Five Days, Ten New Shows -- The Playboy Club

THE PLAYBOY CLUB



When and Where:
NBC; Mondays 10/9c; Debuts Sep. 19

Who:
Imagine Television; Amber Heard and Eddie Cibrian star; Features David Krumholtz

What:
Set in the 1960's, revolving around the employees, known as "Bunnies" of the first Playboy Club in Chicago.

Why:
Darling, NBC is fourth place in the ratings among networks. They need a show like this to generate controversy.

I am not even kidding. This show has already evoked the rage of the Parents Television Council before airing a single episode. In Salt Lake City, the local NBC affiliate KSL-TV declined to air the show, citing it was "completely inconsistent" with the more morally-driven image of the station. They even have a program talking about the issues related to sexually explicit material, to boot. Instead, the station that carries "MyNetworkTV", KMYU will air the show.

Any rational adult and even a few younger people should identify the name "Playboy" and the notorious connotation behind it. The promos I've seen show the "Bunnies" who work at the titular club hopping around like they literally were. That honestly makes me wonder just how much this show will dance with the standards and practices line when it does air. I've also encountered more than one situation where I garnered unwanted attention and some kidding around in response to promos I've looked up for this show.

As far as the content of the show itself, it looks to be trying for the same degree of scandal as AMC's Mad Men, right down to the 60's period piece setting. Of course, I've never watched that show so I am not one to judge in that department. But this looks more risque, if I can say anything at all.

You know what's even crazier? I can actually say "I knew this actor since I was a kid" in regards to one of the performers. Of course that actor is David Krumholtz, the archelf in of all things, Disney's The Santa Clause. Now, I've seen him in plenty of movies aimed at grown-ups before this, but that doesn't make this any less awkward.

And it's not even that big a role he's playing.

Lynx:
Official NBC Page
Facebook Page

Trailer:

I Try To See Things "Whitney's Way", But Can't

For some reason, NBC seems to be putting the most of it's faith in this new sitcom, Whitney. I've seen promos for it back and forth on reruns of the Thursday night comedies, the same esteemed lineup it will be joining on September 22. There have been copious print ads and billboards sporting attempts at clever relationship banter. All of it written in simple, bold purple and grey lettering over white and the same stock images of star and comedienne Whitney Cummings and co-star Chris D'Elia.

Of course, there's already backlash against this show. There are plentiful mock-up ads parodying the afore-mentioned print campaign. Today's edition of The Morning After went over these spoofs, a lot of them in response to the watered-down version of the stand-up Cummings is known for. And below is a particularly biting fan-made video outright dissing the show. (And just a warning, this video does have some mature content.)



Now, this all comes off a case of complaining about shows you don't watch. It really doesn't seem fair. But, I also must admit that the above video was pretty funny.

Furthermore, a lot of this response isn't completely unwarranted.

This is a world where NBC, a free-to-air network can offer a truly unique sitcom like Community. That's a show that crams a zombie infestation Halloween episode and a stop-motion Christmas episode into the same season. It topped the first season's epic paintball episode with an even more epic paintball match that only ups the ante as a two-part finale. And they still have time to fit in truly relateable character bits, parody sitcom convention left and right (with faux clip show, no less), and make a bottle episode where the cast plays Dungeons and Dragons seem epic.

On the other hand, Whitney just seems quaint. And when I say "quaint", that's only the best scenario. I hesitate to even call it "conventional", since all the major network comedies save for CBS don't follow the four-cameras, a soundstage and a live audience model anymore. This just serves as a standard relationship comedy, coming on top of at least three more at midseason and one in the fall remaking a British series.

The standard-issue sitcom centered as a vehicle for a stand-up comic is more like something out of the 90's. Jerry Seinfeld hit it big with his own aggressively unconventional sitcom, following up on Roseanne Barr and leading into Tim Allen, Drew Carey and Ray Romano having their own respective shows. But mind you, all of those comics had something to offer in their shows.

From the looks of things, Whitney just seems without any really strong material to spare. More than anything else, it will enter the new season with the same critical-panning weight as Hank did in 2009 or $h*! My Dad Says did last year. The latter lasted up until February and ended there, but the former was in worse state, premiering alongside superior shows like Modern Family, The Middle, and Cougar Town, ergo bombing hard.

I will also add this --  Later on this week, I will look at another comedy called 2 Broke Girls, premiering on CBS. Our emcee for this show, Whitney Cummings is actually one of the creators of that. I will go into more detail then, but I'll just say that while it's surprisingly broad in regards to tone and delivery, it looks 100 times funnier than Whitney.

I know it seems unusual considering what I said, but...Lynx:
Official NBC Page
Facebook Page

Five Days, Ten New Shows -- Up All Night

UP ALL NIGHT



When and Where:
NBC; Wednesdays 8/7c; Sneak Preview Sep. 14 10/9c; Proper debut Sep. 21

Who:
Executive Producer is Lorne Michaels (Saturday Night Live); Stars Christina Applegate, Will Arnett and Maya Rudolph

What:
Applegate and Arnett play new parents attempting to balance their professional and personal lifestyles against the challenges of raising a child.

Why:
Truth be told, this is actually one show I really think I'm looking forward to.

While other networks have comedies equally as solid, I must say that NBC truthfully leads the pack amongst this genre. As I've said before, Thursday nights contain true-blood, top dog comedies such as Parks & Recreation and The Office, along with TV's single most creative, innovative and bold show, Community. Other comedies on the network may have bombed over the past season (Oh hai, The Paul Reiser Show), but it doesn't tarnish the true alphas a single notch.

This fall, NBC will launch a second night of comedy on Wednesdays up against ABC's family comedies. This show, starring Will "Gob Bluth" Arnett and Christina "Kelly Bundy" Applegate, will lead first and it easily looks like the strongest of the three sitcoms they're launching in the Fall. From just a bit of the trailer below, it promises to be incredibly relatable for newfound parents and their naturally occuring challenges whilst still maintaining a quick wit and a stream of funny material. So far, it easily passes the 30 Rock test of comedy standards for NBC.

Add in supporting cast members such as Nick Cannon and Maya Rudolph, the latter who seems to be at her funniest since her SNL peak. The whole cast actually knows how to keep the humor up and generates a very funny state for the show to be in. From the looks of it, this could yet just be the funniest new show of the season.

It's also frankly the only appealing new comedy NBC seems to offer this season. That's not here, but it might be there.

Lynx:
Official NBC Page
Facebook Page

Trailer:

Five Days, Ten New Shows -- Terra Nova

TERRA NOVA



When and Where:
FOX; Mondays 8/7c; Debuts Sep. 26 (Two-Hour Premiere)

Who:
DreamWorks Television, with Steven Spielberg as Executive Producer

What:
In the distant future of 2149, a select few are sent back to prehistoric times to start their lives anew living in a wilderness colony. They all attempt to survive against wild beasts, including dinosaurs.

Why:
So according to this show, we still have about 150 years left before our planet becomes uninhabitable, and that's with the influx of people trying to help it.

So, its basically not my problem.

On a more serious note, this is one of the Fall's most hotly anticipated new shows. The FOX network is successful enough to make a huge gamble with a series this high-profile, sporting special effects and a visual flavor more akin to a major blockbuster feature film. In fact, they had intended to launch it back in May with a sneak preview airing of the pilot, akin to how Glee premiered in 2009. That plan was scrapped, however because the special effects on the premiere couldn't be finished on time. In fact, the whole order of 13 episodes for the first season was made long before the upfronts.

Terra Nova is only the second science fiction series launched by DreamWorks TV this year. The first was TNT's Falling Skies. about a band of human rebels up against invading aliens, set in a post-apocalyptic setting akin to the cult CBS drama Jericho. Now, this premise comes out at a time when it comes off fresh and new. The current TV audience knows nothing about the similar Mid-90's drama Earth 2, which only lasted for one season. I've also been informed on other attempts to try this premise out in the past, none of which saw much in the way of success.

But, will it work this time? Will it blend? With Spielberg backing it, the odds lean in it's favor.

Lynx:
Official Fox Network Page
Facebook Page

Trailer:

Five Days, Ten New Shows -- New Girl

NEW GIRL



When and Where:
FOX; Tuesdays 9/8c; Debuts Sep. 20

Who:
Stars Zooey Deschanel; Co-stars Jake Johnson of No Strings Attached; Created by the writer of said film, Liz Meriwether

What:
Deschanel stars as Jess, who moves into an apartment with three guys following a messy breakup. In the time that follows, she proceeds to get her life on track and contemplate her next personal move.

Why:
Since both That 70's Show and Malcolm in the Middle ended in 2006, FOX has been relatively lax with new live-action comedies and seemed to have allowed their animated sitcoms to make up for it. In the mean time, the Sunday night block was able to represent the network's comedic offerings perfectly whilst the best they could offer in the live-action arena was the Brad Garrett dud, 'Til Death which ran for four seasons, two of which went straight under the radar.

This past season, on the other hand at least yielded one very good comedy -- Raising Hope. This new show will lead into Hope, representing a reasonable gamble considering how middling the numbers for the latter wound up in it's first season. (And yet, one must consider the lead-in of Glee, which will at least help for the debut.) Unsurprisingly, New Girl comes off as FOX's most ambitious new live-action comedy.

Deschanel propels herself into TV (following into the same network employing her sister, Emily over on Bones) as the quirky Jess. So far, she really seems to steal the show. One of this character's many attributes and ticks has her sing a theme song to herself, offering the lyrics "Who's that girl? It's Jess!" She even sings this when walking in on her boyfriend and discovering that's he's been cheating.

We don't see much of her male co-stars in the promos. Of course, this could be because one of them won't be on the show for long. Damon Wayans, Jr. had New Girl as a backup in case ABC didn't renew Happy Endings, and that renewal happened after FOX picked up this show. Regardless, the trailer posted below has the inciting role for the males to play to propel Jess into seeking her rebound.

Overall, the buildup is sort of underwhelming but I think this has some potential. I still haven't seen No Strings Attached, although as I write this it's lying around my house waiting to be viewed before it goes away, so I can't make comparisons there. Deschanel is a fine actress, and I enjoyed her presence in Elf and (500) Days of Summer. It might be interesting to see how this develops over time, and I do feel inclined to tune in leading into Raising Hope.

Lynx:
Official Fox Network Page
Facebook Page

Trailer:

Five Days, Ten New Shows -- Introduction

First and foremost, I should make something clear. I don't claim to be any kind of TV expert. I'm no critic or any sort of professional in programming or development. I'm not even that much of a watcher. For a nerd type, I do watch a significant amount and have a variety of favorite shows on both cable and broadcast. I'm mostly into comedies, as well as some dramas. I have an anemic interest in reality TV, however (but by just considering Jersey Shore or The Real Housewives, it shouldn't be hard to understand why). And I'm most certainly into animated shows, which one tends to find on cable as well as the FOX network.

But, TV and how one approaches it is a subject that fascinates me. Hell, how one persues general free-time entertainment and its social effect is among my favorite subjects. I read news websites that cover TV ratings and the activities of the networks, both ones paid for and available for free. I'm fascinated by the medium's past, and love watching clips of old promos, commercials and bumpers on YouTube. I consider Netflix and the internet, and what became of cinema and radio with TV's evolution. I wonder what will become of TV and what function, if any it will retain when the internet absorbs its basic uses.

For the time being though, there still exist networks available over-the-air for free. Your NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS and CW. All of them are trying to adapt and co-exist with cable channels (who have their own conflicts) and with the abundence of electronic entertainment platforms obtaining their once basic functions. For now at least, we still have hoards of new shows launching during the Fall. These networks still have popular shows which impact popular culture, if not as much as in years past. And among the fleets of premieres, each new show still has the potential to grow and develop significance in its own right.

Last May, I spent a whole week gushing along with each network's upfronts, repeating to the world which new shows were sure things on the free channels. As such, I feel it is only appropriate to elaborate on some of these new shows, especially since we are closing in on the first official week of the new season. Some new shows will debut prior to the official kickoff date of September 19, such as the CW's slate of shows, CBS' Survivor and a few NBC shows. Others still won't launch until later in the Fall, complimenting the already vast selection of premieres on standby for midseason. And yet, that one week from the 19th to the 25th is the most solid row of show launches we are going to get. With the date fast approaching and early debuts sneaking up on us, now is the time to take a closer look at this new season.

All next week, I will write up about two new shows each day, and comment on additional shows along with other details on the entire spectrum, such as Summer shows I've followed and returning series. Each complete entry will include a comprehensive analysis wherein the questions, What, Who, Where, When and Why will be asked, hopefully wringing some insight about the new season along the way.

Furthermore, I would like to implore you all not to take this too seriously. As I said, I'm no critic or any sort of expert. This is just a casual viewer looking at trailers and promotions, as well as reading more professional insights and reacting. Sure I may comment on the scheduling here and look a bit deeper into the content, but this is just an average consumer looking at hot new shows as well as new comedies that have caught his eye. His response is meant to be something to the effect of "This looks like it could be good".

So now without further ado, this is FIVE DAYS, TEN NEW SHOWS

9/5 -- New Girl (FOX, Comedy); Terra Nova (FOX, Drama)
9/6 -- Up All Night (NBC, Comedy); The Playboy Club (NBC, Drama) BONUS: Write-up on Whitney
9/7 -- Suburgatory (ABC, Comedy); Once Upon a Time (ABC, Drama)
9/8 -- 2 Broke Girls (CBS, Comedy); Ringer (The CW, Drama)
9/9 -- Allen Gregory (FOX, Comedy); Grimm (NBC, Drama)

Watch this post all next week for updates and links for each new show.

New Hope for the Soaps

Well, the last time I wrote on this blog roughly a month ago, I touched upon the fact that ABC has cancelled two of their three soap operas. As I said then, the way they went about this decision (made in light of changing times and diminishing financial stability for the network) was remarkably unprofessional and quite a unnecessarily cruel blow to the both fans and the genre itself. I'm still not a soap fan, but I empathize with the fans and express a great deal of respect for the genre itself.

But today, it would appear that the cloudy skies over the shows' heads have started to break. The production company Prospect Park has gained the rights to produce new episodes of both All My Children and One Life to Live, which will be streamed online. TVLine has the press release here.

There is quite a lot that I find downright fascinating about this decision, beginning with the very nature of this experiment. If we're lucky, this just may be the evolution that the soap opera needs to survive and keep going.  There's been a little bit of questioning on whether or not that the built-in audience for the genre would be substantial enough to keep it going in this new medium. Other questions that naturally arise involve how much the budgets would have to be cut to make it work, if it can work at all.

Personally, I'm rather optimistic about this venture. It's certainly an interesting experiment to say the least, and it will at least extend the life of both these prolific shows. At the same time, I'm already a big fan of content made for the internet, in the form of the company Channel Awesome. That particular company operates the website ThatGuyWithTheGlasses.com and offers comedic videos covering elements of popular culture in the form of reviews and the occasional sketch. Granted, each video is the effort of a few people at most working to produce at the longest a half-hour review. These are nerds just talking about their favorite things and editing their compositions on their own. But these videos are very popular and have a niche audience all their own, not unlike the soap opera.

If anything, while ambitious this leap to higher-budget productions also seems fairly natural for the medium of the internet. It should be possible to get enough sponsors for these shows and generate plentiful product as good as when it aired on broadcast TV. And the audience for the soap opera is quite loyal, a poll on TVLine shows a whopping majority of fans, specifically 72.7% (at the time of this writing) would follow their favorite shows to the internet. There would be some kinks to be sure, but I reiterate that if it works it can easily be a revolutionary move that can potentially salvage the genre.

And I must say, if a single nerd can make a living off internet-based reviews (a case in point being "Atop the Fourth Wall", the official blog for which I have posted right to the side) and a whole company can base itself around showcasing these various individual's works, I remain optimistic. It can work out for All My Children and One Life to Live.

Incidentally, this decision came a week and a half after ABC announced when the final episode of All My Children (or rather, final for now) will air. Said finale will air September 23, and the new "lifestyle show" The Chew will debut the following Monday. Of course, with this announcement ABC had to figure out what The Chew was about. I've read that press release, and it appears to be about a talk show. Or more specifically, a talk show about food.

Uh-huh. I will grant ABC that this decision to shake up their daytime schedule makes financial sense, based on diminishing audiences for the lineup. This is akin to CBS launching their own talk show The Talk after Procter and Gamble decided to close As The World Turns. Furthermore, they deserve the benefit of the doubt for taking a reasonable stance on their old soap operas and letting another company try to continue them.

But, what ABC regards as "lifestyle shows" and it would appear "introducing bold new reality concepts" I still view as "making this all up as they go along". This seems to be why The Revolution, the show replacing One Life to Live still can best be described on Wikipedia as a "Health and lifestyle show hosted by Tim Gunn." I'm not the target demographic for Gunn to appeal to me, but I'm certainly familiar with him, having seen him in commercials and on an episode of How I Met Your Mother. I can certainly understand his forte and his profession, so he's certainly the right man for the job of hosting such a lifestyle show.

Still, that makes it all the more apparent how lazy this development was, especially since I can recall that this was supposed to be a makeover show. Are ABC executives still going over whether to devote five hours (a week of shows) to a single subject, or if they can get enough participants to keep up with the potential demand of a daily show? (I imagine the latter should make sense, even if it sounds like it shouldn't.) If you don't know what your show's about but you do know who's going to be a part of it, it displays more committee thinking than the lack of effort put into the title.

Maybe I'm naive and am not giving enough credit to them. After all, they have a better idea now for The Chew than they used to. It may all work out in the end, and these may be worthwhile, appealing shows. But, I cannot ignore how unprofessional and irrational the development of The Chew and The Revolution were. ABC was too quick to cancel both the soap operas compromised for them, and it was quite an unnecessary blow to their fans. If I can say anything can serve as the death knell for broadcast TV, it would be this whole business that's gone about. It almost seems like ABC is embracing its own decline as it downplays its daytime schedule like this. (And yet, their primetime schedule remains ambitious, as far as I can tell with the choices of new shows and the recent pickup of the Hallmark Hall of Fame movies CBS dropped a few months ago.)

And after all that cynicism, I do have one interesting note to point out. Prospect Park, the very company picking up both the ABC soaps, also produces the very likable USA Network dramedy Royal Pains. That series stars Mark Feuerstein as a concierge doctor serving a variety of patients in the Hamptons of Long Island, NY. With their name on such an affable show, it seems too fitting that these same producers are going to try to save the soap opera.