PCP on TV - Fall 2012 TV What's on my DVR

Hello everyone and welcome back to CRAPOLA.  Today in PCP I'll be talking about the upcoming fall TV season, and what shows from it look interesting to me.  Just like last year, I'll be talking today about what new shows I'm adding to my DVR, what shows return, and what shows got dropped off of my viewing schedule.  Due to the challenges of balancing work, graduate school, and an infant - my wife and I try to keep a limit on the number of shows we record, as in the past we used to record well over 25-30 shows a year. This allows us to not have too many shows turn in to an enormous backlog of stuff to watch.  And thanks to the joys of DVR (and the fact that some of them are 30 minute sitcoms), my wife and I can watch these 20 shows in far less than 20 hours a week, which enables us to still have a life outside of watching TV and movies all the time.  Anyways, here's my thoughts on what's on my DVR this fall.

New to my DVR this fall:  9 shows (in alphabetical order)

Arrow - The CW is bringing another show to market based on a DC universe comics character, this time retooling the character of Green Arrow to make him darker and grittier, like the recent Dark Knight version of Batman.  It is not a Smallville spinoff, but the network is hoping the show will be just as successful.  I'm looking forward to it as the character is not one that I am too familiar with from comics, as I've always been more of a Marvel than DC guy, so I get to go in to this show with next to no preexisting preferences about the character.  Series premiere is on October 10 on the CW.

Beauty & the Beast - All I know about this show is 4 things:  1.  It is a remake of the 80s TV series, not the Disney movie.  2.  The beast has facial scarring, not a hairy face.  3.  It stars Smallville star Kristin Kreuk.  4.  My wife wants to watch this more than I do.  Hopefully it isn't a waste of time.  Series premiere is on October 11 on the CW.

Dallas - Technically this show already had its first season during this summer, so it was not on my fall 2011 post, but it will be returning in January with more episodes.  This continuation of the original nighttime soap classic is actually rather entertaining.  The younger characters are not as strong as the veteran actors, but as long as the show keeps having the great Larry Hagman as J.R. Ewing, the best TV villain ever, I'll keep watching this show just to see what he schemes next.  Series is on TNT, exact return date in January TBD.

Elementary - Another take on the character of Sherlock Holmes, this time updated into the modern era and with Watson played by Lucy Liu.  Simply based on her casting alone I'm guessing Watson isn't going to be a pushover or comic relief but instead a butt-kicker, which is what I want to see because she's great in that role.  Johnny Lee Miller stars as Holmes.  I'm looking forward to this one as I always enjoy a good mystery/crime show (but I doubt this'll be better than my favorite current one, Castle).  Series premiere September 27 on CBS.

There's more new shows as well as the returning favorites after the jump -->







Go On - Matthew Perry tries again for a funny show on NBC.  Let's hope it's better than the alliteratively titled Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was.  It is about death and grieving and a crazy support group that Perry turns to for help in going on after a death.  Could be hilarious or it could be awful, we'll see.  Series premiere (not including that one time they ran it after the Olympics) on NBC on September 11.

Guys with Kids - Just like Up All Night last year, I'm willing to check out any show that is in line with where I am in my life right now.  The title tells you all about this show that you need to know.  Hopefully it brings the funny, or I'll have to toss it out like a full diaper genie bag.  Series premiere September 26 on NBC.

Nashville - If you've seen the movie Country Strong, you're aware of the basic plot outline of this show, although the characters are different.  Friday Night Lights' Connie Britton stars in the equivalent to the Gwenyth Paltrow role.  As I'm not a huge fan of country music, I'm more tuning in to this one for the drama (plus my wife wants to watch this).  Series premiere October 10th on ABC.

The Mob Doctor - A woman doctor has ties to the Chicago mob.  It's all right there in the title.  Could be great, like the Sopranos, or it could be terrible.  I'm meh on this show but I'll give it a shot.  Series premiere September 17th on Fox.

666 Park Avenue - Seemingly combining several interesting elements (the setting of Gossip Girl, the drama and cattiness of Desperate Housewives, John Locke from Lost) in a series about the residents of a building in NYC that have sold their souls to the Devil, this show could either be excellent or it could burn in the fires of Hades.  I'm interested to see how it turns out.  Series premiere September 30th on ABC.

Returning on my DVR this fall:  11 shows (in alphabetical order)

The Big Bang Theory - The extremely popular nerd sitcom returns for its 6th season.  When they first announced this show years ago, I had no idea that a) it would be this funny and entertaining and b) that it would still be on the air so many years later.  This season picks up with the recently married Howard still in outer space, and core couple Leonard & Penny still not quite sure where their relationship stands.  Season premiere is on September 27th on CBS.

Where Castle left off last year

Castle - At the end of season 4 of this great show, my 2nd fave on TV behind Fringe, main couple Castle & Beckett finally hooked up ending 4 years of will they or won't they teases.  Now the show has to figure out where to go with the new couple from there.  I'm looking forward to watching this show go through the journey with these two characters.  Season premiere is on September 24th on ABC.

Fringe - My favorite sci-fi show in a long time has been renewed for a 13 episode 5th and final season.  Knowing that the end is near will allow the show's writers to wrap things up nicely and end the series strong.  The show suffers from major continuity lockout however, so if you never saw the first 4 seasons, go back and watch them on DVD.  This series was great and it will be missed.  The final season premieres on September 28th on Fox.

Glee - The show is starting it's fourth season with half the cast off to college.  It'll be interesting to see how the show balances its huge cast of characters.  The show has been slipping in quality lately though, and this show is probably the most in danger of not getting a renewal on my DVR for next year if it continues to slip.  Season premiere September 13th on Fox.

Gossip Girl - Like Fringe, Gossip Girl has been renewed for a shortened 6th and final season that will end by January.  Good thing too, as the show was starting to get a bit stale even before the start of last year's season, but at least they'll be able to wrap things up for the fans.  Season premiere October 8th on the CW.

Hawaii 5-0 - This reboot has become a Monday night staple for me, as I enjoy very much watching all of the gorgeous vacation shots of Hawaii throughout the episode.  The plot isn't half bad either, and last season ended with two characters' lives in major jeopardy and a monster plot twist reveal.  I'm wondering who is going to die (because someone has to - one is bleeding out from a gunshot and the other is drowning, if they don't kill one of them it's a cop-out).  Season premiere September 24th on CBS

Nikita - Maggie Q is back again taking names and kicking butt on Friday nights.  This spy show has been a blast so far and I'm really looking forward to seeing where the show goes in season 3, after offing the first two seasons' big bad last year.  Season premiere October 19th on the CW

South Park - The crass cartoon show is back this fall again for the second half of its 16th season.  I already can't wait to see what they do for the fall election, their 2004 episode was a classic (Your choices are a giant douche or a turd sandwich).  Mid-season premiere September 26th on Comedy Central

Up All Night - The only freshman show from last year that I watched that got renewed was renewed for 13 episodes only so far, and whether or not it will get more depends on the ratings.  I hope the show does well as I love this new parents comedy and it was great in its first season.  Season premiere September 20th on NBC

The Vampire Diaries - TVD has more WTF moments than any other show on TV, ending nearly every single episode with a gamechanger or huge plot twist.  Last season's cliffhanger was a doozy, and I'm dying to find out where the show goes from here.  The show started as a guilty pleasure, now it is just a pleasure, as there is nothing to be ashamed about watching this show.  Season premiere October 11th on the CW

90210 - Another show that is in danger of getting its season pass from my DVR cancelled ended season 5 with a major car crash, amongst other good twists.  Some of the characters are really starting to grate though, so if this show gets the axe after this year I don't think I'll particularly complain.  I was actually surprised it got renewed for this season.  Season premiere October 8th on the CW

New Shows that didn't quite make the cut:

Last Resort - A nuclear submarine goes rogue and refuses to fire its warheads, and instead declares itself the world's tiniest independent (and nuclear) nation.  It's an interesting premise, and I love the actors in teh cast, but unfortunatley it is up against Big Bang Theory & The Vampire Diaries in same time slot, and my DVR only records two shows at a time.  Thankfully, that's what Hulu is for, and with any luck I'll be able to watch the show there if it doesn't get cancelled.  Series premiere is on September 27 on ABC.

Revolution - I normally will give any show from J.J. Abrams a shot, and I really want to watch this one.  Unfortunately NBC is scheduling this serialized and mythology heavy show the time slot up against ratings powerhouses Hawaii 5-0 and Castle, so even if it's a good one, it's probably gonna get cancelled.  That's disappointing because this one about a world without electricity could have been extremely interesting.  I'll check it out on Hulu, but I have a feeling it won't be long for the world.  Series premiere is on September 17 on NBC - which is a week before Castle & 5-0 so at least I'll be able to watch the pilot without conflicts.  NBC is hoping that other people will tune in too, and decide to stick around once the competition returns.

Vegas - Starring Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, & Carrie-Anne Moss in 1960s Las Vegas, this show has quite the powerful cast.  Despite liking those actors, I just don't really care about the premise all that much (Quaid is a sherriff trying to clean up the mob-run town led by Chiklis).  Series premiere is on September 25 on CBS.


Cancelled shows:  5 shows:
These shows were cancelled so they are not returning from the 2011-2012 TV season, freeing up space on my DVR for some new stuff.

Desperate Housewives - they already knew at the start of last year that it was going to be the final season, allowing the show to end on its own terms.

Terra Nova - this time travel dino show had some promise, and actually somewhat decent ratings (it was the highest rated show to be cancelled, and other shows with lower ratings got renewed), but it was ultimately too expensive to produce.  Too bad, it could've been a good one.

Alcatraz - Unfortunately sometimes JJ Abrams swings and misses.  This was one of those times.

Ringer - The Sarah Michelle Gellar return to television did not go as well as I and many others had hoped. Considering the abysmal ratings, this was no surprise.  I'm just sad I won't be finding out where the story would have gone in the second season.

Secret Circle - For a show from the same producers as its lead-in, the Vampire Diaries, it's kind of amazing to me that this show wasn't more successful.  It was only ok though, so I'm not really going to miss it that much.

Shows we don't DVR but watch on DVD once they are released:  4 shows
Due to not having certain cable channels, I am never able to watch some shows live.  Instead, my wife and I have to wait until the most recent season has been released on DVD and then get them through Netflix.  So if you're wondering why some of the best shows on TV aren't on my DVR list, it's because I don't have the channels they are on.  These are those shows:
Dexter; Game of Thrones; Homeland; True Blood
I don't think I need to say anything more about these shows as they're already majorly critically acclaimed other than if it wasn't for budgetary reasons I'd add HBO and Showtime to my cable package just to make sure I don't have to wait to watch these shows months later.