So I've had the opportunity to look at a lot of the new shows so far, and man, the pickings are mighty slim. The one instant "add to the DVR" standout is Modern Family, and the rest that I've liked are on probation. A quick rundown:
Modern Family -- this show made me laugh incredibly hard in a number of spots and the cast is uniformly excellent. Ed O'Neill beats Chevy in the "old beloved comedy guy comes back to TV." Like I said above, best new show of the season.
Glee - A close second for Best New Show, I understand it's not for everyone, but it clicks with me in a lot of ways that the other shows haven't, and Jane Lynch is knocking out of the park week after week. The kids on the show haven't gotten a lot to do, but Lea Michele and Chris Colfer are both very talented actors. I'm hot/cold on Ryan Murphy but I like what he's doing here so far.
Community -- I'm not entirely sure about Community yet, although it's still very funny. They're definitely trying to find their way a la Office season one, and it's a more subdued show than its Thursday night comedy counterparts. Very strong ensemble, though, especially with McHale, Chase, and Ken Jeong!
Bored to Death -- I talked a little bit about Bored to Death in the other thread, but I really like it. I'm a sucker for any NYC show that shoots in New York, and I think the humor of it's very funny. I like the pathos Danson is bringing to his obviously George Plimpton impersonation, and Galifinakis is great. This could very easily become the NYC "Entourage" (in a good way), where you get great actors riffing on P.I. tropes.
Cougar Town -- Like Community, not entirely sure about this one, but Courtney Cox is a trooper, Busy Phillips and Christa Miller Lawrence are always fun, and I like the actor playing her son. But the real reason to come back to this show is Brian Van Holt's deadbeat dad. Hilarious.
Those are the ones I really like. Here are some that I'm not sure about, and that get at least a second or third viewing:
Eastwick -- Of all the stuff I've seen, this is the show that I can say I'll get tired of the fastest. Paul Gross is playing a very safe Satan/demon at this point, but there's enough edge to his performance that it could develop into something interesting. He's the only reason to watch; the rest is an airline cocktail of Updike's novel: light and incredibly watered down. And they're not even trying to disguise the Gilmore Girls sets they're shooting on.
Trauma -- Cliff Curtis is great, and I'm always up for some Jamey Sheradin, but the show lacks the edge that it needs to stand out. The FNL pedigree was what brought me to it, and I was disappointed that it was very smoothed out and rounded. The characters were interesting enough, the action was well done, but it makes me wonder how much of the early FNL episodes were Berg, and how much were Jeff Reiner. I'm curious to see where they go with it. This could very easily be "Third Watch: San Francisco."
The Good Wife - This is a show my grandma would watch; a legal show in the vein of Shark and Close to Home. But I love watching Christine Baranski and Josh Charles work. The first episode set up Titus Welliver as the new State's Attorney, and I like how they're not beating around the bush that Chris Noth is probably guilty of being a giant sleazebag. The second they hint at a conspiracy, I'm done.
Flash Forward -- Obviously, this wants to be the next Lost, but I know not to trust David Goyer and Brannon Braga just yet. But the show moves fast, the bench on the cast is deep, and the central premise is intriguing enough that I'll stick with it for a bit (although I was more intrigued by the security camera footage than anything else).
I haven't seen Mercy, Hank, The Middle, The Forgotten or NCIS: LA. All in all, this is a tv season where the returners are having stronger debuts than the noobs.
