Monday Morning Quarterback Part I
By BOP Staff
September 16, 2013
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Matthew Huntley: Definitely excited about Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Michael J. Fox Show, although I likely won't be watching either of them live; plus old favorites like Homeland, Community and Justified. I just moved, so I definitely have to get a TV!
Jason Barney: I am looking forward to the new cast of SNL. Can't wait to watch the new season.
Edwin Davies: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the only new show that has really piqued my interest - what can I say? Joss Whedon is my guy and I want him to have a hit show again - but I'll probably sample any of the other shows that get good reviews. If you'd asked me last year what I was looking forward to I probably would not have predicted that The Americans and Hannibal would be two of my favorites, so I'm looking forward to being surprised. Apart from those, I'm always excited for Parks & Rec, Archer, Community (which, with the return of Dan Harmon, promises to be a fascinating season) SNL and Justified.
Reagen Sulewski: Excited is a strong word which I'm not sure applies. However, I am curious about a few shows, but not too many. Thanks, TV executives, for giving me a small chance to enjoy my life! On my list is S.H.I.E.L.D., of course, and I'll be giving Sleepy Hollow, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Blacklist, The Crazy Ones and Almost Human a chance, albeit with short leashes on most of them. As far as returning shows, I'm interested to see if Grimm and Person of Interest can pick up where they left off, as they were both going some place pretty fascinating.
Jim Van Nest: Returning shows? I'm really looking forward to AHS: Coven. I love the additions of Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett. Should be very cool. Also looking forward to Person of Interest, Homeland and Haven. New shows? We're giving Sleepy Hollow, The Blacklist, the Michael J. Fox show, The Crazy Ones and Masters of Sex a shot. Pretty glad to see both Robin Williams and Michael J. Fox back on TV. I'll give S.H.I.E.L.D. a shot, but I get a major Heroes vibe from it, so it worries me a bit.
Kim Hollis: With regards to new shows, I'm most excited for The Blacklist, because I looooooooooooove James Spader. I hope it doesn't disappoint me. Besides that, I'm very interested in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, because in Joss we trust (even though I really didn't enjoy Dollhouse). I also think Trophy Wife looks fun thanks to Bradley Whitford and Malin Ackerman, who is terrific in comedic roles. And I'm happy to see Michael J. Fox back on the air and am looking forward to seeing his show. I'll watch several other new series, but they are all on notice. I don't have patience for crappy TV.
Returning shows that I'm most anticipating include Person of Interest (possibly my favorite network series at this point), Elementary and Grimm. I love the juxtaposition of the two primary characters in Person of Interest, and both James Caviezel and Michael Emerson are amazing. Elementary is a fun show, and the chemistry between Jonny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu is surprisingly strong. Grimm is one of those shows that I really look forward to every week, because I really enjoy seeing where they're taking the storyline that has been unfolding since the beginning. I'll also be excited for Archer and Justified, but they won't be back until January so they're not technically Fall shows to me.
David Mumpower: As has been the case for three consecutive years, I plan to watch fewer network television programs than last year. Most of that is because this new batch seems particularly mediocre. The rest of the explanation is that the only interesting shows last year like Revolution and Arrow proved to be painfully moronic, written by people who frankly should find work in other professions. And the single high quality new series, Go On, was canceled in favor of some pilots that demonstrate the same quality as your average Uwe Boll production.
Keeping the above in mind, I have had the opportunity to sample a few programs already available via Amazon, Vudu et al. And I have determined that the titles that interest me the most are Lucky 7, The Blacklist and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Lucky 7's concept of a group of lottery winners dealing with the ramifications of life-changing events reminds me of a couple of failed ABC series, The Nine and FlashForward. The former program involved the recounting of a bank robbery and its lingering impact on the victims. The latter was one of the Lost clones, messy and uneven but largely compelling. Neither stuck around beyond the first season yet I was a fan of each one. What I am saying is that I like Lucky 7; it probably won't be around for more than 22 episodes, though.
We all know the deal about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. It is a Whedon family production based upon the second most popular movie of all-time, at least somewhat. Disney, the corporate overlord of ABC, has earned enough money off of Marvel thus far that Mickey Mouse probably feels like the mistress rather than the wife right now. As such, there is so much money at stake here that I believe the network will give this program every opportunity possible to excel, which is exactly the opposite of every Whedon show thus far. The concern is that unreasonable expectations combined with Whedon's track record of sluggish starts and the awareness that his brother, the showrunner, may be the Tommy Aaron while Joss is the Hank Aaron. So Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't a slam dunk. It is the best positioned new program of 2013 by far, though.
The Blacklist is a program that could not have been aired on network television as recently as five years ago. In the post-Shield era where the Vic Mackeys and Walter Whites of the world are the most celebrated and iconic characters, the landscape has fundamentally changed. NBC capitalized on this trend with the debut of Hannibal last year. That series was a ratings disaster, though. It never garnered more than 4.4 million viewers and slipped under 2 million by the final episode. Just because the trends are in right now does not mean that people will watch, at least at first. Our cultural viewing habits have evolved so much that most consumers wait to see what the verdict is on a program before testing the waters. The presence of James Spader in a Hannibal meets Jack Bauer role with some Jethro Gibbs thrown in could be enough to entice potential audiences who are otherwise inclined to wait and see. All I know is that for me, this is a wonderful combination of actor I like in a story premise that captivates me.
This season also features several comedies that I will give a try. Mom stars one of my favorite comedic actresses, Anna Faris, plus Allison Janney and Nate Corddry. None of the jokes I have seen are funny, though. I'm dubious about its ability to escape the same doldrums that destroyed Kat Dennings' Two Broke Girls. The Michael J. Fox Show is one I anxiously anticipate because I have always loved him; plus, his appearances on The Good Wife have been universally sensational. Still, I will have a hard time accepting actress Betsy Brandt as the spouse of anyone other than Hank Schrader. Finally, I am going to watch Trophy Wife because they nailed the leads with Bradley Whitford and Malin Akerman. I loved Whitford on The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip so much that I would watch any series in which he stars. Akerman could be the revelation, though. Her work on Childrens Hospital has been equal parts effervescent and daring.
All in all, I have lowered expectations for most of the new fare. But I am a media omnivore so I will watch all the new programs at least once. I will also regret that decision at several moments over the next few weeks.