*** Television, Fall 2009 ***

[Hollywoodhaha]

I'm excited for Gossip Girl

 

[bicker]

The series Parenthood, originally scheduled for the fall, is going to be pushed into the winter, due to Maura Tierney's inspecified illness. The cast and crew of winter series Mercy is being hurrily called to work, and Mercy will be premiering in the fall instead.

 

[bicker]

The series Parenthood, originally scheduled for the fall, is going to be pushed into the winter, due to Maura Tierney's inspecified illness. The cast and crew of winter series Mercy is being hurrily called to work, and Mercy will be premiering in the fall instead.

From Access Hollywood via Yahoo TV:

"I have discovered a tumor in my breast, which requires surgery," Maura said in a statement. "I will not know either my exact diagnosis or course of treatment until that surgery is performed."

"My doctors have all assured me this is a very treatable condition," her statement continued. "I'm very optimistic as to the outcome and want to thank everyone who has sent positive thoughts and support. I look forward to going back to work soon."

Best wishes to Ms. Tierney for a speedy and complete recovery.

 

[bicker]

Syfy will present two original dramas this fall: Stargate Universe, starting on October 2, and Sanctuary, starting on October 9.

(Warehouse 13 continues this summer through September 22.)

 

[CourtasanSatine]

Update on Sarah Jane Adventures?

 

[bicker]

I haven't heard anything, for more than a year. The standard rule of thumb is that a show on hiatus for longer than 12 months, without any news about its future, is assumed to be canceled.

Sorry.

(It is possible that BBC is withholding the second season, which has already aired in the UK, from Syfy, to be broadcast, instead, on BBC America, just like they're now doing with Doctor Who and Torchwood.)

 

[stacy347]

(Warehouse 13 continues this summer through September 22.)

I am already in love with this series!! I hate getting so attached so quickly because it usually doesn't bode well for that show, LOL ~ I'll keep my fingers crossed that this one thrives.

I'm also really enjoying Merlin and The Listener (well, now I'm depressed...I just read that they already cancelled this one ).

Thank you, bicker, for putting all of this info in one place!

 

[CourtasanSatine]

I'll run with option 2 for now with SJA since season 2 has aired in the UK.

 

[bicker]

I've updated the second post in this thread with a chronological list of season premieres for the fall.

The night-by-night list of the fall television schedule remains in the first post in this thread.

 

[bicker]

Here's an interesting one. I'll throw it in here early, since otherwise it might get lost in the dust of the broadcast network series:

Durham County

What you don't know about your neighbors could kill you. That's just everyday reality in "Durham County" ... the Award-Winning "Durham County" series follows the troubled world of Homicide Detective Mike Sweeney (Hugh Dillon, CBS' "Flashpoint") who moves his family to quiet suburbia for a fresh start after his partner is killed and his wife Audrey (Hlne Joy) is diagnosed with breast cancer. While Durham County seems like the perfect place to begin again, Sweeney soon discovers that his neighbor Ray Prager (Justin Louis) may be a serial killer. What's more, Prager is not just a random stranger he is Sweeney's arch high school nemesis. As events unfold and young women begin disappearing, an intense showdown develops between the two complex men and their families.

The show is produced in Ontario (and Quebec), for Canadian television (TMN in the East, and Movie Central in the West), and its first season of six episodes earned the show three "Gemini Awards" (for Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Direction).

I think they're only broadcasting the first six episodes, at least at this point. I like Hugh Dillon, but I don't think I would go out of my way to watch this show: I find that often the PR term "complex" in blurbs about television series means that they don't seem to care about making the series entertaining or otherwise enjoyable. What I will be interested in seeing is whether ION broadcast this show widescreen or pillar-boxed. We do have ION in HD here, but I don't know if they have ever actually broadcast anything in HD. I'm pretty sure this series was produced in HD, so maybe it'll be broadcast in HD.

For those keeping score, it is on up against Castle (ABC) and CSI: Miami (CBS) -- and of course Leno (NBC). Who knows? Maybe Leno gives this show a chance to make a dent?

 

[bicker]

Vampire Diaries (CW)

Four months after the tragic car accident that killed their parents, 17-year-old Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev, "DeGrassi: The Next Generation") and her 15-year-old brother, Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen, "Everwood") are still trying to cope with their grief and move on with their lives. Elena has always been the star student; beautiful, popular and involved with school and friends, but now she finds herself struggling to hide her sadness from the world. As the school year begins, Elena and her friends are fascinated by a handsome and mysterious new student, Stefan Salvatore (Paul Wesley, "Army Wives"). Stefan and Elena are immediately drawn to one another, and Elena has no way of knowing that Stefan is a centuries-old vampire, struggling to live peacefully among humans, while his brother Damon (Ian Somerhalder, "Lost") is the embodiment of vampire violence and brutality. Now these two vampire brothers - one good, one evil - are at war for Elena's soul and for the souls of her friends, family and all the residents of the small town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Based on the series of books by L. J. Smith.

I go back and forth on this one. In the end, it won't fit into our plan. It is being broadcast in the second-most competitive hour of television, all week, Thursday 8PM, and therefore is up against Bones and Flash Forward (as well as Survivor and some NBC comedies). Vampire Diaries does start a couple of weeks before the regular fall season starts (two weeks before Flash Forward starts), so we will catch the first couple of episodes, but small consolation if we like it. We'll put it lower on the Season Pass list, so we might catch the reruns.

Does Nina Dobrev give anyone else a Shiri Appleby (Liz Parker from Roswell) vibe? (Coincidentally, the folks making Vampire Diaries also made Roswell.)

 

[bicker]

In an elegant Spanish-style apartment building in the trendy Melrose neighborhood of Los Angeles, a diverse group of 20-somethings have formed a close-knit surrogate family. Sydney Andrews (Laura Leighton, the original "Melrose Place") is the landlady, still beautiful at 40, and a central figure in the lives of all her tenants, especially handsome and rebellious David Breck (Shaun Sipos, "Shark"). Sydney started an affair with David despite her turbulent history with his estranged father, Dr. Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro, the original "Melrose Place"). Both father and son learned through experience that Sydney was not above using blackmail to control people. Another tenant, high-powered publicist Ella Simms (Katie Cassidy, "Supernatural"), once considered Sydney her mentor, but their friendship was destroyed by betrayal, and Sydney threatened to evict Ella and ruin her career. Sydney also played a pivotal role in the career of Auggie Kirkpatrick (Colin Egglesfield, "All My Children"). After they met at an AA meeting, she became Auggie's sponsor and encouraged his dream to become a chef. Now a successful sous chef at the trendy restaurant Coal, Auggie has been avoiding Sydney since she began drinking again. The other tenants include Lauren Yung (Stephanie Jacobsen, "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles"), a medical student in desperate need of money to pay her student loans, and Jonah Miller (Michael Rady, "Swingtown"), an aspiring filmmaker who has just proposed to his live-in girlfriend Riley Richmond (Jessica Lucas, "Cloverfield"), a first-grade teacher. The newest tenant, 18-year-old Violet Foster (Ashlee Simpson-Wentz, "7th Heaven"), has just arrived in LA with her own secret connection to Sydney. When a bloody body is found floating in the courtyard pool, David is the leading suspect. However, as the police are soon to discover, almost everyone living at Melrose Place had a reason to want the deceased out of the way. An updated version of the popular 1990s series

​

Did we really need a reboot of that series so soon? I won't be watching.

 

[bicker]

The life of a high-fashion model appears glamorous and sexy, but as every new model quickly learns, behind the beautiful faade is a world of insecurity and cutthroat competition. Two teenage models who are about to discover this world for themselves are Raina Collins (Sara Paxton, "Last House on the Left"), a stunning beauty with a secret past, and Chris Andrews (Benjamin Hollingsworth, "The Line"), a strikingly handsome Iowa farm boy. When Raina makes an unforgettable impression at a show introducing the new line from designer Zac Posen (appearing in a cameo role), she steals the spotlight from her friend Sonja (Mischa Barton, "The O.C."). Sonja has been out of the country for mysterious reasons and is now desperate to reclaim her standing as the reigning supermodel. While Raina and Sonja live at the top of the fashion food chain, Chris is starting at the bottom, having just been discovered by agent Simon Lockridge (newcomer Dusan Dukic) of the Covet Modeling Agency, which is owned by former supermodel Claudia Foster (Elle Macpherson, "Friends"). At his first photo shoot, Chris' inexperience almost derails his career until Raina comes to his rescue, showing him how to relax and work the camera. That afternoon, Raina brings Chris to the "models' residence" where she lives along with other young hopefuls, including Marissa Delfina (Ashley Madekwe, "Secret Diary of a Call Girl"), Egan (Jordan Woolley, "As The World Turns"), Issac (Corbin Bleu, "High School Musical 2") and the current alpha-male-model known as Kai (Nico Tortorella, "Twelve"). At an exclusive industry party that night, Chris is again impressed by Raina's generosity when she steps aside to make sure Sonja lands a job that will resurrect her career. However, after an ugly scene with Simon, Chris is left to question whether he can survive in this world of dangerous excess and fleeting fame.

There are some questions, now, with regard to this series, due to star Mischa Barton's illness. Details here. I wouldn't have watched either way. :wink:
​

 

[TheDarkwingDuck]

Dollhouse!

 

[Hugpug]

Well I guess I will be reading more with so much garbage on the tube. When are they going to get away from so much stupid comedy sitcoms and sports during prime time. They put all the shows worth considering on late night which does not help the working people who need to get up at 6AM for work. It use to be that movies and other shows would start at 7PM not 9PM. Todays TV'S have lock controls so then can control their childs viewing so what is the problem with the network's

 

[bicker]

Well I guess I will be reading more with so much garbage on the tube. When are they going to get away from so much stupid comedy sitcoms and sports during prime time. They put all the shows worth considering on late night which does not help the working people who need to get up at 6AM for work. It use to be that movies and other shows would start at 7PM not 9PM.

Sounds like you need a DVR!

Beyond that, it is important to remember that people have different preferences. I'm unabashedly a drama fan. I do know that other people like comedies, and other people like reality shows, and they're entitled to their preferences, and I respect them as I would have them respect my preferences. (I even include "their" favored shows in my weekly lists and such. )

 

[bicker]

I updated premiere dates for So You Think You Could Dance, Glee, Brothers & Sisters, Eastwick, and Til Death.

One thing that seems to be happening, here, is that Fox seems to be drifting back towards something that they did when they first started presenting the World Series, namely, starting their Fall season early, so their shows get a good start before they're preempted for several weeks. It didn't work before (Fox allowed the premieres to drift so far early that there wasn't enough time for viewers to be sufficiently geared up enough to watch) -- I don't know how it will work out this time. The World Series is a big chunk of profit for them, but it sure does mess with their ability to compete otherwise during the Fall.

Do note, though, that their most prominent shows, House, Bones and the #1 new show last year (counted one way), Fringe, aren't starting early. (Neither is the other sophomore drama, Lie To Me.) Bones and Fringe will start off with five episodes, and then be preempted for three weeks. House will fair a little better, starting off with five hours (in four episodes), and then be preempted two weeks out of three. (Lie To Me has perhaps the worst deal: It shows only three episodes, then is preempted two out of three weeks.)

 

[bicker]

The Forgotten (ABC)

Gone but not forgotten. That's what they say. But what if a killer took your life -- and your name? Every city has its share of unidentified murder victims. When standard police procedure fails to give them a name, that's when the Identity Network steps in.

A group of dedicated, amateur detectives, the members of the Identity Network attempt to reconstruct the pieces of these John and Jane Doe's lives from what little evidence is left behind. Each episode is narrated by a "body" who watches the team as they pursue the tantalizingly difficult challenge of figuring out who this victim once was. Why would anyone volunteer for such a grim task? As new recruit Tyler Davies quickly discovers, each of the members of the team has his or her own reasons for volunteering for the Network. Alex Donovan is a former cop. Linda Manning, the woman who runs the network from her home, has a husband who is a convicted murderer. Walter Bailey does stake outs -- when he's not blowing his cover. Candace Butler hates her day job. She also happens to have a special gift for putting people at ease -- even the prickly Tyler, a talented sculptor with a background in forensics. Follow these committed amateur investigators as they race against time to piece together the stories of these dead people's lives -- and ultimately, hopefully, their murders.

​

This show started out on my "can't wait for" list, and dropped pretty substantially as time went on and more news leaked out from the set. It's been rocky. They've recast one lead and are still working to recast the other -- a very bad sign. Especially since that second lead they're recasting is Reiko Aylesworth.

We'll probably watch the first couple of episodes (though perhaps a week or two after they are broadcast) and then decide whether to continue.

 

[bicker]

The Good Wife (CBS)

Starring Emmy Award winner Julianna Margulies as a wife and mother who must assume full responsibility for her family and re-enter the workforce after her husband's very public sex and political corruption scandal lands him in jail. Pushing aside the betrayal and crushing public humiliation caused by her husband Peter (Chris Noth), Alicia Florrick (Margulies) starts over by pursuing her original career as a defense attorney. As a junior associate at a prestigious Chicago law firm, she joins her longtime friend, former law school classmate and firm partner Will Gardner (Josh Charles), who is interested to see how Alicia will perform after 13 years out of the courtroom. Alicia is grateful the firm's top litigator, Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski), offers to mentor her but discovers the offer has conditions and realizes she's going to need to succeed on her own merit. Alicia's main competition among the firm's 20-something new recruits is Cary (Matt Czuchry), a recent Harvard grad who is affable on the surface, but will use any means to ensure that he, not Alicia, secures the one full-time associate position that's available. Fortunately, Alicia finds an ally in Kalinda (Archie Panjabi), the firm's tough in-house investigator. Gaining confidence every day, Alicia transforms herself from embarrassed politician's scorned wife to resilient career woman, especially for the sake of providing a stable home for her children, 14-year-old Zach (Graham Phillips) and 13-year-old Grace (Makenzie Vega). For the first time in years, Alicia trades in her identity as the "good wife" and takes charge of her own destiny.

​

This one I am looking forward to, quite a lot. The cast is stellar (and not being screwed around with by recasting), and the production team (Scott Free -- the folks who bring you Numb3rs) as well.

 

[2BigKIdz]

Vampire Diaries (CW)

I go back and forth on this one. In the end, it won't fit into our plan. It is being broadcast in the second-most competitive hour of television, all week, Thursday 8PM, and therefore is up against Bones and Flash Forward (as well as Survivor and some NBC comedies). Vampire Diaries does start a couple of weeks before the regular fall season starts (two weeks before Flash Forward starts), so we will catch the first couple of episodes, but small consolation if we like it. We'll put it lower on the Season Pass list, so we might catch the reruns.

Does Nina Dobrev give anyone else a Shiri Appleby (Liz Parker from Roswell) vibe? (Coincidentally, the folks making Vampire Diaries also made Roswell.)

This sounds like a show I will like. Of course it is on Thursday. With the moving of The Mentalist to Thursday there are now 8 shows on Thursday night that I watch or will be watching