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TWoP 10: Must-See New Shows of Fall 2011

by Angel Cohn September 9, 2011 6:00 AM
TWoP 10: Must-See New Shows of Fall 2011

We're anxiously waiting for new cable shows American Horror Story and Hell on Wheels, but since we haven't screened them yet, we have to withhold our final judgment (if nothing else, we're hoping Hell fills the Deadwood-shaped hole in our hearts). And while The X Factor will likely be insanely popular, we can't say that it will actually be good (not that it matters; we'll watch every minute). But we have seen the pilots for virtually every scripted show coming to broadcast TV this fall, and judging by their first episodes, we can confidently recommend setting your DVRs for these ten at the very least:

10. Person of Interest
We're excited about this JJ Abrams-produced series because it stars beloved Lost alum Michael Emerson and appears looks to have a complex background story. But fair warning: the pilot also seemed to foretell a procedural direction for the show, in which Emerson and Jim Caviezel use mysteriously generated Social Security numbers to help stop crimes. We're hoping it's compelling in ways that FlashForward wasn't.

9. A Gifted Man
Another medical drama may seem unnecessary, but this one has a twist: Patrick Wilson plays a brilliant neurosurgeon who starts having visions of his dead ex-wife (Jennifer Ehle). She helps to convince him that he should be a better person. It's well acted (Margo Martindale also co-stars) and seems to have fewer gratuitous on-call hookups than your typical Grey's Anatomy.

8. Prime Suspect
It's not a by-the-book remake of the '90s UK series, but that's a good thing since Maria Bello isn't exactly Helen Mirren. Instead, Bello crafts her own take on the character and hits it out of the park as a very American tough-as-nails cop who has to close cases while hampered by institutional chauvinism.

7. 2 Broke Girls
While our favorite comedy pilot of the 2011-2012 season is for the midseason Apartment 23, this series about two girls who work together and become unlikely friends/roommates will tide us over until that one debuts. And while Whitney Cummings appalled us on-screen in NBC's Whitney, one of the worst of this fall's pilots, she totally kills as the producer of this CBS sitcom thanks to a career-best attitudinal performance by Kat Dennings.

6. Pan Am
Both this show and The Playboy Club really want to capture the early '60s flavor of Mad Men, but end up emphasizing period detail over original characters and storylines. With that said, Pan Am is a light, breezy journey with enough twists and endearing stews to make us want to book a return flight. Sorry, bunnies.

5. Once Upon a Time
Even after watching a full episode, we're still not entirely sure what the hell is going on here. The show alternates between flashbacks to a fairytale land in which classic storybook characters interact and scenes set in a present-day small town populated by modern versions played by the same actors, along with Jennifer Morrison as... wait for it... a bounty hunter. But it all sort of works, intriguing us with a Pushing Daisies vibe and hints of complex storylines to come. (The darker but similarly fairytale-themed Grimm wasn't bad, either, but felt a little too freak-of-the-week for our tastes.)

4. Suburgatory
We are in love with Jane Levy. With her dry wit and spot-on delivery, she's TV's answer to Emma Stone and the perfect remedy for an Awkward-less fall. This single-camera comedy is about a single dad who uproots his daughter from the big bad city and moves her to the suburbs, where pampered neighbor Cheryl Hines immediately schools her on the fashions and customs of the native mean girls. Trust us, it's worth your 22 minutes.

3. Terra Nova
Dinosaurs and time travel on network television? Yeah, we're pretty psyched. While some may quibble over some of the nitpicky details about the science in this sci-fi, the much-hyped series is a thrilling adventure series with solid family drama and plenty of promising plotlines. And it makes a lot more sense than Land of the Lost ever did.

2. New Girl
We understand that there's a faction out there that just doesn't find Zooey Deschanel appealing, and those people... well, they're going to hate this show. But everyone else (like us) will be utterly charmed her adorably nerdy character as she struggles with dating, awkwardly dances, makes up songs and follows the dubious advice of her three male roommates. But fair warning: Zooey's theme tune may nestle into your brain and never leave.

1. Revenge
We didn't expect much from this thriller -- after all, Emily VanCamp isn't exactly the strongest actress in the world, much less our first choice to headline a drama. But we were bowled over by this Hamptons-set variation on The Count of Monte Cristo as well as VanCamp's convincing portrayal of a manipulative and possibly murderous young woman. It's everything we hoped Ringer would be and about 100 times better. The return of Madeleine Stowe from oblivion is just a fantastic bonus.

Watch TWoP's editors discuss the best and worst new comedies of fall in this segment airing on the New York Nonstop news channel:

View more videos at: http://nbcnewyork.com.

What are people saying about your favorite shows and stars right now? Find out with Talk Without Pity, the social media site for real TV fans. See Tweets and Facebook comments in real time and add your own -- all without leaving TWoP. Join the conversation now!

35 Comments

September 9, 2011 10:50 AM
Rebecca
Reply

Well, I'll keep an open mind for he ones I haven't seen yet (the first 9). Some sound better, others not so much but I'll give most of them a chance. I was fortunate enough to have seen the first episode of Revenge and I didn't want it to be over. I wished it was already next summer and I could watch the whole season in one go. Hopefully the next episodes won't disappoint but count me in as fan of the set-up!

September 9, 2011 11:15 AM
The Mad Maple
Reply

I'd already planned to check out most of these shows, except for A Gifted Man. I'm definitely not in the target demo for that one. I was planning to give Suburbatory and The New Girl a pass, too, but the ads make them seem funny enough to at least check out the pilots.

I agree that Person of Interest seems to have a bit of a procedural flavour to it, but I'm okay with it. It has a good gimmick, and seems like a fresh take on the genre.

I haven't seen the British version, so I'm going into Prime Suspect cold. Maria Bello seems to be doing a solid job in the ads, though, so I'm kinda psyched.

I'm really looking forward to 2 Broke Girls, though. Especially since I've seen both Defendor and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist over the past couple of weeks, and Kat Dennings was great in both of those. She's also the best part of the clips I've seen, so she should be pretty darn good.

I was planning to at least check out the pilot for Pan Am, Once Upon a Time, and Revenge. I get the feeling I'll wind up dropping at least one of them, though, but I'll give them the chance to surprise me. They could wind up as guilty pleasures. (Though I get the feeling that The Playboy Club and Charlie's Angels are gonna wind up filling that role.

Terra Nova's actually the one I'm really looking forward to, though. Looks like a good sci-fi action drama, and so far I like the cast. Hope it lives up to the hype.

September 9, 2011 2:23 PM
Jubi
Reply

I actually have nothing against Zooey Deschanel, but I watched The New Girl pilot on iTunes a couple of days ago and found in appallingly bad, and poorly-paced on top of that. Her character didn't feel like it was grounded in any sort of reality at all--in fact, her 'quirkiness' felt completely contrived and phony to me--and her new roomies became her new BFFs way too fast and with very little explanation. I had 0 desire to watch another episode.

September 9, 2011 2:31 PM
Jim
Reply

No love for The Ringer? Please, TWOP Community, support SMG for at least a few episodes.

September 9, 2011 3:19 PM
lacey
Reply

I'm very happy to see that 2 Broke Girls, New Girl, and Revenge made your list. But of course I wish Hart of Dixie, Ringer, and Grimm were also on your list. Ringer has SMG playing twins, lost of male eye candy, and a soapy plot. Now if only they could get DB to guest star on Ringer my dream would be complete.

September 9, 2011 4:04 PM
Brando
Reply

Awake & Smash. 2012

September 9, 2011 5:13 PM
Brad
Reply

A Gifted Man sounds horrible.

I've been looking forward to Once Upon A Time since I saw the teaser. Terra Nova also looks like it could turn out to be a lot of fun.

September 9, 2011 7:17 PM
Liz
Reply

The New Girl #2? Really? I looks terrible.

I'll probably watch Terra Nova, Once upon a time, Ringer, Prime Suspect and maybe a gifted man.

Honestly, I'm kind of holding out until the winter when Alcatraz comes out.

September 9, 2011 8:11 PM
ReallyTired
Reply

Once Upon a Time looks beyond stupid. Terra Nova looks as though Stephen Lang's character is exactly the same as the one he played in Avatar. Lame.
I'm with Brando - I'll hold out for Awake in 2012 and I'm hoping it's early 2012.

September 9, 2011 10:21 PM
S
Reply

In spruiking New Girl how come no one mentions VM's Leo? I am still at a stage where any peripheral connection to Veronica Mars will capture my attention

September 10, 2011 2:20 AM
Kris
Reply

Every commercial I have seen for Prime Suspect, Maria Bello looks like she is copying Mary McCormack as Mary Shannon on In Plain Sight. I might change my mind if I decide to watch the show.

September 10, 2011 1:14 PM
Lauren
Reply

I'm definitely going to check out Prime Suspect, it looks awesome. I might watch the pilot of Gifted Man.
I watched the pilot of Revenge and was pleasantly surprised. It was awesome, and as Rebecca said, I didn't want it to be over. And I am so glad Nick Wechsler is back on TV, I loved him on Roswell. New Girl's pilot was pretty bad but I love Zooey Deschanel so I'll keep watching. I'll check out 2 Broke Girls too, but looking forward to Apartment 23, since i love Krysten Ritter and Dreama Walker. Plus Dawson.

September 10, 2011 1:55 PM
Tim Lahey
Reply

Wow. A Gifted Man sounds like Everwood minus moving to a small town. Terra Nova based upon the description reminds me a bit of Primeval.

September 11, 2011 2:12 AM
mrhooks
Reply

Don't knock Emily VanCamp's acting. She can be awesome when the material is good (think Everwood, not B&S). I was worried that her Revenge character would be too different from her usual roles for her to do a good job, but I liked her in it. She was much better than Zooey Deschanel in New Girl, which I had high hopes for, but I thought was pretty mediocre.

EVC's voice-overs in the pilot were pretty terrible though - kinda had a bit of the Señor Chang "over- and under-enunciating at random" thing going on.

As for Suburgatory, there are good things about the show (esp. its leads, Jane Levy and Jeremy Sisto), but overall I thought the pilot was pretty crappy. But I have little tolerance for sitcoms that seem to rely too heavily on stereotypes for its attempts at comedy (TBBT).

September 13, 2011 6:19 AM
Carioca
Reply

I won´t watch Once Upon a Time because Jennifer Morrison is the lead. She is beyond lame.

September 17, 2011 1:04 AM
TV Gord
Reply

I'm trudging through my screeners, but I just watched New Girl, and I LOVE it!!! I watched Revenge last weekend and I enjoyed it, so I can't quibble with your top two (except, personally, I would put New Girl at the top). After disagreeing with you about Whitney on the worst list, I'm relieved to see that we agree on at least the first two on your best list!

September 17, 2011 1:45 PM
Sarah
Reply

I loved Revenge. I'm so glad you guys put it as your #1. Hopefully, you guys will recap it as well? :) The New Girl was alright, only works if you love Zooey D.

September 17, 2011 5:50 PM
Ellen
Reply
replied to comment from Carioca

While it may be your opinion that Jennifer Morrison is "beyond lame," it apparently isn't share by TV show or movie casting directors. She has been a very busy actress lately, and remains a gracious fan of her old show, House. I'll give the premiere of Once Upon a Time a chance for her sake, although it's not something I would normally watch.

September 18, 2011 9:36 AM
Zoe Toffaleti
Reply

OH MY. I guess this explains why New Girl wasn't on your worst new shows list...

But seriously, it was PAINFUL to watch. The characters had all the depth of origami paper, and the plot was somewhere between boring and unbelievable.

September 19, 2011 12:55 AM
Emily
Reply

Tim Leahy and Zoey Toffaleti stole what I was thinking when I read the posts. Isn't A Gifted Man a lot like Everwood? And New Girl is one of the best new shows... Really?

September 19, 2011 1:06 AM
Emily
Reply

More to say..
Prime Suspect is an original new show about
a gifted female blonde detective
a little shady
tough
rough around the edge
ballsy
bold
willing to do anything for a cause
emotionally distant
workolic
Gee thats sounds familiar?
Nah This show is distinctive and edgy!
It could only be ...
Cold Case
Without A Trace
In Plain Sight
that show on lifetime with the blonde detective
etc.
etc.

I do think Revenge looks good. even if it does mostly fit the pattern.

October 11, 2011 9:54 PM
priscilla
Reply

I was beyond sad when mtv's awkward went on fall break i agree suburgatory reminds me alot of it happy it got number 4 wished it was 2 or 3 though

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