The Premiere of Fall

Kids are back in school. Labor day weekend begins on Friday. Like it or not, Fall is quickly approaching. As it draws near, the television studios are getting ready to premiere their new Fall shows. I’m not sure how many of these I’ll catch since free time will be sparse in September, but in case you are wondering what’s coming up…here’s the line-up of the Top 10 most anticipated new series according to Yahoo! Buzz:

10. The Mentalist, a drama about a physic who uses his gifts to help solve crimes. It sounds like a cross between CSI and a serious version of Pysch. The Mentalist features Simon Baker from the Guardian and one of the girls that was written out (killed off) of the Fox show Prison Break. Hmm…I think I’ll PASS.

9. Opportunity Knocks, Aston Kucher brings us a new game show that quizzes families on how well they know each other, the mail carrier or the people next door. This could be mildly entertaining. I won’t go out of my way to watch it, but if it’s convenient, I may CHECK IT OUT.

8. Life on Mars, an ABC remake of a popular British drama about a cop who gets transported from present-day to the 70s after an automobile accident. I actually watched the original British version which was quite good. I was surprised to learn that ABC is doing a remake starring Harvey Keitel. If it’s as good as the original, it’s a MUST WATCH.

7. Easy Money, is a dramedy about a family that runs the modern legitimate version of a loan sharking operation — an advance payday loan business. The show centers on the matriarch and her middle son who is conflicted about the nature of their business. Yawn…that’s a PASS for me.

6. True Blood, a new vampire show appearing on HBO. The show is set in Louisiana where vampires (thanks to a Japanese invention) can now mingle amongst normal humans. Supposedly it’s getting rave reviews, but this ain’t no “Buffy” — no thanks. PASS.

5. Sanctuary, a Sci-Fi show starring Amanda Tapping (of Stargate fame) that started as a series of Webisodes released on the internet. Because of its online popularity, Sci-Fi picked it up and ordered a full season. Sanctuary is the first television show to employ virtual backgrounds (ala 300 and Sin City). Normally, this isn’t my kind of show, but because I like Amanda Tapping, I watched the Webisodes and must admit that I enjoyed them. If you like Sci-fi, check it out. For me, it’s a MUST WATCH.

4. Fringe, a JJ Abrams creation (Lost, Cloverfield) which automatically makes it a MUST SEE in my book. This show pairs a female FBI agent with a nutcase scientist and his estranged son. Together, they investigate paranormal occurrences. Hmm…could this be an updated version of the X-Files? I hope so. I still miss that show and the movie was a big disappointment. Fringe has one of the most expensive pilots ever filmed. It weighs in at a whopping $10+ million. If that doesn’t catch your attention, nothing will.

3. Sons of Anarchy, a chrome hog drama about a motorcycle-riding, gun-running family syndicate. I’m not into motorcycles, so this show doesn’t sound that appealing to me. However, it does have an interesting creative team and cast: a “Shield” script writer, “Sopranos” director, Charles Hunnam, Ron Perlman, and Katey Sagal. It’s a PASS for me, but if you’re a guy, it’s probably a CHECK IT OUT.

2. Knight Rider, a remake of the popular 80s detective show starring David Hasselhoff. I liked the original and was excited about the Knight Rider movie until I saw it. The TV movie was horrible — not just bad, terrible. Because of that, I don’t think there’s any way I can bring myself to watch the new series. PASS.

1. 90210, another remake. This time it’s a remake of a 90’s TV show, Beverly Hills 90210 . Because I watched the original show, I have a morbid curiosity about the remake. Part of me thinks that some shows should rest in peace and live on in our memories without being drug up, dusted off and resurrected. Yet I will watch the premiere anyway; I expect to PASS on subsequent episodes.