2013 TV Fall Preview

Here we go ... this is the big week where most of our favorite shows have their Fall Season premieres.

I'm not sure if I'm starting to suffer from TV fatigue, or if TV shows are getting suckier.  This time around, there is only ONE new show that grabs my interest, and I'm dropping a couple of regular shows that I've been watching.

That ONE new show is none other than Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.  (Tuesday nights at 8 PM ET.)



... and the only reason why I'm watching is because I'm interested to see how well the "Avengers" movies can be transformed to the small screen.  I'm having difficult remembering any recent successful attempts (other than animated knockoffs, which seem to be popular).  I suppose the closest is Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, but a lot of die hard fans don't like to accept the movie.  Hmmm ... that series was also by Joss Whedon.  I suppose if anyone can pull off a series spinoff from a movie, Joss Whedon can (unless the plug is prematurely pulled like in the case of Firefly).

We'll see how it turns out.  If anything, we gotta watch to see how Agent Coulson comes back to life.  Right?

Other than Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the new fall offerings are woefully deficient of sci-fi goodness.  There's plenty of fantasy: Dracula, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (yes ... it's a spin-off), Sleepy Hollow, and The Tomorrow People.  But none of these strike my fancy.

When are we going to get another interesting hard-science offering?  At least we have Neil deGrasse Tyson in Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey coming in 2014.  Hurry!  Please!

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Returning shows I'll be watching:

Haven (SyFy - started Friday, 9/13)  It still looks like it could be interesting, but how much longer can it go?  It's on my chopping block.
Persons of Interest (CBS - Tuesday 9/24)  Yes ... it's still going strong, and it's still interesting.
Revolution (NBC - Wednesday 9/25)  I have to see what happens next, now that the lights are back on, and missiles are flying.
The Simpsons (FOX - Sunday, 9/29)  I can't stay mad at little Bart.
The Walking Dead (AMC - Sunday, 10/13)  It can't come soon enough.  The Governor's true nature is revealed, and he is now at large.  The prison is now overrunning with humans.  Can Rick and company support them all?  Is Rick really done with his crazy spells?
Grimm (NBC - Friday, 10/25)  Nick is a zombie now?  That could be interesting.

Series in waiting:

Warehouse 13 (SyFy) -- I could use a "last season" like Eureka before I lose interest entirely.
Psych (USA) -- also on my chopping block ... it's just getting too raunchy while getting less funny.
Doctor Who (BBC) -- we got the anniversary special coming on 11/23, and then the Christmas special (which will probably have the regeneration into the next Doctor), and then hopefully the next season will come after that.  And hopefully some questions will be answered!

Some new shows I picked up over the summer:

Downtown Abbey (PBS - 1/5/2014)  What's Mary going to do?  I also wonder if we Americans will get to see any of the shows sooner on Amazon Prime?  I mean ... the UK gets to start watching Season 4 this month!
Sherlock (BBC - Possibly November 2013)  How did Sherlock do that last bit?  We'll find out soon...

Shows that I've given up on:

The Neighbors (ABC - started Friday, 9/20)  It turned out to be much funnier than I expected last year, and I enjoyed watching, but over the summer, I came to realize that I just don't care what happens next.
Once Upon a Time (ABC - Sunday, 9/29)  I still can't get over the introduction of Mulan and Robin Hood, who are more of actual historical legends than they are fairy tales, and their existence in this show is only because they were in Disney movies.  Also, the overuse of Deus ex Machina  has caused me to lose interest.  What good is a dire situation, when some magical cure can always be found at the last minute?

I hope you all have better luck finding some good new shows to enjoy.  I suppose I'll be hitting up Netflix and picking up good shows I missed in the past ...