So you may be asking, "Why rant now? Here? When all I want to know is what are you watching this year?"
Well I'll tell you why: because my motherforking Fall TV Preview issue of Entertainment Weekly has not arrived yet! In years past, that issue came out over Labor Day weekend. But last weekend came and went with nary mention of fall TV. So I figured, this weekend. Nope. This weekend, some stupid cover about a new superhero movie, as if we need any more of those. (And yes, it is a female-led superhero movie, so I am at least happy about that, but I need my Fall TV Preview issue!!!)
So you may be thinking, "So what? The TV season doesn't really start for two weeks. There's time."
Yeah, sure there's time. But this is the weekend I set up to do the fall TV blog. And you all know how well I adapt to change.
So I am sallying forth into the land of TV, with only partial information. If I get my Fall TV Preview issue of EW next week, and if I find myself with extra time on Sunday, I will update this post (or write a new one) with information from EW. But don't hold your breath. I'm mad.
Now, without further ado, let me tell you what I'm watching on network television, and then I'll add a little section about streaming services.
Sunday
- God Friended Me, or as Vic calls it, Friended by an Angel. Interesting premise, plus it has Joe Morton in it, and I like him. And Matt Roush, the TV Guide (which, BTW, delivered my Fall Preview issue exactly on time, thankyouverymuch) reviewer gives it a thumbs-up.
- Madam Secretary: I look forward to seeing whether we'll get a name change to Madam President at the end of this season.
- Kidding: A Jim Carrey show on Showtime. I love Jim Carrey, so I'll give this a try—even though Matt doesn't like it a ton.
- You: A show on, yes, Lifetime. It's getting a lot of good reviews, and it sounds different, so why not try it?
Monday
- The Neighborhood: One of five new sitcoms I'm trying this year. I want to like it, because I do like the four main leads, but I'm skeptical of it.
- Manifest: One of the shows I most want to like. It's the new Lost, which means it will either succeed wildly or go down in flames just after I get really invested in it. Both Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff recommended it, too.
Tuesday
- The Kids Are Alright: My second new comedy. I actually don't want to watch this on principle: there is no such word as "alright." It's always two words: "all right." But Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff in general recommend it, so I'll give it a try.
- The Rookie: As if I'm not going to watch a TV show (or anything, really) with Nathan Fillion. Puh-lease. (Plus it's another one recommended by Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff.)
- FBI: I love procedurals, so sue me. And this is by Dick Wolf, the man behind Law & Order. (chung chung) Plus my boss Brendan's daughter Julia has a cameo in it, so like I'm not going to watch that! (That said, it does not get a good review from TV Guide's Matt, so I've set my expectations accordingly.)
- 9-1-1: I ended up liking this more than I thought I would last year, so I'm excited for it to come back. The cast is wonderful—huge crush on Peter Krause since his days on Sports Night, and, if I'm being honest, on Connie Britton since, you know, forever—and I like a show that shows our first responders in a good light.
- This Is Us: As if I'm not going to keep watching one of my favorite shows of all time and my favorite show on TV right now (including my beloved Grey's Anatomy, which I don't consistently love).
- New Amsterdam: I don't need another hospital show, but I do like unrealistic do-gooder shows, so I'll give this a try. Matt did not give it a thumbs-up, so my expectations are low.
Wednesday
- Modern Family: It's getting a little long in the tooth, and they may have mined all the best comedy already, but as long as Phil's a character, Patty'll be a watchin'.
- Single Parents: I wonder if you have to be a single parent to think this is funny? Good cast, and a half-hour isn't much to invest to find out.
- A Million Little Things:
The new This Is Us.The new thirtysomething and The Big Chill. (At least, that's what the producers want you to think. But regardless, if it's anything like any of those shows, I'll love it. I love the male leads (David Guintoli from Grimm, Ron Livingston from Office Space [and pretty much everything else] and James Roday from Psych). (I don't know any of the female leads.) What I won't love is if it becomes Parenthood: 40 minutes of angst followed by 5 minutes of crying. (Meaning—the first 40 minutes of Parenthood were so hard to watch. There was a lot of whining and "ugh" moments. But the last five minutes were almost always so heartwarming that I ended up in tears. Mind you, I love TV shows that make me cry (see: This Is Us). But I don't like paying 40 minutes to get a good cry. Anyway, this is another one that Matt and the TV Guide editorial staff recommend, and it looks good to me, so I'm all in. Expectations are high. - Criminal Minds: A returning favorite. I'll watch this until they cancel it.
- Chicago Fire: On the fence. They got rid of one of my least favorite characters at the end of last season, so I'll watch for a few episodes to see if I can like it again.
- Chicago PD: This is Vic's. :-)
Thursday
- My beloved Grey's Anatomy: No, it's not as consistently awesome as it used to be, but I still love it.
- Murphy Brown: I loved this show when it was on. Candice Bergen is one of my favorites. I even did my hair like hers back in the day and named my cat after her character! So, high hopes.
- The Good Place: Love it—can't wait to see where they go next.
- Will & Grace: Ummmm, we let last year's Will & Grace build up on the DVR, which seems to be a sign—like, if we can't watch even one episode before the second season starts, should we start the second season?
- I Feel Bad: My fourth new comedy. I've been seeing commercials for this, and they have some funny lines, but my expectations are low, and I do not expect to add it to my viewing schedule.
Friday
- The Cool Kids: I love comedies about older people, and I love this cast. High hopes, but low expectations. Fridays? Really?
Saturday
- Catch up day!
Other
- Camping on HBO with Jennifer Garner starting on October. Not getting great reviews, but I love Jennifer Garner, so I'll give it a try.
- Escape at Dannemora on Showtime in November. I've been waiting for this one.
- The Little Drummer Girl on AMC in November. Based on a John Le Carre novel, so I'm looking forward to it. This and Escape at Dannemora are recommended by the TV Guide editorial staff.
- Dirty John on Bravo in late fall. With Eric Bana and Connie Britton, it's a must-watch.
- Other shows coming include The Hot Zone and Valley of the Boom on Nat Geo and Proven Innocent on Fox.
- What happened to Life in Pieces and the Blacklist? Are they midseason replacements?
Streaming
- Matt from TV Guide's favorite show of the year is The Kominsky Method on Netflix starring Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas. You had me at "Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas."
- His next favorite show is Forever on Amazon Prime starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armison. You had me at "Maya Rudolph and Fred Armison."
- The First on Hulu is about our first mission to Mars. You had me at "Mars." Another Matt Roush favorite.
- Another Netflix show, The Good Cop, is not on anyone's list, but with Josh Groban, I must try it.
- Same with The Homecoming on Amazon Prime: Julia Roberts is my jam.
- We've been watching Jack Ryan on Amazon—if you haven't, and you like shows like that, give it a try!
- Things we haven't tried but I really want to: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ordeal by Innocence, Friends from College, Marcella, Ozark and Castle Rock.
I think that's about it for this week. Stay tuned for updates!
