Following last year’s underwhelming crop of freshman TV series, nearly every network is looking to rebound in the ratings. A number of new and returning shows will be fighting to become appointment television in the upcoming weeks. Here are a few of the best bets for this season.
Glee (September 9, Fox)
The first episode of this new series aired in May after the season finale of American Idol; that same night, I circled September 9th on my calendar. Following a high school glee club, Ryan Murphy (Nip/Tuck, Popular) looks to have another sleeper hit about high school on his hands. Jane Lynch (that creepy boss from The 40-Year-Old Virgin) has been stealing every scene she’s been in, and this pilot was no exception—her role as the territorial championship cheerleading coach was the highlight of the episode. Glee’s pilot is available on hulu.com.
Community (September 17, NBC)
It looks like NBC may have finally cemented a solid line-up for must-see TV Thursday for the first time in more than a decade. Community anchors a two hour comedy block composed of 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and The Office. Following Joel McHale as an attorney forced to go to community college when it is discovered that he has a bogus college diploma, Community has an incredibly talented supporting cast, including John Oliver of The Daily Show and Chevy Chase.
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (September 17, FX)
Following an amazing run at the tail end of the fourth season, It’s Always Sunny returns for a fifth season of nothing-is-sacred offensive hijinks. It is going to be hard to top the brilliance that was the season four finale, “The Nightman Cometh,” easily the highest peak that the show has reached, but I’m not going to put anything past its writers/stars at this point. For those who have never seen an episode, the show can best be described as Seinfeld with sociopaths.
Dollhouse (September 25, Fox)
A rocky first season left many viewers feeling cold, but Joss Whedon’s (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) latest series found its footing in the second half of the season, building to the final few climactic episodes. The subsequent DVD-only episode “Epitaph 1” shows that Whedon knows exactly where he is taking this series. The second season will be bouncing between the current day and developments ten years in the future. Occasionally I need to turn a blind eye towards many of Eliza Dushku’s obvious acting limitations, but this series is so expansive, with such a deep supporting cast, that Dushku could be cut out of cardboard and this show would still be weekly viewing for me.
