Fall TV is a very exciting time, but one fraught with chaos and the potential for an overload-induced meltdown–from your TiVo! We’ve made it simple(r) by narrowing down the dozens of series vying for your time to the 10 that deserve it: five returning shows and five newbies.
RETURNING SHOWS
30 Rock
If you’re unwilling to admit that 30 Rock is the funniest show on television, then you’re probably one of the millions who still haven’t seen it. And if you don’t mind my asking, just what is it that’s keeping you? Do you only want to laugh intermittently, thus explaining your devotion to Two and a Half Men? Are you rebelling against Emmy and Golden Globe voters? Tina Fey and Co. are trying extra hard to appeal to the unconverted this season, even bringing on guest stars like Jennifer Aniston and the Gossip Girl girls. Please oblige her, preferably before this show becomes the next Arrested Development. (premieres Oct. 30 on NBC)[PAGEBREAK] RETURNING SHOWS
The Office
It took a slight tumble in the quality department after returning from the writers’ strike, but (a) so did almost every other show, and (b) The Office went out with a bang–in the form of Dwight (Rainn Wilson) and Angela (Angela Kinsey)! Speaking of that very grand finale, the supremely perfectly cast Amy Ryan will be back this season (thank God!), as will Michael’s (Steve Carell) pregnant ex, Jan (Melora Hardin)… Um, love triangle, anyone? Elsewhere, the saga of Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) continues, which is such a good thing, because it would’ve been a drag if season five opened with them planning the wedding. Here’s my prediction for Jam (Jim+Pam): They will get engaged early in the season, only to call it off in the season finale. (premieres Sept. 25 on NBC)[PAGEBREAK] RETURNING SHOWS
American Idol
By now we’ve all heard the rather earth-shattering Idol news: Kara DioGuardi (who???) will step in as judge No. 4 next season. I’m not gonna lie–it seems like a desperate move for a show that should in no way be in a state of desperation just because its ratings dropped a tick last season, and yes, it would’ve been great if the two Simons (Cowell and Fuller) had brought on a fourth wheel we’d actually heard of! That said, isn’t the uncertainty just another reason to tune in to a show that’s already uber-tune-in-able? (premieres January 2009 on Fox)[PAGEBREAK] RETURNING SHOWS
How I Met Your Mother
Yet another show that has delivered week after week to very little fanfare–at least that was the case P.B. (pre-Britney). All indications are that Spears won’t be back, but people, HIMYM was funny before she arrived–funnier, even! It’s mind-boggling how an entire nation could be so enamored with a show like Friends but not its funnier, more with-the-times offspring. This is the season to jump on. The cast, which will apparently include Sarah Chalke (Scrubs) for the foreseeable future, is phenomenal, and the storyline–although, yes, gimmicky–is addictive by nature. Plus, Regis Philbin is guest-starring this season. Can you really resist the Rege? (premieres Sept. 22 on CBS)[PAGEBREAK] RETURNING SHOWS
Entourage
The boys are back in town–well, half of them are. Season five kicks off in unfamiliar territory times two, with Vince (Adrian Grenier) and Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) separated from Eric (Kevin Connolly) and Drama (Kevin Dillon) AND Vince at the bottom of the Hollywood food chain. Entourage returning after a far-too-long year away is exciting enough, but a variation on the semi-predictable episode arcs is a nice and necessary addition. (premieres Sept. 7 on HBO)[PAGEBREAK]NEW SHOWS
Fringe
It’s J.J. Abrams‘ (Lost, Felicity, Alias) new show. There’s truly no other information necessary to qualify Fringe as THE must-watch new series of this fall, because the guy can do no wrong when it comes to TV. Not that it matters, because fact will soon be replaced by mythology and speculation when it comes to Fringe–like Lost–but the show centers on a plane full of dead passengers and the FBI agent (Anna Torv) investigating the case. Seriously, what does J.J. Abrams have against the aviation industry?! (premieres Sept. 9 on Fox)[PAGEBREAK] NEW SHOWS
True Blood
Alan Ball (Six Feet Under) is back with HBO, and luckily for us, he’s still interested, exclusively, in the darker side of life. Enter True Blood, a show about vampires, humans, and their tenuous coexistence. If you dismissed Six Feet Under as too “weird,” then by all means skip this one and go watch Sunday Night Football, but for the rest of us, HBO once again has our undivided attention on Sunday nights thanks to Blood and Entourage. (premieres Sept. 7 on HBO)[PAGEBREAK] NEW SHOWS
90210
Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh/Duh-Duh-Duh-Duh/Ch-Ch! OK, so the opening-credits song from the old Beverly Hills, 90210 doesn’t quite work when typed out, but I can’t be the only one who thinks of that tune each time the new 90210 is buzzed about–which is constantly. Thus it’s hard for those of us who grew up with the original to not follow the new class on nostalgia alone, and the two-hour pilot definitely showed promise. For Generation YouTube, who have sadly never heard of Brandon Walsh or Donna Martin, perspective isn’t necessary to enjoy this high school soap opera. (premiered Sept. 2 on CW)[PAGEBREAK] NEW SHOWS
My Own Worst Enemy
Comes a time in many a down-and-out actor’s career when he accepts a TV role–and the show becomes a hit and relaunches him to stardom. (OK, maybe those rules don’t apply to Robert Downey Jr.!) My Own Worst Enemy will probably be that time for Christian Slater, but not just because he’s long overdue. It’s the plot, about a content family man and a highly skilled operative trapped in the same body (Slater’s), that’s most appealing. And could there be a more perfect lineup-mate for Heroes and Chuck? (premieres Oct. 13 on NBC)[PAGEBREAK] NEW SHOWS
Kath & Kim
The previews simply haven’t done Kath & Kim justice, because dry humor doesn’t translate in 30-second TV spots that are supposed to deliver broad zingers, but this mother (Molly Shannon)/daughter (Selma Blair) sitcom, adapted from the hilarious Australian original, will deliver. Besides, NBC has learned what works (The Office) and what doesn’t (Coupling) when it comes to importing foreign shows. (premieres Oct. 9 on NBC)
