TV Week: The Fall Season

Debra Leithauser, Judith S. Gillies, Brad Walters and Becky Krystal
TV Week Staff
Monday, October 6, 2008 12:00 PM

A zany mother-daughter duo, a time-warped detective and a crusading scientist are among TV's newest characters -- and those are just the ones hitting the airwaves for the first time this week. The TV Week staff will be online Monday, Oct. 6, at Noon ET to take your questions and comments on the new fall season, as well as deliver our picks and pans.

A transcript follows.

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Debra Leithauser: Thanks for joining us today as we talk about all things TV. The aftereffects of the writers' strike have left viewers with fewer choices than usual this fall, but several gems have yet to air -- including NBC's "My Own Worst Enemy" the staff's unanimous choice for most promising new show of the season. (It airs Monday, Oct. 13, at 10 p.m.)

Let's start off by throwing out a couple of questions to you: What's been your favorite new fall show so far, and why? Have your favorite returning shows held their quality from last season?

Now, on to your questions....

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Palisades: Pardon the bad pun, but "Prison Break" deserves the death penalty. My husband and I missed most of last season, and now we're finding it impossible to get back into it..... I'm starting to think they need to declare an end date a la "Lost" so that the story doesn't drag on forever. How many prisons can they break out of?

Judith S. Gillies: We have to agree with you on this one. The series just hasn't been able to keep up the extraordinary drama of the first season. How many prisons can they break out of? The answer (sadly) should have been: One.

Brad Walters: What, you mean Wentworth Miller's mere presense on the screen isn't enough? To be honest, I could never get my arms wrapped around the whole "break into prison to break your brother out" premise, so congratulations for getting a lot farther than I did with this series.

On the other hand, in the current issue of "Entertainment Weekly," Stephen King called this a show he would, ahem, "walk over my grandmother" to watch. Seems one person's torture chamber is another's ideal escape...

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Cancellations?: I heard that Pushing Daises and Dirty, Sexy Money are both in danger of cancellation -- is this true? I love these shows, please tell me they're safe! Any other shows in danger?

Debra Leithauser: In the world of TV, nothing is ever safe. Nothing. Especially shows that have fewer watchers this year than they did last year. Only 6.3 million viewers tuned in for the return of "Pushing Daisies" to the air -- that's the smallest audience ever for the show. "Dirty Sexy Money" didn't do much better, netting 7 million viewers. I really like both of these shows, so it's a shame to see them in jeopardy.

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Gainesville, Va.: Can't wait to see Christian Slater's new show, My Own Worst Enemy. Are any other big screen stars going to be making the jump to tv anytime soon? (the Emmys are already starting to look like the Oscars...)

Becky Krystal: You won't have to wait long. Coming up this week on Thursday is NBC's new "Kath & Kim" with Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. Early next year, expect to see Toni Collete and John Corbett in Showtime's "The United States of Tara," the Steven Spielberg-produced and Diablo Cody-penned show about a woman with multiple personalities. And TNT recently announced that Jada Pinkett Smith will star in its new drama, "Time Heals," as the director of nursing at a North Carolina hospital. Just to name a few.

Brad Walters: Also forthcoming: an interesting-looking new drama called "Leverage," with Oscar-winner Timothy Hutton. Like AMC's "Hustle," it's a drama centering around a group of con artists.

Sister network TBS is promoting this show like crazy during their postseason baseball coverage... between these promos and the seemingly endless bombardment of Viagra ads, they hardly have any extra airtime to sell...

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Only 6.3 million viewers tuned in for the return of "Pushing Daisies" to the air : That's because it conflicted with the season premier of "Old Christine," probably a lot of overlap on demographics of fans. I chose Old Christine simply because I love JLD

Debra Leithauser: The block of "Old Christine" and "Gary Unmarried" also isn't doing well. I agree that "Old Christine" may have some viewers in common with "Pushing Daisies," but both shows should be doing better than they are. (I love Julia Louis-Dreyfus too!)

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Gas City, Ind.: It looks like the networks made a huge mistake with their sophomore series by just throwing them into the mix after nine months off the air. Is it possible for them to salvage shows like Dirty Sexy Money and Chuck, or should we prepare for mass cancellations?

Becky Krystal: The ratings last week for those returning series could've been better, right? ABC has been pushing hard for its Wednesday night trifecta of "Pushing Daisies," "Private Practice" and "Dirty Sexy Money," and it would behoove the network to hold on to them at least for now -- the only new scripted show debuting for it this fall is the remake of BBC's "Life on Mars" on Thursday.

Fans of "Chuck," though, take heart: NBC announced a full-season order in August, almost a month before Season 2 started.

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Making poor career moves, usa: Do you think that there's ANY way that 'Kath and Kim' will succeed? I can't reason why NBC thought this would be a good idea.

Becky Krystal: Given the strong opinions on both sides of the love-it-or-hate-it debate within TV Week, it's hard to say what the future holds for this remake of the Australian series of the same name. I, for one, hope it sticks around!

Debra Leithauser: I for one, wasn't wowed by "Kath & Kim" (though someone on the TV Week staff disliked it even more than I did). Like you, I wouldn't be sorry to see it go at all!

Judith S. Gillies: I confess: I'm the one who thought "Kath & Kim" was, in a word, dreadful.

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Harrisburg, Pa.: Thank you for having this discussion!

Which network seems to have the strongest New lineup? CBS is really becoming the crime and punishment station; they also seem to be bringing back the most shows -- is this true, or does it just appear that way?

Debra Leithauser: Strongest NEW lineup, huh? I'd say CBS wins even though TV Week's favorite show -- "My Own Worst Enemy" -- is on NBC. CBS has several strong options: "The Mentalist," "The Ex List" and "Eleventh Hour." I even liked "Gary Unmarried," though I know a lot of people didn't and it didn't draw that many viewers when it premiered.

Judith S. Gillies: Keep in mind that there are only 16 or so new scripted network shows this fall and CBS has five of them; NBC, four; CW, four; Fox, two; and ABC, only one. One bright spot to watch for next week: NBC will premiere "Crusoe" at 8 p.m. on Friday.

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Washington, D.C.: Any word on when/if Rules of Engagement is coming back?

Brad Walters:"Rules" will indeed be back... CBS says "midseason," which in today's TV landscape could mean just about anytime....

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Washington, D.C.: What happened to "Chuck"? This was the best new show of last season after "Pushing Daisies," and the writers somehow thought it was necessary to start off the second season with actors playing characters with the same names, but completely different personalities. I'm really losing my patience for network television, especially after stuff like this! The next thing you know, Jack Bauer's going to be some snuggly pussy cat in season 7 of "24."

Becky Krystal: Though it pains me to do so, I've got to agree with you, D.C. After eager anticipation, I came away from the premiere with a "that was it?" feeling. And what was up with that real-date almost-kiss between Chuck and Sarah? Too soon, people, too soon!

Sadly, after the strike-induced withdrawal, maybe our expectations are just too high? But it'll take a lot more to turn me off from my favorite accidental secret agent.

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Vienna, Va.: Just wanted to thank you for doing this chat. Would love to see more chats with the TV staff!

Debra Leithauser: Why thanks; you're making us blush. We love doing the chats -- it's always such fun to talk directly with our readers.

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Burbank, Calif: I trust that "Do Not Disturb" has been disturbed and is gone? Is it possible that the later episodes might be "burned off" and shown, or is it gone for good? I only ask because, as much as I agree the show's cast did not seem to gel, I heard one insider state the cast was beginning to pull together around the fifth episode. Perhaps this show never got a chance to prove what it could have?

Becky Krystal: After playing down rumors of the sitcom's demise, Fox finally confirmed that the Jerry O'Connell sitcom had officially checked out of its schedule. The Hollywood Reporter noted the other week that seven episodes had been produced, and their fate remains to be determined.

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Baltimore, Md.: Networks are always looking at ratings to determine which shows stay and go. However, people are watching shows through so many different means now (even waiting until the season come on DVD to watch an entire season in a few sittings) that the networks really have no reliable gauge for the popularity of a show. Not to mention that television ratings are down across the board despite an increased number of households and eyes watching television today. What can fans, networks, and critics do to ensure QUALITY television is created and the medium stops its current plunge towards mediocrity?

Debra Leithauser: Mediocrity? You've got to be kidding me. Yes, there are a lot of bad TV shows out there. But there are also many amazing shows ("30 Rock," "Lost," "House," "CSI," and even old faves like "ER"). These shows have production values that were unheard of even 10 years ago. And, trust us, networks are watching how many eyeballs are watching their shows -- whether that's on TV, online or on DVD.

Judith S. Gillies: Well, Baltimore, sounds like you might want to set your remote for some of the offerings on PBS (or in some cases, cable) for a different viewing experience. Are there any shows in particular that disappoint?

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TV, Land: I'm a little disappointed in ABC regarding their Wednesday night lineup. I watch TV all the time, and I'm very aware of most advertising campaigns via my job, and I have to say that this big advertising push they were supposed to have to re-invent the shows post writers strike, just really didn't pan out. There were barely any repeats pre-season premiere, which would have helped considerably with Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money to allow new viewers to catch on. Also not much push with "new and improved" writing for Private Practice. They also didn't place The Ex List -- which I'm a bit wary of -- in a good time slot for potential Grey's viewers to catch hold. All in all, I feel like ABC is not living up to its potential. I know they want their shows to succeed, but putting on a show called Greatest American Dog instead of Pushing Daisies re-runs just doesn't sound like a great idea to me.

Debra Leithauser: C'mon, now ... you know how Americans love dog shows! :) Really, though, we agree with you. Repeats would have been a great thing and given viewers a chance to catch on -- or catch up. It's the least the networks could have done after the writers' strike messed everything up. (And we say give "The Ex List" a chance.)

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Sunshine State:"My Own Worst Enemy" is GOOD? It looks just dreadful... As does "Kath and Kim." How is "Life on Mars"?

Brad Walters: Haven't had a chance to see the American version of "Life on Mars" myself, but did anyone else catch the British version yesterday on BBC America? They were showing subtitles for some of the thicker British accents! That's something I never thought I'd see...

Debra Leithauser:"Kath & Kim" is dreadful. "MOWE" is great. "Life on Mars" is decent.

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Colorado Springs, Colo.: I love NBC's "Chuck" and it has the coolest theme music ever!

"Pushing Daisies" already seems a bit tired to me. My husband is more into it than I am. I like the visuals, but the voiceovers and storylines I can't get into so much.

Becky Krystal: Don't give up on "Pushing Daisies" just yet. After ABC registered some concerns about the fairy tale/crime procedural's whimsical nature, the show has tried to tone down the quirky. I'm certainly not tired of it yet.

I totally agree with you on the "Chuck" music -- I'll almost always watch that fun little cartoon. More and more shows are going with "cold openings" sans songs, which is very different from the catchy credits of the not-too-distant past ("Friends," anyone?).

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Washington, D.C.: Worst Week is painful to watch.

Brad Walters: What makes you say that? The joke in the pilot that made light of domestic violence, or the part where Kyle Bornheimer's character uses the turkey dinner as a urinal? Those were enough to stop me cold before I could even get beyond the first episode...

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Virginia: Are there any new actions series? Like the Unit and 24.

Judith S. Gillies: Two new ones that will premiere next week definitely have their share of action: "My Own Worst Enemy" (Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC) has the elements of a spy-thriller; and "Crusoe" (starts Friday, 10/17, at 8 p.m. on NBC) is replete with pirates and mutineers and cannibals! "Life on Mars" (premieres Thursday at 10 p.m. on ABC), a cop drama, has its share of chases, gunfire, etc.

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Desperate Housewives: Their five years forward move feels a little Jump The Shark-ey, don't you think? Consider this my petition for a reversal.

Debra Leithauser: I'll sign that petition. I watched about 15 minutes last night before "jumping" to another show. Maybe it would make a difference if the writing was better; I honestly cringed last night at some of the lame lines.

Brad Walters: Agree... and nothing smacks of desperation like a scripted catfight, which is apparently what we're getting next week between Susan and Gaby. I'll still be watching, though, so mission accomplished?

As for the jumping forward five years... daytime soaps do this all the time. (As an elementary schooler on summer vacation whose older sisters kept command of the remote, I recall marveling at how a living character on "Days of Our Lives" could possibly have an adult great-grandchild... but I digress.)

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Anonymous: Thanks for the chat. An "Ugly Betty" question. Who is the adorable kid that plays Daniel Mead's French son? This youngster has future A-list movie star written all over him.

Brad Walters: That charmer is Julian de la Celle, and it looks like he'll be a presence on the show for awhile. Because, y'know, there can never be too many Meade heirs roaming around...

Another familiar face you'll see again soon: Freddy Rodriguez will be back in the Oct. 16 episode as scorned Gio the Sandwich Guy. (You didn't really think Betty's love live would be limited to her passion for her work, did you?) And Lindsay Lohan is slated to return for a cameo Oct. 23.

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Washington, D.C.: What exactly is the new average viewership for a program to be successful?

Judith S. Gillies: Not an easy question to answer. It depends on the day/time slot and the network (CW, for instance, might be thrilled with numbers another network would use to justify a cancellation).

Then, there's the idea that a show doesn't have to have a huge audience, as long as it's profitable. So not to dodge the question, but the answer really is: It depends.

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NBC's new "Kath and Kim" with Molly Shannon and Selma Blair. : It's NOT new, it's a knockoff of a BRILLIANT Australian show. And anyone who's seen the HILARIOUS Aussie verson will NOT like the baaaaaaaad clips I saw. The Aussie version is genius and so much of the humor is from the clippy Brit wit, which Selma Blair just can not pull off at all.

Brad Walters: Yowch!

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Washington, D.C.: Sigh, I miss Arrested Development.

Just throwing that out there...

Brad Walters: Amen. I'd been holding out hope for an "Arrested Development" movie, but Michael Cera has all but discounted the possibility that'll ever happen. Sigh.

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Alexandria, Va.: TV Ratings...

When I was younger -- only 42 now -- there was a TV premiere week or two and essentially all the shows started at the same time whether they were new series' or returning. Now, some series start in October, some in September. It's October now, and we are still getting new premieres. And 24 returns in November.

TV is a habit for a lot of people. They way that the networks are doing it now is chaotic to those of us out here just trying to find something good to watch.

Becky Krystal: You've hit the nail on the head, Alexandria. The concept of the "season" has gotten ever more fluid recently. Not to mention the chaos created by last year's writers' strike, which pushed forward a lot of premieres to early next year. Perhaps the less-than-stellar return of some shows this fall can be attributed to the confusion.

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I wanted to love Alan Ball's show: but, it feels like a bad soap opera

Becky Krystal: Probably not what HBO wants to hear since it recently renewed "True Blood," the vampire drama starring Anna Paquin, for a second season after just two episodes...

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Baltimore, Md.: They started running promos for the "24" miniseries scheduled for November. What can you tell us about the show? Is it a prequel to the upcoming season, or a sequel to last season?

Becky Krystal: Yes, Fox is billing the two-hour special, set to air Nov. 23 at 8 p.m., as a prequel designed to fill in the blanks between Days 6 and 7. The seventh season premiere hasn't been scheduled yet, but look for it at midseason. Fox says the prequel, which was filmed on location in South Africa, will see Jack Bauer fighting "an international crisis" while the U.S. prepares to inaugurate a new president.

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Worst Week is painful to watch.: and it's a half-hour story stretched out over a full season? Call it Worst Month.

Brad Walters:"Worst Week" needs some defenders! Anyone? Anyone?

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Connor McLeod: What happened to the TV blog from last season, where you recapped and discussed a few shows, including Heroes, the only one I actually watch?

Debra Leithauser: The blog lives! Or it will. It's getting an overhaul and should return soon.

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Washington, D.C.: My favorite show (original CSI) isn't returning until Thursday but I am waiting with baited breath to see how Warrick's death is going to handled. So far, I'm liking "The Mentalist" and have high hopes for "The Ex List." "Do Not Disturb" was definitely a clunker as is "Worst Week."

I would so love to get paid to talk about television all day!

Debra Leithauser: Thanks for weighing in. (And we do have fun jobs!)

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Washington, D.C.: Not a new show, but how are ratings doing for MLB postseason coverage on TBS? It's bad enough they can't get one of the major networks to cover the division series, but they can't even get ESPN, the sports channel to do it. Way to follow the NHL model into oblivion.

Brad Walters: No numbers are in for this year's coverage, but last year (the first for the playoffs on TBS) ratings were up 26 percent over Fox and ESPN the previous year... so maybe this isn't such a bad thing?

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The only genius on TV: is "It's always Sunny in Philadelphia." OMG, it is total madcap. Wish I could catch up with the first two seasons.

Brad Walters: The first three seasons are all available on DVD, so there's always that option...

Anyone remember "Starved," the series that premiered on FX alongside "Always Sunny"? Now *that's* one I miss...

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Austin, Tex.: There seems to be a pretty sizable contingent of TV shows that came from overseas this year. Is this a side effect of the writer's strike.

And as a fan of the original Life on Mars I'm curious to see how the American version will do. Do you guys have any opinions on LoM?

Judith S. Gillies: The import/export of ideas from other places (including Canada, such as the recent "Flashpoint") has been going on for years -- not sure that it's been more or less this season. As for Life on Mars -- I haven't seen the original (though I've read/heard good things about it). The American version seems promising if viewers can get past the question/confusion as to how Detective Sam Tyler finds himself in 1973. One thing for sure -- it makes you realize how some things, such as the cell phone, have become such an accepted part of our everyday lives.

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Cubicle, D.C.: Before the season started, I heard folks saying that the CW as a network was in trouble. I'm a big fan of Gossip Girl, 90210, and Priveliged. Is the network (and these shows) doing well enough to plug along for a few more years?

Becky Krystal: Let's just say CW must be glad it's at least got "90210," which it didn't waste much time in renewing. Less satisfying, though, must be last night's slate of premieres, when "Valentine" and "Easy Money" both barely copped 1 million viewers.

Doesn't look like Time Warner and CBS Corp. are ready to pull the plug on the network yet, but some Tribune-owned affiliates, including the local CW 50 which recently rebranded itself as DC 50, seem to be downplaying their ties to it.

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Ashburn, Va.: A new show I love is The Mentalist. It is just kinda fun. I'm really enjoying Life and Ugly Betty and Heroes as well.

I hated Worst Week too. I gave it a try and deleted it forever from TiVo. I'm not into Desparate Housewives anymore either.

Oh -- and NUMB3RS is back and I LOVE that show -- even though I hate math!

Debra Leithauser: Thanks for sending in your thoughts!

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Denver, Colo.: I really enjoyed season 1 of Heroes, and really hated the abbreviated season 2. I suffered through the idiotic lead-in show before the premiere, but what little goodwill I had left was destroyed by the lame episode that followed. Am I alone in thinking that Heroes can't possibly regain season 1's quality?

Debra Leithauser: You might be right, but I'm hoping you're wrong.

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Reston, Va.: I admit it, I'm a geek who likes Supernatural. Every year I expect it to get canceled, because every niche show like this that I like has historically been canceled after the first 6 episodes. Yet, this one soldiers on. How does it do in the ratings? It's in a tough spot on Thursday at 9...

Becky Krystal: Well, the season 4 premiere of "Supernatural" had about 4 million viewers, almost a third more than last season, according to TV Guide. So you may be in luck for now!

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True Blood is sucking less these days: I was with the previous commenter on the "bad soap opera" angle -- but last night it seemed like it was starting to find it's voice -- offbeat humor, more depth to the supporting cast. There may be hope for this one yet.

Becky Krystal: Another view on the true colors of "True Blood."

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Biggest Fall Show So Far Is...: The Stock Market!

Debra Leithauser: Very funny! (Or not.)

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Friday Night Lights: I miss you, FNL. How many people are watching on DirecTV?

Brad Walters: Ahh, this was another series that inspired mixed reactions among our staff. Can't find any numbers on how it's doing on DirecTV, but the satellite service only reaches 17 million homes, so it's virtually guaranteed the numbers are down. Good news for everyone else: NBC says it'll re-air the episodes next year...

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Debra Leithauser: We're out of time, folks. Sorry we weren't able to get to all your questions, but if you'd like to keep talking TV, head over to The Post's live chat with Prince George's County native Isis King, the first-ever transgender contestant on "America's Next Top Model." Or chat with Lisa de Moraes every Friday at 1 p.m. And as always, we invite you to keep the discussion going by e-mailing us at tvweek@washpost.com. Happy viewing!

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washingtonpost.com: Discussion at 1: Isis King from 'America's Next Top Model'

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