2009-2010 Upfronts
Upfront week for the main networks has come and gone. I haven’t even had a chance to look at the shows and schedules til now. But like every year, I’m here to present my choices, interests, and thoughts in the offerings for the upcoming season. And as always, complete upfront information for each channel can be found at TheFutonCritic.
2009-2010 Schedule
Sunday
I usually like starting my week on Monday, but seeing as there just isn’t much to see on Sunday… Basically we’ve got Brothers and Sisters on ABC returning at 10PM. And then at 9PM we have Three Rivers on CBS, which is a new medical drama that goes inside the emotionally complex lives of organ donors, the recipients and the surgeons at the preeminent transplant hospital in the country where every moment counts.
Monday
At 8PM I’ll be watching Gossip Girl’s third season on the CW. I’d say the CW network’s best and most promising show. I’m most looking forward to seeing whether Chuck and Blair will actually stay together for a while? And how the show will run now that the gang are in separate colleges. Heroes is also back at 8pm on NBC for another year of pain and watching the beloved show of first season slowly waste away each year. Can the show ever go back to the greatness of first season? I doubt it. And our beloved Chuck will be replacing the show in the spring. House is also back at 8pm on FOX. Not sure how much life is left in this show either. Although I am interested in seeing where the events of the season finale lead the characters next.
Then at 9PM on CW we have One Tree Hill, the show that won’t die. Especially after they’ve lost two of their main stars going into the new season. Besides that we’ve got two new drama offerings on NBC: Trauma, an intense, action-packed look at first responder paramedics. Perhaps the next ER or maybe Grey’s Anatomy? And Day One, this season’s Jericho on dealing with the aftermath of a catastrophic event. Day One will actually be replacing Trauma in the spring. And we also have Lie to Me on FOX, which apparently will be having it’s second season even though I didn’t even know it existed til now. The premise sounds interesting though, so maybe I’ll have to watch it a bit.
Tuesday
At 8PM we have 90210 back for a second season on the CW, which will hopefully be better than the first season. Otherwise, zzz… And that’s about it for me.
Following 90210 at 9PM we have 90210Redux also known as the CW’s new show Melrose Place. Will it be any good? We’ll have to wait and see. But Sarah Connor Chronicles‘ Stephanie Jacobsen will be in this new show as well as Ashlee Simpson-Wentz. We also have another new offering from FOX called Past Life about a pair of past-life detectives who investigate whether what is happening to you today is the result of who you were before in another life. I don’t know about this FOX…
Wednesday
We have a new offering at 8PM on NBC that features a star-studded cast (among them are Maura Tierney, Erika Christensen, and Peter Krause) and sounds like it may be this season’s Brothers and Sisters. Parenthood is about a financially strapped single mother, returns home to her parents and siblings in Berkeley, Calif. after packing up her Fresno apartment and uprooting her two inconvenienced kids. Most likely one of the season’s biggest hits. Replacing it in the spring is another medical drama Mercy, portraying the lives of the staff at Mercy Hospital as seen through the eyes of those who know it best — its nurses. Michelle Trachtenberg from BtVS and Gossip Girl can be seen in Mercy. I don’t see myself watching either of these shows, but we’ll see.
At 9PM we have the much hyped Glee on FOX, which actually has the pilot available for viewing already. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet however. Replacing it in the winter will be Human Target based on a comic book. Mark Valley from Fringe stars as Christopher Chance, a unique private contractor/security guard hired to protect by completely integrating himself into his clients’ lives to become the human target. Meanwhile on CW, Mischa Barton returns to television on The Beautiful Life about models, and which sounds kind of yawn-worthy.
Thursday
First at 8PM we have Flash Forward on ABC which may be one of the most interesting scifi/fantasy options this season. When a mysterious event causes the entire world to black out, humanity is given a glimpse into its near future, and every man, woman and child is forced to come to grips with whether their destinies can be avoided or fulfilled. Another new show is CW’s The Vampire Dairies about a girl and two vampire brothers. The added bonus is seeing Paul Wesley on tv again. I’ve been watching him for a while in different shows like Wolf Lake, Everwood, and the Fallen miniseries. Could be an interesting show, but we’ll have to see. Then, of course there is Bones on FOX returning for a fifth season.
At 9PM we also have the return of various fan favorites: Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, CSI on CBS, and Supernatural on CW. Plus, we now also have FOX’s Fringe which will be battling these other three shows for ratings in it’s new time slot. I’m not sure this is a wise decision to pit against the other three already established shows.
Friday
Smallville is another show that has gone past it’s shelf life. So, instead of canceling it, it’s been banished to Friday where shows go to die.
Meanwhile, at 9PM Ugly Betty on ABC and Southland on NBC have also been sent to Friday. And Medium while finally getting an earlier time slot, has also been sent to Friday. And Dollhouse on FOX, while it managed to get another season was not given a vote of confidence by moving to another night. And now it has another three new shows to compete with in the same timeslot that it didn’t have before. Perhaps this season Friday will not be where shows go to die? Maybe the networks will establish a new night of television?
Tagged as Television + Categorized as Entertainment
Let’s see, all the shows I watch these days are because I want to see the ending (it’s like I have to be loyal, no matter how craptastic the show has become). This season of House was blah to me. I miss Kutner so much, but I know Kal Penn needed to move on to better things, so I am happy for him. Then there’s Smallville, which sadly, should have been canceled when Lana was saved and Jonathan died (100th episode). I know Mr. Kent dies in the comics (not sure about the modern continuity though). I miss the family aspect of the show. (Yeah, Ma and Pa Kent were such lovely characters. Oh and what the writers have done to Lex is blasphemy…hell, what they have done to all of the characters especially Clark is ridiculous…) I think I just watch for the pretty pictures and pretty people/person, whatever. :P
I’m praying Bones will be good, considering the crap fest of the finale. I want Dollhouse to succeed and also Mercy sounds interesting (remember, I loved ER for a very long time- Carol Hathaway-Ross ftw).
American Idol needs to die. How many Idols can America have anyway, right? It had a good premise, but now it is too old. Grrrr, other shows could have been saved (hmm, TSCC, anyone, just saying).
Oh yeah, before I forget! Melrose Place, WTF! Anyway. (Yes, I do like Ashlee Simpson-Wentz…)
I think I will just watch movies instead. :(
And Day One, this season’s Jericho on dealing with the aftermath of a catastrophic event.
Uhm. Does this mean that Day One is a sort of third season of Jericho, but without the original cast?
@Ele: I was meaning that it has the same idea as Jericho where there is a catastrophic event and the survivors try to rebuild society and solve the mysteries of what happened. It sounds very similar to Jericho. I’m guessing they like that idea even though Jericho didn’t survive. Maybe this one will?
@Lauren: I feel the same way. I’m not sure what to watch anymore. There’s only been a couple shows recently that are worth it to me to watch. The rest I watch just out of interest. Worth it: Dollhouse (half of it), Gossip Girl, TSCC (gone), KyleXY (gone), and maybe Fringe. I’m also looking forward to the BSG prequel Caprica coming in 2010.
Besides that, maybe some of the new shows will be good? There are a couple I’m interested in. But I’ll have to see some trailers, etc. first. I may make another post soon about the new shows once I see some trailers. I know there’s like three new medical dramas. Are they that popular? Especially now that ER is done?
I don’t know why, but I just can’t get into GG or 90210 (although I looooooved the original). I have lots of hope for Dollhouse, it just needs time for growth. Agh, when did KyleXY get cancelled? I always forget about ABC Family and yet they have good shows. (I like Greek) Oh, we’ll be watching Fringe. Gary likes it a lot.
I really liked Jericho and I hope Day One is as good or better. (crossing fingers)
I think medical dramas have been popular for a very long time and will continue to do so. I really hope Mercy has a good script. I miss ER so much, but I got my closure…2 episodes before the end. The finale just wasn’t even close to being as great as the pilot.
How about this, instead of crappy new shows, let’s bring back the ones that died too soon. Oh, I wish!
Blah….I have no idea what I want to watch next season, though I am happy that Castle got a pickup. And yes, I will be watching GG and OTH (even though Lucas and Peyton are gone, but I don’t really care for them…blah).
Of course, Supernatural. I think that’s it unless they bring back Big Love.
I also liked Glee, but I heard the pilot that got leaked a month or so prior was better than the one seen on television….we shall see.
Heroes will never go back to it’s greatness of season 1…I’ve accepted it.
Lastly Dollhouse…I don’t really care for Echo’s story, I want to know about Whiskey’s. :D
@Lauren: Gossip Girl is worth watching. 90210 really isn’t. KyleXY was canceled like late last year or early this year. They’ve already had their season finale, which actually turned out to be a cliffhanger. That was really upsetting.
@Holly: Heroes and One Tree Hill have really been boring me lately. And Dollhouse is sadly not up to par most of the time. There were some great eps that felt like a Joss show, but for the most part Buffy, Angel, and Firefly were better. I don’t know why it’s so different. Maybe I’m disillusioned because the first couple episodes just weren’t that great.