"The X-Factor," "2 Broke Girls," "The Playboy Club" and the Best New Series – This Week's Fall Season Premieres - Ed Martin

It39s the opening week of the 201112 television season and with it will come several of the most anticipated new series of the fall including two sitcom standouts Fox39s New Girl and CBS39 2 Broke Girls Read on and check back next week for more brief reviews2 Broke Girls amp8211 CBS Premieres Sept 19It suffers from too many vulgar jokes about vaginas and body fluids and such quotIs that clam chowderquot one character asks of a wet mess on a uniform worn by an oversexed waitress But in every other respect 2 Broke Girls is one of the best new series of the season Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs as young women from vastly different worlds who end up working and living together are as disarmingly funny and thoroughly likeable as the talented actors on The Big Bang Theory the show I wish this one had been paired withThe Playboy Club amp8211 NBC Premieres Sept 19This should have been a sexy stylish and nostalgiadrenched drama about the combustible mix of businessmen lawyers politicians and bunnies that frequently filled the iconic title locale circa 1960 Instead it39s a timeless bore Nothing works as it should Even its personable stars amp8211 Eddie Cibrian David Krumholtz Amber Heard and Laura Benanti among them amp8211 don39t quite deliver The Playboy Club might improve in subsequent episodes but the audience that shows up for the plodding pilot will probably be long gone by thenNew Girl amp8211 Fox Premieres Sept 20Fox39s sparkling comedy about a socially awkward young woman who moves in with three average guys after a particularly bad breakup is the best new broadcast series of the fall Similarly star Zooey Deschanel is poised to become the breakout star of the season We39ve all seen hundreds of comedy series about twentysomethings looking for love but New Girl makes that playedout format feel fresh and new For what it39s worth I shared this pilot with my teenage goddaughters and their friends all of them young TV fanatics and I have never heard so much laughter from a gaggle of teens in my life They are already fixated on Fox Tuesday nights from 89 because of Glee I expect that fixation to extend by thirty minutes beginning this weekUnforgettable amp8211 CBS Premieres Sept 20Unremarkable but I39ve seen worse Pleasant Poppy Montgomery stars as a former police officer with a special ability that makes her a natural for solving crimes She39s gifted with Superior Autobiographical Memory that crazyrare thing Marilu Henner has Sounds interesting but it39s anyone39s guess how this show will hold up over time because unless Montgomery39s character has some kind of direct connection to every crime she seeks to solve as she does in the pilot when she investigates the murder of a neighbor there won39t be much for her to remember will there Dylan Walsh NipTuck costarsThe XFactor amp8211 Fox Premieres Sept 21The American version of Simon Cowell39s monster British hit is going to bring the same excitement to the fall that American Idol brings to midseason amp8211 unless it proves to be one bigbudget talent show too many I mean how many overnight sensations can the American public be expected to support per year We39re still processing Scotty McCreery American Idol and Javier Colon The Voice and have yet to even focus on the extraordinary Landau Eugene Murphy Jr America39s Got Talent Still it39s the show rather than the fates of its winners that keeps people coming back for more Given the strength of Cowell39s cred and the irresistible allure of his reunion with the everunpredictable Paula Abdul I39m guessing The XFactor is it39s going to be hugeRevenge amp8211 ABC Premieres Sept 21A glossy highstakes melodramatic serial set in the Hamptons would be most welcome amp8211 if it delivered the goods Unfortunately this story about a petulant young woman seeking revenge on the rich people who destroyed her father39s life years earlier doesn39t deliver much of anything Five minutes in and you39ll be longing for the sublime storytelling stylized direction sharp dialogue and awardworthy acting of that comparative classic The Colbys My advice to the creative team behind Revenge Trash it up before viewers toss it out amp8211 if it isn39t too late It also wouldn39t hurt to add a couple of cast members who know how to have fun with such material rather than taking it and themselves so darn seriouslyCharlie39s Angels amp8211 ABC Premieres Sept 22Quite likely the emptiest and most depressing new entry on any broadcast network this season The original was a colorful and campy romp that showcased the distinctive talents and individual charms of its three lead actresses I39m serious about that folks Farrah FawcettMajors Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson were perfectly cast and made their onedimensional characters come vibrantly alive Their chemistry was like lightning in a bottle that39s why the original began to lost steam when Farrah left in season two despite the wholesome appeal of the actress who replaced her Cheryl Ladd This wrongheaded reboot with its three interchangeable halfstars and frequent bursts of unwelcome violence is just the opposite and a total chore to sit through The only time it shows any life at all is when it39s thoroughly unpleasantPerson of Interest amp8211 CBS Premieres Sept 22Michael Emerson amp8211 the frequently fascinating but perpetually exasperating Benjamin Linus on Lost plays yet another interestingannoying character in this somewhat promising hightech procedural crime drama He39s an eccentric rich guy responsible for the creation of a massive surveillance system that pinpoints people who will be involved in attacks but stops short of identifying whether they will be victims or assailants Jim Caviezel plays the homeless veteran he recruits to help him save people or stop them as the case may be Yes it39s somewhat muddled but there are heaping helpings of exciting violence throughout so I39m thinking the videogame generation will love itWhitney amp8211 NBC Sept 22The life expectancy of this show will be totally dependent on viewer acceptance of comedienne Whitney Cummings playing a loud grating often clueless woman the likes of which any sane person would aggressively avoid Maude Findlay and Roseanne Connor appear subdued by comparison It won39t help that the supporting characters are wholly unlikeable and bear no resemblance whatsoever to real human beings The only good thing here is Chris D39Elia39s very charming portrayal of Whitney39s sly wry and I think masochistic livein boyfriendPrime Suspect amp8211 NBC Sept 22Maria Bello is just great in an otherwise belowaverage police drama about a tough female homicide detective who puts up with endless crap from the men on her squad while dealing with weighty personal issues of her own Unavoidable comparisons to the British original won39t do this show any favors even with so many great actors Aidan Quinn Brian F O39Byrne and Kirk Acevedo among them supporting Bello who deserves huge praise for taking on a role that Helen Mirren mastered and somehow holding her own Too bad NBC didn39t have the balls to create an original concept for herA Gifted Man amp8211 CBS Sept 23Patrick Wilson plays a professionally brilliant but personally flawed neurosurgeon who receives guidance from the ghost of his exwife Yes you read that right Questions abound here Why couldn39t they still be married Why does she have to be dead How did this ridiculous concept make it through development And how long will it be until the very gifted Patrick Wilson lands a better series A smart network executive would pair him in a series with Maria Bello I think they39ll both be available next year

Become a Thought Leader. Share your thought leadership article with industry professionals & have them archived in Thought Leadership

"The X-Factor," "2 Broke Girls," "The Playboy Club" and the Best New Series – This Week's Fall Season Premieres - Ed Martin

Author

Publish date

Channel

Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 10: Political Spending) - By Carl Mayer

More Videos:

Become a Thought Leader. Share your thought leadership article with industry professionals & have them archived in Thought Leadership

"The X-Factor," "2 Broke Girls," "The Playboy Club" and the Best New Series – This Week's Fall Season Premieres - Ed Martin

Enjoying This Commentary? There's More to Love

Ed Martin

"About That with Carl Mayer:" Alaina Donnellon (Episode 10: Political Spending) - By Carl Mayer

The payment was successful

Cookies