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| “Gilmore Girls” |
By Scott Huver, Hollywood.com Staff
The WB
All times EST/PST
Returning Shows
Gilmore Girls
The Players: Lauren Graham, Alexis Bledel, Scott Patterson, Kelly Bishop, Edward Herrmann, Melissa McCarthy, Milo Ventiglamia, Liz Torres, Yanic Truesdale, Liza Weil, Keiko Agena, Jared Padalecki
Major Changes: Looks like Rory’s gonna dump white-bread boyfriend Dean; a romance with Luke’s bad boy nephew Jess doesn’t seem far behind–except he’s spotted kissing another girl.
What’s Ahead: Lorelei’s ex, Christopher–who abandoned their re-heated feelings after learning his girlfriend was pregnant–will return with an urgent need to speak to Lorelei; and Paris has a date with a Princeton–not Harvard–man.
Premieres: Sept. 24; airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
7th Heaven
The Players: Stephen Collins, Catherine Hicks, Barry Watson, David Gallagher, Jessica Biel, Beverley Mitchell, Mackenzie Rosman, Adam LaVorgna, Happy the Dog
Major Changes: Look for less of Biel, who’s exploring other career options, and Watson, whose ongoing health concerns have left future acting appearances up in the air. Watson remains a story editor on the show, however, and is currently penning an early season episode.
What’s Ahead: Real-life brothers George and Geoff Stults join the regular cast as love interests for Mary and Lucy; Rachel Blanchard (Clueless) comes aboard as a rookie cop, and Ashlee Simpson, younger sister of pop star Jessica Simpson, is added, promising potential romance for Simon. And squeaky clean guest star Pat Boone pops in on the Camden clan’s Sept. 30th episode, which focuses on the issue of safe baby drop-off.
Premieres: Sept. 16; airs Mondays at 8 p.m.
Smallville
The Players: Tom Welling, Kristin Kruek, Michael Rosenbaum, John Schneider, Annette O’Toole, Sam Jones III, Allison Mack, Eric Johnson
Major Changes: Clark gets a new superpower, which heats up his relationship with Lana; and one of Clark’s pals will soon become privy to his Super secret.
What’s Ahead: Look for the introduction of red kryptonite, the loopy variation on the strength-sapping isotope that causes bizarre and unexpected mutations; Lex moves closer to his evil destiny–or does he? and–although plans are tentative–a young millionaire named Bruce Wayne may visit from Gotham City.
Premieres: Sept. 24; airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m.
Charmed
The Players: Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, Rose McGowan, Brian Krause, Julian McMahon
Major Changes: None. Shannen Doherty remains unemployed.
What’s Ahead: Phoebe is transformed into a mermaid–wait’ll you see her wet ‘n wild new look–and has to find love with a mortal or give up her immortality to a seahag, but her beau Craig balks at declaring his devotion for her before the hag’s deadline; Paige goes redhead (the show’s producers actually used the unorthodox suggestion that McGowan, who went red off-camera for the summer, say the new ‘do is the result of an exploding potion gone bad).
Premieres: Sept. 22; airs Sundays at 8 p.m.
Notable New Shows:
Birds of Prey
The Players: Dina Meyer, Ashley Scott, Rachel Skarsten, Shemar Moore, Mia Sara; executive produced by the Smallville team
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The Upshot: Based loosely on the DC Comics title, the story is set in Gotham City seven years after the disappearance of Batman and his nemesis, The Joker. Only the handicapped former Batgirl–now a high-tech guru called Oracle–can keep the peace, aided by a mysterious teen with mental powers and The Huntress, the sexy, shadowy secret daughter of the Dark Knight and Catwoman.
The Down-Low: Crimefighting chicks in spandex–cool.
Premieres: Oct. 9; airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m.
Everwood
The Players: Treat Williams, Gregory Smith, Emily VanCamp, Vivien Cardone, Debra Mooney, Tom Amandes, Chris Pratt, John Beasley
The Upshot: A recently widowed NYC neurosurgeon uproots his two kids to run a free clinic in the quaint, quirky Rocky Mountain town of Everwood.
The Down-Low: Made in the heartwarming, family-friendly mold of 7th Heaven and created by an ex-Dawson’s Creek scribe, the WB’s hoping for the best of both worlds.
Premieres: Sept. 16; airs Mondays at 9 p.m.
What I Like About You
The Players: Amanda Bynes, Jennie Garth, Simon Rex, Wesley Jonathan; exec produced by Friends scribe Will Calhoun, The Amanda Show’s Dan Schneider and the Smallville team
The Upshot: Headstrong, boundary-breaking 16-year-old Holly (Bynes) moves in with her big sis (Garth) a straight-laced, ladder-climbing Manhattanite–think The Odd Couple in low-rise jeans and Chloe.
The Down-Low: Perky, popular teen star Bynes graduates to primetime; perky, popular ex-teen star Garth returns to series TV. Perky, popular teen girls everywhere rejoice.
Premieres: Sept. 20; airs Fridays at 8 p.m.
More Newbies:
Do Over (Sept. 19) is this season’s second time-bending series with Penn Badgley tripping from 34 to 14, circa early 1980s on Thursdays at 8:30 p.m; and Family Affair (Sept. 12) revives the 1960s sitcom featuring Buffy, Jody, Sissy and Uncle Bill for the present day (read the review), with Tim Curry as Mr. French, Mrs. Beasley as herself and, one hopes, no untimely deaths for the cast members Thursdays at 8 p.m.; and Greetings from Tucson (Sept. 20) continues this season’s trend of teen boys looking at life, this time in a Mexican-American family, Fridays at 9:30 p.m.;
The Rest of the Schedule:
Gilmore Girls: Beginnings (Sept. 15) revisits the series’ first seasons Sundays at 7 p.m., while Angel (Oct. 6) tried to take a ratings bite at 9 p.m.; the Dawson’s Creek (Oct. 2) gang applies for Medicare (just kidding) Wednesdays at 8 p.m.; Jamie Kennedy (Sept. 19) fakes out freaks Funt-style Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.; last season’s barely-seen Off Centre (Sept. 19) inexplicably returns Thursdays at 9:30 p.m.; and Sabrina (Sept. 20), still witchy but no longer teenage, waves her wand Fridays at 8 p.m., followed by redheaded country chanteuse Reba (Sept. 20) at 9 p.m.
Bryson York contributed to this story
