Fall 2012 Network Shows: GONNA PASS!

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

By this point you've probably already seen a little bit about which shows each major broadcast network has picked up and when they're planning to air them. Some sites have covered them show by show, others network by network, and at least two decided to break it down night by night. We decided to go with our interest in them - what we can't wait for, what we don't think is worth the time, what falls somewhere in the middle, and even what we don't think will last. Of course, this is subject to change, especially come late July when so much more comes to light! Today we look at the ones that we're not really planning on checking out at all. Some of them sound like they could get a nice audience, others maybe not...

Arrow (CW) is based on the comic book Green Arrow, a superhero vigilante who rights wrongs in Starling City. I just don't need a comic book show in my life, but I can see how it could work for other people.

The Carrie Diaries (CW) looks at Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw's senior year of high school. I never could stand Sex and the City, so I have no desire to see another incarnation of it. That said, the show had a large following, so this could work.

Cult (CW) is a journalist blogger and a production assistant who investigate mysterious disappearances. This sounds a bit boring to me, but the contemporary idea of a blogger being a main character could do well.

Vegas (formerly Ralph Lamb, CBS) is 1960s mobsters. Stars Dennis Quaid. Not for me. The setting could do great for others, as could Dennis Quaid.

The Mindy Project (formerly It's Messy, FOX) is Mindy Kaling's (The Office) show where she plays a physician living life. Not a fan of Mindy, don't like the premise as it relates to medicine, nothing really grabs me at all. Some people will tune in for Mindy, though... 

The Following (FOX) looks at an FBI agent "in the middle of a network of serial killers." It stars Kevin Bacon. Kevin Bacon isn't enough to draw me in, and this screams "procedural" and "crime-solving" too much for me to bat an eye.

R: Patrick Ecclesine/FOX

Red Widow (ABC) focuses on a woman who is left to take over a small criminal business where her husband is murdered. Eh. How many gangster or family-coming-together shows need to premiere in 2012-2013? This one just blends in and doesn't seem to offer anything special.

How to Live with Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life (ABC) has divorced mom Sarah Chalke moving back in with her parents - Brad Garrett and Elizabeth Perkins. Perhaps the cast is enough to make you tune in, but not me. Perhaps you're interested in people moving in with their parents, but I'm not. The combination doesn't make it any better. And, I agree with the ten thousand others who have already said it: shorter title, please.

666 Park Avenue (ABC) is a drama based on the book series, following a young couple taking over a devil-haunted NYC apartment building. Yeah... I don't do creepy. I think that Sundays at 10pm will be a good slot for this creepy mess, so it might do great, just not with me.

Chicago Fire (NBC) is about firemen in Chicago. Look for Jesse Spencer as some eye candy. Chicago isn't my favorite city, firemen aren't my favorite profession, and Jesse Spencer isn't my favorite hottie. Where's the draw?

(Photo by: Sandro/NBC)

Do No Harm (NBC) will be a Dr. Jekyll/Mr.Hyde type medical drama, starring a brain surgeon. Phylicia Rashad is set to co-star. This borders on creepy, but could also be part House, what with a random time-bomb-type doctor and all. I think this show is trying a bit too hard... and that some concepts are better left off serials.

Next Caller (NBC) is a satellite radio DJ who now has to share a show with an NPR feminist. Stars Dane Cook and Jeffrey Tambor. Meh... I'm a very big fan of Frasier, but hated the episodes where he had tension with coworkers - be it Bulldog's pranks, Dr. Mary's comments, or his love/hate relationship with several others. I just don't see the appeal here.

Hannibal (NBC) based on the characters in the classic novels, a criminal profiler is looking for a serial killer, and partners with an amazing empathizer. Again, I don't do creepy. Or serial killers, for that matter. But I could see this becoming popular with others.