Fall TV season 2014, end of week 1

Well, that was a week!

New shows watched:

• Madam Secretary: Loved it. Added it to our viewing schedule. One of the things I love most about the show is the relationship between Tea Leoni and Tim Daly's characters (husband and wife). I've read that they will have a healthy relationship—which doesn't necessarily mean they won't fight; only that it won't be the central point. I feel like marital problems are just a way to say, "We don't have enough plot points for the protagonist, so we'll add in an angry husband or wife to make the protagonist's job harder." That won't happen here, and that makes me happy. One of my friends said she wanted it to be more bad ass and less "aw shucks, I'm just trying to save the world." I agree with that—and I think it's funny because I can hear Tea Leoni saying it. (Credit: Anna Bloom.)
• Gotham: The first casualty of the new season. I still love the idea of seeing the origin stories of all the characters in the Batman stable, but I just didn't like the show. Dropped after one viewing.
• Forever: For me, this show is just MOR (middle of the road). I don't really have much to say against it—but I don't have too much to say for it. Three timer.
• Scorpion: This was the most preposterous, implausible, ridiculous show I've seen in a long time. But it's a rag tag band of misfits trying to save the world, and that speaks to me. (Hello, Firefly? Leverage?) Three timer.
• Black-ish: It was what I expected, and although there were some funny moments, we canceled it.
• How to Get Away with Murder: I was hooked less than halfway through—however, I do have a couple of gripes, and that worries me. The gripes may contain spoilers, so read at your own peril. My main gripe is how inept the kids are at covering up ... whatever they are covering up. A murder, an accidental death—I can't be sure. Now, I get that they are, what, 25 years old? And stress makes you do stupid things. But I could cover up a murder better than they are trying to, and I'm of average intelligence (they are the four smartest students in their law class). Sure, I've watched procedurals on TV for 30 years and they haven't even been alive for that long, but they're in law school. I think that makes them with my 30 years of TV watching. They used bleach in the house with the murder was committed. Cops always notice bleach. They cleaned up the murder weapon and put it back in the house. Cops always find something on the murder weapon. DESTROY IT. They rolled up the body in a rug from the house where the murder was committed. Because no one will notice a gigantic floor rug missing. And they burned the body to get rid of the DNA. As if Temperance Brennan (Bones) couldn't solve the murder from a burned corpse. Other gripes: the characters aren't that likeable. Seems like everyone is sleeping around indiscriminately. I don't understand how a law professor can hire five first-year students for her firm. Don't they have, I don't know, other classes? Homework? Still, it is compelling, and I'm definitely coming back for more.

Returning favorites watched:

• The Good Wife: I did not see that coming. (No spoilers—but you can email me if you want to talk more about it.) I kind of wanted to have the Florrick+Agos+Lockhart thing wrapped up by the end of this episode, so I was disappointed that it wasn't wrapped up. (Sure, that's a little spoiler, but not much of one.) I am excited to see what Taye Diggs is going to do on the show as a series regular. Love him!
• The Blacklist: Solid start. Looks like they're getting the band back together.
• Person of Interest: Definitely not interested in the direction this is going, but I do love the characters, so I'll keep going. For now.
• Chicago Fire: You know, this is a really well-done show. But I just have no affinity for the characters. this week, they Shonda Rhimes'ed* one of them, and I didn't even care. They're threatening to do the same next week too—and I don't care about that either. Why am I still watching? They tend to give me one story line or one cliffhanger that I want to see resolved. When it is, then I vow to stop watching—and in comes another story line or cliffhanger. This week, nothing. So I'll give it "one more try" and see what happens. ;-)
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Vic has not watched this yet, so no review.
• Sleepy Hollow: We watched this, and it just didn't grab us. It has morphed into something ... different than what we liked in the first season. I loved what Ichabod had to say about Benjamin Franklin, but that's not enough to sustain me. We canceled it.
• Modern Family: What can I say? I love this show!
• Chicago P.D.:
• Bones: Spoilers ahead. This episode must have been guest written by Shonda Rhimes, because—you guessed it—they killed off one of the main characters for No. Good. Reason. I read that he's directing a movie and asked for some time off, and the producers said they couldn't think of a way to write him out for four months. Within five minutes, I had come up with a dozen good ways to write him out for four months. I don't think they were trying hard enough. Or maybe they wanted to shake things up. That they did, and not for the better. Grr.
• Grey's Anatomy: Meanwhile, I guess Shonda's time at Bones took her away from Grey's, because nobody died. Yea! Grey's is similar to How to Get Away with Murder in that I have gripes about the episode (spoilers: April, stop trying to get the guys to make Major Hottie feel better. He's fine. Callie, stop being so selfish. Interns who aren't important enough for me to remember your names, stop being so annoying. Meredith, when McDreamy says he picks you, be happy about it.). But it's my beloved Grey's, and I'm still 100 percent on board!
• Scandal: Less on board with Scandal. Why would you leave a gorgeous island that you basically have all to yourself with a hunky guy who treats you like a queen (and apparently gives you the best sex of your life) for a city that eats people up and spits them out? That said, the best part of the episode was the grieving Mellie in sweatpants, Uggs, and a bathrobe. She must be having the time of her life in this role.
• Blue Bloods: Still a solid performer. Great episode.

New shows, second viewing:

• Red Band Society: Still loving it. Very touching. Adding it to my viewing schedule.
• The Mysteries of Laura: Meh. It could be a great comedy, if they stuck to the comedy. It could be a great cop show, if they stuck to the cop show. But in trying to do both, they do neither well. We canceled it.

My new shows premiering this week:

This week is the week of "not a lot of shows I'll probably add to my schedule." So why am I watching any of these? Why not? Some have good casts. Some made me laugh. I hope that at least one surprises me.

• Selfie: Basically a Pygmalion for the digital era, this does not look that good. The preview had me laughing, though, and I like John Cho. Not expecting to pick it up, and here's what TV Guide said: "giddy waste of charismatic talent it too inconsequential even to qualify as an epic fail."
• Manhattan Love Story: Ditto previous comment, except for the Pygmalion part. TV Guide hates the voice-over ("I’ll race you to the mute button"), which is usually a sticking point for me as well.
• Makers: This is a PBS show about women (the first season was called "Makers: Woman Who Shaped America"). It's in the "new" section because I didn't watch the first season, a fact I shall rectify tonight, thanks to Netflix.
• Stalker: Not overly in love with Dylan McDermott, but I like Maggie Q. TV Guide wasn't kind: "Glum, woodenly acted formula. Stalk away from this one."
• Gracepoint: I liked this show when it was Broadchurch on the BBC. What I'm hearing is that if you didn't watch that, watch this, because it's not bad. Or just get the original. However, I'm interested in how they change the ending. So I'll probably watch it. It's a limited run series anyway, so it's only 10 episodes of wasted time.
• Bad Judge: I love Kate Walsh, and the preview made me guffaw. But it is not getting good reviews (TV Guide: :the bar doesn't get set much lower"), and it's probably going to suck.
• A to Z: TV Guide: "the stars' chemistry is the draw, even when the show around them is either too cloying … or too forgettable." Ouch.

Returning favorites premiering this week:

• Resurrection: Vic tired of this in the end, but I'm still intrigued. We'll see if the show can bring Vic back to it. If not, we'll see if it intrigues me enough to watch it in bed after he falls asleep.
• Castle: They'd better get this show back on track pronto after last season's "cliffhanger" (Castle's car on fire by the side of the road, no Castle anywhere). But it's not really a cliffhanger, is it? Because the show's called Castle.
• Criminal Minds: Not in love with the addition of Jennifer Love Hewitt. We'll see how that goes.

And that's it for this week. Stay tuned next week for more reactions to the new season!

*Shonda Rhimes'ed = killed

Fall TV: premiere week!

Best week in television--premiere week! No, not all shows premiere this week, but enough of them do that I have to mark this as my favorite TV week of the year.

So again, let's get right to it:

I watched Red Band Society and The Mysteries of Laura last week.

• Red Band Society: Loved it. The kids were really awesome, which is important. Octavia Spencer is a little over the top—but if she brings it down even one notch, she'll be perfect. There was one scene that really got to me, and that's when I was hooked. Still, a pilot is one thing. Sustaining it over the long haul is something else, and I had a few "I don't think these people would be spending this much time in the hospital" and "I don't think that would happen moments—even though I know it's based on some true stories. So I've given this a three-time commitment. Best news for me: Vic likes it too. He was really not expecting too—did you read last week's blog about what this show is about?—but he did. So if we pick it up, I won't have to find time to watch it by myself.
• The Mysteries of Laura: "Uneven" is the best word I can use to describe it. It was too much of a comedy for the serious scenes to be taken as seriously as they needed to be—especially the penultimate scene. The good: I do like Debra Messing in this. There are things she did that were really, really funny. The bad: As I mentioned last week (I think—I'm too lazy to go back and check), I really hate bratty kids. Based on the reviews, I expected her kids to be super bratty, which they were. And I thought it was going to be her fault—and part of it was. But what surprised me, and not in a good way, was that I feel like the main reason they are bratty is their man-child father. And so I hate him more than I hate the bratty kids. And there were a lot of predictabilities. Without Debra Messing, I would put it in the trash heap. I'm not ready to sign a lease, but I'll go month-to-month (a.k.a., episode-to-episode). (If you want to read a more horrible review, check out this: http://time.com/3378582/review-the-mysteries-of-laura/

Oh, before we go on, here's a reminder of how I rate shows:

• If I like it immediately, I "add it to my viewing schedule." This is rare. I didn't even add my beloved Grey's Anatomy to my permanent viewing list until midway through the second season.
• If I like it but am not sure where it's going, I put it on my "three-time list." That means I try three episodes and make a decision from there. This is where most of my new shows go. And I'd say the results are 50-50 whether I add it or not.
• This year, I'm adding a "month-to-month" rating—I'm not ready to give it a three-time commitment, but I'm not ready to dump it. How sad must it be to be a show that I can't even commit to three episodes for?
• If I don't care for a show, it goes in the "dumping pile." I've dropped shows after five minutes and after five years. Most shows get a full episode viewing, however.

My new shows premiering this week:

• Madam Secretary: I think this is my most anticipated show. I love Tea Leoni, and I love earnest political dramas (and this looks earnest). The preview I watched looked awesome. Can. Not. Wait. (TV Guide editor's choice)
• Gotham: I'm a huge Batman fan, and even though this is not about Batman, it still has Batman's cast of characters. On the down side, I haven't been able to sustain love for any other comic book adaptations, so this could go that way as well. (TV Guide editor's choice)
• Scorpion: The short commercials that you see on CBS do nothing for me, but the longer version I've seen online is better. It's not getting any critical love, though, so it's anyone's bet how much I'll like it. (Entertainment Weekly: "Given the times, TV is overdue for a clever hacker thriller. This is not it.")
• Forever: I liked this show when it was called New Amsterdam and starred Jamie Lannister from Game of Thrones. Let's see if they do anything I haven't seen before.
• Black-ish: This would not be on my list, but it is getting good reviews, so I'll try it. (TV Guide editor's choice)
• How to Get Away with Murder: This is definitely a highly anticipated show for me (and for TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly). If I could get all of The Help on my small screen, I would love it.
• Transparent: This is a show on Amazon that is getting fabulous reviews. Not sure when—or if—I'll start watching it (it's available starting September 26), but I thought I'd mention it in case any of you are fans of Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development and many, many others) and Judith Light (Who's the Boss and many, many others).

My returning favorites premiering this week:

• The Good Wife: I loved where they took it last year, although I don't love when they—SPOILER ALERT—kill off a main character for what seems like no reason. But Florrick+Agos+Lockhart(?)—I wanna see where that goes.
• Sleepy Hollow: I had an up and down relationship with this show last year, but I am looking forward to its return. Tom Mison (Ichabod Crane) is awesome.
• The Blacklist: I did not end up loving this as much as I wanted to--it wouldn't be in my top ten list—but it's solid and reliable and mysterious, so I'm tuning in again.
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: This is one of Vic's shows. I couldn't sustain enough love to spend my limited amount of TV time watching it.
• Person of Interest: This is still one of my favorite shows, but I'm not in love with the direction it's headed. And yes, I'm still ticked off that they—SPOILER ALERT—killed off Carter last year. Is there anyone out there who doesn't know how I feel about killing off series regulars? Today Vic said something about Lexie Grey and I almost started crying again. At least they still have the dog.
• Chicago Fire: A solid performer.
• Modern Family: Still love this show. Love it.
• Chicago PD: This is one of Vic's shows. I've seen a little bit of it, and it's good, but again, I have to limit what I watch (because I already watch too much).
• Bones: I will still watch, but I'm ready for this show to end. After a show has been on the air for this long, it seems like the writers feel like they have to create ever-more preposterous storylines to keep people interested, when really, all they have to do is create compelling cases-of-the-week. But I have too much invested in the characters to quit, so back on the schedule it goes.
• Grey's Anatomy: I really loved it last year, and I can't wait to keep watching.
• Scandal: A guilty pleasure.
• Blue Bloods: A solid performer. I know it's too earnest for some, and Tom Selleck's politics get in the way for others (and Donnie Wahlberg just married Jenny "don't vaccinate your kids" McCarthy, which makes me question his intelligence), but I love the Reagan family.

Wondering when the shows you watch that I don't premiere? Check out this premier calendar: http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview/calendar.aspx

I don't really have any predictions of which show will be the first to get the boot this year. Nothing looks that bad. How about you? Thoughts?

Does everybody know what time it is??

No, it's not Tool Time. But it is time for Fall TV 2014, an event so momentous it deserves To Be Initial Capped and End with an Exclamation Point! (Sorry to all my editor friends and to myself.)

Let's get right to it.

Two new shows premiere this week. Well, probably more than two, but only two that I'm going to watch: Red Band Society and The Mysteries of Laura.

Red Band Society is a tough sell. It takes place in a children's ward of a hospital. It's narrated by a kid in a coma. All the kids are really, really sick. BUT. It stars Octavia Spencer (Minnie in The Help, and if you don't know what the "terrible awful" is, don't eat one of her pies), and it's receiving critical acclaim (one of the top six from Entertainment Weekly and an editor's choice from TV Guide). I expect to love it.

The Mysteries of Laura is more conventional. Debra Messing (whom I generally like) is an awesome cop and a seemingly less-than-awesome mom (because she has twin boys who are described as terrors). I don't generally like bratty kids, so if they spend too much time on her home life, I won't like the show and I won't watch it no matter how much I like Debra Messing. Also, it's not getting much critical love.

[Update 9/15: I read the TV Guide review of this show on the bus this morning, and it was not kind. I'm still going to watch it, but I have even lower expectations than I did yesterday.]

None of my existing shows premieres this week, so I won't talk about those.

Do any of your shows premiere this week? Find out here: http://www.tvguide.com/special/fall-preview/calendar.aspx

That's all for this week. Expect a much longer post next week as I review the two new shows from this week and give you a preview of the 20 shows (new and returning) that premiere next week.