First Week of New TV Shows

The arrival of the fall season doesn't really excite me because some of the better shows (LOST, 24) don't even start until winter, and one of my favorite shows of last year (Castle) was a mid-year replacement. Nevertheless, this week I managed to tune in to 5 premieres, which are ranked as follows.


5. ONE TREE HILL

I don't why I still bother with this show. Nothing can top the high school years, and Season 7 begins with ANOTHER jump forward in time (18 months). So what's new? Without Lucas and Peyton, there's little else left to this show. I thought this would present a golden opportunity to get Dan Scott back on a full-time basis, but the writers would rather add a loser sports agent and a pitiful older sister to the show. And finally, in a show about basketball, they get Jerry Rice to show at Jamie's 7th birthday party. Jerry Rice hasn't been popular in 15 years, and this show jumped the shark after Keith died, and nuked the fridge after Season 4.

D+

4. COMMUNITY

Don't let the 4th place finish fool you; I enjoyed Community. The opening bit was hilarious. The jury is still out on Joel McHale. He can handle the comedy just fine, but it looks like they are also aiming for some heavy moments, which was weird. Despite his character being a Van Wilder knockoff, he's surrounded with enough talent (cool teacher Brit John Oliver and oblivious windbag Chevy Chase) that I'll definitely check this out again next week.

B

3. THE OFFICE

Another show way past it's prime, but the season 6 premiere was full of funny. I liked the parkour opening, and despite Jim and Pam's pregnancy and pending marriage, the story was focused on the right guy, Michael Scott. It was an episode about Michael's need to be included (this time in on the gossip), and we learned that Andy is afraid he should be gay, Stanley is having an affair, and that Pam officially looked better in sweaters with her hair pulled up than with makeup and business suits on.

B+

2. IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA

This year starts with the gang's twisted take on the housing market crisis. I don't know what else to say except that it's more of the same.

A-


1. ARCHER

If you watched It's Always Sunny, then you were hammered with adds promoting some sneak preview of a show they wouldn't even name. I was a little shocked that it turned out to be a cartoon, and even more shocked to see that it was AWESOME!!!! It's more likely you'd find these kind of shows on Adult Swim, but who cares? I take back every bad thing I said about Home Movies, because the guy who voiced Coach McGuirk is the main character (Sterling Archer, secret agent) and he dominates the show.