Fall TV Preview: Time to Weed through the Crap

I am super busy with work, and may not get a chance to have much time to write about fall TV, but now is my time to write about some of my favorite returning shows, and some of the shows I am highly anticipating.  There are four returning shows I am anticipating, one of the four I may give up on.  There are also four new shows I am excited about, and hope they are big hits instead of huge flops.

Returning Shows: 

The Good Wife (CBS) :  Last season The Good Wife ended its season with a bang (literally), and a lot things being turned upside down.  Alicia finally walked away from her cheating and lying husband Peter (the DA) and made out with the partner in her law firm (her boss and former lover) Will Gardner.  Alicia and here "best friend" Kahlinda Sharma are at odds because Kahlinda had slept with Peter (much earlier) and never told Alicia.  Now that Alicia is walking away from her husband, what will happen now that he is the newly elected DA and going through a divorce?  What role will Eli Gold (Alan Cumming-the best character) take in the show, will he still be a consultant for Peter?  Will Alicia and Will keep going or will another road block be thrown in their way?  This show avoided the sophomore slump, and got better in it's second season.  I hope the show continues to achieve great character driven stories.

Parks and Recreation (NBC) : Leslie Knope and company return for season four and the show has hit its stride and come off their best season.  Tammy number one, Ron's first wife will be on the show and will be played by the amazing Patricia Clarkson; his mother the original Tammy will also be on the show as well.  Bring on the more Ron Swanson!  The supporting cast is great and I hope this show beats the curse that The Office faced as the seasons progressed.

The Walking Dead (AMC) :  With only six episodes in its first season this show had me hooked.  I am glad that AMC will be brining this show back for a long arc, and I am excited to see the direction this show will take.  There has been a lot of behind the scenes drama with show creator Frank Darabont leaving.  I am a bit nervous that this show will lose its cool factor and not be able to continue its creative energy.  I think this is one of the most realistic (as realistic as you can get) in regards to the portrayal of the zombie genre.  As the season ended with another bang (this time an explosion), we found our characters searching for a land of hope and realizing that no place may exist.

Glee (FOX): After a sophomore slump this show needs to do a lot to keep me watching.  Every year I give up on certain shows.  In the past the shows have been similar to shows like Glee, dramadies like Grey's and Desperate Housewives that are just cultural phenomenons that can not keep up with the quality of their first or second seasons.  Glee turned Jane Lynch's character into a shrew (I love Jane Lynch still), but Sue Sylvester was just an awful character this year.  The show forgets story lines and characters, and the show loses focus too easily.  I am going to give this show another chance, but this may be something I walk away from.

New Shows:

Terra Nova (FOX): This show just looks cool, but looks can be deceiving of course.  I am hoping to DVR this show and catch up on my weekends.  The premise of a family being transported back in time because the Earth's resources are drained is pretty interesting, and there is potential for long term story.  I just hope the show does not get bogged down in melodrama.

The Ringer (CW) : The last time Sarah Michelle Gellar was on this network (or this network as a combined version of the WB and UPN); she was on the cult hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer and it was amazing!  The plot has me hooked, and this is the new show I am excited about most.  I love Sarah Michelle Gellar and I think she is meant for great television, and I hope based on the preview below she will finally have another hit on her hands.

American Horror Story (F/X):  There is not much information about this show created by Ryan Murphy, but the cast is amazing with Connie Britton, Dylan McDermot, Frances Conroy, Dennis O'Hare,  Academy Award winner Jessica Lange, and the creepy trailer below, I am there!

Up All Night (NBC): Combine Will Arnett, Christina Applegate, and Maya Rudolph what should you get, an amazing comedy that will build up NBC's new wednesday night comedy line up.  I am hoping this show does more and is better than Samantha Who? and Running Wilde.  I am excited that this show will be doing more with Rudolph; she is comic genius and it is about time she find a great television role.  I have a feeling this show may bomb, but I have my fingers crossed it will be a big hit.