Wednesday, August 13, 2008

New Shows I'll Be Watching This Season

I am dooming the following shows to failure by planning to watch them. Sorry in advance:

My Own Worst Enemy (NBC, Mondays at 10): So, let me get this straight. Christian Slater is going to star in a drama on NBC about a spy who suddenly finds the world he works in and the one he lives in (namely suburbia colliding after a chip in his head malfunctions, setting off a battle for dominance between his two personalities. Sounds like something J.J. Abrams would come up with, however, I don't see his name anywhere near this thing. And given the luck of the other shows I watched in this time slot in years past (Studio 60, Journeyman), I don't give this one much of a lifespan, so I may be able to toss it away if it is at all suspect early.

The Mentalist (CBS, Tuesdays at 9): I'll admit I was a little ambivalent to the premise of these series when I first read about it. I mean, a series about a private detective with unusually sharp observational skills seems almost like a pass for me. However, I recently saw an ad for the show that played up the fact that The Mentalist was a former cold reading television psychic con artist, and given my love for all things con-related, I am willing to give this series a chance to impress (or disappoint me). And given the fact that another great fictional detective was also known for his keen observations, it sets up some interesting possibilities for this show.

Gary Unmarried (CBS, Wednesdays at 8:30): I like Jay Mohr, I like the new title of this show (it was formerly titled Project: Gary), and I really haven't watched a show on Wednesdays in a while. Of course, the fact that Paula "TV Show Curse" Marshall is also on the show makes it seem like it will be very short-lived. But since I am prepared for that, I won't get too heartbroken if it gets cancelled.

Life on Mars (ABC, Thursdays at 10):
Well, this one is an obvious one, isn't it? I mean, I've been talking about this show since I saw the original version a year and a half ago, and I've been talking about this remake since I heard about it, so yeah, I am going to give it a fair shot at impressing me. I still have reservations of course, but if all the elements come together, I think it could really work, especially since I am a lot more familiar with America in 1973 than I am with the same era in British Modern history.

And there is one show that is finally getting tossed off the schedule:

C.S.I. (CBS, Thursdays at 9): I would have likely continued to watch new episodes of C.S.I. off and on for seasons to come, despite the fact that last year my resolve started to wither on watching it weekly. However, with news that William Petersen wants to leave the show, well, that's a deal breaker for me because Petersen is C.S.I. for me. To me, he is the center of not just the original series, but for the entire franchise. I utterly believe Petersen as the head of that crime lab... especially since I've seen interviews with the man who was the basis for the character, and without him, I don't think the show will work anymore. And he was the perfect counterpoint to the hamminess that is David Caruso's Horatio Cane on CSI Miami. To me, it would be the shark jumping moment, though technically, the show lost three cast members going into this year and it isn't set up like ER to take such a hit, so I don't think the show is going to have much of a lifespan after this season.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh thank you! You reminded me that I want to rebuild and relaunch Snackie Teevee before the fall premieres start.

So I am guessing that Jay Mohr is the dead one from the end of last year's Ghost Whisperer, heh.

I dumped CSI when Jorja Fox left. I sure as hell am not going to watch without Petersen.

chelfea said...

It's a shame that Paula Marshall is a TV show curse. I love LOVE LOVED her on Out of Practice (still watch those few episodes on the Web when I can find them) and try not to blame her for Veronica Mars getting canceled (she was in, what, four eps?). So maybe I'll give that Gary show a chance, just to try to break her jinx.

Arjan said...

I pass on Slater..just because he was in Saved by the bell.
Might check out the Mentalist..but don't hold high hopes.
I just added both Life on Mars'

CSI has and always will be a tv serie of which I can just watch random episodes..so I probably will catch some new episodes if they come out here.

As soon as it hits torrentland I'll watch The Fringe (..it has JJ Abrams written all over it..sorry).
And probably Doll House.

Bart said...

I won't be completely shutting out CSI yet, because I want to see how they handle the season ending development of Warrick being executed and the "ultimate" dirty cop being the Undersherrif. But when Peterson actually does jump ship, I'm with you, that show is gonna nosedive. That entire field team and lab could change as long as Grissom was still there, but if he's gone, it's a show circling the drain.

Bart said...

Also, I've 'honored' you over at my place. One of those pay it forward awards pyramid schemes. The power of the intertubes compels you! The power of the intertubes compels you!

MC said...

Hilly: I wasn't trying to do any spoilage there. As you can tell, I've never watched The Ghost Whisperer.

C: I've enjoyed her film work, so I don't hate Paula Marshall, despite the fact that she has a really bad television track record.

Arjan: Christian Slater was never on Saved by the Bell... I would NEVER recommend, watch, or even associate myself with anything featuring Mario Lopez (Slater on SBTB)... *shudder*

Bart: Well, you have to admit that it is nice symmetry with Warrick story... he began the series being the cop somewhat responsible for the death of a fellow CSI... and then he gets whacked by a cop. Bravo.

AG said...

C: It could be so much worse. I remember when her powers were at their strongest and she killed not only the show she was on (Cupid) but a show in a nearby timeslot (Fantasy Island, the scary remake)...

Matthew, do me a favor please? Be my ABC Scrubs-watching buddy so we can finally lay the poor battered thing to rest? If last year's low points were any indication, this is gonna feel like watching the last season of Homicide -- the gory dismemberment of a show I once loved.

MC said...

I'll be your Scrubs huckleberry.

Arjan said...

lol..I must have been somewhat sleepy confusing those...

Anonymous said...

"My Own Worst Enemy" ... kinda makes me think of that song, "I am my own grandpa." HILARIOUS!

MC said...

And now I am thinking about this video