Good TV used to be an oxymoron. For many years, hour long shows were filled with situations that just didn’t reflect what the viewing public wanted. Half hour shows weren’t much better but at least they were funny. TV was seen as a graveyard. The place that actors went when their careers stalled. No serious director worked in this medium. Ever.
Then Reality TV happened and TV seemed to reach it lowest ebb yet. Whether it was couples searching for “true” love, or people getting $100 (after taxes!) for doing gross and disgusting things, it was one bad show after another. So you had bad episodic TV, bad half-hour TV and just awful Reality TV. Then something interesting happened…Cable TV and a little HBO show calledThe Sopranos.
Filled with real characters, violence, well written dialogue, and just about everything else that grabs viewers,The Sopranosshowed that TV could be better than good, it could be art. The sea change for good television was slow in the coming, and for a good many years it was just HBO and Showtime providing this kind of content. Coming at a premium that many didn’t want to pay, TV was still stuck in places like the Jersey Shore or with characters like My Antonio.
The turning point was with a show calledBreaking Bad. This “little” show about a nebbish character named Walter White took everybody by surprise. The plot was perfectly simple. Facing money problems and a recent diagnosis of cancer, White, a chemistry teacher, starts up a drug trade that made him the biggest meth dealer in the US and beyond. This show captivated viewers and woke the bean counters up to the fact that viewers actually wanted to see good TV.
As we move into the fall phase of 2015’s television line-up,TV watcherscan rejoice in just howgood televisionhas become. Whether you are watching cable, regular TV, or even internet programming, there is something for everybody now. Name actors and directors are abandoning the big screen for the small one. Making this even more exciting, is that this programming is actually good. It’s enough to get one extremely pumped, which is why we have prepared “The 11 Most Promising TV Shows of the2015 FallSeason.” Things are so good, we thought you could use a list to help guide some of your viewing choices.
111Supergirl
Melissa Benoistplays the iconic role ofSupergirlin this TV show that already seems to be levels above the movie from 1984. With a cast that features such iconic 1990s names asDean CainandCalista Flockhart, this show appears to be firmly rooted in the present while tipping its hat to the past. With deep pockets behind it, this superhero adaptation also seems to be benefitting from todays golden age of Superhero movies. Also helping this show is how wellMelissa Benoistseems to straddle the worlds ofSupergirl/Kara Danvers/Linda Danvers. In a day and age where everybody wants to create a brand, Supergirl has anticipating how it is going to BE.Supergirlpremieres Monday, October 26th on CBS before moving to Thursdays later in the fall.
102Scream Queens
What’s not to like about a show featuring a sorority and a homicidal maniac? The two seem to have gone hand in hand ever sinceRoger Cormanmade them hip in the exploitation realm years ago. This show centers on the 20 year “celebration” of a sorority pledge that had dire consequences. And, as you guessed it, scary things start happening in the present that are eerily similar to the past. With a solid cast featuringEmma Roberts,Abigail Breslin,Ariana Grandeand the Scream Queen herself,Jamie Lee Curtis,Scream Queensseems more like an event than a TV show. Something tells us that despite a killers wishes, this show, and these characters will keep going.Scream Queensdebuts September 22 onFox.
93Limitless
Making a TV show out of a surprise hit movie can be a dicey proposition. However, the concept ofLimitlessis so rich, so open for story development that we think this show will deliver. The movie followed a man (Bradley Cooper) who took a pill that allowed him to access all of his brainpower. The TV show continues this but in a serialized format. By taking this concept and making a show, one can only imagine where there are going to take things. What will they have this character do? Will things wrap up nicely at the season finale or will we be left waiting in pain by a cliffhanger? Also, this show features the return ofDexter’sJennifer Carpenterand who isn’t excited about that? In this day and age of disposable media, Limitless is another example of just how good good TV can be.Limitlesspremieres September 22 onCBS.
84The Muppets
With the 2011 movie doing $165 million worldwide, why not bring back the famous TV show from yesteryear. Making this even better? Gone is the variety show format it seems (not that that was bad), and it’s been switched out for a 2015, Reality TV-type show. As we already mentioned, Reality TV is on the wane and what better way to send it up than to “Muppetize” it? Who doesn’t want to know more about the personal lives of Kermit and Miss Piggy? Who doesn’t want to see Fozzie and Animal behind the scenes? With actors such asTopher GraceandElizabeth Banksinvolved in this, how canThe Muppetsnot be a show on the “must see TV” list? Everything old is new again but, withThe Muppets, it seems like everything old gets better when it’s reinvented.The Muppetspremieres September 22 onABC.
75Uncle Buck
With a TV show adaptation of the great 1980s film, I think it is clear that that decade is back. And what better way for it to happen than with an updating of this now classic tale.Mike Eppstakes over the iconic role played byJohn Candy. We see him as a “man-child” who has to take care of his brother’s children. This merging of a 1980s idea with 2015 scruples, seems destined to be filled solid laughs and strong storylines.Mike Epps, likeJohn Candybefore him, does comedy effortlessly and this should more than be on display here. We’re told that this new version of the show (they actually tried to do another TV version in 1990), “cannot be more different” than the movie that came before. Look, we loved the movie but this update has us anticipating something incredible!Uncle Buckdoes not have a set premiere date yet, but is coming soon to ABC.
66Minority Report
If you liked the 2002 movie then you are going to love this 2015 take. It starts 10 years later in Washington, DC. APreCogis trying to live a normal life yet “suffers from visions of the future.” The originalMinority Reportwas based on a story by the always interestingPhilip K. Dick. Making this show even more poignant is how many ofPhilip K. Dick’s insights into the future ended up being fairly spot on. In today’s digital age of constant updates, public shaming and seemingly rampant disconnectedness,Minority Reporttruly serves as a mirror into our society. By examining crime and our reliance on technology to help us battle it, this futuristic show seems more timely than ever.Minority Reportpremieres September 21 on Fox.
57Blindspot
TakeMementoand throw in The Bourne films and you haveBlindspot. The intriguingJaimie Alexanderstars as Jane Doe. She is discovered in Time Square, New York and has absolutely NO memory of how she got there. And, she is covered with tattoos. Alright, this is either the greatest set-up in the history of television, or the writers will write themselves into a corner, have long episodes that lead nowhere, and eventually explain everything about Jane Doe while explaining nothing. We are betting (actually hoping… praying!) that this show lives up to the hype, because by all accounts this seems like one of the more interesting TV offerings in years! Anticipation? Palpable.Blindspotpremieres September 21 onNBC.
48The Grinder
Okay, this show had us interested whenRob Lowewas involved. They really sealed the deal with the addition ofFred Savage.Rob LoweplaysDean Sanderson, a former lawyer on TV who returns to his hometown. When the family law firm needs someone to run it,Rob Lowe’s character jumps at this opportunity even though (aside from his TV work) he isn’t remotely qualified.Fred Savageassists him in this endeavor. How can you not root for a show like this? Rob Lowe has always been in good movies and TV.Fred Savagecould have retired after The Wonder Years and we would still be interested inThe Grinder. On the face of it, the premise doesn’t seem like it’s going to have a lot of legs. And with a different cast, maybe it wouldn’t. However, with Lowe and Savage together, we’re betting that this thing gets a positive verdict in the court of public opinion.The Grinderpremieres September 29 on Fox.
Satanlives in Los Angeles. Okay, we might be reaching here but there is something about this idea that seems uniquely perfect. People have often said that Los Angeles is a city without a soul. One can only imagine how Satan might take advantage of a situation like this. Honestly, a show about the evilest entity helping humanity by bringing out its deepest desires and thoughts can’t be any worse than Temptation Island, can it?Luciferdoesn’t have a set premiere date yet, but will show up soon on Fox.
210The Player
Wesley Snipescomes to TV in this stylized show that looks at the world of security in Las Vegas. WhileWesley Snipesmay share the screen with Philip Winchester, for many, he is the main attraction here. Playing the role of Johnson, a pit boss,Wesley Snipesis exactly the kind of actor that television needs. The man is awild cardthat appears to follow his bliss from project to project. That he has chosenThe Playerto showcase his skills, seems to indicate that there is a lot beneath the surface of this show. Time will tell how audiences respond, but something tells us that there is good reason for the anticipation.The Playerpremieres September 24 on NBC.
