Inside TV

The Fall Season Is Here

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Tough to believe but it’s really here. While Fox jumped the gun with an early start to the fall TV season, the official start for most of the networks is Today. There are so many new shows, and I can’t possibly get to them all, so I’m going to pick a few and let you know what I think.

Monday

Studio 60 on Sunset Strip (NBC): Is written by “The West Wing” creator, Aaron Sorkin, and stars Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet, Steven Weber and many more talented actors. It’s about the backstage politics in television and what really happens behind the scenes of a popular Saturday night show. It’s fast-paced, well-written and one of my favorites this season.

The Class (CBS): I wasn’t terribly impressed with this one. It’s about a group of people who were all a part of the same third grade class. Jason Ritter, Jon Bernthal, Lizzy Caplan star. It had a few bright moments, and actually the second episode was funnier than the pilot. But I’ll be watching “Studio” and “Heroes” (Which I’ll talk about ad nauseum next week) on Mondays.

Tuesday

Smith (CBS): I think fans of “Oceans 11” will get into this. It’s about a career criminal, played by Ray Liotta, who is determined to get out of the business – after a couple more jobs. I love Virginia Madsen, who plays the wife, but I just couldn’t get into this one. I didn’t care about any of the characters, and that’s important if you want me to invest my time. It wasn’t bad, just not my thing.

Wednesday

Jericho (CBS): A mushroom cloud looms on the horizon and the folks in the small town of Jericho are worried. When they discover nuclear explosions have destroyed Denver, Atlanta and several other cities, the townsfolk don’t know what to do. This is more a study of human nature, than anything, but I found it fascinating. I watched the first two episodes and I’m curious enough to watch more. Skeet Ulrich, Pamela Green and Gerald McRaney star.

Kidnapped (NBC): Jeremy Sisto, Dana Delany, Timothy Hutton, Delroy Lindo and Will Denton star in this serialized thriller where the teenaged son of a wealthy family is kidnapped. Jason Smilovic (“Lucky Number Slevin) created the series and I like his writing style. I liked the show, but it has some tough competition on Wednesdays.

Thursday

Six Degrees (ABC): There are some great actors in this one, including Hope Davis and Campbell Scott. It’s about six people in New York City and how their lives intersect. It’s airing after “Grey’s Anatomy,” so I suspect it will do well, but it didn’t blow me away. That said, I’d watch a second episode just to check it out.

Shark (CBS): James Woods is a cutthroat defense attorney who ends up working for the prosecutor’s office when a case goes bad. His character is damaged goods, and that’s what makes this one so much fun to watch. Jeri Ryan also stars. I’m not big into the law shows, but this one is definitely worth checking out.

Friday

MEN IN TREES (ABC): After, she discovers her fiancé has been cheating on her, a motivational speaker (Anne Heche) lands in Alaska and decides to stay. This is a quirky, small town dramedy along the lines of “Northern Exposure.” I liked it, and it will most definitely make the TIVO list. And just in case you think it’s a chick thing, a lot of the guy critics liked it too. Not that I need the validation. (Smile)

I’m probably the only goober in the room excited about Rachel Ray and Megan Mullally’s new talk shows. I like both of these chicks, and I hope their shows rock! That said, I’ll be watching and I’ll let you know.

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