Fall TV Preview: Day Two 2006

What to watch on Monday nights, and what to avoid like poison...

by Frank Pittarese

Psyched about this season’s new shows? Looking forward to your old favorites coming back? Don’t know what to watch? Sit down, shut up, and listen to me.

Last time, I covered Sunday night’s broadcast lineup, the highlight of which was…not much. Let’s hope the networks do a better job with Monday, or else I’m breakin’ out the DVDs and calling it a night.

Monday’s New Shows: What’s Hot?
Heroes (NBC, 9 pm). Imagine waking up one morning to discover you can fly. Or that you can teleport. Or that you’re indestructible. That’s the premise of Heroes, the story of everyday men and women who suddenly find themselves with superhero-like powers -- except they live in the real world, where people don’t fly around in spandex, wearing capes. What do they do? What would you do? This series explores the possibilities, as the “heroes” adapt to their newfound abilities, while a potential Big Threat is coming to endanger the planet.

This show looks pretty damn good and the buzz has been almost overwhelmingly positive. While the ensemble cast lacks any A-Listers, it’s chock full of solid performers: Milo Ventimiglia (best known for his role as bad boy Jess on Gilmore Girls), Glen Grunberg (everybody’s favorite agent on Alias), and Adrian Pasdar (best remembered for playing the sinister lead of Fox’s short-lived cult classic Profit) are about as noteable as it gets here -- and that's a good thing. Lack of a Big Name means that everybody gets equal time (at least until Entertainment Weekly does their first cover shoot).

The creative team is nothing to sneeze at, either. Producer Jeph Loeb is fresh from his gig on Season Two of Lost, having worked on Smallville before that, while writing tons of comics in the meantime. Series creator Tim Kring is having a decent run on Crossing Jordan, now entering it’s sixth year. And my buddy Chuck Kim just got hired to be part of the writing staff. Chuck was an assistant editor at DC Comics some years ago, and the guy knows his superheroic drama!

The bottom line, though, is that this is a genre show about people with superpowers. As a comic book geek, I’m already sold -- but as an avid TV-watcher, I’m thrilled that NBC is taking a risk on something that isn’t just another procedural crime drama, game show, or Law & Order spinoff. A must-see.


Monday’s New Shows: What’s Not?
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (NBC, 10 pm) is an hour-long drama that takes place behind-the-scenes at a Saturday Night Live-type sketch comedy show. So I guess, it’s a comedy, too. At least that’s what they’re pushing in the previews. It’s created by Aaron Sorkin, who also created the wonderfully smart Sports Night and the well-received but (for me) duller-than-dirt West Wing. It stars Chandler Bing from Friends, Josh from West Wing, and some hot chick. On paper, it sounds like it could be a hit, but every last clip I’ve seen of this show has been terrible. The comedic bits sit there like a bad SNL sketch, which I suppose is in keeping with the premise -- except that's clearly not the intent. The drama…well, I haven’t seen much of it, so that might be better. Chances are, I’ll give it a first-episode shot, but honestly, this looks like a dud. Still, if you liked West Wing…

Tune to NBC on Thursday for the sitcom version of this same premise, 30 Rock, which might be a winner.


Monday’s Old Shows: What’s the Deal?
7th Heaven (The CW, 8pm). This show about an attractive holy family was cancelled last season. There was a series finale and everything, where, from what I understand (spoiler alert!), all the women on the show revealed they were pregnant with twins. A couple of weeks later, it got un-cancelled, and here we are. Ten seasons in, and I’ve never met a single person who has watched this show on a regular basis, if at all. I certainly haven’t. Not planning on starting now, either. Pass.

Wife Swap (ABC, 8pm). Got an hour to kill on a Monday night? Watch this show. It’s hilarious, insane, and rage-inducing. Seriously, some of these people will make you want to punch your TV set. Every episode is a done-in-one, so you don’t have to come back the following week, although you might because it’s just unbelievable to see what sort of creatures are out there, making babies and raising families. Enjoy!

Prison Break (FOX, 8 pm). This show is like 24’s rambunctious kid brother. The pace is non-stop, the premise is completely outlandish, and yet somehow, it all works. If you’ve seen the ads, you know the boys have broken out of the big house, and this season follows the escapees in multiple, separate plotlines, as they try to find salvation, money, happiness, or, failing that, killing anyone they happen to meet. It’s fairly accessible, so if you haven’t seen it yet, you can pick up the threads easily enough. If you have seen it, you know the surprises just keep on coming. A great, addictive, bubblegum action show!

CSI: Miami (CBS, 10 pm). Why do they keep making these CSI shows? I wouldn’t watch one unless I was on one. And even then…


And that’s Mondays this Fall.

Up next: Primetime Tuesday!