Five Promising New Fall TV Shows

It's that time of year. The time when there are a whole bunch of new TV series debuting within just a few weeks of each other - far more than most people could possibly keep up with.

So what sticks out as being worth your time? I've listed five of the most promising new series below, based on what we've seen, heard and what we know so far. There are some shows that nearly made this list -- Sleepy Hollow, Trophy Wife and The Blacklist among them -- that show signs they could soon turn into something strong as well. And it's very possible a couple of shows with outright poor pilots could quickly turn themselves around, as has happened in the past; just as it's possible a show with a promising start could quickly falter. But right now, as the TV season begins, here's five to keep your eye on...

.... Brooklyn Nine-Nine

 

Premiered September 17th, Tuesday on FOX.

Parks and Recreation creator Michael Schur and his fellow Parks alum Dan Goor have a simple but highly effective scenario here, imprinting the style of comedy Schur honed on Parks and The Office onto a cop show. Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher are a great wacky guy/serious guy pairing, surrounded by a strong group of supporting characters. It's important to remember that neither The Office or Parks and Recreation started all that strong, taking several episodes to really find themselves. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is all the more impressive for feeling very solid in its premiere, indicating the show could quickly find itself among the best comedies on TV these days.
Available in Nigeria early Wednesday mornings.


.... Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

 Premieres September 24th, Tuesdays on ABC.

Look, everyone is going to at least give this one a shot. But the good news is, it's worth your time. Joss Whedon and Marvel already hit pay dirt (to say the least) with The Avengers, so the anticipation for this series -- the first show to tie into the Marvel cinematic universe -- is sky high. But take away the Marvel connection and you'd still have plenty of interest in this show simply because it's Whedon returning to the medium he's kicked so much ass in. The pilot is very fun and exciting, setting a great tone for what's to come.
 Available in Nigeria early Wednesday mornings.

.... Masters of Sex

Premieres September 29th, Sundays on Showtime.

Showtime takes a look at the real life story of Masters and Johnson, the research duo who would become pioneers in the field of sexual response and how the human body responds during intercourse. The eyebrow-raising scenario is added to by the period setting, as William H. Masters and Virginia E. Johnson face considerable obstacles looking into a subject matter that wasn't exactly widely discussed in the 1950s. Masters of Sex is clever, funny, and, yes, provocative, with Michael Sheen and Lizzy Caplan expertly portraying the way ahead of their time duo at the center of the story.
 Available in Nigeria early Monday mornings.

.... Almost Human

Premieres November 4th, Monday on FOX.

The pilot to this one is good, but not great, yet still, there's a lot to be hopeful about here, especially given Almost Human's pedigree. For those of us who loved Fringe, getting a new sci-fi show from J.J. Abrams and J.H. Wyman so soon after that show ended is something to be excited about, as is seeing Karl Urban (Star Trek, Dredd) take the lead in the series. Urban and Michael Ealy are a good pairing as a cop 35 years in the future and his android partner. And keep in mind, Fringe started out just okay too. All of which is to say, let's see where Almost Human takes us...
 Available in Nigeria early Tuesday mornings.

.... Mob City



Premieres December 4th, Wednesday on TNT.

This is the one show on this list that is listed completely due to expectations, since it hasn't been sent out to press yet. Frank Darabont returns to TV following his unceremonious departure from The Walking Dead, with the Shawshank Redemption/Green Mile director tackling cops and mobsters in 1940s-50s Los Angeles. A couple of The Walking Dead cast alum are along for the ride, including Jon Bernthal and Jeffrey DeMunn, plus folks like Neal McDonough (Justified), Robert Knepper (Prison Break) and Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes). It all sounds pretty damn cool, no? We'll have to wait until late this year to see for ourselves, but there's certainly a lot to have us intrigued...
Available in Nigeria early Thursdays mornings.

News Briefs : A "Rambo" series? 50 Cent produces series now too? New casting news

... Sylvester Stallone is in talks to join a potential TV series based on his hit movie franchise Rambo. The project, is still in the early stages, but Stallone would work with the show on a creative level and could potentially reprise his iconic role. I don't really want to be the person to say this, but isn't it about time we stopped with the remakes, and the sequels, and the adaptations? Have we seriously run out of all the good ideas already? After the failure of Beverly Hills Cop to get a series order, am not holding my breath on this

News Briefs : Grey's Anatomy is losing one of its doctors, Christina Yang is leaving!!!!!!

Sandra Oh, one of the original cast members to don scrubs in Seattle Grace, is leaving the Grey's Anatomy after its upcoming tenth season, Oh is leaving to pursue other opportunities. During her tenure as the driven and opinionated Dr. Cristina Yang, Oh has received five Emmy nominations and won a Golden Globe award; her character has been stood up at the altar by Preston Burke, survived a plane crash, lived through a failed pregnancy, ducked a shooting, married Owen, and gotten maybe-divorced from Owen.

News Brief : Charlie's daughter is cast, CBS eyes another summer Sci-fi and Shonda Rhimes takes on crime

... Amber Tamblyn (Joan of Arcadia, House) has landed the big role of Charlie's long-lost lesbian daughter in Two and a Half Men. Right now the character is only slated to recur, but if things go well, Tamblyn will be promoted to series regular and make the big bucks.

News Brief : Game Of Thrones castings, Show renewals and Who's the best 'Anti-hero' character on TV

.... FX's plan for The Strain 
The network's upcoming adaptation of Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hagan's trilogy of vampire novels is already pretty highly anticipated around these parts: Lost and Bates Motel showrunner Carlton Cuse is working with del Toro to bring it to the airwaves, and House of Cards' Corey Stoll is starring. But at FX's TCA executive session, network head honcho (and all-around smart guy) John Landgraf announced that they already have episode and season limits (39-65 and 3-5, respectively) in mind for the show. Pre-planning doesn't always work, but knowing end dates early, especially for high-concept series, is a really good idea.

News Briefs : Betty White's off TV, AGT gets a finale date.

America's Old sweetheart is losing one of her prime TV slots, Strike Back season 3 premiere gets a date, M. Night Shyamalan comes to TV and Adam Lambert is coming to TV too.

NBC's upcoming Media Release, New Shows and Cancelled Shows.

NBC has ordered five new series—three new comedies ("About a Boy", "Sean Saves the World", and "Family Guide") and two new dramas (J.J. Abrams' "Believe" and "Crisis"). They join the previously straight-to-series orders for comedy "The Michael J. Fox Show" and pirate drama "Crossbones".

A young girl and a con! International conspiracies! Man-boy bonds! Man-girl bonds! Man-blind-boy bonds! That's what part of NBC's new fall schedule will feature, as some of the network's secrets have hit the internet in advance of its Upfront presentation in New York, which is scheduled for Monday. So far it's three new comedies and two new dramas for the network, with many more announcements soon to come unless NBC wants to broadcast a lot of dead air. Let's run down the new series:

..... "Believe" has J.J. Abrams' name attached to it, like half of all TV shows on the air right now. He'll executive produce along with Bryan Burk for Bad Robot. The drama sounds like a supernatural thriller and follows a young girl with "a gift" who gets protection from a recently sprung con to keep evil forces at bay. The main actress in this show is an unknown young girl named Johnny Sequoyah, Jake McLaughlin, Kyle MacLachlan, Delroy Lindo, Jaime Chung, and Sienna Guillroy also star.

.... "Crisis" comes from Rand Ravich, the creator of NBC's "Life". This one goes all the way to the top! In the drama, a mystery man brings all of Washington to its knees through an international conspiracy that threatens everyone. Sound like "The Event" Part II! "Crisis" marks the triumphant return to television of Gillian Anderson, "The X-Files" Scully. Also starring are Dermot Mulroney (Enlightened), Max Martini (Revenge), and Rachael Taylor (666 Park Avenue).

..... About a Boy is a single-camera comedy adaption of the Nick Hornby novel and the 2002 Hugh Grant film that spawned from it. David Walton (Bent) plays a bachelor who forms a friendship with his neighbor's young boy. And yes, the neighbor happens to be a hot single mom (Minnie Driver). Jason Katims (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) is writing and producing, so you can bet it's going to be all weepy and exhilarating and make you feel feelings you never thought you could. "1600 Penn"s Benjamin Stockham will play the boy (assuming NBC doesn't renew 1600 Penn). Leslie Bibb (Judd Apatow movies) and Al Madrigal (The Daily Show) also star. This show is going to be very easy to like. Update: "1600 Penn" has been cancelled.

.... Sean Saves the World continues Sean Hayes' relationship with NBC. Hayes (Will & Grace) produces and stars as a man dealing with his 14-year-old daughter and his temperamental boss. It's a multi-camera joint. Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!), Echo Kellum (Ben & Kate), and Linda Lavin (Alice) also star.

.... Family Guide is a single-camera sitcom about a boy who worships his blind father and becomes closer to his mom after the two divorce. Parker Posey, JK Simmons, and Eli Baker star, with Bent's DJ Nash behind the series.

These five new shows join "Chicago Fire", "Revolution", "Law & Order: SVU", "Grimm", "Parenthood", "The Voice", and "The Michael J. Fox Show" (new series) on NBC's schedule for 2013-2014. There will be more NBC pickups coming soon, as well as decisions on which of the networks comedies will return.
According to reports online, NBC has passed on the following pilots, taking them out of consideration: Brenda Forever; Drop-Off (previously known as The Gates); Holding Patterns; Joe, Joe, & Jane; Bloodline; Hatfields & McCoys; The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives; and The Sixth Gun.

RENEWALS

..... NBC has also ordered a sixth season of "Parks and Recreation". With "30 Rock" over and "The Office" ending next week, NBC had little choice but to renew Parks and Recreation, lest the network be without any established returning comedies next season.

CANCELLATIONS

That's two seasons and done for Whitney Cummings' "Whitney", a multi-camera comedy that inexplicably stuck around after being panned by critics and the viewers.

Also moving out of NBC's digs is White House family comedy "1600 Penn", a single-camera sitcom that got off to a rough start in January before eventually picking up a bit. It was too late, though, and the series never really gained any additional viewers.

They also canceled "Guys With Kids" and the Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph comedy "Up All Night". Hopefully this is good news for "Go On" and "New Normal".

NBC has not yet made a decision on "Community".


Culled from TV.com

News This Weekend: Finales and renewals

--- Airing this weekend on Sunday is the Season Finale of both "The Good Wife" and "Vikings", while "Revenge" is back on air after 3 weeks break.

--- The CW has renewed struggling "Beauty and the Beast" and "Hart of Dixie" for Seasons 2 and 3, respectively, and also given a series order to "The Vampire Diaries" spin-off "The Originals". They join "Supernatural", "Arrow" and "The Vampire Diaries" on the list of shows confirmed to be returning to The CW for the 2013-2014 TV season.

The quick series pickup of "The Originals" comes the day after its backdoor pilot debuted as an episode of "The Vampire Diaries". The CW apparently would rather take its chances with a new series that can sucker in a built-in audience.

The CW has eight pilots in contention as well as decisions to make regarding "Nikita" and "The Carrie Diaries". Rumors abound that "Nikita" is coming back for one final season and that it would be a short order of episodes rather than the normal 20-plus episodes. With a short order of 13 episodes, "Nikita" can come back next season and finish its series and be replaced by "The Carrie Diaries" which also has a 13 episodes order.

--- NBC has renewed five shows for new seasons, the network announced today. "Revolution", "Grimm", "Chicago Fire", "Parenthood", "Law & Order:SVU" have all been renewed. No word yet on "Hannibal" receiving a second season order while "Deception" and "Smash" will almost certainly be cancelled.

NBC says this was the drama round, so there's no word yet on "Parks & Recreation", "Community", "Whitney", "Guys with Kids" and others.

--- CBS has renewed its long-running comedy Two and a Half Men for an eleventh season. But the show isn't coming back the way you're used to. Angus T. Jones, who plays the half-man Jake, will not be returning as a series regular. It's probably a mutual agreement, as Jones has been thinking about going to college.