New Fall Shows

The Fall Television Season is officially underway, and here are some of the new shows I've tried watching.

New Shows I love:

The Mentalist (CBS) -- I have been a fan of Simon Baker for quite awhile, and I just can't get enough of him. He is very charming in this show where he portrays a former "psychic" who now uses his skills to work for the CBI (California Bureau of Investigations). He is not really psychic (he says there's no such thing), his real skills are observing and manipulating people to get them to reveal the truth. He constantly frustrates the people he works with, because he is able to read people and instantly know if they are lying or telling the truth, but he can't provide physical evidence to prove them innocent or guilty. He often clashes with the head of the department because he wants her to follow up on leads, even though he can't prove why he believes the way he does. Of course, he's usually right, which drives her crazy. This show should fit in well on CBS, with all of the other crime dramas it has. This one has a lighter tone than the CSI shows, with more humor than most.


Raising the Bar (TNT) -- A legal drama, but what I love about this show is that it's more about the lawyers than the actual cases. Every week we see the various attorneys (District Attorneys and Public Defenders) as they work on their cases, but only a small portion is spent in the courtroom. Instead we see what goes on behind the scenes in the judges chambers, jail cell conversations and office politics. My only complaint is Mark-Paul Gosselaar's hair. Please cut it already!


Do Not Disturb (FOX) -- already canceled. I actually enjoyed the humor of this show, starring Jerry O'Connell and Niecy Nash, but Fox canceled it after only 3 shows, so it's pointless for me to say anything more about it.




New Shows I am Lukewarm about (keep watching, but I'm not hooked):

Fringe (FOX) -- JJ Abrams has a 50/50 record with me: I LOVED Alias, but couldn't care less about Lost. So, I went into Fringe with an open mind. And I'm saddened to say that this show really just hasn't hooked me yet. The storylines are so convoluted, it's hard to follow what's going on and I feel like nothing is accomplished each week. At least with Alias, they would solve little mysteries each week, even as the plot got more and more complicated. I enjoy the humor that Joshua Jackson's character brings in his interactions with his father on the show. And for now, that humor is all that's keeping me tuned into this show week after week. I will keep watching, though, and hopefully it gets better.


The Ex List (CBS) -- I am typically a fan of "cutesy chick flicky" type shows, but this one might even be too cutesy for me. The premise is that a woman goes to a psychic who reveals to her that she must get married within the next year, or she will remain single for the rest of her life. The catch? The man she's meant to be with is someone that she has already dated in her past. So each week she's going to go back through her previous relationships to re-examine them and see if she can find her "soul mate." The problem I have with this show is that it's billed as a "romantic" love story, but you don't really know who to root for! If she's going from guy to guy each week, then you already know in advance that these relationships aren't going to work out. It's only been 1 episode, though, and I believe in giving shows 3 episodes to hook me, so I will keep watching, for now. It's not like there's much else on tv on Friday night's anyways!

Gary Unmarried (CBS) -- This show is really not that great, but it's not bad either, so that's why I put it in this category. It's more of a "background" show, in my opinion, which means I will put it on in the background while I do other things, but I don't feel like I have to pay attention to it. Some of the jokes are pretty funny, but some fall flat, so for now, I give it a "well, I didn't hate it."


Coming Soon:

My thoughts on Privileged, Kath & Kim, and My Own Worst Enemy