Fall TV Preview: New Shows to Watch

Every fall, I pick a few new shows to add to the "season pass" list. My choices are based on buzz, advanced reviews from critics who have actually seen the pilots, how appealing the set up of the show sounds to me, involvement of writers/producers/actors that I've liked in other offerings and how well the concept of the show meshes with my sensibilities.

Last year, I picked Shark, Heroes, Dexter, Smith, Studio 60 and The Nine. That was kind of a mixed bag. Dexter went on to be come a critical darling and one of my favorite shows of the '06 season. Shark was an entertaining procedural anchored by a scenery-chewing lead performance by James Woods. Heroes was a bit hit and miss, but was a geeky thrill ride that kept me coming back for more. Smith had a fantastic cast, but meandered along and quickly got canceled. I've posted quite a bit about Studio 60, and it will go down as one of the biggest trainwrecks and wastes of talent to hit the screen in some time. The Nine got some solid advance reviews, but by the time I could get around to watching it, it had been canceled.

This year, the pickings for new shows appear to be slimmer. There are only a few that I'm genuinely excited about, and some that I'll casually watch if nothing else is on. Here are the one that make my short list.

Reaper
Tuesdays @ 9, CW. This is about a 20 year old slacker who realizes his parents sold his soul to the devil when he was younger. Now the debt has come due, and the devil wants him to be a bounty hunter to collect evil souls. Ray Wise stars as the devil, and the pilot was directed by geek icon Kevin Smith.

Bionic Woman
Wednesdays @ 9, NBC. A "re-imagining" of the 70s show, this features Brit Michelle Ryan as Jamie Sommers. Other than the potential for nerdy action adventure, this has some other significant plusses: it was created by David Eick, the co-creator and producer of Television's Best Show, Battlestar Galactica. It stars BSG's electric Katee Sackhoff as the first, and slightly unstable, bionic woman. It also stars the always solid Miguel Ferrer, though on the downside, it does feature Grey's Anatomy castoff and pompous asshat Isaiah Washington.

Pushing Daisies
Wednesdays @ 8, ABC. Probably the most critically adored pilot of the fall, it's also the show that stands the greatest chance to die a quick death because it falls into the "quirky" genre. Created by some of the minds behind Heroes and the brilliant (but also canceled) Wonderfalls, Pushing Daisies is about a pie-maker whose touch can bring dead things back to life. However, if he touches them again, they die again for good. And if the resurrected stay alive for more than 60 seconds, something else has to die to even the cosmic scale. Sounds like a big mainstream smash, right? However, with the writing and producing pedigree, and a solid cast (Lee Pace, from Wonderfalls, Chi McBride, Harriet Hayes -- er, Kristen Chenowith and others) I'll be tuned in right away.

Those are the three that I'll definitely recommend and be watching in as close to real time as I can.

Others to watch:

Chuck
Tuesdays @ 9, NBC. A computer geek who works for one of those big box "tech squads" downloads an entire database of government secrets directly into his brain, and becomes a reluctant secret agent with the help of a hot, badass partner. From the producer of The OC (which I never got into). It also stars the man called Jayne himself, Adam Baldwin. Could be cute and fun, or could try too hard. Also: Opposite must watches House and Reaper.

Moonlight
Fridays @ 9, CBS. About a centuries old vampire who is also a detective. Wow. Sounds a lot like Angel. They swear it's different, though, which may or may not help it in my book, since I loved Angel it was canceled way too soon. After the initial pilot, which was met with yawns by most critics, they completely retooled it and brought on board a completely new cast (except for the main character), including Veronica Mars vet Jason Dohring. Angel co-creator David Greenwalt was also added as showrunner for a month or so, before departing for "personal reasons." All signs point to derivative, but given the dearth of vamp drama on my screen (at least until Alan Ball's new show hits HBO), I'll check it out.

Women's Murder Club
Fridays @ 9, ABC. Based on the series of James Patterson novels, of which I've read a few, it stars Angie Harmon (my favorite Law and Order ADA) as one of four chick friends who moonlight as crime solvers. Could be a pleasant enough procedural, and I could listen to Harmon's smoky Texas drawl read Tampa Bay Devil Rays box scores.

Dirty Sexy Money
Wednesdays @ 10, ABC. A Dallas or Dynasty like prime time soap anchored by Peter Krause (SportsNight, Six Feet Under) as a lawyer for an insanely rich and perhaps insane family. Barbed, campy fun? Or slogging melodrama?

Sarah Conner Chronicles
Fox, mid-season. Lena Heady takes over from Linda Hamilton as the titular character, with Thomas Dekker (previously Claire's "not gay" pal on Heroes) as savior of the human race John Conner. Takes place between T2 and T3. Might be worth checking out for Firefly and 4400 ingenue Summer Glau as a friendly terminator.

So there you have it. Three definite recommendations, and a few softer suggestions. Maybe it's the lack of multiple Tivos all across my home. Maybe it's because the two things I'm looking most forward to, Lost and Battlestar Galactica, won't be returning until January. But I'm just not as jazzed as I usually am about the fall television season. Perhaps the idiot box will surprise me.