Having posted my top picks for
best and
worst of the new 2013 Fall line-up, I return, dear reader, for one more TV-related post. For those die hard fans of this blog that are always blowing up my Facebook and twitter with book, TV, and movie recommendation requests (you know who you are), here are the five shows I'm most psyched to see returning to the Fall schedule:
1.
Nashville - Great original music written by such musical talents as Elvis Costello and The Civil Wars, good lead casting in Connie Britton (Rayna James) and Hayden Panettiere (Juliette Barnes), this is a prime time soap in the classic sense with a country twist. If you like shows like
Parenthood,
Brothers and Sisters, or
Private Practice for their interpersonal drama and angst, then this is a show for you. Forget the
Dallas reboot;
Nashville has all the country you need. The entire first season is still available on HuluPlus.
Season two begins September 25 on NBC.
2.
The Originals - I refuse to list this under new shows because the backdoor pilot ran during last year's
The Vampire Diaries season and it carries with it, for better or worse, all of its
TVD lineage. The good news is that the spin-off is being helmed by Julie Plec, one of the more talented writers from
TVD's creative team, and someone who is very invested in getting this right. They will rerun the pilot soon, but if you really want to prepare for
The Originals, you need to start watching a lot of
TVD pronto. The show is set-up so you can jump in without the backstory, but I have a feeling you're going to get a lot more out of the show if you have a little Mystic Falls history under your belt. Plus, the show is being set in and shot on location in New Orleans, so if you're missing the Big Easy, take heart. The vampires, witches, and things that go bump in the night are bringing NOLA to prime time. the first three seasons of
TVD are on Netflix, and six episodes from season four are still up on HuluPlus.
The pilot airs again on October 8 but you can catch the director's cut now on Hulu.
3.
The New Girl - I will admit to originally writing this show off after two episodes as a bunch of hipster nonsense gifted to Zooey Deschanel because she's practically the poster girl for the ironically sincere youth of today, but I was wrong. I sat down and watched the first season last summer and the show was so weird and awkwardly funny it even sucked David in. Now we are both devoted fans of Jess, Schmidt, Nick, and Winston, and we can't wait to see what happens next. (Also, we really want to figure out more of the rules to
True American). If you know David and I, you know we have fairly opposite tastes in TV, so if something manages to amuse both of us? That's probably something worth watching. Season one is available now on Netflix, and the last five episodes of season two are currently on HuluPlus.
Season three begins September 17 on Fox.
4.
Grimm - Yep. I'm addicted. Where
Once Upon A Time lost me because the plot seemed stuck in the mud and the melodrama weighed down any sense of humor the show might have had,
Grimm manages to remain fun, interesting, and full of dark humor. If you haven't been watching this lovely little show set in and shot on location here in Portland, you really are missing out. Start at the beginning, but give it two or three episodes to really find its feet. Once it does, the show is off and running with an originality half of the fall's new supernatural/sci-fi pilots wish they had. All of season two is available on HuluPlus.
Season three begins October 25 on NBC.
5.
Hart of Dixie - I cannot get enough of this
Doc Hollywood remake starring Rachel Bilson as a Dr. Zoe Hart, big city surgical resident turned small town family practitioner. The cast is great and the writing is pretty funny, but what really works on this show, surprisingly, is the character development. I appreciate a show that can make the villain a sympathetic character, and can turn people at pods into believable friends. For people who enjoy films like
Steel Magnolias,
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, or
Sweet Home Alabama, this show was tailor-made for you. And for those of you who share my affection for small town settings and interpersonal hijinx of
The Music Man and
Our Town variety,
Hart of Dixie has a little something for you, too. I'll also add that anyone who misses the weird holidays and festivals of
Gilmore Girls' Starshollow will find similar shenanigans afoot here in Bluebell, Alabama. Season one is available now on Netflix, and the last six episodes of season two are currently on HuluPlus. S
eason three begins on October 7 on The CW.
Runners-up:
The Vampire Diaries;
Haven;
Community (mid-season return);
The Mindy Project;
Arrow.
So there you have it, folks. The best and the worst of the new shows and my personal favorite returning series. What about you? What are you most looking forward, old or new, to on the 2013 Fall TV line-up?
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