About the New Fall TV Season

I've already reviewed a couple of the television pilots for the new network television fall season and you can expect reviews of a few more before the month is up. However, I'll be honest. There's not a lot this year that I see myself getting very excited about. I've been watching less and less network television in general since I cut the cord, and I find myself more interested in the return of shows like "Person of Interest" and "Community," and catching up on others that I've missed, than sorting through the latest crop of new hopefuls. However, there are a couple of titles that I'm keeping an eye on.

"666 Park Avenue" - ABC's newest supernatural series about a young couple who take up residence in a too-good-to-be-true apartment building that may be owned by agents of the devil. Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams will be headlining as the show's baddies. I'm hoping for more of a toothy fantasy anthology show here and less of a prime time soap, but my guess is that it's probably going to follow in the footsteps of their previous hit, "Once Upon a Time," which is a little of both. However, this one's in the 10PM hour, so it'll probably at least be a little darker and sexier.

"Last Resort" - One of the most interesting concepts of the year: a US nuclear submarine refuses to follow orders to fire on its intended target and is declared a rogue vessel. The crew set up base on a nearby island and declare themselves a sovereign nation until they can figure out who betrayed them. The cast is full of familiar names including Scott Speedman, Robert Patrick, Dichen Lachman, with Andrew Braugher as the captain of the boat. Even if the rest of the series is a wash, the pilot looks like it's going to be pretty spectacular. "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan is responsible for this one, which is a good sign.

"Arrow" - Warner Bros, having had no luck bringing the superhero Green Arrow to the big screen, will try him out on television in "Arrow." Oliver Queen, played by Stephen Amell, is a billionaire business man by day and a crime fighter by night. The good news is that the show's creators are toning down the superhero elements and going with something more down-to-earth. The bad news is that those creators are Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who were behind the less than stellar "No Ordinary Family." The CW's genre shows can be very hit or miss, but I've always liked Green Arrow, so I want to give "Arrow" a chance.

"Elementary" - I've already reviewed the pilot over here. The concept is none too original, but the talent is right, the approach is sound, and there's every indication that this could be a solid performer for NBC. I like Johnny Lee Miller and Lucy Liu as Holmes and Watson, I like that they seem to be going with a platonic friendship angle for now, even though I doubt that's going to last if the show survives more than two seasons. Still, I see no reason why the popular culture doesn't have room for yet another "Sherlock Holmes" adaptation, especially one as self-assured as this.

"Vegas" - At first glance this 60s era cops and mobsters series seems to be a leftover from last year, which saw several similar period dramas try their luck at landing a network audience. However, "Vegas" has the benefit of veteran filmmakers James Mangold and Nicholas Pileggi in the mix, along with actors Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Jason O'Mara back for another round after "Terra Nova" and the American version of "Life on Mars." Maybe he'll have better luck in a supporting role, as Quaid will be taking the lead as the Nevada sheriff clashing with a newly transplanted Chicago mobster, played by Chiklis.

And finally we come to the comedies, which I can never tell anything about from their synopses and always take me a while to warm up to anyway . I make no promises as to which of these I'm actually going to watch and review, but on my radar are NBC's "Go On" with Matthew Perry and "The New Normal" from "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy. Over on ABC, "The Neighbors" looks like it's trying very hard to be "3rd Rock from the Sun," in reverse, and then there's the extremely timely "How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)." Also, the "Will & Grace" creators are back with "Partners," which is all about the bromance between a gay guy and a straight guy who both find themselves in new relationships.

In addition, I've already said my piece about Revolution and The Mindy Project, neither of which I expect I'll be revisiting.
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