Fall TV Roundup

We come, once again, to the Fall TV season. This is a time where networks throw out new shows like so much fodder for the pop culture cannon. Some will hit their mark, others will fall flat. But the whole process will be entertaining. Each week I'll be offering my grades for the pilot and second episode of all the new shows I've seen. Thanks to NBC's perpetual desperation, many of the pilots for its new shows have already been unleashed on the public. Below are the grades for the five new shows I've seen so far. The schedule is arranged by day of the week (Monday to Sunday), and by timeslot (7 p.m. to 9 p.m.). Since I am on Mountain Time now and am embracing the wonder that is the beginning of prime time at 7 p.m., I am using the new times. If you are on the East Coast or West Coast, please add an hour to each time listed.

Monday Nights:
Revolution — 9 p.m. on NBC
This is one of the more highly anticipated pilots of 2012, and of course NBC is banking on this show adding some buzz to the fall. The show gets the post "Voice" slot on Monday nights. That is a tough time slot, however, with CBS airing "Hawaii 5-0" and ABC airing "Castle," both shows with strong audience following. However, "Revolution" comes from super producer J.J. Abrams and holds with it the possibility of being the successor to "LOST." NBC made the pilot available on-line this week (the show premiers a week ahead of its competition on Monday, Sept. 17). It's not bad. It hits the right marks and sets up some interesting possibilities in terms of week-to-week stories and a long-term mystery arc. The show will undoubtedly be serialized, which is meant to hook viewers. (I would suspect Cubs fans won't be wildly pleased with the show based on the picture above, though). Tracy Spiridakos does a passable job in the lead role, I like Billy Burke and Giancarlo Esposito makes for a good bad guy, but the show just didn't grab me like I thought it might. With these kind of shows, you can usually tell early on if you're "all-in" or "all-out." I'm not breathlessly anticipating the second episode, like I did with "LOST," so that doesn't strike me as a great sign. There is potential here, but it just wasn't as dynamic as I'd hoped.
Pilot Grade: B

Tuesday Nights:
Go On — 8 p.m. on NBC
This is one of the other shows NBC is hanging its hat on, a broad-appeal comedy starring Matthew Perry. I already wrote about this a bit since NBC aired the pilot following Olympic coverage in early August. The pilot will re-air after "The Voice" on Monday night and a new episode premiers in its regular timeslot on Tuesday, Sept. 11. I wanted to like this, and there were moments that were mildly amusing, but it just wasn't consistently funny. That's a problem. This show feels like it has a bit of a gimmicky and tired premise. I can't help but wonder where it really has to go from here, which is never a great sign after one episode. I would say that, even though I had some low expectations, this show was a disappointment. We'll see if it improves.
Pilot Grade: C

The New Normal — 8:30 p.m. on NBC
This is another buzzy new comedy that serves as a timeslot partner with "Go On." It comes from Ryan Murphy, who created "Glee" but also gave the world "Nip/Tuck" and "American Horror Story." It's attempting to be a broad comedy that redefines the American family. Of course, in terms of comedy, this was successfully done two years ago with "Modern Family." This show really doesn't want to redefine family so much as it wants to shove a political agenda down our throats. This has been the problem with "Glee" the past two seasons, and this show doesn't even have lavish musical numbers to serve as a distraction. The pilot was made available online to generate buzz, but I wasn't impressed. Setting aside the fact that I have a moral and ethical disagreement with the premise of the show, the characters and story weren't compelling. The characters feel like caricatures, which isn't good, and the comedy wasn't substantial or interesting. There were a few low-brow jokes, a few predictable plot turns, and the whole thing was wrapped up in a tired bow. In some ways, this show is the perfect partner to "Go On" since neither is really that clever, funny, or original. The pilot airs on Monday night after "The Voice," then the show airs in its regular timeslot with a new episode on Tuesday, Sept. 11.
Pilot Grade: C-

The Mindy Project — 8:30 p.m. on FOX
This is the only pilot that FOX made available early. It is on HULU now, and the show premiers following "The New Girl" on Tuesday, Sept. 25. This is the most promising new comedy of the season, and draws the plum position on FOX's new Tuesday night comedy block. The pilot was funny and hit the right notes. Mindy Kalling is an endearing performer, as she's proved for years in supporting roles. This show also seems ideally suited to being paired with "The New Girl," the best new show of last season, on Tuesday nights. It wasn't the best pilot I've seen, but it was quirky, funny, and promising. Based on what I've seen of the new shows so far this season, that might be high praise. It's not as good as "The New Girl," but it's a fun companion show. Chris Messina is great too, and he and Kalling work well together on screen.
Pilot Grade: A-

Wednesday Nights:
Animal Practice — 7 p.m. on NBC
Ah, "Animal Practice." It's been described as "House" as a 30-minute comedy set at an animal hospital. Not sure how I feel about that one. This is another of NBC's new comedies that was given a preview following an Olympic telecast in early August. The show won't officially premier until Sept. 26, so you have plenty of time to find and watch the pilot if you're eager to do so. I didn't think much of this show based on the premise and the previews, but it was mildly amusing. Again, not high praise, but we're grading on a curve here. Sadly, of the three NBC sitcoms that have made their pilots available early, this was the best. That's not a promising sign. The pilot had some funny moments — mostly thanks to the monkey. We'll see where it goes from here.
Pilot Grade: C