Los Angeles students finally went back to school yesterday, and as I dropped my daughter off, I felt a lot like the guy in this old Staples commercial:
When I was a kid, September was exciting for a lot of reasons. I was one of those annoying children who actually LIKED school. But what really got me excited was the arrival of the annual Fall Preview issue of TV Guide, which I would devour as if it was a new Nancy Drew book. I'd read up on the new programs, memorize who was who in the casts and map out our family's viewing schedule (strangely enough, my parents let me make those decisions -- probably because they didn't care about it as much as I).
I suppose no one was surprised that I finished college as a Radio-Television-Film major, and ended up working in production. I loved TV, and still do -- although with the expanded cable universe (and my advanced age), I am no longer able to familiarize myself with EVERY new show that comes on the air.
That's why I was so excited when I was invited to attend a blogger event at CBS-Radford Studios a few weeks ago, where we were treated to previews of some of the new series debuting this month on CBS and the CW. One of those shows premiered Tuesday night: the 2.0 version of Melrose Place. It was good trashy fun, like my favorite guilty pleasure, Gossip Girl. GG may not remain at the top of my guilty pleasure list next week, when CW debuts another glitzy soap: The Beautiful Life: TBL, produced by Ashton Kutcher, follows the troubled love lives and careers of gorgeous young models. I can't wait.
I know this sounds funny coming from the person who is always complaining about reality television. I'm not really high-brow at all; I just prefer scripted programs to vote-'em-off-the-island fare.
But I do appreciate terrific drama done intelligently -- and feel fortunate that the folks at CBS previewed the pilot of The Good Wife in its entirety. This looked good in the teaser ads the network has been running all summer. Juliana Margulies stars as Alicia, whose life as a stay-at-home mom is turned upside down when her DA husband is forced to step down. Chris Noth is her disgraced spouse, accused of using public funds to pay for prostitutes (I love that they got the guy who was both Mike Logan and Mr. Big.Talk about perfect casting!)
The wonderful cast extends to the other characters as well: Josh Charles ("Sports Night"), Archie Panjabi (from "Bend it Like Beckham" and the UK version of Life on Mars) and Christine Baranski as the formidable legal partner who promises to "mentor" Alicia when she goes back to work.
However, the actors would be nothing without a great script, and show creators Robert and Michelle King have crafted one that transcends expectation. As Alicia takes a job in a law firm, this show is part procedural drama, part political intrigue -- but also a fascinating look at a woman who is trying to make sense of her world. How many of us watched Silda Spitzer stand behind her disgraced ex-governor husband and wonder what was going through her mind? No matter your politics or ideology, who couldn't sympathize with Jenny Sanford when her husband went famously went missing on Father's Day weekend (and confessed to being unfaithful in Argentina)?
The Kings took those public scandals and have extrapolated what might have occurred in private. The series explores how a powerful man's fall from grace affects his entire family. I loved the pilot and when it ended, I was hungry for more. I'm glad I won't have to wait too much longer ("The Good Wife" premieres on September 22).
For several years now, observers have been predicting the end of scripted programming - at least on the networks. Last year, there were a number of truly original dramas I looked forward to watching each week, including "Pushing Daisies," "Dirty Sexy Money" and "Eli Stone." All failed to find an audience large enough to satisfy their network (ABC). Many of the cancelled programs were replaced with cheaper-to-produce reality fare.
This season, Jay Leno's new nightly prime time show on NBC is taking the place of five possible series per week.Where does it end?
Fortunately for viewers, the cable networks have picked up the slack. Over the summer, I enjoyed watching "Royal Pains," and "Drop Dead Diva." The success of programs like "The Closer," "Saving Grace" and (my favorite !) "Mad Men" proves that there IS still an audience for great drama. So I don't think we are doomed to a steady diet of reality and talk 100% of the time.
But if drama was thought to be a patient in trouble, many critics have concluded that the venerable sitcom is actually dead. Once the building block of a successful prime time evening, the number of situation comedies on the schedule dwindled down to a handful last year. That's why it's heartening to see the networks order some new 30-minute shows for 2009.
I wasn't expecting a lot out of "Accidentally on Purpose," the new Jenna Elfman vehicle about a 30-something woman who finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand with a much younger man... and invites the guy to move in with her.
On the surface, it sounds a lot like "Knocked Up" -- but it turns out that the series is based on a memoir by Time.com film critic Mary F. Pols (adapted by comedy writer - and ex-Knots Landing star - Claudia Lonow). The network's teasers remind me more of "The Big Bang Theory," as the attractive blonde woman has to put up with her baby daddy's slacker friends hanging out in her living room. I suppose it makes sense -- CBS has scheduled the show to run in the slot before "Big Bang" and just after "How I Met Your Mother."
I think it's going to be a great addition to the network's Monday night comedy block, because like those other two shows, "Accidentally" is really funny... and SMART.
Broadcast and cable television networks have been doing blogger outreach for a while, and I think they've had some success utilizing the Internet to create buzz for their new series. But I have a feeling the outreach is about to get even more direct -- that is, if ABC's Labor Day holiday experiment bears fruit.
On Friday, an email went out to users of ABC.com with a link to a preview of their new sitcom, "Modern Family." The pilot was available on the site for the holiday weekend only. I had about 30 minutes to kill, so I pulled it up... and spent the next half hour laughing. This show was so good, I ended up viewing it two more times, as I forced my husband and daughter to check it out.
The series is done in mockumentary style, a la The Office, and follows a day in the life of three very different nuclear families. My favorite moment is where the "cool dad" played by Ty Burrell explains the vagaries of texting and defines "WTF" as "Why the face?"
You'll recognize Married with Children's Ed O'Neill as the guy trying to keep up with a much younger second wife and stepson, and Julie Bowen (last seen on Boston Legal) as a tightly wound suburban mom. You may not remember the names of executive producers Steve Levitan and Christopher Lloyd (the writer, not the actor) -- but you've seen their work before on shows like Frasier and Just Shoot Me.
Modern Family is a winner. Check it out when it debuts on September 23.
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