when they all REALLY need the money, tonight is their lucky night. They hit the jackpot… except for that one, possibly two people who opted out this week (whoops). I’m assuming there will be some extreme highs and lows for this group as they find their way to being new millionaires. I will commit myself to watching two episodes, if I’m feeling it I may keep watching but we’ll have to see.


Chicago Fire NBC- Season 2 Premiere September 24th 9pm. I hated this show in the first five minutes of the first episode which is exactly where I stopped watching. If you think that all firemen are hunky calendar models in real life… you probably watch this show. 


Person of Interest CBS- Season 3 Premiere September 24th 9pm. I didn’t like Ben from LOST, and I certainly didn’t want to watch him in this show. Maybe it’s my loss or maybe not. 


WEDNESDAY


The Middle ABC- Season 5 Premiere September 25th 7pm. I watched and loved the first season and a half of this show but it became a little bit boring and repetitive so I gave up on it. I just don’t have time to watch shows that I have tepid feelings about. If it’s re-running on TV and there is nothing else to watch I will keep it on and smile once or twice but I’m not a devoted fan. 

*Back in the Game ABC- Series Premiere September 25th 7:30pm. I saw a few commercials for this show on TV and seriously thought it would suck. However the youtube trailer makes it much more desirable to watch. It’s somewhat of a Bad News Bears 3.0 starring the fantastic James Caan as Terry Gannon Sr., his daughter Terry Gannon Jr (?) assuming that will be explained (played by Maggie Lawson- Juliette from Psych) Jr. is recently divorced with a son and has moved in with her dad who, according to her ruined her childhood. Her son wants to play baseball to impress a girl but he is horrible at all of the sports type activities. He doesn’t make the team so his mom volunteers to coach all of the kids who didn’t make the cut… thus forming the aforementioned Bad News Bears 3.0 aka the Angles… yes angles, not angels. Back in the Game has definite potential so I will watch a few episodes. 


Revolution NBC- Season 2 Premiere September 25th 7pm. I started watching Revolution last season but it completely lost me when whatever her name is begged her uncle not to kill the bad guy, so he didn’t and the guy got away. I’m sorry but in a real post-apocalyptic world you kill a bad guy when he comes after you. The show lost all credibility when that happened. After a lot of urging from friends I watched a few more episodes but still couldn’t get over their unwillingness to kill people who were trying to kill them. Maybe I’m heartless, or maybe I’m just a survivor. Realistically in that situation you don’t let someone get away with trying to kill you. Needless to say-I’ll not be watching season 2.


Arrow CW- Season 2 Premiere October 9th 7pm. I watched the first episode of this show last season and it was really good, but I forgot to set it to record on my DVR and forgot about it. So…my bad. 


Modern Family ABC- Season 5 Premiere September 25th 8pm. Who doesn’t love Modern Family??? Stick in the muds and homophobes, that’s who. I can’t wait to hear what ridiculousness will come out of Phil's mouth, what flamboyant arguments Cam and Mitchell are going to have and how grumpy Jay will be with Gloria and Many. Bring it!! 

*Super Fun Night ABC- Series Premiere October 2nd 8:30pm. Starring Rebel Wilson the awkward chubby girl from Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect (which I haven’t seen… shame on me). Three loserish roommates never do anything fun, but Kimmie (Wilson) gets invited to a night out for drinks with a co-worker and his friends. The gals decide to get wild and have the best night ever. It definitely has some silly comedy moments but it looks good. Will it be a “must watch”? Maybe, maybe not but I’m going to give it a try. 


Criminal Minds CBS- Season 9 Premiere September 25th 8pm. Season 9. You’re either watching or you’re not. I miss Mandy Patinkin.


Law and Order SVU NBC- Season 15 Premiere September 25th 8pm. Seriously? 15 seasons? But FOX couldn’t air 3 seasons of Sarah Connor Chronicles or at the very least finish the freaking series without cliffhangers? THAT is what is wrong with this world (besides the obvious war, famine, violence etc). Yes, I know... first world problems.

*The Tomorrow People CW- Series Premiere October 9th 8pm. I love it already. It’s basically the poor(er) man’s X-Men. Mutants who all have similar abilities and are in hiding underground (literally); because the government is trying to track them down and eliminate them from existence to “protect” the human race. 


Nashville ABC- Season 2 Premiere September 25th 9pm. I will admit that I was 100% wrong about this show last season. I predicted that I would most likely hate it because of the country music. I love this show!! Connie Britton is fantastic as is Hayden Panettiere and their rivalry seems so real I feel like it must be true. The original music that comes out of this show is phenomenal. I’ll even admit that I bought one of the songs. So yeah, if you didn’t watch last season definitely do a quick catch-up marathon so you’ll be ready for season 2. 


CSI: Crime Scene Investigation CBS- Season 14 Premiere September 25th 9pm.

*Big Tips Texas MTV- Series Premiere October 9th 9pm. This is MTV's latest reality drama show following the bartenders and waitresses at the bar Redneck Heaven in Dallas, TX. The bar itself seems basically like a Coyote Ugly type place where the girls all have to wear daisy dukes and bras and dance at the bar. Redneck Heaven's signature drink is the Minnow Bomb which is a shot with a live minnow in it... I know... yummmm!  With an almost all girl cast I'm sure there will be plenty of drama and cat fights- I enjoy my life being completely drama free which is why I love to get my drama from over the top guilty pleasure TV shows.

*Ironside NBC- Series Premiere October 2nd 9pm. Blair Underwood cast as a detective in a wheelchair- done, sign me up. Apparently this is a remake of an ooooold show. Robert Ironside is a defiant detective who was injured in the line of duty. He’s still on the job kicking ass and taking names… but he has a team assigned to him to do the literal ass kicking for him. There’s a definite “Justified” vibe going on for those of you who are fans of the Holler. I can’t wait to see what this show has to offer. And that’s all I have to say about that.

THURSDAY

*Once Upon a Time in Wonderland ABC- Series Premiere October 10th 7pm. I hadn’t heard of this show until just now. On one hand I’m almost over the fairy tale shows… almost. But I’m just a sucker for a good fantastical thrill ride fairy tale and the trailer for this looks like it won’t disappoint! Alice is in a mental institution because her father thinks she’s insane.  She is insistent that Wonderland is real and that she fell in love with and traveled the world with a genie in a bottle. She’s about to start electroshock therapy when the rabbit comes to save her. I’ll definitely give this show a solid try… why not? I have a full plate of TV to watch already.


Big Bang Theory CBS- Season 7 Premiere September 26th 7pm. Laugh Track, ‘nuff said.

*The Millers CBS- Series Premiere October 3rd 7:30pm. This is another laugh track loser. I love Will Arnett, Margo Martindale and Beau Bridges. I can’t see myself watching this show AT ALL. But it’s led in by Big Bang Theory so I’m assuming that those of you who watch it will stick around for The Millers?









Parks and Recreation NBC- Season 6 Premiere September 26th 7pm. Parks and Rec is one of the funniest quirky shows on TV. If you haven’t had a dose of Leslie Knope (Amy Poehler), Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari), and of course… Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman)… you are SO missing out. Crap the whole cast is fantastic: Rob Lowe, Rashida Jones, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Pratt… if you like to laugh and you haven’t been watching Parks and Recreation there is something wrong with you. I’m not saying that you should marathon the first 5 seasons post haste so you can laugh at funny stuff weekly… except that I am saying exactly that. You’re welcome.

*Welcome to the Family NBC- Series Premiere September October 3rd 7:30pm. I just for the first time saw the trailer for this show.   Mom and Dad have a daughter, Molly who (much to their excitement and surprise) has finally graduated from high school. They are ready to kick her to the curb aka send her off to college and start their lives over again as empty nesters. Just one little problem… Molly has a boyfriend… and he got her pregnant. Her parents are not exactly thrilled, HIS parents are downright outraged. This show definitely has potential, my only concern is once again that NBC consistently does not promote their good shows so they fail to gain popularity and then get canceled. Anyone remember last season’s GO ON? Neither does anybody else but me. That show was fantastic, Matthew Perry just can’t get a break. I honestly don’t know what is wrong with NBC because they consistently chose not to advertise their shows. How is one to know about a good show if nobody ever sees a commercial for it?

The Vampire Diaries CW- Season 5 Premiere October 3rd 7pm. Damon! Vampire Elena… Damon! Stefan… Damon!!! Yeah, the end.


Grey’s Anatomy ABC- Season 10 Premiere September 26th 8pm. SPOILER ALERT! Mc. Steamy and Lexie are still dead which is super depressing every time I think about it. The doctors from the plane crash bought the hospital and re-named it after Lexie and Sloan. Meredith and Derek had a baby during a monsoon or something, Mer almost died. Jackson is now the boss over all the rest of the doctors which is super weird for everyone else. Arizona cheated on Callie with random visiting doctor. Alex and the foster kid doctor are in like with one another. Christina and Owen are as confused/confusing as ever. Dr. Webber and Avery’s mom are doing it. And now you’re caught up on Grey’s.

*The Crazy Ones CBS- Series Premiere September 26th 8pm. Robin Williams back in the lead on a TV show for the first time since Mork and Mindy??? Kindof a must see without knowing anything else about the show. Sarah Michelle Gellar would be totally must see too if not for that train wreck of a show Twins or whatever it was called from last season (hooooorible). The first sign that it’s going to be great… no laugh track!! A large family owned Ad agency led by Simon Roberts (Williams) and his daughter Sydney (Gellar) is about to be fired by their biggest client McDonalds. They have to figure out a way to save the account by tomorrow. All they have to do is get a well known celebrity to sing about meat. This show looks like it will be amazing, seriously. I laughed out loud a few times watching the trailer. Why are there SO many great shows this season? It doesn’t seem fair to someone like me who desperately tries to watch them all. This one has definitely made the cut. The only drawback I see to his show is that it’s 30 minutes long instead of an hour.


Two and a Half Men CBS- Season 11 Premiere September 26th 8:30pm. Laugh track.

*Sean Saves the World NBC- Series Premiere October 3rd 8pm. Laugh track. Sean Hayes from Will and Grace is back on TV as a single dad to a teenage daughter. Trying to be a good single parent and a good worker to his somewhat hardass boss is proving to be too much to handle. His mother comes along to “help” because “teenagers are so difficult”. This show honestly doesn’t look horrible, I’m just mystified as to WHY it has to have a laugh track? Can some comedians not be funny to an empty room? Apparently so. I usually give ONE laugh track comedy a try per season and this may be it. I will go ahead and say that it is very unlikely the show will stick, since How I Met Your Mother is the ONLY other laugh track show currently airing on TV that I can stomach. It’s so funny that I don’t notice the laughs. Maybe this show can do the same thing.

*The Michael J. Fox Show NBC- Series Premiere September 26th 8:30pm. TMJFS (that sounds weird) is very much based on Michael J. Fox’s life since getting Parkinson’s and leaving behind TV and movies. Mike Henry is a former news anchor who left due to his Parkinson’s. But after years being a stay at home dad and husband he’s ready to get back into the workforce. The ONLY negative I saw in the trailer is that there’s a cameo by Matt Lauer aka NBC’s biggest douche. I guess NBC still doesn’t know that America hates Matt Lauer! But that won’t stop me from watching The Michael J. Fox Show. Though I feel like NBC is cheating just a little bit. I would already be inclined to watch a TV show with Michael J. Fox aka Marty McFly in it… but they have to go and NAME it after him?!? It feels a little like pulling the disability sympathy card since he’s not named Michael J. Fox in the TV show. 


Glee FOX- Season 5 Premiere September 26th 8pm. It is with an extremely heavy heart that I look forward to the new season of Glee. It will not be the same without Cory Monteith playing Finn as a leading man and vocalist. I don’t know what lies ahead for the current and former students of McKinley High but I hope they rock out their Cory Monteith memorial episode. I have no doubt that I, Brandi… the girl who NEVER cries… will bawl my eyes out. 


*Rake FOX- Series Premiere TBA 8pm. Greg Kinnear is a lawyer who is also a very in debt gambler, he apparently lives above a Chinese restaurant,  and is in love with a prostitute. It sounds like the start of a joke right? AND to top it all off, he’s about to defend a cannibal in court. I’m not sure when this show is going to premiere, possibly winter 2014 but it looks good, I’ll definitely watch this British to US re-write.

*Reign CW- Series Premiere October 17th 8pm. Reign is a mostly historically inaccurate (from what I can gather) tale of Mary Queen of Scots and her betrothal to the Dauphin of France, Francis. It all looks very scandalous, wrought with lies and deception “In this palace power isn’t about knowledge but seduction. Friendship isn’t about trust but control. Love isn’t about desire but deception. Between politics and passion, between duty and desire, between loyalty and love lies the destiny of a queen.” That tagline pretty much says it all and we’ll just add that to the ever growing list of shows I’ll be watching this fall.


Scandal ABC- Season 3 Premiere October 3rd 9pm. Scandal is one of my newer favorite thriller suspense dramas. It follows Olivia Pope who is a fixer. If you are famous or rich she will fix your scandal, sometimes before it becomes public knowledge and sometimes afterward. She has a fantastic team that supports her and makes things happen. She is also having an affair with The President of the United States… it’s pretty scandalous. I highly recommend this show.


Elementary CBS- Season 2 Premiere September 26th 9pm. Who doesn’t love Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu? Exactly. They are the modern day Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, literally. He’s Sherlock and she’s Dr. Watson, they are a fantastic detective duo and I am a huge fan of the show. If you don’t already watch you should quickly catch up and be ready for the new season to start. There is only one season to be caught up on so it won’t take that long. 


Parenthood NBC- Season 5 Premiere September 26th 9pm. Parenthood is a well established feel good family show. Every time I watch it, it makes me want to have 4 kids that will grow up to be best friends… then I realize that I TOTALLY don’t want to have 4 kids. I don’t have the patience, the will or the money to do it! Besides the fantastic writing there is a stellar cast: Lauren Graham, Craig T. Nelson, Dax Shepard, Peter Krause, Monica Potter, Sam Jaeger, Jason Ritter. Yeah, if you haven’t been watching for the last 4 years you have really been missing out. I look forward to what this season brings to the Braverman family and I hope that this isn’t the final season but I have heard rumors that it is. 


FRIDAY


Last Man Standing ABC- Season 3 Premiere September 20th 7pm. HOW did this show even complete a first season on air? I don’t get it. 


The Carrie Diaries CW- Season 2 Premiere October 25th 7pm. I never was a Sex in the City fan so I never watched this.


Hawaii Five-0 CBS- Season 4 Premiere September 27th 8pm. I watched the first 4 or so episodes of this and it was really good but I fell behind and never took the time to catch back up. Maybe I’m still bitter about Moonlight being canceled and Alex O’Loughlin can never be anyone other than Mick St.John to me. 


Grimm NBC- Season 3 Premiere October 25th 8pm. This show is too complicated to even attempt to explain. It never fails every time I watch it Blue asks who all of the characters are, what they’re doing, if they’re a good guy or a bad guy and it’s just impossible to do. Here are the basics: the brothers Grimm were real monster hunters and so are their descendants, there’s a lot of supernatural, bad monsters, good monsters, mysterious keys, more mysterious monster princes, murder plots, stealing of youth and life forces and police. Does that make sense at all? I thought not.


Raising Hope FOX- Season 4 Premiere November 8th 8pm. I never liked this show.


*Enlisted FOX- Series Premiere November 8th 8pm. I just watched the trailer for this show for the first time and I’m super excited. Mostly because Geoff Stults has found his way back onto FOX. The premise of the show is basically like the Police Academy movies but with a bumbling Army platoon instead of the police academy. Poor Geoff has had hard luck on TV with 2 series canceled in the past 2 TV seasons. Here’s hoping the third time’s a charm because I love (watching) him and I sincerely hope that this show makes it. I also hope that his equally gorgeous brother George Stults joins the cast. Fingers crossed that it won’t get canceled. 


Blue Bloods CBS- Season 5 Premiere September 27th 9pm. This show is one that I completely regret not keeping up with. It wasn’t on purpose, Chad and I started watching it together season one. We got to the third or so episode and got busy, we got behind on episodes and felt like it was not worth it to catch up. BOOOOO, stupid past us! SO I do think this show is really good- I’m just 4 ¾ seasons behind. I promise that I will one day catch up on it. Maybe once the whole thing is available on DVD.

*Dracula NBC- Series Premiere October 25th 9pm. I’m torn, Dracula looks like it will be a perfectly fantastical Stoker-esque vampire tale set in London but I just don’t know if I want to commit myself to it. Usually I just FEEL it when I’ll like a show and I’m not feelin’ it. I have been wrong before so I’ll definitely watch one or two episodes before making any final decisions. Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers if that is a deciding factor for anybody.


SUNDAY bloody fantastic Sunday I’m in the home stretch!


Once Upon a Time ABC- Season 3 Premiere September 29th 7pm. I watched the first 1 ½ seasons of this before I just got tired of the back and forth good vs. evil tit for tat. It all seemed like same story different fairy tale, so I quit.

The Walking Dead AMC- Season 4 Premiere October 13th 8pm. If you're not a zombie fan you probably don't watch Walking Dead. If you are a zombie fan and you don't watch, you've been lying to yourself and you aren't a real fan of Z.  I'm interested to see what is happening at the prison after taking in the Woodbury refugees. 


Revenge ABC- Season 3 Premiere September 29th 8pm. I watched the first season of Revenge and got SO sick of it. Too many back stories, he’s dead but not really… and she’s dead too but not really, she burned down the house… or was it HER? It was tiring and difficult to keep up with, I’m not afraid to be a quitter.


The Good Wife CBS- Season 5 Premiere September 29th 8pm. I never watched this show, my only regret is that Matt Czuchry is in it and he’s hot. I always thought he should have been cast as Edward in the Twilight movies opposite ANYONE in the world other than Kristin Stewpid.

*Betrayal ABC- Series Premiere September 29th 9pm. This show reminds me very much of the movie Unfaithful with Diane Lane and Richard Gere.  Beautiful neglected wife randomly meets handsome stranger and after many chance meetings they begin having an affair. Only after which she finds out that he is involved in a legal battle with her husband who is a lawyer. This Looks GOOD.


The Mentalist CBS- Season 6 Premiere September 29th 9pm. I watched the first season and a half way back when but it just became one of those shows that I didn’t “have to” watch. Weeks turned into months turned into full seasons missed. I love Patrick Jane, he’s a cutie but not so much so that I have to watch. 

Breaking Bad AMC- Final Season 5 part B Premiered August 11th 8pm. The final season of Breaking Bad has already premiered but it is TOTALLY worth mentioning here because it’s fantastic in every way. The characters are so well written, the acting is phenomenal, there is action, suspense, drama and a chemistry lesson to boot! I recently re-watched the series from the beginning in anticipation of the final 8 episodes of the series being aired on TV. This show is one of my two favorites and both are ending this summer which makes me sad. The first 4 ½ seasons of Breaking Bad are on Netflix streaming if you’ve been looking for a new show to watch. 

Dexter SHO- Final Season 8 Premiere June 30th 8pm. Dexter is like my creepy neighbor who I LOVE and will hate to see go. Yes, it’s weird that America has embraced this psychopath killer of killers. I don’t care, I love to love Dexter and I will miss him when he’s gone. We have seen Dexter murder countless horrible people in his quest to slake his blood lust. There have also been some “good guy” casualties along the way for the sake of self preservation. The 8th and final season premiered earlier this summer. If you haven’t already started watching I suggest that you do so, not so you’ll be in time to watch it all before it’s over but because it’s a truly well written, well acted show. I will admit that a few of the actors and actresses could gain a pound or 10 and step out of the tanning booth. But Dexter will always hold a special place in my heart.

Homeland SHO- Season 3 Premiere September 29th 8pm. Homeland is a gripping show starring Claire Danes, Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis and Morena Baccarin. An American War Hero (Lewis) has possibly been turned to Al Qaeda, there is one CIA agent (Danes) who suspects him. She is willing to go to any length to prove that he is a terrorist and catch him in the act even if it means losing her job. This is an edge of your seat show for sure. Mandy Patinkin is absolutely fabulous in everything he does. Watch it! 

There are some returning shows that aren't listed above because either I forgot OR they aren't returning until early 2014. I will try to remember to post a Spring 2014 What to Watch blog but I'm very likely to forget so I apologize in advance.


Now for the sad part, shows that will not be returning this fall or… ever. If you didn’t see your favorite show listed above it could be in the list below OR I could have just not put it on there. So cross your fingers and go check out the list.

1600 PENN- let’s be honest… that show sucked
666 Park Avenue
Animal Practice
Ben and Kate-fabulous show
The Big C
Body of Proof
CSI: New York
Cult
Deception
Do No Harm
Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23- SO sad that this is canceled
Fringe
Go On- Sad to see Matthew Perry have good another show canceled
Golden Boy
Gossip Girl
Guys with Kids- hoooorrible show.
Happy Endings- Was ah-maaaaazing
How to Live with Your Parents (for the rest of your life)
Last Resort
Leverage
Made in Jersey
Malibu Country
The Mob Doctor
Mobbed
Mockingbird Lane
The New Normal
The Office
Partners
Private Practice
Red Widow
Rules of Engagement
Smash
Touch
Up All Night
Vegas
Whitney
Zero Hour