Fall
Preview
by Laura Nachman
Philadelphia Metro
September 15, 2005
Here are some random thoughts and predictions regarding the fall television season.
Returning Shows I’m Most Looking Forward To: “Desperate Housewives,” “Lost,” “Survivor,” “Veronica Mars,” “Without a Trace,” “Grey’s Anatomy”
Shows That Are Lucky to Be Back – “Still Standing,” “What I Like About You,” “Yes, Dear,” “Rodney,” “That 70’s Show” (sans Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher)
Make or Break Year – “Joey” and “Boston Legal”
Most Promising New Shows – “Everybody Hates Chris,” “Reunion,” “Three Wishes”
Least Promising New Shows – “The War At Home,” “Freddie,” “Head Cases”
Bad Timing – “Invasion” is about a town recovering from a hurricane
Big Brother/Surreal Life Theory – Why should we watch regular people lose weight in “The Biggest Loser,” when Gary Busey, Jackee, and others do it on “Celebrity Fit Club?”
Inspired by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” – “Three Wishes”
Inspired by “Lost” – “Invasion,” “Surface,” “Threshold”
Familiar Faces in New Shows - Melanie Griffith, Mark Linn Baker, and Sara Gilbert (“Twins”), Don Johnson (”Just Legal”), Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland (“Commander In Chief”), Stockard Channing and Henry Winkler (“Out of Practice”), Neil Patrick Harris (“How I Met Your Mother”), Mandy Patinkin and Thomas Gibson (“Criminal Minds”), Benjamin Bratt and Dennis Hopper (“E-Ring”), Chris O’Donnell (“Head Cases”), Jennifer Love Hewitt (“Ghost Whisperer”), Gail O’Grady (“Hot Properties”), Martha Stewart (“Martha Stewart: The Apprentice”)
Interesting Additions to Old Shows – Kristen Johnston and John Leguizamo (“ER”), Janeane Garofalo (“The West Wing”), Lara Flynn Boyle (“Las Vegas”), Kaley Cuoco (“Charmed”)
Best Title - “Just Legal”
Worst Titles – “E-Ring,” “Inconceivable,” Out of Practice.”
The Power of Courtney Thorne Smith – Quietly, she has been on television for over a decade, moving from “Melrose Place” to “Ally McBeal,” to “According to Jim,” a show that most critics felt wouldn’t last past one season, but thanks to CTS enters season five.
Veterans – “Law and Order” enters season 18, “The Simpsons” enters season 17, “ER” enters season 12, “King of the Hill” enters season 10, “Seventh Heaven” enters season 10, “King of Queens” enters season 8
Hot Newcomers -Wentworth Miller (the guy from the Mariah Carey video “We Belong Together) in “Prison Break,” Jensen Ackles (“Supernatural”)
The Ex-Files – Charlie Sheen stars in “Two and a Half Men” and Denise Richards stars in “Sex, Love” and Secrets.” Melanie Griffith stars in “Twins,” and two-time ex-husband Don Johnson stars in “Just Legal.”
“Freaks and Geeks” Lives! – Linda Cardellini is a regular on “ER,” John Francis Dailey is on “Kitchen Confidential,” Busy Phillipps is a regular on “Love, Inc.,” and Jason Segal is a regular on “How I Met Your Mother.”