Finding the right Touch

So I realize we're just a few weeks into the new fall schedule, but there's already buzz surrounding a new show scheduled to come out next spring. It's called Touch and it stars Keifer Sutherland as the father of a 10-year old boy who has never uttered one word in his entire life. I've posted a trailer for the show below. Right now I'm having a lot of mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I love Keifer Sutherland and am anxious to see what he does as a follow up to 24. I also think that the story has a lot of potential. What's concerning me is that the man behind this show is Tim Kring, the creator of Heroes. That too started off very cool, but we quickly learned with that show that an interesting story means nothing if it doesn't have a sufficient payoff. Since we are still several months away from its debut, that gives us plenty of time to ponder the prospects of this show's quality. Feel free to chime in yourself in the comments section. Is this the next sci-fi smash? Or just another promising story about mystical numbers that turns out to be nothing more than hokum?

Fall TV report card (New shows pt. 2)

Whitney: Comedienne Whitney Cummings is all over the place these days. Not only is she starring in this new sitcom on NBC on Thursdays, she's also co-created 2 Broke Girls, the new sitcom on CBS that I reviewed earlier this week. While I liked 2 Broke Girls, I'm not as sold on this one. The basic premise is that she has a long-term boyfriend but neither of them want to get married. So instead we just get to peer into their lives and see their, primarily Whitney's, take on relationships. I liked both Whitney and her boyfriend. I found them funny and had good back-and-forth. However, there are two major problems with the show. All of the people around these two are complete stock characters who were not funny and added nothing to the narrative of the show. The other big issue was the laugh track. While I typically prefer shows without a laugh track, I tend to not notice the laugh track in the shows I watch that still has it, like The Big Bang Theory. Here though it was SO noticeable and grating. Even worse is that the actor seemed to be taking even more deliberate pauses between lines in order to give time for the laughs. The opening minutes felt as if I was watching a parody of a sitcom. They are going to need to dial down the audience noise a lot if they expect me to stick around. I did manage to audibly laugh at a handful of the jokes though which gives me hope that the show can improve: Verdict: Week-by-week basis Person of Interest: This has been the show I have most strongly connected to thus far. I was prone to like it already given that J.J. Abrams had a hand in its creation and it brought back Michael Emerson (Lost's Ben Linus) back to the small screen. In this drama, Emerson plays Finch, a mysterious, wealthy man who has the ability to know victims of crimes before they occur. He hires former solidier Reese (played by Jim Cavizel) to prevent these deaths from occuring. Watching the show, it felt very much like watching a modern day Batman. It's a detective show with a focus on vigilantism. The connection to Batman shouldn't be surprising since the show was created by Jonathan Nolan, brother of Christopher Nolan. It's unclear whether this show will take on a 'case of the week' format or if a larger mythology will be developed, but either way I'm in. The show had a fast pace with lots of good action and a few good one-liners, mostly from Emerson. Verdict: Earned a season pass

Fall TV Report Card (New shows pt. 1)

So it's premiere week for television where all of our favorite TV shows return and networks try out their new programs.  While I'm not watching every new show, there are a few that have caught my eye.  With each review, I'll let you know whether or not the show is good enough to gain a 'season pass' on my DVR or not.

New Girl: This actually premieres tonight, but a free preview of the pilot has been available on Time Warner On Demand for a couple of weeks now. This stars quirky Zooey Deschanel as a girl who gets dumped and ends up moving in with three young guys. Most will make the argument that your enjoyment of the show rests on how appealing you find Deschanel. For me, she runs hot and cold. At times, she can be charming and sexy in that nerdy kind of way, but at other times I feel she tries too hard to be zany and it becomes annoying. My bigger issue with the show was the three guys who had zero charisma or appeal. They were combined a big bunch of nothing and I had no interest in seeing her interact with them on a continued basis. I also feel as if the show would have been better served with a small town location rather than the big city where everyone including the extras in the background come off as pompus douchebags. Zooey may have star power but this show does her no favors. Verdict: Deleted from DVR

Up All Night: The pilot for this sitcom aired last Wednesday and has been replayed throughout the week before it settles in to its regular Wednesdays at 8:00pm timeslot on NBC. It stars Will Arnett and Christina Applegate as a couple who have a baby later in their life. The show centers around the upheaval the new addition causes them and their way of life. Maya Rudolph is also part of the cast as an Oprah-like talk show host that Applegate's character works for. The first episode had some legitimate laughs thanks in large part to the three funny actors. My biggest concern is relatability. Being a single guy I question whether I'll enjoy baby and parenting humor on a regular basis. There is definitely a large part of the country that should really enjoy this however. I'm not totally sold, but I'll stick with it for the time being. Verdict: On a week-to-week basis

2 Broke Girls: They are not really breaking new ground either comedically or stylistically with this sitcom about 2 Brooklyn waitresses trying to make ends meat. That said, the two leads, Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs, have already shown that they have great rapport. Thus far, they've been able to raise up the quality of the writing through their performances. I'm not sure if this show has legs from a storytelling perspective, but being nestled between How I Met Your Mother and Two and Half Men on CBS' Monday lineup ensures that it'll be given plenty of time to find its voice. Verdict: Receives a season pass

The Playboy Club: It would seem as if all the kerfuffle that religious groups made about this show were either very successful or completely pointless as the first episode bombed in the ratings last night. I gave it a look to see if it was scandalous and/or appealing and it turned out to be neither. The Playboy Club setting turns out to be mere window dressing for a bloated, uninteresting mob story. It was clear that the show was made in an attempt to sponge off the success of another 60's period drama, Mad Men. However, that aspect failed to hook me either. The male chauvinism that was on display was more eye-rolling that poignant and their attempts at addressing other topical issues of the era (racism, closeted homosexuality) fell flat. There was absolutely nothing here that gave me a reason to stay, so if it ends up being the first show cancelled, you won't see me shed a tear. Verdict: Deleted from DVR