New TV season begins today
Monday, September 18, 2006 (17:02:53)

Posted by Charlie

The new TV season begins today (September 18th), and I hope you're all excited about the new and returning shows. ABC has previewed its Men in Trees last week (moving it to Fridays - we all know what this means), and FOX has already premiered most of its lineup a few weeks ago. Prison Break, Vanished, Justice, Standoff, Happy Hour, 'Til Death and House (plus Sunday night animated shows) are here to entertain us. Our thoughts so far:

- House (Tuesdays, 8pm) is beginning to wear out, needs a bit more cruelty, and perhaps a bit less self-awareness. The opening episode literally deconstructed every single character on the show, and while it's good entertainment, it's also revealing the formula of the show. I like the formula, and love the characters, but when they go out of their way to explain why they act a certain way, I get bored, and lose interest in them. Get your lines right, keep the characters more realistic, and the cases - weird. I'll be watching. For now.

- Justice (Wednesdays, 9pm) is a layer show so manipulative, so dirty that I need a shower after every episode. I'm still trying to get into it (Victor Garber is in it, wearing the proud smile of a man who killed Arvin Sloan), but I keep getting distracted. Not only the lawyers are manipulative (it's a lot of fun in Boston Legal), but the sow itself. It spins ths plot so much, and twists evidence to such a degree that after the episode is over (and the trial is complete), they show you what really happened. I get the media whore, and mock jury, I get the whole point of defending the client no matter what, but the bitterness nad coldness are a turn off. Victor Garber is wasted, and the pretty cast is mismatched with their brutal, disonest jobs. Bad show, I wo'nt be surprised if it's a hit at Fox.

- Standoff (Tuesdays, 9pm) is a slightly better show, dealing with conflict negotiators. The premiere was so-so, but I think the characters are growing into their roles. I like Ron Livingston, Gina Torres, and can grow to like Rosemarie DeWitt and Michael Cudlitz. It's curious to see that for every negotiation, there's a viable plan B being developed in the background. I also like that so far everyone's got a back story - CSI rip-off - that will make the show more fun to watch. And, it's a relief to know that some standoffs end more peacefully than others.

- 'Til Death is a new sitcom offering from FOX (Thursdays at 8pm). Brad Garrett is back doing what he did best on Raymond - being a hilarious grump. The bad news is that you cannot build a whole show around it. Marty Crane was just one of many cast members of Frasier, and even though he stole most of the scenes, he didn't carry the show. Brad was a fantastic support to Raymond, but to build a show around a grump is a suicide - who'll watch it. A handful of laughs is good, but not enough for 22 minutes of entertainment. Plus, Joely Fisher (who plays his wife) looks a little like Debra (Patricia Heaton), and that's just wrong. It's nice to see Eddie Kaye Thomas (Finch from American Pie), but perhaps a little funnier, and more idealistic. That would create a good contrast between two men.

- Happy Hour (Thursdays at 8:30pm) has the same problem. Interesting idea, a lot of pretty faces, but most of them - wasted, or mismatched. Don't care for John Sloan (straight man), Brooke D'orsay (dumb blonde), but really like Lex Medlin. As for Beth Lacke - I love every line she has, and her character is the most engaging/entertaining on the set. Too bad she's hardly used at all. Let's concentrate attention on these two, and send everyone to the background.

Finally, Men in Trees - Anne Heche rip-off of Northern Exposure. A good concept, but when you have Anne Heche and a beautiful landcape on the screen, it feels empty. I think she's actually sucking the fun out of Alaska, if that's at all possible. All the comic moments fall flat, and the lines just miss their mark. The men are great (John Amos, James Tupper, and the women are all flaky (which is perhaps the point, but can you write them a little better, and can they please emote for fuck's sake). It's a good, entertaining idea, and I would love to explore that culture clash, and the loneliness people deal with, and all the testosterone issues they can bring. Perhaps Anne can be asked to take acting lessons - and we could see her grow as a character as well as an actress. Let's see if this cloying dramedy lasts.