We take a look at returning and soon-to-be TV favorites.
FOX
House
From executive producers Paul Attanasio, Katie Jacobs, David Shore and Bryan Singer (yes, that Bryan Singer, of X-Men fame) comes a new take on the medical mystery, where the villain is a malady and the hero is an irreverent, controversial doctor, Dr. Gregory House, who trusts no one–least of all his patients.
A chronic-pain sufferer, House (Hugh Laurie) has little to no bedside manner, but loves to solve inexplicable medical mysteries that confound even his most brilliant colleagues, like his oncologist pal Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard). On his team are neurologist Dr. Eric Forman (Omar Epps), immunologist Dr. Allison Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) and intensivist Dr. Robert Chase (Jesse Spencer). Meanwhile, House must constantly do battle with disapproving hospital administrator Dr. Lisa Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein). House premieres Nov. 16 at 9/8c; Tuesdays, 9/8c.
The OC
Seizing on the departure of Friends, Fox has targeted the now wide-open “Must See TV” berth Thursday nights at eight in hopes of claiming it as the network’s own–“OCTV”–by filling the timeslot with The OC.
Producer Josh Schwartz is EXTREMELY tight-lipped on the twists and turns he has planned in the coming months, but the respective absences of Ryan (Benjamin McKenzie) and Seth (Adam Brody) has wreaked havoc among the families in sun-soaked Orange County, and the fallout will be felt through many of the early episodes, Summer’s (Rachel Bilson) once-cold heart will melt even more, Luke (Chris Carmack) is gone for the foreseeable future, and too-old actors will still play the teens on the soap-within-a-soap The Valley in the background.
Oh, and viewers are probably interested in what’s up with Marissa (Mischa Barton) this year. Here’s the scoop, straight from Mischa‘s lips: “She’s fallen off the edge a bit. She’s definitely not dealing with Ryan leaving well. She’s depressed and angry and hurt and she can’t really express her feelings and emotions so it’s all bottled up inside of her and she’s got this really fun rage to play–she’s just angry now! At first she was really full of self-pity and a little bit sorry for herself, wallowing around, and now she’s really gotten past that to be angry, just plain angry.”
And in her rage, will Marissa turn away from Ryan to perhaps a new love interest? “Yeah, but like I said, it’s something that comes along the way,” the actress said. “It happens because of Ryan’s absence.” The OC premieres Nov. 4, 8/7c, and moves to that time Thursdays.
NBC
Joey
Going from spending a decade as part of one of TV’s most famous sitcom ensembles to the full-fledged star of his own series–easily this season’s most anticipated new show–was not an easy transition, Matt LeBlanc admits: he missed his “Friends.” “During the first week, I kept waiting for the door to open and for Chandler to walk in,” he confessed to us at the annual Television Critics Association summer press tour in August. “I got comfortable with the new voices, but it was strange at the beginning.” But the actor quickly got used to Joey Tribbiani’s new fish-out-of-water role as a transplanted actor struggling to make it in L.A., surrounded by a fresh, funny group of cohorts, including his domineering sister Gina (Drea DeMatteo), his book-smart but naive nephew Michael (Paulo Costanzo), his too-blunt agent Bobbi (Jennifer Coolidge) and his alluring–but married–neighbor Alison (a role soon to be re-tooled and re-cast).
The pilot episode mades the most of the popular character’s long history and lovable thick-headedness, and unlike other sitcom spin-offs, Matt promises this character will remain the Joey Tribbiani audiences have laughed at over the years. “I think a lot of times when you take a character from one show and spin him off to another show, it seems like people change that character too much and tweak it too much. My preference is that the guy will be exactly the same; there’ll just be more of him. You’ll see facets of his life that you didn’t see before. This is, for me, exciting to find out about this guy who I’ve spent 10 years in his shoes, focusing more on what it was like growing up, things like that.”
And about those five other pals, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, Ross and Rachel: Will they be dropping in to visit Joey in La-La-Land? “In the near future I think the chances are small, because I think our first goal is to get Joey working on its own,” said executive producer Kevin Bright, also a Friends veteran. “I’m sure we will have some fun: David Schwimmer will be directing the sixth episode of the show, so he will be around, but will not be appearing. We hope to see the Friends in the future.” Joey, Thursdays, 8/7c.
LAX
For years, Heather Locklear has been a network’s stealth weapon, strategically deployed to pump new life–and ratings–into various series, from Dynasty to T.J. Hooker to Melrose Place to Spin City. But after passing on a variety of sitcom notions, Heather‘s starting from day one opposite Blair Underwood on the new drama LAX, playing the head of runway operations at one of the world’s busiest–and, if the pilot is to be believed–hectic and wackiest airports. If it hits, she could be the first-ever TV star ever to appear on five series that lasted three seasons or longer. “Knock on wood!” she said with a giggle. “That would be nice. I’m not counting, though.”
After filling the poufy-sleeved gowns of Dynasty and the boardroom micro-minis of Melrose, does she anticipate launching yet another new fashion trend? “Yes–high heels in an airport!” she exclaimed–though she won’t chase that trend herself. “I usually wear Uggs at airports, or thongs, actually. Now I wear thongs so you can take them off easier.” LAX, Wednesdays at 8/7c.
Will & Grace
Look for a brand-new set of dynamics among TV’s four most outrageous characters as they head into the seventh season. First and foremost, after a pregnancy that required bed rest and a lengthy absence from the show, Debra Messing will be back front and center, though after Grace’s bust-up with hubby Leo (Harry Connick Jr., who’ll be back for at least one more episode) she finds herself in a different relationship with Will (Eric McCormack), now that he’s in a committed relationship with Vince the cop (Bobby Cannavale). Instead, she and Karen (Megan Mullally) will be single at the same time for the first time, setting each other up on dates and–most likely–fighting over the same man. Meanwhile, ex-nurse Jack (Sean Hayes) gets a new job, dreaming up shows as a television executive for cable’s #2 gay network.
“I feel like I’ve been away from them for a really long time,” said Debra, the proud new mom of son Roman, who’ll be joining mama at work in a nursery adjoining her dressing room. “I’m just so excited to be back.” Didn’t she miss being in last year’s season finale, with the J-Lo guest shot? Surprisingly, no–the actress was thrilled to watch the show for once not as star but as viewer: “It was great!” she gushed. “I felt really like I was able to experience the show in a completely new way and I thoroughly enjoyed it.” She patted co-stars Sean and Eric on their backs. “You guys are funny!”
With downtime between seasons, Eric was still working as Will Truman, this time writing and recording a song, Living With Grace, for the show’s forthcoming soundtrack album–indeed, it was a dream project which had him collaborating with one of the show’s many guest stars, Barry Manilow. “Will was such a huge fan of his–not much of big stretch for me because I’m a secret Fanilow–and I decided ‘I want to write a song with you.’ How cool was that?? Barry Manilow WRITES THE SONGS. For goodness’ sake! He does!” exclaims Eric. Will & Grace, Thursdays 8:30/7:30c.
For Part 2 of our preview, click here
