From 'Park Avenue' to 'Vegas' - The Best and Worst New TV Shows of Fall 2012
Which new shows are worth watching and which should be destroyed?
Normally I do separate "Best" and "Worst" galleries for the various new fall TV shows, but this year I just squished 15 notable shows together into a single gallery.
"Why?" you might ask.
First off, I do it for you, dear readers. This way, you're only clicking through 15 pictures, rather than 20. Aren't I conscientious?
But more to the point, I think that combining my Best & Worst galleries is reflective of the degree of ambivalence I feel towards most of this year's new shows. I doubt that I'm going to have the time to write many full reviews this season. I don't have the time and I feel pretty awful about that fact. As you know, there's nothing I enjoy so much as writing 2000 words to say, "Meh." If, however, I were to be reviewing these new shows, there isn't a single one that would get an "A" or "A-" or even a "B+" grade from me. I like "Vegas" and "Nashville" and "Last Resort" and "Ben and Kate," I have reservations on each. Last year, there were four or five "A-" or "B+" pilots.
I have less reticence to call out the bad pilots, but other than "Beauty and the Beast," I'm not sure I could rank them. There's a lot of bad.
And then there's a pile of so-so that this gallery is ignoring. So don't ask me where "Revolution," "Animal Practice," "Made in Jersey" and a couple other shows are. I might regret not coming down definitively on the "Good" or "Bad" side after a week or two, but for now, I'll just shrug.
Check out the gallery!
A long-time member of the TCA Board and a longer-time blogger of "American Idol," Dan Fienberg writes about TV, except for when he writes about movies or sometimes writes about the Red Sox. But never music. He would sound stupid talking about music.
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September 18, 2012 at 3:00AM EST Reply to CommentDan, to my eyes, it seems like this year is stronger in terms of quality network pilots (unfortunately nothing seems remotely close to the awesomeness that is Homeland on cable yet) with Last Resort, Vegas, Mindy Project, Ben & Kate, Nashville, and Elementary all looking interesting, whereas all I can remember being interested in last year was New Girl and Awake, and I guess Smash to some extent. Do you feel that this is the case as well?
dan Mike - As I said above... Not really, no. Like I said, I'd have given 4 or 5 pilots B+ or A- grades last year, including "Awake," "New Girl" and "Suburgatory." Of course, my favorite pilot of last fall was "Pan Am," which evolved into a frustrating and generally unfulfilling series. But this year, nothing's better than a B, for me. There are plenty of *interesting* pilots, but nothing that really comes together entirely for me...
September 18, 2012 at 3:06AM EST-Daniel
jdstorm
September 18, 2012 at 3:20AM EST Reply to CommentDan i know you hate it, because it seems derivative and that it isn't on trend with the darkness of modern cable dramas.
But I think MOB Doctor is going to be a breakout hit. it's Greys Anatomy meets unforgettable, and both those shows get/got ratings that fox would kill for.
Tonally the pilot is uneven, almost 24 like in the lack of sleep and bathroom breaks, however the casting, acting and writing is good. If The Mob Doctor stays mainly as a hospital show with the Mob only interacting on Event episodes aka greys bus crash, plane crash shooting ect. this show will be very successful
smigglesby the writing is atrocious. just so bad.
September 18, 2012 at 11:26AM ESTdan JDStorm - "Grey's Anatomy" is a soap opera that immediately invested some viewers in multiple character relationships. "Mob Doctor" is not and didn't. I think that's the core difference, even if I also disagree about the acting and the writing... But that's all subjective and we can differ! As I always say: I like people to like things, even if I don't. That's good for TV.
September 18, 2012 at 11:33AM ESTHowever, "Mob Doctor" is not going to be a breakout hit... That's objective...
-Daniel
JDSTORM I Just saw the ratings and clearly i was wrong about the mob doctor breaking out.
September 18, 2012 at 1:14PM ESTI went into the mob doctor with low expectations and an open mind, And i thought it was a hospital Soap with some procedural elements ala Grey's.
It checks all the boxes a soap pilot normally ticks. It starts with a female lead narrating herself. It then goes to a hospital setting where we meet our heroine's BFF, Frenemie, boyfriend and mentor. It then proceeds to introduce a love triangle with the"bad boy"from the wrong place, and then finishes with our heroine making a life changing/affirming decision. Its soap by the numbers. Apart from the off tone Car chase and hostage situation.
This might be a good topic for next weeks podcast. Are there any pilots/shows that would have been better with a different format? AKA revolution the family fantasy adventure v lostesque mystery thriller ect
mrbofus
September 18, 2012 at 6:55AM EST Reply to Comment"This gallery is alternating between "Bests" and "Worsts" and it's in alphabetical order by each categorization."
What's the categorization?
dan MrBofus - They're alternating Best/Worst and each is in alphabetical order. It's a stupid way of ordering things, but it's what I chose...
September 18, 2012 at 11:28AM EST-Daniel
mrbofus @Dan:
September 18, 2012 at 5:44PM ESTAh, I thought you had categories like "Comedy", "Drama" etc...that were ranked as bests and worsts. Thank you for the clarification!
dan MrBofus - I didn't phrase it particularly clearly, I admit...
September 18, 2012 at 6:25PM EST-Daniel
mrbofus
September 18, 2012 at 6:56AM EST Reply to Comment"hero who doesn't hair from Australian or New Zealand. "
I think you mean "hail" from "Australia"
dan MrBofus - Ah, the rare (or not-so-rare) double-typo. Fixed. Thanks!
September 18, 2012 at 11:27AM EST-Daniel
Awards Is that a negative thing towards actors from Australia?
September 23, 2012 at 5:38PM ESTFirst : they seem to be very capable, most of all IMO Anna Torv.
Anna Torv is a very refreshing personality, no-nonsense. down to earth , natural and not trying to please,
as an actress she is above everyone else on the screen, and with better writing and a cable series I see her winning an Emmy in the very near future.
Anna can create so many Olivia Dunhams from so little backstory, that is genius.
Second: they seem to have the lowest price-tag.
I remember reading a comment from a British actor in Lost, asking him why so many Brits work in the US, well it all comes down to money, and Australians seem to get even less than the Brits, as we all know posh accents come more expensive
Joyeful
September 18, 2012 at 7:46AM EST Reply to CommentI'm looking forward to Arrow and Elementary - I'm comforted that they were in your "best" list. Everything else...meh.
Ugh - Beauty and the Beast looks terrible. Kristin Kreuk keeps getting work just because she's stunning - she wasn't a good supporting actress on Smallville, she was bad on Chuck, and I think expecting her to carry a show is just unrealistic. Somewhere Linda Hamilton is shaking her head...
shasta i agree
November 7, 2012 at 8:38PM ESTsareeta
September 18, 2012 at 8:44AM EST Reply to CommentI think this has been the most exciting pilot season and definitely better than last year's. Actually, there was nothing last season that I was interested in nor would I give any of the pilots "A"s. This time, I was already interested in all your Bests. I'm willing to give Chicago Fire and Malibu Country chances. I have no desire at all to see Beauty and the "Beast".
myers
September 18, 2012 at 11:57AM EST Reply to Commentbeen waiting for this list. thanks! :)
War Chief Shake Zula
September 18, 2012 at 12:02PM EST Reply to CommentWill anyone kill me for opining that Kristin Kruek is a pretty generic beauty?
shasta i thought it was just me that thought she wasnt all that in looks or acting
November 7, 2012 at 8:39PM ESTGregory Gregson
September 18, 2012 at 1:37PM EST Reply to CommentMaybe if they give Lucy Punch a LOT more to do, then I can see Ben and Kate improving. If they keep focusing on the relationship between the brothers and keep making jokes about Ben being an adult who never stopped being a child, all I can see is an amusing little show, but one who never actually makes me laugh and therefore it's easily forgettable among the other far superior comedies of that night.
Hola
September 19, 2012 at 12:22AM EST Reply to CommentDo you hate Kristin Kreuk and BatB beacuse you`re a fanatic secret circle fan? you sounds like one of those bitter TSC fans who blame BatB for it`s demise.I think Kristin is a decent actress,and secret circle SUCKED big time. No wonder why noone outsidea few internet geeks watched it.The main actress on TSC is the Worst actress Ever..she`ll ruin TVD for sure.
I saw BatB during SDCC and it`s panel had a full house of 5000 fans(which is more than arrow`s panel) and the people were pretty entusiastic about it.
dan Hola - No. I hate "BatB" because it's dreadful. I watched "Secret Circle" because it was on after "Vampire Diaries" and I'm lazy.
September 19, 2012 at 12:53AM ESTAnd while I'd suggest the crowd in Ballroom 20 for "BatB" at Comic-Con had a lot to do with Elementary and, particularly, Dexter, that's subjective. The laugher that I certainly heard throughout the pilot was not so subjective.
-Daniel
GeoffBerkshire I actually covered the SDCC "Beauty & the Beast" panel for Hitfix. I sat near the back of Ballroom 20, and while it was well attended, it was not full.
September 19, 2012 at 2:41AM ESTThat doesn't mean much either way, but I did think the pilot was atrocious. And no, I wasn't a fan of "Secret Circle."
OnionQueenx
September 19, 2012 at 9:13PM EST Reply to CommentHi
InspectorLover
September 20, 2012 at 5:04PM EST Reply to CommentOK, I'll give Elementary a chance, based on your recommendation. Also, Arrow, even though it's way over on the CW ;-)
I was surprised that you didn't single out The New Normal as one of your worst, with its offensively bad writing...
dan InspectorLover - I swear there's 50% of a show that I like in "New Normal." That kept it off of my "Worst" list. That may change, long-term. Similarly, I really liked the most recent episode of "Go On." It's getting close to being on par with the "Bests" here.
September 20, 2012 at 5:13PM EST-Daniel
nick
October 9, 2012 at 2:45PM EST Reply to CommentYou forgot to add "Revolution" as "BEST"...
dan Nick - No, I did not.
October 9, 2012 at 2:49PM EST-Daniel
maria
October 14, 2012 at 1:43AM EST Reply to Commenti totally agree with this list!!
Paul
October 18, 2012 at 2:11PM EST Reply to CommentWow I can't believe Partners is listed as worst while The New Normal isn't there, I love Partners and I don't see the stereotype because that's just how he is. Now New Normal on the other hand now that felt like a stereotype and I hated the constant "I want a baby coz it's a great fashion accessory" that it felt like the camp one kept pretty much saying.
Pshama
October 26, 2012 at 8:26PM EST Reply to CommentA little sad to see Chicago Fire on the bad list since I quiet enjoy the show. Other than that, I pretty much agree with the list (since I haven't seen every single show on it).
dan PShama - I'd honestly probably have "Chicago Fire" in the unranked "middle" pack if I revised this gallery now. This was based off of only the pilot. I thought the second and third episodes were perfectly average, which I mean as a compliment, relatively speaking...
October 27, 2012 at 6:45AM EST-Daniel
Bobby
November 11, 2012 at 3:34PM EST Reply to CommentI didn't realize that half of these shows are even airing on tv!
JJ
November 14, 2012 at 8:51AM EST Reply to Commenti quite like guys with kids and chicago fire ..i watch arrow and the last resort too,they're all just ok ... the rest is meh ... i refuse to give elementary another go,everything sherlock will just fall short after watching the bbcs adaption ....22 episodes,jesus,way to dilute a character that should be enjoyed in small doses.
Reality_Bytes I agree about Elementary. I gave it about 3 viewings and couldn't take anymore. He stands around drawing conclusions that base level police officers should be doing while the officers stand there sucking their thumbs looking very stupid. I think they could present a good show without consistently making laughable caricatures out of the police. Every episode an officer challenges him which is so dumb because even a 12 year old could have drawn the same conclusion. I can do without that banter because it's pointless and makes no sense. I think the writing and plot concepts fall flat on this show. But, because it's on CBS it will likely succeed. If CBS tells it's audience to like something they usually do. Their persuasive advertising style and show placement towers over the competition.
January 18, 2013 at 4:07PM EST