Question: Without a doubt, last year’s My Name Is Earl was the breakthrough comedy of the season. But what about this year? I heard positive things about The Class, but it does remind me too much of Friends, primarily because of the ridiculously waspy cast. Then I saw a preview for ABC’s Help Me Help You. At first, the name sounded terrible to me, and it didn't help that I don't care for Ted Danson (I hated Becker). But the supporting characters, like the promiscuous Asian woman and the guy who refuses to accept he’s gay, seem to make this show really funny. What do you think? Should I bother with this one, or are the previews misleading?
Answer: Too soon to tell. The patients are the funniest thing about Help Me Help You, though Danson’s scenes with his character's ex-wife (Jane Kaczmarek, a recurring guest star) show promise. But is it a breakthrough/breakout hit, even on the modest scale of Earl (my fave new comedy of last season)? Not likely. The Class seems to me a terrific fit for
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Yeah, yeah, Angel Cohn, among others, beat me to blogging about our favorite new fall shows. But out of fairness to ABC, I was waiting on the screeners for Brothers & Sisters and Men in Trees, among others. Which new series most impresses me? Is it Friday Night Lights, Six Degrees or Men in Trees? Here's how my assorted expectations met reality:SundayBrothers & Sisters, ABC: Expectations were modest, as a stellar cast (Calista Flockhart, Sally Field, Rachel Griffiths, Ron Rifkin, to name but a few) was balanced out by foreboding backstage buzz and shuffles. The pilot starts off slow (the first 20 minutes felt like an eternity), but by the end I was pulled in. The show is just a wee heavy-handed with the constant references to Calista's character being this Ann Coulter-type talking head. We. Get. It.The Game, CW: This one (as well as ABC's Knights of Prosperity) I have yet to watch, sorry. I never watched UPN's Girlfriends, so perhaps I'm afraid I'd be helplessly adrift with ...
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Question: I know it's still summer, but have the networks announced tentative dates for their season premieres?
Answer: As of now, the only network not to announce premiere dates is CBS, which will likely launch most of its new and returning shows the weeks of Sept. 17 and 24.
Here's how the others shape up: The season kicks off early on Fox, with Prison Break and Vanished on Aug. 21; then the limited reality series Duets on Aug. 29; Justice and Bones on Aug. 30; House and Standoff on Sept. 5; the comedies 'Til Death and Happy Hour on Sept 7; Nanny 911 on Sept. 8; Cops and America's Most Wanted on Sept. 9; Fox's animated comedy lineup plus The War at Home on Sept. 10; and MADtv Sept. 16. (The O.C. won't return until after postseason baseball on Nov. 2.)
On ABC, 20/20 officially kicks off Sept. 8; Dancing with the Stars returns Sept. 12 and 13; Wife Swap premieres Sept. 18; Grey's Anatomy and Six Degrees on Sept. 21; Ugly Betty and Men in Trees on Sept. 22; Extreme Makeover: Home
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ABC's official fall schedule just crossed the wires and those crazy kids over at the Alphabet net are moving Grey's Anatomy to Thursdays at 9 pm. The complete press release is below.ABC UNVEILS 2006-07 PRIMETIME SCHEDULESix New Comedies, Six New Dramas and Three New Alternative SeriesWill Join a Slate of Returning ShowsNew Series Include “Betty the Ugly,” “Big Day,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Day Break,” “Help Me Help You,” “In Case of Emergency,” “Greg Behrendt’s Wake-Up Call,” “Just for Laughs,” “Let’s Rob…,” “Men in Trees,” “The Nine,” “Notes from the Underbelly,” “Set for the Rest of Your Life,” “Six Degrees” and “Traveler” Returning Series Include “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Lost,” “Desperate Housewives,” “Dancing with the Stars,” “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “...
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