Well, I think I've sufficiently recovered from the horrors of NBC's new fall line-up and with that out of the way, the rest of my 2012 Network Coverage should go much faster and smoother. (Kind of like...[insert your own punchline].)
Today, I move on to the 2012-2013 offerings from the one-time target of countless meta jokes on The Simpsons to presently America's #3 (or #2, on occasion; not a poop joke, unless you want it to be) network, FOX.
As always, new series are denoted by ALL CAPS, and schedule changes for returning series are indicated with italics. Let's dance, Murdoch.
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MONDAY
8-9pm - Bones
9-10pm - THE MOB DOCTOR
THE MOB DOCTOR: Already, I'm feeling better about FOX than I did about NBC. (You'd pretty much have to.) However, the thing is...I've never really had any interest in medical dramas. This is no slight to this show which looks competent and compelling, but I just never got into them. I backhandedly watched the first few seasons of ER with my mother back in the day, but eventually, I found my own things to do on a Thursday night at 10, and it didn't matter anymore. (That being said, the second season episode entitled "Hell or High Water" remains one of the finest hours of television drama I've ever seen.) So, for the purposes of thoroughness and in the interest of those of you who are intrigued, let me say that I like the cast. Jordana Spiro. You can't see it, but I'm swooning. William Forsythe has proven time and time again that he's one of our finest television character actors (and, not to be a spoiler but, if he isn't Spiro's character's father, I'll eat my hat). I'm always glad to see Michael Rappaport (uncredited here) in dramatic roles. He's a great comedian and comedic actor, but his thick accent and urban aura lend SO WELL to playing gruff characters and, as we see here, inscrutable heavies. I like the premise, as well. While I'm sure it'll be more of a medical procedural than this trailer lets on, the fact that the dangers of our heroine's ties to the Chicago mob are always waiting in the wings will surely provide some great tension. In short...
MY VERDICT: ...it's not necessarily for me, but I think people will enjoy it, and for good reason. I won't deny that its timeslot is a bit concerning. (CBS owns Monday nights from 9-10. Sad fact, but a fact nonetheless.) However, with the right promotion--and FOX has probably the best marketing department of the five networks--this could be a sleeper hit. Good luck, PJ.
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TUESDAY
8-8:30pm - Raising Hope
8:30-9pm - BEN AND KATE
9-9:30pm - New Girl
9:30-10pm - THE MINDY PROJECT
BEN AND KATE: So...yeah...remember that thing I said up there about FOX having quite possibly the best marketing department of the big five networks?--I may need to take that back, because they just showed us THE ENTIRE PILOT of Ben and Kate. That being said...that was RIDICULOUSLY charming. Going on the vague inklings of the premise I'd heard about in weeks prior, I pretty handily dismissed this show as something wildly generic and easily cancelable. Now, I kind of can't wait to see what wacky shenanigans these characters get into next. I'm a sucker for a story about families sticking together, and this is no exception. Also, glad to finally put a face (that being the face of a person I'd spent the past few years referring to as "the poor man's Owen Wilson") to the name Nat Faxon (Ben); fresh off his Academy Award for co-writing The Descendants. Toss in some genuine laughs throughout and Lucy Punch (who I've been actively swooning over for about a year now) as Kate's British bartender friend (the three straws almost slayed me), and I'm...oop, hold on.
MY VERDICT: I'm SO in. FOX is really stepping up the plate with great comedies lately, and this seems to follow that trend. Thus far, I have nothing pressing to watch on Tuesday nights at 8:30, so this should be a great lead-in to--one of my favorites--New Girl.
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THE MINDY PROJECT: Gee...can you tell The Office is about to end? (Done with the snark.) Allow me to double down on my noting FOX's slate of great new comedies. We all already know Mindy Kaling writes some funny, funny television...now we know she can carry a show, as well. I'm officially in love with FOX's Tuesday night line-up (the overrated Raising Hope notwithstanding). Not only are they giving us 3 great comedies in a row, but they're all led by strong female characters. That none of the other networks are even coming close to this is archaic and honestly, kind of offensive. ...I really have nothing further to say. The show speaks for itself. As for me...
MY VERDICT: ...again...SO in. I love television (obviously). However, I REALLY love television when it can give me something to look forward to every day of the week. USA's got me covered for Mondays. Now, with this, New Girl, and Ben and Kate, I feel secure knowing I've got a full Tuesday night of laughs coming my way. In short, Jeff is happy. Well done, FOX.
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WEDNESDAY
(Fall)
8-10pm - The X Factor
(Spring)
8-10pm - American Idol
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THURSDAY
(Fall)
8-9pm - The X Factor Results Show
9-10pm - Glee
(Spring)
8-9pm - American Idol Results Show
9-10pm - Glee
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FRIDAY
8-9pm - Touch
9-10pm - Fringe
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SATURDAY
7-10:30pm - FOX Sports Saturday
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SUNDAY
7:30-8pm - The Cleveland Show
8-8:30pm - The Simpsons
8:30-9pm - Bob's Burgers
9-9:30pm - Family Guy
9:30-10pm - American Dad!
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MIDSEASON (Timeslots TBD)
THE FOLLOWING: (Again. Another condensed pilot. Jeesh.) This looks slightly less involving than it was originally pitched to me. When word of this series was first making the rounds, it was described as an interactive series in which our killer (played by the ever-underrated James Purefoy) would recruit viewers to be his "disciples" (sans the actual killing) in an unheardof ongoing, series-long viral campaign. Now, that's been scrapped and we have this. That's not to say it doesn't have a lot going for it. This comes to us from Kevin Williamson who, for better or worse, has given us a lot of varyingly enjoyable works over the last 20 years (the Scream franchise, Dawson's Creek, The Vampire Diaries, etc.) and it's intriguing to see him mature, in a way. Indeed, it's also worth some attention for being Kevin Bacon's first stab at full-time television work. ("He's a big star. He has a game named after him." -- Jerry O'Connell on an episode of Doug Loves Movies) So, if for nothing else, for giving us a few more degrees for our games...
MY VERDICT: ...I might watch this. I don't know why, but I just can't commit to anything more solid than a "might". It's starting to become abundantly clear that I have somewhat specific tastes in television, and clearly, that doesn't include procedurals of any kind. However, if this delivers on the promise of a wide, overarching story...things could change. Although...one last thing...if the placement of the VERY jarring last line of this trailer is meant to imply that's the killer's motivation for ALL of his crimes...they may have just lost me. Am I alone on that one?
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THE GOODWIN GAMES: Well, I guess there had to be one out-and-out dud in there, didn't there? There are countless reasons why this won't work; I suppose I'll start with the most obvious. There is ZERO flexibility to this premise, which isn't surprising when we're told this comes to us from the creators of How I Met Your Mother. HIMYM--with all due respect--has already stretched its own premise pretty damned thin, but in its defense, it's all leading to a single, definitive answer. This however...I mean, what are we going to do? Are these people going to play futile game after futile game each week in pursuit of their inheritances? Why should we care? It's not that I don't think there won't be laughs to be had. (HIMYM has proven itself a humorous affair many times over.) It's just that I don't see how this goes any longer than a single season. It breaks my heart to see creative minds pigeonhole themselves, and that's exactly what's happened here.
MY VERDICT: I won't seek this out, but I'm sure it'll end up on Tuesday nights with the rest of FOX's live-action comedies, so I'll likely see the pilot. If nothing else, I'll get to swoon over Becki Newton for 22 minutes, but barring a huge miracle, I doubt I--or the rest of America--will bother investing themselves too deeply in this...but I've been proven wrong before.
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FINAL THOUGHTS:
Take note, NBC. THAT is how you program a network.
Let's get right to it.
COMEDY! Of the actual Fall offerings, FOX has scored big time. Twenty--hell, even ten--years ago, would any of us have ever believed the network that brought us that ever-so-long list of cancelled attempts at quality television would currently be trouncing the home of Seinfeld, Friends and Cheers? There's nothing more to say than "WELL DONE, FOX."
Let's get right to it.
COMEDY! Of the actual Fall offerings, FOX has scored big time. Twenty--hell, even ten--years ago, would any of us have ever believed the network that brought us that ever-so-long list of cancelled attempts at quality television would currently be trouncing the home of Seinfeld, Friends and Cheers? There's nothing more to say than "WELL DONE, FOX."
On the DRAMA side...well, all we've got in the fall is The Mob Doctor. As I've said, the timeslot is worrisome, but the show looks solid. Again, "WELL DONE, FOX."
Seriously. I have no complaints. You'd think me disappointed, not being able to expand upon things further, but after the horrors that were NBC's fall line-up, I'll take impressed silence with a smile.
Seriously. I have no complaints. You'd think me disappointed, not being able to expand upon things further, but after the horrors that were NBC's fall line-up, I'll take impressed silence with a smile.
...and that'll do it for FOX. Join me next time for a look at what the Walt Disney corporation is worth our eyes when I take a look at ABC.
Until then...great story. Compelling and rich.
...MEEP MEEP!
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