Fall TV Season – What Are You Looking Forward To?

By Stacey Gillard

Fall brings about a sense of renewal, a freshness after the drought of the summer, a sloughing off of unwanted detritus to prepare us for the upcoming shut-in months of winter. I am, of course, referring to that magical time when TV networks bring us a wealth of new shows as well as finally providing us with new installments of our existing favorites. This year, four new shows have piqued my interest and while I will not commit to them until they have proven their worth, I feel the “series recording” section of my PVR could have new additions before October ends.

SLEEPY HOLLOW

Tim Burton’s 1999 movie version of Washington Irving’s classic story, starring Johnny Depp and Christopher Walken, was an entertaining 105 minute romp filled with much humor and not a small amount of gore. In this episodic offering from Fox, Ichabod Crane is transported to modern times and his nemesis, the Headless Horseman, follows. Crane has to try to explain himself to local law enforcement in the town of Sleepy Hollow while the horseman runs havoc through the streets. With flashbacks to 18th century warfare, the show seems to promise much action and impressive visual effects, as well as seeming to have an injection of humor. My concern is that the premise is based on what was originally a short story and even Tim Burton’s unique take on it could only stretch it out to under 2 hours. I worry how it will maintain its momentum throughout an entire season while staying true to the original ideas.

Sleepy Hollow premieres on Fox September 16^th at 9/8c. Watch the trailer here!

THE TOMORROW PEOPLE

1973 saw the first version of this tale of a group of teenagers with exceptional talents, fighting the battle between good and evil. The popular British series lasted 8 seasons and enjoyed a 3 season reboot in 1992. This new CW show is the first North American version and one that I’m particularly looking forward to. From the short teasers that have been released it appears to have high quality visual effects and an inherently appealing dark quality. (Okay, I’ll admit, the addition of Mark Pellegrino to the cast has also had some pull.) With the main cast being quite young, I think they will have to resist the urge to lean towards a “teen drama” feel in order to appeal to the mid-20s and above demographic, but overall, airing after the sophomore season of Arrow seems to put it in the perfect position for success.

The Tomorrow People premieres on CW October 9^th at 9/8c. Watch the trailer here!

AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.

Possibly the most highly anticipated new show of the 2013 season, this could be due to 2 words – Joss Whedon. With a welcome return to our screens, Whedon told Entertainment Weekly that “the people who are ignored are the people I’ve been writing as my heroes from day one.” In ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. those people are an elite undercover team that the much-loved Agent Coulson tasks to investigate superhuman occurrences worldwide. Coulson’s apparent demise in The Avengers was one of the most talked about aspects of the movie and I surely can’t be alone in uttering a little cheer when he first appeared in the teasers for this new series! Having Whedon at the helm makes me think the characters will be full of humanity, flawed and appealing in a way only Whedon can attain. While expecting a one hour Marvel movie every week may be asking a little too much, if anyone can deliver, Whedon can.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. premieres on ABC September 24^th at 8/7c. Watch the trailer here!

ALMOST HUMAN

Fox needed something to help us fill our Fringe void and it seems JH Wyman and JJ Abrams may have done just that with Almost Human. After a devastating injury for which he blames his robot partners, Detective John Kennex is given robotic prosthesis and a new robot partner. Dissatisfied with that situation he instead enlists the help of a flawed robotic model, Dorian. While it is reminiscent in many ways of I, Robot, there seems to be an inversion of characterisation as Kennex is intent on getting the job done at any cost while his mechanical cohort offers a more human accountability. From the trailers, it is apparent there’s great chemistry between the main characters, Karl Urban rarely disappoints and the distinctive style of Abrams and Wyman shines through. The three minute trailer was gripping enough that it left me wanting more, so I have high hopes for this one.

Almost Human premieres on Fox November 4^th, time TBA. Watch the trailer here!

Every new season there are successes and failures, shows that live up to hype and those that disappoint. By mid-season my own opinions should be well formed and likely the networks will have made any drastic decisions. I will revisit this review at that time and see where we stand. In the mean-time, let us know which new shows you’re looking forward to seeing and let’s meet here again in the New Year to compare notes!