Fall TV Preview

Supernanny

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:25:11 +0000

Where We Left Off: Jo Frost had her hands full – then again, when doesn’t she? – with four unruly kids, a mother known for raising her voice and a father who made spanking a habit.

What to Expect: More domestic situations that are complicated, to say the least, with Frost maybe the only person who would insert herself into them. The Englishwoman is a walking encyclopedia of family problems … and, better still for those having the problems, of resolutions for them. Many viewers undoubtedly try to take cues from her, but in many cases, you’d have to be Jo Frost herself to make things turn out well.

Storm Chasers

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:24:34 +0000

Where We Left Off: The team members had the full Twister experience, rushing away from a tornado as it hit their probe, which dutifully recorded data – oh, and there was a cow flying through the air.

What to Expect: Per Discovery, “In the heart of ‘Tornado Alley,’ Reed Timmer and his team return with their newly armored ‘Dominator,’ racing to be first on the scene ahead of Sean Casey and his monster TIV (Tornado Intercept Vehicle). New this season to the chase teams is veteran researcher Tom Samaras. Storm Chasers offers astonishing footage and the terrifying excitement of chasing these storms but also brings perspective to the devastation and impact these storms have.”

Stargate Universe

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:23:58 +0000

What’s It All About? The creators of SGU have promised an entirely new approach to the franchise, ditching traditional alien storylines in favor of a more Battlestar Galactica-type human drama. The series follows a group of soldiers, scientists and civilians who — after retreating from a surprise attack at their hidden base — go through a Stargate and emerge aboard an ancient spaceship, the Destiny. With even their most basic needs in short supply, they must unlock the ship’s secrets if they are to survive. Stargate fans are among the most loyal and vocal around, and some have voiced their trepidation about this new direction. On the other hand, a grittier style might be just what the franchise needs.

Southland

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:23:14 +0000

Where We Left Off: Detective Russell Clarke (Tom Everett Scott) was shot and gravely wounded by his neighbor.

What to Expect: Picking up shortly after the season one cliffhanger finale, Lydia (Regina King) gets a new partner, but no one is sure whether the new detective is taking Russell’s place permanently or just holding his position while Russell recovers from his injuries. Sammy and Nate (Shawn Hatosy, Kevin Alejandro) get a new detective to join them in their drug enforcement duties. Ben and John (Ben McKenzie, Michael Cudlitz) continue to bond as they try to help Chickie (Arija Bareikis), who lands in a precarious situation.

****UPDATE NOV. 2 –TV Squad is reporting that TNT has picked up the rights to air the 13 already-produced episodes of Southland since the drama has been canceled b NBC. Episodes begin airing on TNT Jan. 12.

Sanctuary

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:22:39 +0000

New Faces: Guest stars Christopher Gauthier (Eureka) and Michael Shanks (Stargate SG-1); new cast member Agam Darshi.

Where We Left Off: Helen Magnus (Amanda Tapping) and the team battled the Cabal, which was intending on releasing a deadly virus, but in the end Helen’s daughter, Ashley (Emilie Ullerup), seemed to turn against her mother and was welcomed into the Cabal.

What to Expect: In Season 2 of the series based on an original series of webisodes, Magnus continues her fight to protect the strange and sometimes terrifying beings that live clandestinely among humans. Adding to her problems is her daughter’s apparent defection to the Cabal and her uneasy alliance with new team member Kate Freelander (Darshi), a con artist and thief.

Private Practice

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:21:59 +0000

Where We Left Off: Violet (Amy Brenneman) faced peril from a patient readying to steal her unborn child, Charlotte (KaDee Strickland) lost her job, and Addison’s (Kate Walsh) fling with a married man proved ill-timed.

What to Expect: Since his romance with Charlotte may be over, Cooper (Paul Adelstein) appears free to get much more personal with longtime acquaintance Violet – provided that she survives her present plight and that her current flame, Pete (Tim Daly), doesn’t push him out of the picture. Sam (Taye Diggs) has to figure out how to win back Naomi (Audra McDonald), who evidently is leaving the practice as Season 3 starts.

Men of a Certain Age

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:21:05 +0000

What’s It All About? Ray Romano plays Joe, a 40-ish divorced father of two who long ago gave up his dream to be a professional golfer and instead owns and runs a party store. He and his two buddies — Owen (Andre Braugher), a car salesman at his father’s dealership, and struggling-but-bright actor Terry (Scott Bakula) — have been friends since college, but as life drags the three of them kicking and screaming into middle age, they find that getting older only makes it more difficult to reinforce the bonds. Maybe not the worst concept for a show, but unfortunately for Romano, it’s still hard to see him as anybody but “Raymond,” and even harder now that the love is no longer so universal.

Man Shops Globe

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:19:39 +0000

What’s It All About? Talk about an envy-inducing job. Keith Johnson is a buyer-at-large for retailer Anthropologie, a job that has him traveling around the world in search of eye-catching, unique decorative objects, furniture and the like. As he visits everyone from flea market vendors in Paris to out-of-the-way craftspeople in India, he scouts out the unusual and works his wheeling-and-dealing magic, squeezing the best possible deal out of every situation. Although the show can’t help but be a shill for Anthopologie, its emphasis on travel — even TV travel of this nature — makes it reasonably horizon broadening, which is never a bad thing.

In the premiere episode, Johnson sets out for France to seek out large-scale furniture for existing Anthropologie stores, and for new locations soon to open in the U.K. On Oct. 14, he’s in South Africa, and on Oct. 21, in Turkey.

Mad Men

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:18:50 +0000

Where We Left Off: When we last left the admen and women of Manhattan’s Sterling Cooper ad agency, it has just been acquired by a British firm, and Don Draper (Jon Hamm) learned that his wife, Betty (January Jones), was pregnant.

What to Expect: If pictures snapped during production can be believed, Don and Betty have their baby, but we don’t know yet if the show will jump forward in time as it did last season (again, if we believe the pictures, if that happens, it’s a question of months, not years). The year-three poster shows a seated Don up to his knees in water. Might have something to do with those new owners …

Lincoln Heights

admin — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:17:37 +0000

New Faces: R & B singer Trey Songz makes a guest appearance.

Where We Left Off: A temblor shook the land and everyone near the epicenter, leaving death and destruction in its wake.

What to Expect: The Suttons deal with the earthquake-damaged house that they had already painstakingly restored. Cassie and Charles (Erica Hubbard, Robert Adamson) try to keep their relationship while he struggles with his stepfather’s death in the earthquake. Lizzie (Rhyon Brown), a freshman, experiments with relationships, while Tay’s (Mishon Ratliff) music career continues to flourish. Everyone comes to terms with Nate (Chadwick Boseman), Eddie’s long-lost son. Hardworking cop Eddie and nurse Jenn (Russell Hornsby, Nicki Micheaux) inherit a lot of money.