For most, September means the start of the school year: fall weather, new friends and distant memories of summer. For the TV obsessed (don’t judge), it means the start of a new season. Old favorites return and new shows try to fill the void of ones lost last year. Not only was I the president of Lost Club at my high school, but I’m still emotionally fragile from the series finale. So, how are busy college students supposed to pick and choose which new shows to add to their TV schedule? I’ve made it easy. In no particular order, here are 5 new shows to definitely check out this semester.
THE EVENT
Or the THE EVƎNT as NBC wants me to spell it. I love high concept mystery television shows. I was there for Lost, Alias, and regrettably watched all of ABC’s Flash Forward. I wish I could rewind and get back those 22 hours of my life. Anyway, The Event is supposed to fill the Lost sized hole in your heart. There is a plane crash, island scenery, unanswered questions and almost three WTF moments in the first episode alone.
The show centers on an ordinary guy named Sean Walker (Josh Ritter), who is searching for his missing fiancé. Somehow this is tied to a global conspiracy, a newly elected President (Blair Underwood), a mysterious Alaskan prison and an EVENT. I’m not in love with any of the characters and some of the dialogue reminded me of a Steven Segal movie I watched this summer, but it kept me interested. Do I know what the Event is? No idea whatsoever. I’m completely in the dark, but I kind of like it.
NIKITA
After watching Bruce Willis kick Maggie Q down an elevator shaft in the incredibly enjoyable Live Free or Die Hard (it’s on my DVD shelf), I knew I had to check out her new show on the CW. CW haters be warned.
This isn’t Gossip Girl with guns. It’s more like a highly trained and attractive assassin took out a hit on the Gossip Girl cast and completed the mission in two minutes flat and without breaking a sweat. Don’t believe me? In the third episode, Nikita dislocates her own arm to win a fight. Total bad ass.
She may not be Buffy Summers or Sydney Bristow, but Nikita can certainly hold her own and keeps me entertained.
MY GENERATION
I thought I was going to hate this yuppie, mockumentary show that follows high school graduates in 2000 and revisits them ten years after graduation. Instead, I found a unique, smart and well-written drama.
The show sticks pretty closely to the high school archetypes. There’s the “Beauty Queen,” “The Overachiever,” “The Jock,” and “The Punk,” but the clever writing and a few surprises elevate these conventions.
The show brings in real life events like the Enron scandal, 9/11 and the war in Iraq to show how life changed for this group after 2000. However, My Generation does ask the viewer to take some leaps of faith. Somehow this group is still extremely connected and for the most part lives in the same area.
I liked high school too, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to be neighbors with the weird kid who sat behind me in Geometry. Give this one a chance because it needs some love. The first episode didn’t rate too well, but I’m determined for My Generation to survive.
(Editor’s note: Over the weekend, My Generation was canceled after a respectable two-episode run. Our thanks to Mr. Delbyck for letting us know what could have been.)
THE WALKING DEAD
Zombies? Check. Mysterious disease? Check. Based off an ongoing comic book series? Check. Girl from Prison Break? Check. Halloween night premiere? Check.
I’ve only seen the INSANE promo for the new AMC show on YouTube, but I’m already hooked. It’s like Zombieland, but instead of Woody Harrelson’s tricked-out ride, The Walking Dead’s sheriff protagonist rides a horse. Could this get more awesome?
The show follows a group of survivors trying to find a safe haven from the zombie apocalypse. The preview had tanks, bullets, dismemberment and a multitude of zombie violence in the five-minute trailer. For those not zombie inclined (WHY NOT?), the main character is played by Andrew Lincoln, the guy who held up signs for Keira Knightley in Love Actually. The comparisons end there.
The Walking Dead has already built up enough buzz that it has been renewed for a second season, so make sure you watch!
RUNNING WILDE
This one I’m not so sure about, but the ardent Arrested Development fan in me keeps me tuning in. Gob Bluth, Tobias Fünke and Felicity Porter on my TV again? Miracles do happen. The show centers around an incredibly rich and egotistical billionaire (Will Arnett) who tries to win the affections of his eco-friendly childhood sweetheart (Keri Russell).
The pilot was just okay, but the show gets better and better. Anything created by Arrested Development genius, Mitchell Hurwitz, is good in my book, and I need something to tide me over before the eventual AD movie comes out. Stick with this one for a while, but if it doesn’t get better, I won’t judge you for switching back to Glee… much.
(Image credit: http://www.bscreview.com/wp-content/gallery/walking-dead-promos/walking-dead-amc5.jpg)
