The fall season is television’s equivalent of summer for the film industry. The hottest shows for the upcoming year debut in the fall. As a TV junkie who juggles as many as 15 shows at once per season, I can usually pick the stands outs and the most-likely-to-be-canceled series just by reading the synopses.
I’ve only been wrong once and that was with the ABC Family drama “Jane By Design”, which was canceled over “Bunheads.” I’m still so bitter.
Here is a list of this fall’s seven most exciting, most promising, must-see new shows. Or at least what I think are this fall’s seven most exciting, most promising, must-see new shows. But don’t listen to me, I’m not an expert or anything. (Yes I am.)
“Bad Judge”
Kate Walsh (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice”) stars in one of fall’s most promising, new, not-for-the-family comedy series, “Bad Judge.” Walsh’s character, Rebecca Wright, is an uncompromising judge serving in Los Angeles County. Although she seems to have it all together behind the bench, her personal life is a little out of control. Her promiscuous party-girl lifestyle comes to a screeching halt when a young boy whose parents Wright put away comes into her life, making her realize she needs to change.
The series, before even debuting, has fallen under intense scrutiny from the misogynistic society for which it will air. Critics are blasting the series’ creators and Walsh’s character, a free-spirited sexually promiscuous judge, for exhibiting reckless behavior.
Given Walsh’s star power, I think it’s safe to say this show will fare pretty well.
“Bad Judge” premieres Thursday, October 2, at 9/8c on NBC.
“The Flash”
The spin-off of the surprisingly good CW series “Arrow,” “The Flash” stars Grant Gustin (“Glee”) who becomes the fastest man alive, Barry Allen, better known by DC Comic fans as the Flash.
The spin-off, which promises to be more lighthearted than its parent series, is set in Central City where Allen works as a forensic investigator and uses his newfound powers to help fight crime. The series will also star television’s original Barry Allen, John Wesley Shipp and Danielle Panabaker.
The CW has a knack for these superhero shows. “Smallville” lasted like, 350 seasonsm even when no one was watching it. And their most recent success, “Arrow,” has fared incredibly well. (Rightfully so.)
“The Flash” premieres Tuesday, October 7, at 8/7c on the CW.
“Gracepoint”
Arguably Fox’s most promising new show, “Gracepoint,” a 10-part mystery event series, is based on the critically acclaimed UK crime drama “Broadchurch.”
When a young boy is found dead on an idyllic beach, a major police investigation goes underway in Gracepoint, a small California seaside town, throwing the boy’s family and locals into turmoil. The nuances of the plot may seem familiar to fans of “Twin Peaks,” the ‘90’s minimalistic cult-classic serial drama, which opens in almost the same manner.
“Gracepoint” stars “Doctor Who”’s 10th incarnation of the Doctor, David Tennant, who also starred in “Broadchurch,” which I think will help the series thrive, given the cult following “Doctor Who” has garnered in recent years in the States.
“Gracepoint” premieres Thursday, October 2, at 9/8 c on Fox.
“How To Get Away With Murder”
An American legal drama set at a prestigious Philadelphia university where students vying for a seat at the highly competitive firm, run by their hard-as-nails law professor, who is none other than the legendary Viola Davis (“The Help,” “Traffic”), become entwined in a murder plot themselves and must figure out how to get away with it.
Shonda Rimes produced it. That’s all that needs to be said.
“How To Get Away With Murder” premieres Thursday, September 25, at 10/9c on ABC.
“Madam Secretary”
Tea Leoni (“Deep Impact,” “Jurassic Park III,” “Spanglish”) stars as Elizabeth Faulkner McCord, a former CIA agent whose former boss, Keith Carradine (“Nashville,” “Deadwood”) is now president of the United States of America. Carradine asks her to step in as his secretary of state after an accident claims the life of the former position-holder.
The story will follow Leoni as she juggles her family life as well as her newfound position beside the president of the United States. It’s also safe to assume there will be some intriguing conspiracies that bubble throughout the series regarding the “accident” that killed the former secretary of state.
“Madam Secretary” premieres Sunday, September 21, at 8/7 c on CBS.
“Stalker”
A violent and shocking thriller crime drama that follows two detectives, played by Dylan McDermott (the hot dad from the first season of “American Horror Story”) and Maggie Q (“Nikita”), in a division of the LAPD that deals specifically with stalkers, voyeurs and just plain creeps who harass other people.
“Stalker” is for sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt, my most anticipated series of the upcoming fall season. Kevin Williamson, the series creator and executive producer, can turn water into wine. His most recent success was FOX’s “The Following,” which is one of my favorites TV shows to date. You may also know him as the man behind the Scream films, as well as “The Vampire Diaries” and “Dawson’s Creek,” just to name a few of his many successes.
Williamson manages to capture creepiness and true fear in his writing (“Dawson’s” aside), and it ruminates in an anxious manner in the viewers, which will really heighten the experience of this series.
“Stalker” premieres Wednesday, October 1, at 10/9c on CBS.
“Utopia”
Reality television series where a group of strangers are shoved into weird circumstances and have to make due are my weakness (“Big Brother,” basically every show on MTV), but Fox’s new experimental reality series, “Utopia,” is going to turn the concept into something much more grim.
Fifteen strangers, all seemingly picked specifically to butt heads with at least two others, will be tossed into the wilderness and, over the course of an entire year, will build their own society and govern their own rules as they see fit.
The concept gives room for an interesting social experiment, as well as to air some politically based social commentary, which will be incredibly interesting in my opinion.
Utopia’s two-hour premiere is Sunday, September 7, at 8/7c on Fox.
