TV Shows - Fall 2011

Every season there's a slew of new shows, many of which will die a quick death, some will have a stellar first season and then fade away, and some will become hallmarks of the medium. Here's a quick rundown of what we'll be watching in the new season, and my prediction for how it will fare. And by "quick rundown" I mean I wrote it rather hastily, as this evolved from a rather long-winded comment I was leaving on Shanella's blog-post about TV.

New Shows

"Person of Interest" - it has Michael Emerson (Ben from Lost) so it gets a chance, which it wouldn't normally (since, honestly, it sounds kind of hokey). I expect the ratings for this to be high to start, and then it'll kind of fade out as it turns into a routine "here's this episode's problem, solve it in 44 minutes pls k thx".

Mr. Finch (Michael Emerson), a mysterious billionaire, has developed a computer program that predicts the identity of people connected to violent crimes that will take place in the future. However, the program has its limitations: for example, it cannot predict whether the person will be a victim, perpetrator, or witness, nor can it predict when or where the crime will take place. Unable to stop the crimes on his own, Finch hires John Reese (Jim Caviezel), a former CIA agent who is presumed dead, to help stop the crimes from taking place.

-- Person of Interest on Wikipedia.org


"A Gifted Man" - Wifey's top pick for new show. I have the feeling this one ends with me swinging from the rafters. I expect it'll do badly to start, and won't last long, as it's a one-trick pony.

A Gifted Man is an upcoming American television series about a talented but self-absorbed surgeon (Patrick Wilson) who starts questioning his purpose in life when he is visited by the spirit of his dead ex-wife (Jennifer Ehle).

-- A Gifted Man on Wikipedia.org

New Shows We Won't Be Watching

As a long-time lover of sci-fi and all things related, I really want to watch "Terra Nova" ( Terra Nova on Wikipedia.org ) but I'm afraid we can only record two things at a time with our ancient DVR, and this conflicts with several other things we're recording on Monday nights, so we'll have to catch up with it in reruns. Unless I upgrade my DVR before next week! Stay tuned! I suspect the show will last at least 2 seasons, regardless of ratings, because there's so much invested in it.

Returning Favorites

"Eureka" - just had the season finale last night, the final season returns next year, so not really eligible for this list, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention it as one of the top picks of the year. Second best sci-fi/comedy series (first, if Firefly wasn't a sci-fi/comedy).

"Warehouse 13" - we watch it, grudgingly, even though wifey hates the girl and the show really is kind of silly. That this got renewed while Eureka got cancelled is a travesty against TV sci-fi.

"Alphas" - My Alpha ability is that I can tolerate this show, so we watch it, otherwise it would be a waste of my ability.

"Fringe" - A shining beacon of television in an otherwise mostly dank and expressionless expanse of TV.

There's also the comedy shows: "The Middle", "Big Bang Theory", and "Two and a Half Men".

Keep watching TV!
-Tom