Monday, September 16, 2013

PCP on TV - 2013-2014 TV preview - What's on my DVR?

Once again I present to you my longest, and one of my more popular, annual posts – my 3rd annual fall television preview. I’ve got a lot of new shows on the DVR this year, so read on and see what I’ll be watching, and maybe you’ll find some shows you’ll want to watch yourself! Note on formatting – all times listed as XE/XC means X time Eastern / X time Central, but you probably are smart enough to realize what I mean.


Debuting shows for the DVR: (11)
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D – Let me think about why I’d want to watch this show.  Hmm…  Oh yeah, it’s from Joss Whedon. Really, that’s reason enough, but it also looks really darn good. Looking forward to seeing this expanded take on the Marvel Universe, plus Clark Gregg returns as Phil Coulson, despite having supposedly died off in The Avengers. I’m looking forward to seeing how they explain that, as the trailer for the show makes it look like that will be a mystery within the series. The adventures begin on Tuesday 9/24 at 8E/7C over on ABC.

Almost Human – Although not making its debut on Fox until midseason, so some time in 2014, I am very much looking forward to this sci-fi police show about a pair of cops – Karl Urban & Michael Ealy, one of which is human, and one is an android. It has a lot of potential. Plus Karl Urban is awesome, so I’m pretty much sold right there.
Betrayal – This is a show my wife is more interested in watching than I am, but I owe her considering how much sci-fi there is this year. It is a soapy tale of powerful families and double crosses, or something. Debuts on ABC on Sunday 9/29 at 10E/9C.
Dracula – I really enjoyed Jonathan Rhys Meyers’ performance as the debauched King Henry VIII on The Tudors, so I am also very much looking forward to his portrayal of Dracula this fall on NBC. Too bad I have to wait until October 25th for the show to debut, it airs Friday nights at 10E/9C.
Hostages – This limited run show (only 15 episodes, I think) about a doctor who has her family kidnapped, right before she goes to operate on the President, looks like it is going to be a pretty taut thriller. The great cast (Toni Collette & Dylan McDermott) help as well. Premieres for CBS on Monday 9/23 at 10E/9C.
Ironside – NBC is trying its luck again at the reboot well, bringing back a popular show from the late 60s/early 70s about a paralyzed cop and his team that helps him solve crimes. Blair Underwood stars as the title character, and the show debuts on October 2 at 10E/9C.
The Originals – This spinoff from the Vampire Diaries, a show we already watch, is a no-brainer to add to the schedule. Even if the show doesn’t do as well as its parent, you can bet that some of the events here will impact the events in the other show, so you kind of have to watch both anyways. It debuts October 15 at 8E/7C over on the CW.
Reign – A soapy show set in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots, this show looks like it’s going to be The Tudors with less sex and nudity, for a younger crowd.  My wife and I will give this one a shot, but we’re already kind of meh on it, so if it isn’t good it will be cut from the rotation pretty quick. Debuts on October 17 at 9E/8C on the CW.
Sleepy Hollow – The wife and I always enjoy a good supernatural show. I hope it’s good! Debuts September 16th on Fox at 9E/8C.
The Tomorrow People – Yet another show on the CW, our most DVR’d network, this one is set in the future and focuses on youth that have evolved to have new abilities and powers. It is based on a popular British series, apparently. It comes out on October 9th at 9E/8C.
Trophy Wife – Malin Akerman stars as a trophy wife in a very dysfunctional family. She’s pretty funny, so I hope this ABC comedy works out for her. Premieres 9/24 at 9:30E/8:30C.

Continue after the jump for more new shows, and what's returning!


Shows we added between last fall and now: (4)
The Americans – This great spy thriller on the FX network came out last winter, and it was outstanding. Set in the Cold War in the early 80s, this is some great television, starring Keri Russell as you’ve never seen her before. I highly recommend it! It returns in January 2014.
Graceland – This summer cop noir over on USA about undercover FBI agents was a fun ride in its first season this year. I’m looking forward to season 2 in the summer of 2014!
Scandal – My wife turned to me a few weeks ago and said she decided she wanted to watch this, so we’ve gotten caught up and are now ready for season 3 to start on ABC, on October 3rd at 10E/9C.
The Walking Dead – Another show that I had wanted to watch from the get-go that my wife finally relented and decided to start watching with me. We powered through the first three seasons of this great zombie show on AMC, and can’t wait for season four to start. The dead rise again on October 13th at 9E/8C.

Returning on my DVR: (11)
Arrow – After a great first season on the CW, I’m really looking forward to where they go with the characters from here. Season two begins on 10/9 at  8E/7C.
The Big Bang Theory – Raj can finally talk to girls after the finale of last season, and Leonard is off on an adventure in the ocean. Looking forward to the gang getting back together. It returns on CBS on 9/26 at 8E/7C.
Castle – My favorite cop show returns and gives us the answer to Rick’s popping of the question, to start its 6th season on 9/23 at 10E/9C for ABC.
Dallas – We should find out if this TNT soap can sustain itself in its first full season after the death of star Larry Hagman. If not, it won’t remain on my DVR for long. It returns sometime in early 2014.
Elementary – Season two of the entertaining Sherlock Holmes show returns to CBS on 9/26 at 10E/9C.
Glee – It should be really interesting to see how this show handles the death of star Cory Monteith this summer. That episode should bring out the tears in the Gleeks. It returns 9/26 on Fox at 9E/8C.
Hawaii Five-0 – The tropical cop show moved to Fridays, not always a good sign for shows. This might be its last season, but we shall see. I’ll keep watching it for the scenery porn of Hawaii. On CBS 9/27 9E/8C.
Nashville – Only the third network show to return to my DVR for its second season this fall, this great ABC show better find some ratings or it won’t be around for long. Starts 9/25 at 10E/9C.
Nikita – It was nice of the CW to renew this show for a final six episode season so they could wrap up the story for the fans. It will come sometime midseason, no word on exact date yet.
South Park – The best animated show on TV returns for its 17th season of mayhem on Comedy Central on 9/25 at 10E/9C. Looking forward to it!
The Vampire Diaries – My wife’s favorite show (and a close competitor for mine as well), the twisty and surprising TVD returns to the CW on 10/10 8E/7C.


New shows that didn't quite make the cut: (3)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – As much as I love Andy Samberg, and this show looks quite funny, unfortunately it also a victim of a schedule conflict with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Originals on Tuesday nights, and my DVR can only record 2 channels at once. Well, there’s always Hulu. I might check out the first few episodes though as it starts airing on Fox on Tuesday 9/17 at 8:30E/7:30C, before the Originals starts in October.
The Blacklist – As interesting as this new show on NBC looks, and it does look promising, it also conflicts with Castle and Hostages, so sorry James Spader, but I’ll catch you on DVD next summer if the show winds up being good. The Blacklist makes its debut for NBC on Monday 9/23 at 10E/9C.
The Crazy Ones – Sarah Michelle Gellar’s 2nd post-Buffy attempt (after the failure of Ringer) might be funny, or might be terrible, but I won’t be finding out firsthand as it conflicts with Glee and Reign on the DVR. I hope she has better success with it than Ringer though.  The show premieres on Thursday 9/26 at 9E/8C on CBS.


Shows we don't DVR but have to wait until DVD (don’t have HBO/Showtime):
Dexter – This fun show is just wrapping up its 8th and final season on Showtime as I type this, with the finale airing 9/22. Can’t wait to see how it ends when it comes out on DVD, unlike prior seasons I’ve been avoiding spoilers and recaps and will wait until the DVD to know what happens
Game of Thrones – In my opinion, GoT is easily the best show on TV right now. I’m all caught up through the first three seasons and can’t wait for Season 4 next spring on HBO.
Girls – Sometimes when my wife and I are watching this show, we feel that we are just a little bit too old for this good but quirky show. Season 3 should debut on HBO sometime in 2014.
Homeland – A close runner up to GoT for best show I’m currently watching, the outstanding spy thriller is a worthy heir to 24, but even better than that show. Season 3 premieres on Showtime this month, on September 29th.
True Blood – They recently announced when this supernatural show returns in 2014 it will be for its 7th and final season. I’m curious to see how they wrap things up!


Cancelled Shows: (9)
Wow a lot of stuff got axed from our DVR this year, I think 9 is a new record for us.
Beauty and the Beast - We cut this one off of our DVR because we were just not feeling it (see post from last fall when we cut it), but the CW did renew it for a 2nd season.  We're not adding it back to the DVR though, it just didn't draw us in.
Fringe - Fox announced before the season that this one would be the last, just like the CW did for Gossip Girl below. The trippy, mind bending, time altering show has been my favorite sci-fi show to air recently, and it will be missed. I had a lot of fun in the show's multiple universes, and I am sad that there won't be any more adventures for the Fringe team going forward. At least they got to wrap the show up nicely (albeit with kind of a time travel paradox) and not end it on a cliffhanger or anything like that, had the show been cancelled after the season ended. If you never watched Fringe but like sci-fi, or are a fan of Lost, I highly encourage you to go check this show out on DVD now that it is complete.
Go On - This Matthew Perry show lost our interest not far into its run and we axed it from the DVR long before NBC also gave it the boot from their schedule. The show steadily declined in viewership as the season wore on, when at the beginning of the fall it almost seemed like a sure thing for a renewal for a 2nd season because it was pulling in big ratings. It was just too repetitive and dull for me, but I hope Mr. Perry goes on to have better luck on his fourth post-Friends show, as his first 3 have all tanked.
Gossip Girl - The CW had announced at the start of the season that this would be the last. This allowed the show to go out on its own terms, and they revealed at the end who Gossip Girl had been all along. The only problem with the reveal is it creates several massive, major, glaring plot holes that you just can't overcome or reconcile with the events of the earlier seasons of the show. The person they made Gossip Girl had on several instances of the show had something "post" to Gossip Girl about them as it was happening to them, with a smartphone or laptop nowhere within range of them to make the post.  How could that be possible?
Guys with Kids - I was actually enjoying this show about young parents, as a young parent myself. Unfortunately, it didn't seem anyone else was watching it, as its ratings were terrible, so NBC gave it the axe (along with almost everything else on their schedule).
The Mob Doctor - We whacked this show from our DVR after watching the first two or three episodes before Fox pulled it off the air, and it won't be missed. This was my post here on the blog when I cut it off the DVR.
Up All Night - I really liked the first season of this show, but this show's downfall is a great example of what happens when you have too much executive meddling at a network. NBC wanted Maya Rudolph to be more of a focus thanks to her star turn in Bridesmaids, and the show stopped being about the struggles of new parents Will Arnett & Christina Applegate. The audience left the show, and so too did the show's creator Emily Spivey and star Applegate. NBC talked about rebooting it with Lisa Kudrow stepping in to Applegate's role, but realized that would be a horribly stupid idea and instead just euthanized the show.
666 Park Avenue - I stopped watching this as soon as ABC announced they were ending it at 13 episodes, (after I'd watched about 4 or 5) so I never learned how the show ended because I didn't want to invest time into a show that was known to be doomed. It had an interesting premise but I just wasn't that sucked in, so the cancellation came as a relief to me because it freed up an hour each week that I would've watched to this show.
90210 - The CW decided to end this show after a 5 year run of mostly struggling in the ratings. I'm actually glad this one got the axe because it had majorly jumped the shark with some of the silly plotlines it had recently. There were times during the final season that I just couldn't stop laughing at just how contrived and ridiculous several of the plot points were. I'm glad it’s gone, it just frees up another slot for the fall.


Alright – that was my 3rd annual fall TV preview.  Thanks for reading through all the way to the end and thanks for stopping by!

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