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FALL WISHES
September 23, 2005
Finally, it's time to lay off the Netflix rentals and use the television the way it was intended - to get hooked on 30 and 60-minute bits of serialized goodness. The fall season is here. New shows are making first impressions. Returning favorites are taking our most beloved characters and placing them in a whole new set of dramatic circumstances. Entertainment possibilities are endless.
With scripted dramas and edgy comedies regaining the favor of network programmers after a few years of reality-dominated scheduling, this fall should have something for everyone. Still, I have a few specific hopes for the new TV year - a small batch of wishes that, if granted, would turn a promising new season into pure televised joy…
I wish for network TV to make me laugh again. Most years, it would take one talented genie in a bottle to pull that off. While comedy has recently thrived on pay cable - "Entourage" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" on HBO; "Weeds" on Showtime - the big boys' sitcom scene has been dead in the water. However, the wish isn't all that far-fetched this season. Some inventive premises could earn warm laughs on new shows such as NBC's "My Name is Earl" and CBS' "How I Met Your Mother." The latter's premiere episode, aired just this past Monday, had me chuckling early and often. Who knew Neil Patrick Harris (formerly known as Doogie Howser, M.D.) had such impeccable comic timing?
Meanwhile, "Arrested Development" was saved from cancellation (thank Gob!); "The Office" could get a needed lift from Steve Carell's newfound comic confidence (thanks to the big-screen smash "The 40-Year-Old Virgin"); and, yes, I even hope the producers of "Joey" can somehow, someway find a way to make those characters consistently funny. Allowing Joey to find Hollywood success and installing Jennifer Coolidge (who plays Joey's take-no-prisoners agent) as a regular cast member are two steps in the right direction. Almost everyone has given up on "Joey." I still think a formula exists to make that show a winner - the writers just need to find it.
I wish for more people to fall in love with "Veronica Mars." My initial thought was to wish for a sophomore season that was as brilliant as the first. But that doesn't seem necessary, even though there were summer rumblings about studio interference with the winning father/daughter detective show. My fears have been calmed, mostly thanks to some inspired casting, including "Buffy" alum Charisma Carpenter as a Neptune socialite and affable '80s icon Steve Guttenberg as an ex-ball player running for mayor. Another unsolved murder for Veronica to sleuth her way through is planned as this year's primary whodunit, and TV fans who stayed away last season shouldn't make the same mistake twice. "Veronica" is one of television's freshest, most inventive shows. Its mix of high-school angst, witty banter, and clever mysteries keeps you enthralled, laughing, and scouring the show for clues all at the same time. Mars Investigations sets up shop on Wednesdays at 9 this year - yes, the same time that "Lost" airs - but that's why God invented the Tivo and wants you to use it.
I wish for a continued move away from same old, same old procedurals. Oh, the dominant dramatic genre still has plenty new entries this year - "Bones," "Criminal Minds," etc. But, more and more, series creators have aspirations for their shows other than just becoming the next "CSI." The continued success of "24" has clearly inspired some of this fall's more clever concepts, including Fox's "Reunion" and "Prison Break." And the glut of sci-fi/fantasy shows all debuting in the wake of "Lost"'s stunning first season, among them "Threshold," "Invasion," and "Supernatural," has been amply reported on. Not all of these shows are going to be good. Not all of these shows are going to be watched. But if a few of them earn a steady following this year, we should see even more original dramas pop up in the future. So, if you're a fan of quality television, take time to sample all the new stuff. Find what a show or two that entertains and surprises you and stick with it. If enough people do that, endless retreads of "CSI" and "Law & Order" could be a thing of the past and the genie in the bottle won't be necessary at all.
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