Looking Ahead: ABC's Comedies and Dramas for 2013

What intrigued me most about the shows ABC has decided to try out this fall is that I really needed to see the trailers to make decisions about a good chunk of them. For a large proportion of the new series this year, I've been able to make decisions on the premises and cast/crew alone. This means that ABC did a good job of marketing their programs to me, but they also run the risk of seeming too generic for specific groups to try. I think they have a wide variety of options, but that has its own pros and cons, so who knows.  

I'm looking to try out one of the comedies and two of the dramas, which is low for me when you consider how many of ABC's series I've enjoyed in the past. Which interest you?

COMEDY:
Back in the Game (formerly The Untitled Cullens Project) is about a divorced woman who brings her son along to live with her father. The old man is a former baseball player, but because her son loves the sport, the mother is drawn back into it once again. It sounds a little like The Bad News Bears, and I'm not interested.

The Goldbergs is your average variety family comedy, except it's set in the 1980s. You've got mom, dad, three kids, and grandpa. The youngest is a budding filmmaker, so we see a lot of narration from his point-of-view, much like The Wonder Years. The more I learn about the series, the less I like it, but I'll give it a couple episodes for now.

ABC

Mixology, as you might expect, is set in a Manhattan bar. It's a bit How I Met Your Mother in that the series depicts singles looking for love in a single night. It didn't sound good to me, but the trailer was almost repulsive, so I'm staying far away.

Super Fun Night reminds me a bit of The Weekenders in that it's three ladies concerned only about having a great weekend, or, more specifically, a great Friday night. I didn't even smile at the trailer, and find the premise to be a terrible movie, let alone a disastrous show.

Trophy Wife is about a girl who falls for a twice-divorced man with three bratty kids. She wants to win over the kids and avoid the exes, but it's going to be harder than she thinks. Again, this sounds like a bad movie and nothing more.

DRAMA:
Betrayal is about an affair between a married photographer and a lawyer who is facing off against the photographer's husband in the courtroom. Gag me with a spoon... this is about as off-putting as it gets!

Mind Games (previously Influence) is two brothers using human behavior statistics and psychology to get things to go their way. It's part Psych and part House for starters... if you know how someone will react, you can create illusions all around you. I hate manipulation, so I'm out.

Killer Women is based on an Argentinian series where there's one rough-and-tumble woman in the Texas Rangers who is determined to succeed. Female empowerment aside, this honestly looks really boring.

Lucky 7 is based on a British program where seven coworkers (in Queens for this version) win the lottery. I liked the backstory flashes for the characters enough to give this one a try, though I think I would have approached it differently.

ABC

Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (previously S.H.I.E.L.D.) is the Joss Whedon project based on the Marvel Comics' organization, a spinoff from the Avengers film(s). Because I'm a big Marvel fan, I'll try it out, but I've already been rolling my eyes a bit.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland is the spin-off to the hit Sunday night attraction, Once Upon a Time. The difference here is that it will be told from the perspective of Alice. I don't have any interest in the original, and this one sounds no better.

The Resurrection (previously The Returned) is a bit too creepy for me. The idea is that dead people return from beyond out of nowhere, acting like no time has passed. This only works in a specific town in Missouri, but it reminds me a lot of Alcatraz. I think there's a market for it, but it's not me.

How many of these shows will you be tuning in to try?

[quick links to the other networks: CBS/CW, FOX, NBC.]