Top Five Favorite TV Shows Returning for Fall 2013

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. Season 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?

New TV is coming! New TV is coming!

On my flight to Nashville, I was treated to a preview of one of Fox's new fall shows, Sleepy Hollow. This reminded me that the new television season is upon us, and I have no made a single recommendation, prediction, or condemnation. This is a failing on my part, dear reader, for as we all know, I follow television development like other people follow sports.

Having already seen one of the fall's newest creative offerings, allow me, then to pontificate a bit on the state of new incoming entertainment options. Without further ado, here are my top five picks for the 2014 fall schedule:

1. Sleepy Hollow

Complicated premise is complicated. Read the wiki synopsis here. Based on the description alone, I would have never even green lit this to pilot. Amazingly, though, despite my deep misgivings, this may turn out to be one of the more interesting concepts on the fall schedule. The casting is terrific, particularly Tom Mison (Ichobad Crane) and Nicole Beharie (Lt. Abbie Mills), the two leads. FN1. As a person who is far more interested in writing and world building than the sexiness of celebrities, I am pleased to see how credible the acting is.

What makes the show enjoyable is that it manages to balance a legitimately creepy degree of horror with the humor of a man out of time.It's funnier and less dramatically hysterical than Haven (which I admittedly like) and less revolting from a human perspective than American Gothic or Hannibal. In the end, the pilot works because the writing works. Part of what saves this show it that it manages to treat the human relationships with sensitivity, handles responses to supernatural threats with the right blend of disbelief, fear, and acceptance (buy the premise, buy the bit), and yet also manages to make fun of itself and its situation. It's closest counterpart on TV right now might actually be The CW's Arrow. If the writing manages to stay as strong throughout the rest of the series as the pilot, we're in for some entertaining small-town New York shenanigans, ya'll.

Sleepy Hollow premiers Monday, September 16 on FOX. Recommended for fans of: Practical Magic; Witches of Eastwick (the film, not the poorly written show); the canceled-before-its-time series Happytown; the film adaptation of Constantine; Puddletown local favorite, Grimm.

2. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agent Phil Coulson puts together a small team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to handle strange new cases. Each case will test the team in cooperation and ingenuity as they try to work together figuring out newly emerging superhuman individuals in the world.

Yeah, yeah. Everyone and their mother is excited for this one. But, in their (and my) defense:

1.  Joss Whedon writes really good everything, including tv;
2. SUPERHEROES! Well, peripherally;
3. It helps fills the aching wound left by the cancellation of Alphas;
4. There is something really interesting about the lives of fragile humans who run toward, rather than away from, danger. These people are NOT gods and monsters. They're just like you and me (well, sort of). If you ever wonder what it would be like to be someone of extraordinary courage and ordinary talent in a world where superheroes are real, this is going to be one great show.
5. And seriously -- would you trust anyone else to do that good a job with these themes other than the man who wrote Buffy? NO. You would not. FN2.

Premieres Tuesday, September 24 on ABC. Recommended for people who: love anything Joss Whedon has ever written; love the Avengers universe; thought Noah Bennet was the real hero on Heroes; roots for the poor red shirts on Star Trek; remember that one time when Xander saved the world with his mouth.

3. The Michael J. Fox Show

Alex P. Keaton is back on prime time! This time playing a version of his real life self:

After being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, Mike Henry had to give up his career as a news anchor and focus on his health and his family. Five years later, Mike decides to get back to work and struggles between family and career.

Is it emotionally manipulative? Yes, to some degree it is. Am I going to watch it? YES. Why? Because it's the most real thing I am going to see on television next fall, and that includes any 'reality tv' anyone produces. We've come a long way when a network will give a show to someone with a debilitating illness, not just someone PLAYING a person with an illness. Also, while the trailer makes it clear that the show will be full of feels for MJ regarding his condition, there will also be a lot of the humor derived from it. And there is something poetically human about that, about the way all of us find humor in our own suffering to make it through the day.

Premieres Thursday, September 26 on NBC. Recommended for: children of the 80s; people who enjoy family-style sitcoms; people who want to understand why every time the Glee producers have Artie go into a 'dream sequence' and magically be able to walk, I want to stab something.

4. The Tomorrow People

For those of you thinking, "Yeah, Joss Whedon, humanity is great and all but I want people with actual powers, not scrappy humans with moxie" then the CW is here for you. Premise? "Based on the original British television series of the same name, the series follows a group of young people who possess powers as the result of human evolution."

The Tomorrow People is the latest iteration of this trope, with a decidedly more YA/NA bent. This places the concept right in my wheelhouse, and the trailer seemed to have more going for it than Star-Crossed or The Hundred during Upfront season. Perhaps that is why it is the only one of the three with a fall time slot.

The Tomorrow People premieres October 9 on The CW. FN3. Recommended for people who love: Heroes; Alphas; Jumper; Push; the X-Men universe.

5. Mind Games

Okay, this is admittedly a little bit of a cheat on my part. Mind Games is not on anyone's calendar anywhere yet. It may never see the light of day. And yet, of all the upfront videos I watched, this was actually my favorite new show. I'm including the trailer here, so you can check it out:

Premieres midseason on ABC. I am hoping the fact that over 41,000 people have already liked the trailer on Youtube means Mind Games will eventually show up on ABC's mid-season fill roster. Casting was still active as of last month, so… *crosses fingers* For those of us already missing our regular "shady group of people manipulates situations for the greater good" shows, this one might fill the bill.

Recommended for fans of: Leverage; Lie to Me; The Mentalist; Franklin & Bash.

That's it for me on the new shows front. Anything you are looking forward to that I didn't mention? I'm happy to discuss in the comments below. Also, tune in tomorrow for my thoughts on the five WORST shows to hit the 2013 Fall line-up, which will appear over on my writing blog.

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FN1. Did anyone else notice this is the same protagonist name as Harper's Island? I hope it's a subtle shout-out. If so, well-done.
FN2. Though I STILL have not forgiven you for Buffy Season 9, Joss Whedon. Do you hear me? I AM NOT OVER IT. That was some Dallas-level plot betrayal, and those wounds cut deep.
FN3. CW is premiering everything late this year, I suspect in a bid to catch people watching new shows that fizzle after 1-3 episodes. I hope it works out for them.