Fall Pilot Roundup

Now that each fall series (with the exception of "Cashmere Mafia", which premieres in late November) has had a chance to air at least two episodes, I would like to take a moment to look back and reflect on the new offerings. Only one scripted series has been cancelled so far, and that decision was released today. After only two airings, Viva Laughlin has been pulled from the schedule immediately, as well it should have been. This year a long amount of time elapsed before any showed was axed. Last year "Smith" succumbed in early October after three episodes; the year before, "Head Cases" was gone around the same time after just two.

So what is worth keeping around this season? Without hesitation, I can confirm that Pushing Daisies and Dirty Sexy Money deserve to stay around for a while. Samantha Who? also seems to be headed for great things. Women's Murder Club is a decent enough offering, and though Chuck and Reaper slipped a bit after strong pilots, they should stick around too. I am having fun with Carpoolers, but I know that it is not ultimately a keeper. If I had to choose a best new series of the season right now, my vote would probably be for "Dirty Sexy Money".

And what of the rest? K-Ville, Private Practice, and Cane are not all bad, and Gossip Girl might be considered good for what it is. Both Journeyman and Big Shots have irreconcilable issues which would keep me from watching them again. Bionic Woman is headed downward each episode, and is becoming even more convoluted, to the point of no recovery. Back to You, The Big Bang Theory, Life, Moonlight, Aliens in America, and Life is Wild all belong to that annual class of shows that just had no hope to begin with and sucked from the very first episode (to be fair, I have not watched any of these shows since their pilots, but I saw very little quality or potential in them). And then there are two which go beyond bad. I have already noted that "Viva Laughlin", an impossible premise with an even worse gimmick, met its end earlier today. But Cavemen is truly the worst of the worst. No laughs, not even for a moment. I am glad that ABC has stopped promoting it together with "Carpoolers" so that the latter show can have a mild chance at success.

Is this season any better or worse than previous ones? While I only went wild for two pilots ("Chuck" and "Samantha Who?"), several shows have already improved substantially upon their first installments ("Pushing Daisies" and "Dirty Sexy Money"). I usually tend to enjoy a few more shows, but those end up being quickly cancelled (e.g. "Hawaii", "Smith"). I can have faith that the best shows this year should get a decent shot at living a long, healthy life, even if they have to be accompanied by crap like "The Big Bang Theory" which, along with "Gossip Girl" and "Private Practice", has already been given a full season episode order. I will continue to check in with some of these shows and follow up with my chosen seven (I have to stop watching "Bionic Woman" soon). I know that most of my initial cancellation/renewal predictions were grossly incorrect, but I plan to revisit those soon. In the meantime, keep reading for more on your favorite/not so favorite shows!