The New Fall Season Thanksgiving Roundup

It's Thanksgiving week in the states, and time to talk about what has turned out to be a disappointing fall season. I will avoid the predictable comment about turkeys.

We covered several premieres this fall, and there was only one show that we decided to take on and review every week. That's kind of sad. I was really hoping I'd fall in love with something new, since this is Smallville's last season and I have a reviewing slot opening up soon. Oh, well.

2010 Emmys: What Won, What Lost (Pun!)

Ladies and gentlemen, we present to you, with great fanfare, the Emmy results for the categories we care most about. Way to go, Jane Lynch, Neil Patrick Harris, John Lith-wow, and Ryan Murphy!

Newsflash: 2010 Emmy Nominations

The 2010 Emmy nominations were announced this morning, and a surprising number of shows covered here at Billie Doux received nominations, including Lost, Glee, and True Blood!

Glee was showered with the most love, receiving 19 nominations. Nominations include Best Comedy, Matthew Morrison (Will) for Best Lead Actor, Lea Michelle (Rachel) for Best Lead Actress, and Jane Lynch (Sue) and Chris Colfer (Kurt) for Supporting Actress and Actor. Even the guest actors received some shout outs with Mike O'Malley (Kurt's dad), Neil Patrick Harris (Bryan Ryan), and Kristen Chenowith (April) getting nominations.

Lost also got several nominations for its final season, including Best Drama, Matthew Fox for Lead Actor, Terry O'Quinn and Michael Emerson for Supporting Actor, and Elizabeth Mitchell for Guest Actress. The finale was also nominated for directing and writing awards.

True Blood only got one major nomination, but it was a biggie, as it now goes against Lost in the Best Drama race.

Other personal favorites include a number of nominations for Modern Family (go Eric Stonestreet and Sofia Vergara!), a nod for Andre Braugher (I don't watch Men of a Certain Age, I've just loved him since his days on Homicide), Jim Parsons for The Big Bang Theory, and Connie Britton and Kyle Chandler for Friday Night Lights.

In case you couldn't tell from the picture, I'm most psyched about these last two nominations. Connie and Kyle have been doing amazing work for years as Tami and Eric Taylor, and I hear the rest of this current season is no exception (I'm watching on NBC). They've got almost no shot at winning, and I know it is foolish to look to the Emmy's for validation for your favorites, but it feels so sweet when they do get recognized! Here's to Kyle and Connie for these MUCH deserved nods!

NewsFlash: CBS’s Fall Schedule

It’s hard for me to get too excited about the CBS upfront. I don’t watch a single CBS show; here in LA it’s channel #2, so it usually slides off the channel guide before I even have a chance to look at it. And, now that the Ghost Whisperer has been canceled, Medium is their only genre show (although I have always wondered if perhaps the half-man of Two and a Half Men is a cyborg hybrid). Read on for some underwhelming news.

Hawaii Five-0 (Monday 10-11):

Official description: Hawaii Five-0 is a contemporary take on the classic series about a new elite federalized task force whose mission is to wipe out the crime that washes up on the Islands’ sun-drenched beaches. Detective Steve McGarrett (Alex O’Loughlin), a decorated Naval officer turned cop, returns to Oahu to investigate his father’s murder and stays after Hawaii’s governor persuades him to head up the new team: his rules, her backing, no red tape and full blanket immunity to hunt down the biggest “game” in town. Joining McGarrett is Detective Danny “Danno” Williams (Scott Caan), a newly relocated ex-New Jersey cop who prefers skyscrapers to the coastline but is committed to keeping the Islands safe for his 8-year-old daughter; and Chin Ho Kelly (Daniel Dae Kim), an ex-Honolulu Police Detective wrongly accused of corruption and relegated to a federal security patrol, who is also a former protege of McGarrett’s father. Chin’s cousin, Kono (Grace Park), is a beautiful and fearless native, fresh out of the academy and eager to establish herself among the department’s elite. McGarrett vows to bring closure to his father’s case while the state’s brash new FIVE-0 unit, who may spar and jest among themselves, is determined to eliminate the seedy elements from the 50th state. Peter Lenkov, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are executive producers for CBS Television Studios.

Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park—that’s exciting! Alex Kutzman and Roberto Orci both work on Fringe, so that’s mildly exciting, as well.


Criminal Minds Spinoff (Mid-season replacement):

Official Description: Criminal Minds Spinoff stars Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker in a drama about an elite team of agents within the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit who use unconventional methods of investigation and aggressive tactics to capture the nation’s most nefarious criminals. Unit chief Special Agent Sam Cooper (Whitaker) is a mentally and physically fierce natural leader who is not afraid to put his career on the line in order to stand by his convictions. Cooper strives to avoid political bureaucracy and has handpicked an eclectic group of profilers to work outside the confines of Quantico: Former British Special Forces soldier Mick Rawson (Matt Ryan), confident and handsome, works as a highly-skilled marksman with an undiluted eye for rooting out evil; John "Prophet" Sims (Michael Kelly), a former convict with a street-smart edge and a calm, Zen-like presence, who is determined to make amends for past sins; and Gina LaSalle (Beau Garrett), an attractive, tough agent armed with a cunning sense of perception. This exceptional group of FBI operatives is strong in their beliefs and steadfast in their mission to bring the country’s most dangerous criminals to justice.

I am only including this one because Forest Whitaker is fabulous. Well, and because I’m dying to know if "Criminal Minds Spinoff" is actually the name of the show. That’s like registering a business under the name "Manufacturer of Off-Brand Gelatin."

So: no genre here, and while I might check out Hawaii Five-0 for the first episode, I don't think I’ll start remembering that CBS exists anytime soon. What about you?

NewsFlash: FOX’s Fall Schedule

Glee, Fringe and Human Target, our favorite FOX shows, have already been renewed. But will the top network have something new for genre fans? Maybe—read on for more details about FOX’s fall lineup.

Terra Nova (mid-season replacement):

Official description: Terra Nova, an epic family adventure 85 million years in the making, is the new event drama slated for midseason from executive producers Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park, The Pacific), Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga (24, Star Trek: Enterprise) and David Fury (24, Lost). The action-adventure series follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race.

This sounds like an 8pm on Friday kind of show to me: the phrase "family adventure" makes me a little hesitant. Then again, it's got David Fury and Brannon Braga. And maybe saber-tooth tigers, too!


Ride-Along (mid-season replacement):

Official description: The new drama scheduled for a midseason debut is Ride-Along. From creator Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit), the fast-paced series, shot on location in Chicago and starring Jason Clarke (Public Enemies), Jennifer Beals (Lie to Me) and Delroy Lindo (Kidnapped), will take audiences on an unflinching and unpredictable ride through the streets of Chicago to navigate crime and corruption with the most respected – and notorious – cops in the city.

It could be a new Wire, with a bit of Shield-level violence and man-angst thrown in. Or it could be a new procedural.


Lonestar (Monday 9-10):

Official description: Lonestar, a sophisticated and provocative drama set against the sprawling backdrop of big Texas oil, will premiere this fall. From Chris Keyser and Amy Lippman (Party of Five), writer Kyle Killen and directed by Marc Webb ((500) Days of Summer), the compelling series stars newcomer James Wolk as a charismatic and brilliant schemer who has entangled himself in a deep, complex web from which he can’t break free. He’s caught between two very different lives and two very different women.

I’m not sure why this sounds good—maybe it’s the Sawyer-esque hero. Or maybe I just needed something to round out this paltry list.

It’s hard to get too excited about this, but FOX’s schedule doesn’t have much room for newbies this year – they've had a successful run.

NewsFlash: NBC's Fall Schedule

It's the beginning of "upfront" week, in which the major networks debut their fall schedules – and set their ad rates. NBC leaked their upfront info early: we'll get many new scripted hour-long shows to join our friend Chuck (renewed for 13 episodes and set to premiere in the fall). Click for the genre-friendly version of the official press release, and let us know in the comments which shows you're looking forward to, which shows you'll skip, or whether it's just too early to say.

The Event (Monday 9-10, after Chuck):

Official description: The Event is an emotional high-octane conspiracy thriller that follows Sean Walker (Parenthood‘s Jason Ritter), an Everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancée, Leila (Sarah Roemer), and unwittingly begins to expose the biggest cover-up in U.S. history. Sean’s quest will send ripples through the lives of an eclectic band of strangers, including: newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Blair Underwood); Sophia (Laura Innes), who is the leader of a mysterious group of detainees; and Sean’s shadowy father-in-law (Gilmore Girls‘ Scott Patterson). Their futures are on a collision course in a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind. Ian Anthony Dale (Daybreak) and Emmy winner Željko Ivanek (Damages) also star in the ensemble drama.

I like the sound of a global conspiracy, although I'm confused about how the fate of mankind can be changed--that implies we know what the fate of mankind is...Do we know that? (Could someone clue me in?)


Undercovers (Wednesday 8-9):

Official description: Outwardly, Steven Bloom (Kodjoe) and his wife, Samantha (Mbatha-Raw), are a typical married couple who own a small catering company in Los Angeles and are helped by Samantha’s easily frazzled younger sister, Lizzy (Jessica Parker Kennedy). Secretly, the duo were two of the CIA’s best spies until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and friend Nash (Carter MacIntyre) goes missing while on the trail of a Russian arms dealer, the Blooms are reinstated by boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney) to locate and rescue Nash. The pair is thrust back into the world of espionage as they follow leads that span the globe — and Steven and Samantha realize that this supercharged, undercover lifestyle provides the excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing

This is the J.J. Abrams Alias/Chuck mash-up we've heard so much about. The early time slot means this will be lighter fare than, say, Lost and Fringe. But do we need another happy spy show?

Law & Order: Los Angeles (Wednesday 10-11):

There's no official description for this one – do we really need it? In fact, the only reason this show is listed here in Genre Heaven is that I really, really want to review the pilot. L&O, in all of its incarnations, is a New York show. Can it really handle all the LA sunshine?

The Cape (mid-season replacement):

Official description: The Cape is a one-hour drama series starring David Lyons (ER) as Vince Faraday, an honest cop on a corrupt police force, who finds himself framed for a series of murders and presumed dead. He is forced into hiding, leaving behind his wife, Dana (Jennifer Ferrin, Life on Mars) and son, Trip (Ryan Wynott, FlashForward). Fueled by a desire to reunite with his family and to battle the criminal forces that have overtaken Palm City, Faraday becomes The Cape, his son’s favorite comic book superhero — and takes the law into his own hands. Rounding out the cast are James Frain (The Tudors) as billionaire Peter Fleming, The Cape’s nemesis, who moonlights as the twisted killer Chess; Keith David (Death at a Funeral) as Max Malini, the ringleader of a circus gang of bank robbers who mentors Vince Faraday and trains him to be The Cape; Summer Glau (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) as Orwell, an investigative blogger who wages war on crime and corruption in Palm City; and Dorian Missick (Six Degrees) as Marty Voyt, a former police detective and friend to Faraday.

Summer Glau? A "circus ring of bank robbers"? An average joe who becomes a superhero? What's not to love?

So, superfans? What do you think?

Summer reviewing plans and future projects

Summer is the season where the hit rate on my site plummets to the basement, and we do retro reviews and play catch-up. Here are our summer plans, and some possibilities for next fall. I'm hoping for lots of comments, because some of these plans are tentative.