NEW
Cast:
Josh Temple ... Host
In a Nutshell: In this competition series from Thom Beers, the executive producer of such unscripted series as "Deadliest Catch," "Ax Men" and "Black Gold," 13 men and women mosey out of their comfortable cubicles and are shoved into physically challenging jobs such as logging (a la "Ax Men") and oil drilling (you know, like "Black Gold"). In other words, if you've seen any of Beer's series on The History Channel or Discovery, you probably have a good idea of what these poor souls have signed up for.
The Buzz: Beers, executive producing with Lloyd Braun and Susan Lyne, has clearly tapped into something with his he-man working guy cable programs, and there should be some entertainment value in a bunch of nine-to-fivers who want to try their hand at back-breaking labor. That said, cable's bar for success is a lot lower than the expectations for network television. And, as we suspected, ratings have not exactly been enough to make a Peacock proud.
Premiered: 9 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25
Cast:
Justin Bruening ... Mike Traceur
Yancey Arias ... Alex Torres
Paul Campbell ... Billy Morgan
Smith Cho ... Zoe Chae
Sydney Tamiia Poitier ... Carrie Ruvai
Deanna Russo ... Sarah Graiman
Bruce Davison ... Charles Graiman
Val Kilmer (voice) ... KITT
In a Nutshell: NBC continues its saga to recapture the glory of the '80s by making a series out of its midseason "Knight Rider" movie, starring an updated version of the Knight Industries Three Thousand, a car that can do a lot of really cool stuff, including transforming into several tasty Ford models... and a guy who drives it named Mike Traceur. And some other people.
The Buzz: Is it possible these days to make a hit driven by product placement, let alone one that remakes an iconic NBC show from several decades ago? Stranger things have happened... however, the perils of the new "Knight Rider" serving as an hour-long commercial for Ford doesn't raise eyebrows as much as the producers declaring that the car is the star. Think "Knight Rider" can work if KITT's people are the second bananas to Val Kilmer's voice at its most Ambien-esque? Tell it to the Hoff, and the gaggles of people whose inner children either wanted to be him or wanted to date him.
Granted, in the hands of Doug Liman and Gary Scott Thompson, executive producers with reputations for delivering slick, highly stylized entertainment, it's not unreasonable to expect the car to look great. Of course it does. But "Knight Rider's" longevity, like that of every other series, will rely on the audience's emotional connection to characters - human ones. Experiencing a few minutes of the premiere's cheeseball dialogue, and sets straight out of The Museum of Mid-'90s Syndicated Action Series, should provide enough of a clue that "Knight Rider" is not destined for a long haul on the airwaves.
Don't just take our word for it. Watch the full episode right now and judge for yourself.
Premieres: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24
Cast:
Molly Shannon ... Kath Day
Selma Blair ... Kim Day
Mikey Day ... Craig Baker
John Michael Higgins ... Phil Knight
In a Nutshell: Yet another remake of a foreign series, this time from Down Under. Kath is a woman in her 40s ready to settle into another romance, this time with a lovely guy who owns a sandwich shop. Her daughter Kim has other plans. She's left her new husband and has decided to move back home with Mom, where they torture each other for all time, or at least for as long as this show lasts.
The Buzz: NBC hasn't released a pilot for review, but that shouldn't stop us for voicing our concerns out loud. The danger of repurposing a show like "Kath & Kim" for broadcast television is that so much can get lost in the translation. Throw in the excitable folks in any network's standards and practices departments, and you might as well be ready to bid a fond adieu to the crass humor that made the original such a crude delight.
That said, NBC learned a harsh lesson about slapping an American accent on foreign shows with its disastrous translation of "Coupling." Subsequent seasons gave us our versions of "The Office" and "Ugly Betty," both of which prove that the right touch can take an overseas format and make it feel uniquely American. With that in mind, along with consideration for Shannon's and Blair's appeal, optimists have reason to keep hope alive.
Premieres: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9
Cast:
Christian Slater ... Henry Spivey/Edward Albright
Saffron Burrows ... Dr. Norah Skinner
Madchen Amick ... Angie Spivey
Mike O'Malley ... Tom Grady/Raymond
Alfre Woodard ... Mavis Heller
In a Nutshell: Mild mannered Henry Spivey (Slater) is an efficiency expert who drives a minivan and heads home every night to his neat suburban home to be with his wife, Angie, their two kids, and their dog. His life would be a perfect picture of middle-class bliss, except for one thing: Sharing his body is covert operative Edward Albright, who speaks 13 languages and knows even more ways to kill a person, and works at a place called Janus Headquarters for Mavis Heller. A brain implant keeps Henry completely in the dark about Edward, although Edward knows about Henry. When the implant malfunctions, elements of Edward's personality begin showing up to ruin Henry's Pleasantville life.
The Buzz: Again, no pilot; again, changes behind the scenes, as Jason Smilovic (executive producer on "Kidnapped" and "Bionic Woman") was asked to hand over the showrunner reins to John Eisendrath (of "K-Ville" and "Alias") not long before production wrapped on the first episode. Intriguing cast and concept, though, and it sounds like it would be a better fit in the post-"Heroes" slot on Mondays than "Journeyman" was last fall. Fingers are crossed!
Premieres: 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13
Cast:
Philip Winchester ... Robinson Crusoe
Tongayi Chirisa ... Friday
Joaquim De Almeida ... Santana
Mia Maestro ... Olivia
Sam Neill ... Jeremiah Blackthorn
Anna Walton ... Susannah
In a Nutshell: In this thirteen-part adaptation of Daniel Defoe's literary work, Crusoe and his native pal Friday struggle to survive the usual desert island challenges, such as bloodthirsty militias, wild animals, cannibals, bad weather and that audience fave, starvation.
The Buzz: There was a time, not so long ago, when networks saved these swashbuckling costume epics for sweeps, and gave them about four hours. Anything longer than that, and such a story was relegated to lower budget, tongue-in-cheek weekend syndication fun, starring Bruce Campbell or Lucy Lawless if we were lucky. The very idea of taking on the challenge of creating a thirteen-episode period piece to air in primetime nowadays, with so much competition and an audience expecting high sophistication, is quite a risk. It also has the potential to make those of us wistful for those opulent sweeps epics of yesteryear curious to see if NBC can pull this off.
Then again, it's in that Friday night death slot.
Premieres: 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17
RETURNING
NBC
Cast:
Zachary Levi ... Chuck Bartowski
Yvonne Strahovski ... Sarah Walker
Adam Baldwin ... Major John Casey
Joshua Gomez ... Morgan Grimes
Sarah Lancaster ... Ellie Bartowski
In a nutshell: Mild-mannered slacker Chuck Bartowski opens up an e-mail from his former college buddy Bryce one day and BLAMMO! Scads of government secrets are downloaded into his brain, making him the government's most valuable asset. His new predicament does not give him any superpowers (or transform him into a ladies' man) so he needs to be protected by gorgeous CIA operative Sarah Walker and the NSA's Major John Casey, who would just as well be rid of him. To keep his cover, he continues working at big box electronics store Buy More with his best friend Morgan, and living with his sister Ellie and her fiancé Devon, better known as Captain Awesome.
Where it left us: In the season finale (#1.13, "Chuck vs. The Marlin") a spy from Fulcrum (this series' version of KAOS to the government's CONTROL) planted a receiver in Buy More to get close to the "intersect," aka Chuck. Turns out the evildoer was the girl at the nearby Pita Palace, who killed a government agent sent to extract Chuck and almost shot Sarah as she was trying to save him. In the end Sarah took Chuck home to Ellie and Awesome, but Casey came up behind her and grimly insinuated that Chuck might not be able to stay where he is for much longer. Enjoy life while you can, Chuck - one of the people gunning for him and/or his loved ones during the coming season is a cheerleader-gone-bad played by Nicole Richie. Other guest stars will include John Larroquette, "The O.C.'s" Melinda Clarke, "Arrested Development's" Tony Hale, and Jordana Brewster, who will play Jill. She's the infamous college girlfriend who obliterated Chuck's heart by sleeping with his best friend Bryce.
Premieres: 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 29
Cast:
Jack Coleman ... Noah Bennet, also known as H.R.G.
Greg Grunberg ... Matt Parkman
Ali Larter ... Niki Sanders
James Kyson Lee ... Ando Masahashi
Masi Oka ... Hiro Nakamura
Hayden Panettiere ... Claire Bennet
Adrian Pasdar ... Nathan Petrelli
Zachary Quinto ... Sylar
Sendhil Ramamurthy ... Mohinder Suresh
Dania Ramirez ... Maya Herrera
Christine Rose ... Angela Petrelli
Milo Ventimiglia ... Peter Petrelli
In a nutshell: Across the globe ordinary people began manifesting superpowers such as flight, incredible strength, cellular regeneration, invisibility and countless other abilities. One, Peter Petrelli, discovered he could absorb and retain the abilities of others, potentially making him the most powerful being on the planet. In fact, the only other person who approximates his power is a sociopath named Sylar. They often cross paths with an organization called The Company, which concurrently studies these heroes while also attempting to contain or eradicate them.
Where it left us: Here's the partial summary: H.R.G. partnered with geneticist Mohinder Suresh and ex-cop Matt Parkman to destroy The Company, but one of its founders sent his electricity-manipulating daughter, Elle, after Claire (#2.9, "Chapter Nine: Cautionary Tales"). H.R.G., was shot and presumed dead, but Claire's blood brought him back to life. He agreed to let The Company take him in exchange for their guarantee to leave Claire alone.
The Company suppressed Sylar's powers and stashed him in a jungle South of the border. Unfortunately the arch-villain hitched back to the states with brother and sister named Maya and Alejandro, fugitives from the Dominican Republic. Sylar murdered Alejandro and continued to New York with Maya, who weeps death, and hoped that Mohinder could cure her before she commits mass manslaughter again.
Niki and Micah Sanders went to New Orleans to stay with D.L.'s relatives after he died, only to be trapped in a burning building (in #2.11, "Powerless"). trying to save D.L.'s super-powered (but none too super-intelligent) niece.
Peter fell under the influence of Adam, a man who could never die. Adam wanted to end the human race by releasing a killer virus. They were stopped by the time-jumping Hiro, who met Adam in feudal Japan (where he was known as Hiro's idol, Takezo Kensei). The battle was brief, since Nathan Petrelli and Matt Parkman intercepted Peter and stopped him from releasing the virus, convincing him to destroy it instead. Hiro, in the meantime, teleported Adam into a grave in Japan.
In a move to expose The Company, and his mother's sinister plans, Nathan decided to go public about his abilities. Alas, an unknown assailant gunned him down during the press conference. Lastly Mohinder, who joined the company ostensibly in an effort to dismantle it from the inside, ended up going native - and in a twist, Sylar forced him to restore his powers. Now he's on the loose again, setting the stage for the opening theme of season three: "Villains."
"Heroes" creator Tim Kring screened the first hour of season three, "The Second Coming," at Comic-Con in July, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. We agree. If the rest of the season is as engrossing as the opening episode, fans can rejoice in knowing that "Heroes" is flying high again.
***From here on out there be casting spoilers, so stop reading if you want to be left in the dark.***
In addition to exploring that angle, we're also supposed to find out more about Angela Petrelli's generation.
Fan favorite Kristen Bell (who played Elle Bishop, a woman with the power to manipulate electricity) is returning in season three. Adrian Pasdar (Nathan Petrelli) has been doing a lot of press for the show, and a number of reports indicate that Ali Larter (Niki Sanders) will be back. But that doesn't necessarily mean Nathan and Niki are alive. Bonus: Robert Forster joins the cast this season playing Nathan and Peter Petrelli's dad, and Brea Grant guest stars as, in the words of an NBC press release, a "shady speedster." Also look for the returns of George Takei and Malcolm McDowell (in flashbacks, we're guessing) and as one might expect, David Anders.
Other familiar faces include Bruce Boxleitner, William Katt, Francis Capra, Blake Shields, N'Tare Mwine, Seth Green, Breckin Meyer and ("Wire" reunion alert!) Andre Royo and Jamie Hector. The star of the "Heroes" webisode "Going Postal," Kiko Ellsworth, makes an appearance in the second episode.
Premieres: 9 p.m. Monday, Sept. 22, preceded by a special at 8 p.m.
Cast:
Damian Lewis ... Detective Charlie Crews
Sarah Shahi ... Dani Reese
Adam Arkin ... Ted Early
In a nutshell: Los Angeles Police Department Detective Charlie Crews is wrongly convicted of murdering a family in cold blood and gets a life sentence in prison, only to be exonerated years later. He returns to his job on the force, and with the assistance of a new partner, a Zen-influenced outlook, and a windfall from compensation received from the state, Crews changes the way he sees the world and solves crimes.
Where it left us: Though he claimed to have let go of his past - part of that whole Zen thing - Crews never gave up his quest to find out who framed him. By the end of the season he finds out who actually committed the murders of which he was accused, clearing his name and reputation irrefutably. He still doesn't know who set him up, so the quest continues.
"Life" developed into one of the more interesting and intricately complex procedurals on network television. Like every other primetime drama its freshman season was cut short by the Writers Guild strike, so it had not yet found its audience. NBC's scheduling plans for its second season, however, are worrisome. The first four episodes will air over two weeks on Mondays and Fridays before settling into its regular timeslot, 10 p.m. Fridays. Friday has become a competitive TV destination over the past few seasons, but it is still one of the places where networks send shows to die. (The other is Saturday.) What remains to be seen is if "Life" will get another chance if that time period doesn't work out.
Premieres: New season kicks off with three preview airings at 10 p.m. Monday Sept. 29, 10 p.m. Oct. 3, and 10 p.m. Monday Oct. 6 before settling into its regular time period, 10 p.m. Fridays, on Oct. 10.
Cast:
Tina Fey ... Liz Lemon
Alec Baldwin ... Jack Donaghy
Scott Adsit ... Pete Hornberger
Tracy Morgan ... Tracy Jordan
Jane Krakowski ... Jenna Maroney
Jack McBrayer ... Kenneth Parcell
Katrina Bowden ... Cerie
Judah Friedlander ... Frank Rossitano
Keith Powell ... Toofer
Lonny Ross ... Josh Girard
In a nutshell: The funniest workplace comedy on television follows the struggles of Liz Lemon, head writer of the sketch comedy series "TGS with Tracy Jordan," which used to be called "The Girlie Show" before network executive from Hell, Jack Donaghy, got hold of it. The good news is "TGS" does well for the network, and Jack has taken Liz under his wing. The bad news is that Jack has taken Liz under his wing.
Where it left us: Where it left Jack is a bigger question. In the finale (#2.15, "Cooter"), the Head of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming was yanked out of the GE family by President Bush, who named him the Homeland Security Director of Crisis and Weather management. Liz, no longer caged by Jack's attention, falsely believed she was pregnant. As it turns out, it was only a strange ingredient in her off-brand cheese snacks setting off the test. Then "30 Rock" pulled a "Desperate Housewives" and jumped forward three months: Kenneth's overwhelming desire to be a page at the Summer Olympics takes him to Beijing, where we saw him saying the wrong thing to a Chinese woman, which led to a large, gun-wielding gentleman threatening him. My stars, Mr. Donaghy.
Each year people find plenty to gripe about in Emmy's choices, but "30 Rock's" nomination is not one of them. Once the show found its stride, it didn't just maintain it - it added some fancy footwork without missing a step, blessing its fans (and YouTube) with some of the funniest scenes on TV.
Premieres: 9:30 Thursday, Oct. 30
Cast:
Steve Carell ... Michael Scott
Rainn Wilson ... Dwight Schrute
Jenna Fischer ... Pam Beesly
John Krasinski ... Jim Halpert
Leslie David Baker ... Stanley Hudson
Brian Baumgartner ... Kevin Malone
Creed Bratton ... Creed Bratton
Kate Flannery ... Meredith Palmer
Melora Hardin ... Jan Levinson
Ed Helms ... Andy Bernard
Mindy Kaling ... Kelly Kapoor
Angela Kinsey ... Angela Martin
Paul Lieberstein ... Toby Flenderson
B.J. Novak ... Ryan Howard
Oscar Nunez ... Oscar Martinez
Craig Robinson ... Darryl Philbin
Phyllis Smith ... Phyllis Lapin
In a nutshell: The poor souls at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin are perpetually tortured by their well-meaning but aggressively clueless boss Michael Scott, who strives mightily to be their friend but almost always ends up making everyone feel uncomfortable. Their one ray of light is Michael's bizarre toady Dwight Schrute, whose intense weirdness and gullible nature makes him a favorite target of Jim Halpert and Pam Beesly.
Where it left us: Toby, who quit and was headed for a new life in Costa Rica, told Pam he had feelings for her. Awkward, considering Jim has been walking around for most of the season with an engagement ring for Pam in his pocket. He's just been waiting for the perfect time, and he thought it would be Toby's goodbye festivities, (#4.14, "Goodbye, Toby") which then turned into a carnival. Before Jim could pop the question, Andy seized the spotlight and proposed to Angela, who reacted by saying yes before disappearing. Phyllis caught her in the office having sex with ... Dwight?! Ick. Pam, who was expecting a proposal, could not mask her disappointment. But back to the image of Angela and Dwight: Ick.
Next year will bring a spinoff, and an unrelated comedy by "Office" executive producer Greg Daniels and producer Mike Schur, starring Amy Poehler. Not to worry - it's a safe bet Dunder Mifflin won't be a victim of cutbacks or downsizing any time soon.
Premieres: 9 p.m. Sept. 25
Cast:
Brooke Shields ... Wendy Healy
Kim Raver ... Nico Reilly
Lindsay Price ... Victory Ford
David Alan Basche ... Mike Harness
Paul Blackthorne ... Shane Healy
Robert Buckley ... Kirby Atwood
Andrew McCarthy ... Joe Bennett
David Norona ... Salvador Rosa
Julian Sands ... Hector Matrick
In a nutshell: Three longtime friends, Victory Ford, Nico Reilly, and Wendy Healy, busily juggle complicated business and personal lives in New York City. Much of the time that means negotiating their way through lesser satellites cluttering up their social and professional lives. Based on the novel by Candace Bushnell, author of "Sex and the City."
Where it left us: Nico, having spent several episodes in the clutches of a steamy love affair with a younger man, rededicated herself to her marriage following her husband's heart attack. Victory jumped into a disastrous threesome with a married couple (hence the episode's title, #1.7, "Carpe Threesome"). Wendy took a chance with a scriptwriter who blew her deadline and feared that her age meant the end of her career, giving her a deal on her next script. Wendy may have a cripsy outer shell, but inside she's a softie. Like a Mallomar, the world's finest seasonal cookie.
Of the two dramas about high-powered, glamorous New York career women that premiered in midseason 2008, "Jungle" was the only one that survived to see another year ... . barely. It's in the 10 p.m. Wednesday slot, which in previous seasons was the domain of "Law & Order," and up against fellow sophomore drama "Dirty Sexy Money" (which, coincidentally, is adding "Cashmere Mafia" cast member Lucy Liu to its roster) and "CSI: NY." If "Lipstick" doesn't best "Money," don't be surprised if it gets blotted.
Premieres: 10 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24
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