Hey, TV junkies! The new fall season is upon us and Release is here with a sneak peek at four of the shows debuting this fall.
‘Bionic Woman’
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 26, at 9 p.m.
WHERE: NBC, channel 5 on campus.
FOR FANS OF: ‘Heroes,’ ‘Alias’ and ‘Battlestar Galactica.’
A remake of a 1970s television series of the same name, ‘Bionic Woman’ has all the makings to be NBC’s next big hit. There’s a strong (and hot) female lead, lots of action and seeds of an underlying season-long plot.
Looking to capitalize on the sudden resurgence in popularity of science fiction and action shows, NBC dusted off the premise of the original show and updated it for a 2007 audience ‘ complete with secret government programs, shadowy dealings and other genetically altered women fighting each other.
Fans of sci-fi/mystery/drama genre shows like ‘Heroes’ will probably enjoy the show. Likewise, fans of kick-butt women like Xena and Buffy should give this show, and the bionic woman herself, Jaime Sommers, a chance.
The show has appeal for both males and females, as long as the female audience will turn away from what The CW is banking on as their big hit, ‘Gossip Girl.’
‘Gossip Girl’
WHEN: Wednesday, Sept. 19, at 9 p.m.
WHERE: The CW, channel 28 on campus.
FOR FANS OF: ‘The OC,’ ‘One Tree Hill’ and ‘Veronica Mars.’
Based on the hit young-adult book series by Cecily von Ziegesar, ‘Gossip Girl’ is just what the fledgling CW network needs: a potential hit.
If I were a betting man, I’d bet this show will become the guilty pleasure of many. After all, with a title like ‘Gossip Girl,’ how could it not? A hot young cast has been tapped and with filming set in New York City, you know they’re being authentic to the setting of the book. It’s the ‘OC’ of the East Coast, and for good reason, too ‘ the creator of ‘The OC’ is also behind this teen drama.
Viewers will get sucked into the lives of the rich and privileged, including those of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively of ‘Accepted’ and ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’) and Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley of ‘John Tucker Must Die’), all the while listening to the snarky remarks of Gossip Girl herself, voiced by Kristen Bell, the star of the recently canceled ‘Veronica Mars.’
Hearing Kristen Bell’s voice throughout the whole show should be reason enough for any ‘Veronica Mars’ fans out there to give the show a chance.
‘Pushing Daisies’
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 3, at 8 p.m.
WHERE: ABC, channel 7 on campus.
FOR FANS OF: ‘Dead Like Me,’ ‘Wonderfalls’ and other really quirky shows.
‘Pushing Daisies’ could be another breakaway hit for ABC (emphasis on the ‘could’). It seems too quirky for its own good and may have trouble finding an audience, but that hasn’t stopped it from receiving most of the buzz during the press tours.
‘Pushing Daisies’ is a fun, smart, quirky dramedy about life and death, and living after death. The characters are likable and the premise is fresh ‘ but maybe just a little too fresh for audiences who never gave smart shows like ‘Arrested Development’ and ‘Veronica Mars’ the chance they deserved.
ABC is partnering the show with ‘Private Practice,’ the highly touted ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ spin-off, but it would probably be better suited with the zanier ‘Desperate Housewives’ as opposed to its current doctor soap opera-like partner.
If you liked ‘Dead Like Me,’ or are tired of procedural dramas about cops and doctors, give ‘Pushing Daisies’ a chance.
‘Chuck’
WHEN: Monday, Sept. 24, at 8 p.m.
WHERE: NBC, channel 5 on campus.
FOR FANS OF: Nerdy guys, pop culture references and spies.
There really aren’t any other shows that can be compared to ‘Chuck.’ From Josh Schwartz, the creator of ‘The OC,’ this show is far from the soapy teen dramas Schwartz is known for, the only similarity being the nerdy main character who throws out pop culture references left and right.
A computer technician finds himself with the knowledge once possessed by a government supercomputer and ends up working with the government that once tried to kill him.
Part action/adventure, part comedy, part drama, NBC seems to have a lot of faith in ‘Chuck’ and has paired it with their smash hit ‘Heroes,’ in an effort to dominate Monday nights by serving up shows to the superhero-loving public.