FOX Addendum - Fall Comedy Trailers

As I said in the post commenting on the FOX network's fall schedule, I could not give first impressions on most of the new shows. This is unlike NBC, wherein I at least had some clips to go with the intentionally-leaked fall lineup. All I had to work with in the case of FOX was an early, brief trailer for Terra Nova, a new sci-fi drama picked up early as a bold, new initiative. I may do an entire post dedicated to the full trailer for that, since it's the only drama on the fall schedule and it only merits a closer look than the glimpse that's been around for months.

Meanwhile, however what we have below are the trailers to all three of the new sitcoms coming to FOX in the fall. Obviously, we can only expand on what we know with these. And so, let's get to these first impressions, shall we?



New Girl (working title) -- To be perfectly honest, this looks like it may have potential. Zooey Deschanel (joining her sister, Emily with her own FOX network series) plays an offbeat young lady coming off a harsh breakup, and it really seems like she's putting a lot into this performance. Granted you've also got some insecurities in regards to her breakup, but it's not that easy to tell from a trailer. In addition, you've got the three guys who take her in as a roommate. One of their reactions is to her model friends, but otherwise it seems like they care about her. As far as relationship comedies go, this looks like one of the better concepts and could blossom into a substantial series. They just might be onto something.



I Hate My Teenage Daughter (working title) -- On the other hand, here we have a multi-camera comedy that just makes it seem like the average TV writer is getting bored with the format. (And this is despite the fact that I've seen traditional-style comedies actually do more than just serve as a televised one-act play, before the rise of single-camera ones, too!) For the most part, this trailer for a sitcom following two mothers and their teenage daughters is rather lifeless and drab without any jokes or situations really standing out. Jamie Pressley plays one of the mothers, coming to the network her old bosses from My Name is Earl actually produced a family comedy of substance. On the other hand, the only thing I would call amusing comes at the end when the two mothers try to get back at their daughters at a dance, by bopping to Katy Perry. And even that did very little. I don't know, this doesn't exactly scream "New hit" to me.





Allen Gregory -- And here we have the new animated sitcom FOX is touting on Sundays in the fall. Just my kind of series! In general, the Animation Domination block is a mixed bag (though the same could be said of Seth MacFarlane's shows by themselves), and this seems like a creative enough premise to merit an animated series. We get a pretty funny trailer out of this, offering Jonah Hill as the voice of a 7-year-old child prodigy who's already accomplished a great deal among adults. The only problem he has to face? Going to school with ordinary kids his own age. Admittedly, I like it so far. Hill gives a fine vocal performance and captures each pretentious, overly precocious beat with this character to a tee. Just hope it can carry through.

In any case, make of those what you will. Hopefully, they will at least turn out to be good shows.