Tellybets - which new US TV shows will be hit or miss?

Now that all the American TV networks have released their autumn schedules, it’s time to take a look at what new shows will be hitting their screens this coming season. Because there’s a good chance that many of them will end up on Irish and UK terrestrial channels or on cable/satellite over the next year or so, you need to know what to look out for and what’s not worth investing your time, heart and soul into.

Over the next month or two, we’ll be concentrating on a different US network each time and examining what’s new in its line-up. We’ll give you a basic run-down of each new show and predict if it will be a hit or miss for that network and if you should bother watching it, should it be picked up on this side of the Atlantic.

So let’s get started. To kick us off, we’re taking a look at ABC’s new programmes for 09/10…

With the likes of Lost, Grey’s Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty in its regular line-up, ABC has had plenty of success in the past 5 years but these flagship shows have been losing viewers in the past 12 months (a problem that has affected all the networks since the writers’ strike), and with Lost ending next season, they will be hoping one of their new shows might take off in the same way and capture the imagination of the water cooler gang. So is there another Lost in ABC’s 09/10 schedule? Let’s see…

COUGAR TOWN

This is is most definitely for the girls - Sex and the City meets Desperate Housewives as Courtney Cox makes her return to network sit-com following the failure of her cable show Dirt. But from the trailer it’s pretty obvious this is definitely more mainstream and it has A LOT going for it. Jules is 40, divorced and the mother of a teenage son and despite having a successful career, her love life is a disaster. She finds that men her own age only seem to want to date twentysomthing girls so what’s a woman to do? Find out if it works both ways of course…

Plus points: It’s from Bill Lawrence who created the wonderful Scrubs - he’s executive producer/writer/director so it has got to be funny; Courtney Cox is a great comedy actress when she’s given the right material and Jules seems to be the ideal role for her; it also stars the fantastic Christa Miller from Scrubs as her best friend and Busy Phillips (Freaks & Geeks; Dawson’s Creek) as her assistant plus the very handsome Josh Hopkins (Ally McBeal; Brothers and Sisters) as her sexy but infuriating neighbour.

Minus points: Some people found Courtney Cox irritating towards the end of Friends’ run, maybe the same might happen here; the concept could lose steam pretty quickly unless the character development is spot-on; can we really believe that someone as hot as Courtney Cox (check out her underwear shot in the trailer) has difficulty dating? And how many fortysomethings look like that in their knickers anyway?

Verdict: Hit! - with Bill Lawrence on board a predictable run of the mill dating comedy might actually be funny.

THE DEEP END

There’s definitely room for a new legal drama and ABC have come up with The Deep End. If you like Grey’s Anatomy, then this is the legal version as four new (and very different) first year associates start their careers at Sterling Law in Los Angeles. It’s one of the city’s most prestigious and toughest law firms and each year they take on only four new lawyers from the country’s top law schools and expect nothing but the best from their new recruits, especially their ruthless senior partner Cliff Huddle (Billy Zane) who is facing a power struggle with the return of legendary partner Hart Sterling.

Plus Points: Legal shows are all about drama and conflict, so if they feature decent cases and lawyers who are complex characters then they’ve got the advantage when it comes to entertainment; I’m not a big fan of Billy Zane but there’s no denying he’s well able to play the baddie

Minus Points: The reason why Grey’s Anatomy works is because the audience just adores its characters, I’m not sure if these four new recruits are as likeable as Meredith and co were in GA’s first season; ABC are not leading with this show in its autumn schedule, it’s a mid-season replacement which isn’t a good sign for its long-term future.

Verdict: Miss! - I only have the trailer to make my call but I just don’t think these characters are strong enough to sustain this show, which is a pity because I like the concept behind it

EASTWICK

If Cougar Town combined Desperate Housewives with Sex and the City, then Eastwick combines it with Charmed to create a three witches all grown up story. Roxie, Kat and Joanna are three women living in the New England town of Eastwick, where nothing exciting ever happens. Each of them is dealing with their own problems but a strange encounter brings them together and they become friends while discovering their supernatural powers have been unleashed, thanks to the arrival of a dashing stranger, Daryl Van Horne, who seems to bring out their devilish sides.

Plus Points: The success of shows like Charmed, Ghost Whisperer and Medium would seem to indicate that women enjoy their supernatural fantasties as much as men when they can identify with strong female leads and Eastwick has that in droves with Ugly Betty’s Rebecca Romijn and Lipstick Jungle’s Lindsay Price; there’s plenty of humorous and dramatic possibilities thanks to the women’s magical abilities which allows for the story to develop in any number of directions; it’s based on John Updike’s celebrated novel and the hit movie which starred Jack Nicholson.

Minus Points: It will need more than just three women with magical abilities to sustain it across a 22-episode run - like Charmed, it will need to develop its basic story if it’s going to last beyond a single season; Paul Gross just doesn’t cut it for me in the role of Daryl Van Horne - I’d expect him to be more devilish looking, more dashing and smouldering and sexy, but maybe that’s just a matter of taste.

Verdict: On the fence! - While not my idea of an entertaining way to pass an hour (I hated Charmed as well), something tells me this might actually be a big hit with other women

FLASH FORWARD

Now you’re talking! Ok, so I’ll admit Lost is my favourite TV show and anything that sounds like it might belong to the same genre is going to pique my interest and Flash Forward is the show I’m most looking forward to seeing out of all of 09/10′s debutants. It’s a simple enough concept - at the same point in time the whole world - every single person in the seven billion global population - blacks out for exactly 2 minutes 17 seconds. During their blackout they all have visions of their future exactly six months from the point of blackout. Each person must live with the memory of what they saw as the authorities scramble to find out what caused the blackout and what is the significance of the visions people had.

Plus Points: Such a simple idea with so many possibilties - if you’re a fan of shows like Lost, Fringe, and The X-Files, you’ll love the fact that you’re as much in the dark as the characters themselves; as with Lost, the cast are relative unknowns or regular tv support actors, a full-on ensemble cast who could all be important to the ultimate conclusion of the story; and just like Lost, they’re easy on the eye and even include an actual Lost cast-member in the form of Sonya Walger (aka Penny Widmore); the co-writer of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight is involved in the writing of this.

Minus Points: For some sections of the audience, the kind of shows that maintain a mystery and are reluctant to let viewers into the secret of what is going on are beginning to get tiresome (just look at Lost’s audience figures this past season compared with its debut season); on the other hand, for those who love these kind of shows, Lost has really set the standard on which all others shall be judged and Fast Forward will have to have something pretty special up its sleeve to compete with Lost in its final mind-blowing season

Verdict: Hit! - the concept is so intriguing it will definitely get high numbers watching at the outset and if the pacing is good, the writing strong and the characters likeable, it should secure itself a second season

THE FORGOTTEN

This is a detective series with a difference - each episode is narrated by a “body”, a murder victim who has no identity and after standard police procedures fail to name the John or Jane Doe, the Identity Network steps in. This Network is a group of amateur detectives, mere civilian volunteers whose job it is to find the identity of the victim and return him or her to their family for burial. Why would anyone volunteer for this task? As new recruit Tyler Davies discovers, each member of the Network has his or her own reasons for being there.

Plus Points: The CSI franchise, Without A Trace, Cold Case, it would seem tv audiences love their forensic science and detective stories and The Forgotten steps nicely into this genre with an original twist - it’s not about cops or forensic scientists, it’s about a voluntary network of ordinary people who have very personal reasons to do what they do; the main characters have decent back stories and a greater depth than in your typical cop drama.; the lead character is played by the gorgeous British actor Rupert Penry-Jones who you might know from Spooks; it’s produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (granted this could have gone into either plus or minus points depending on your own point of view) but seeing as he’s the guy behind CSI, Without A Trace and Cold Case, he clearly knows what he’s doing in this genre.

Minus Points: It might be a bit depressing and heavy on the emotion as each week the Identity Network return a murdered love one to their family; there’s no happy ending here

Verdict: Hit! - What’s not to like about this, it has hit written all over it, and the Bruckheimer touch of gold

HANK

I love Kelsey Grammer. I loved him in Cheers, and Frasier is quite possibly the greatest American sit-com of all time. But after playing that character for so long it’s hard to accept him in (a) another role and (b) a comedy that’s no where near as funny or as brilliantly written as Frasier was. Unfortunately for Grammer, it would seem most of America feel the same way as his previous effort at re-entering the world of sit-com Back To You was a one-season disaster. Now he’s trying again, with a sit-com called Hank. Hank and his wife Tilly have been living the high life in New York City but when Hank loses his job as a CEO, he and his family are forced to downsize and move back to the small town of River Bend. Cue lots of fish out of water jokes as Hank looks to reconnect with his family and realises there’s more to life than money and high society.

Plus Points: Hank definitely has elements of Frasier’s character that Grammer is exceptional at portraying - no one does high-brow blundering idiot better than Grammer; it’s definitely topical, focusing on the effects of the recession on one American family used to the good life; the series is written by Everybody Loves Raymond’s three-time Emmy Award-winner Tucker Cawley.

Minus Points: What made Frasier so successful was how entertaining and loveable the supporting characters were; going on the trailer, the same can’t be said for Hank’s wife and brother-in-law; while we never tired of Frasier’s snobbery, the Rich Man Poor Man jokes in Hank could wear a bit thin after a while

Verdict: On the fence! - the success of this show all depends on the quality of the jokes and the long-term character development. With Tucker Cawley on board, and Grammar too it may have a fighting chance.

HAPPY TOWN

The trailer for this starts with the line “From the Network that brought you Twin Peaks“… well there’s no way Happy Town is as original, unique, and completely bonkers as the exceptional Twin Peaks but that’s not to say it won’t be enjoyable. Haplin, Minnesota seems like the perfect picture-book little town, so perfect its nickname is Happy Town but it’s hiding a secret. Seven years ago an unknown psycho nicknamed The Magic Man kidnapped seven children before he was chased away by the Sheriff. But when a child disappears and a local ends up dead, word is, the Magic Man is back. New arrival Henley is quietly searching for answers to her family’s history and gets caught up in the drama while Deputy Tommy Conroy must take on his father’s mantle and lead the investigation into the Magic Man’s re-emergance. But it becomes clear that this little town and its many inhabitants are hiding secrets that they don’t want discovered.

Plus Points: If you’re a fan of Harper’s Island, showing on RTE Two at the moment, then you’ll love Happy Town as it’s a similar set up, where everyone is a suspect and secrets are hidden; the show comes from the executive producers of the underrated October Road and that did a great job of capturing small town America and its many characters; the cast are picture perfect themselves with Geoff Stults (October Road; Seventh Heaven), Amy Acker (Angel; Alias) and Lauren German (Hostel II) all starring.

Minus Points: Going by the trailer, it might not be quirky enough to appeal to the audience - these small town mystery dramas need strong and intriguing characters because the basic story itself is far from original; it’s another one that ABC are holding off on and keeping as a mid-season replacement, while not necessarily a sign of lack of confidence in its appeal, networks generally lead with their strongest shows.

Verdict: Miss! - I love murder mystery dramas and I wish I could say this will be a hit (especially as I have a major soft spot for Geoff Stults) but in this era of intelligent mystery dramas like Lost and the newcomer Flash Forward, there just may not be anything memorable enough about this for it to stand out and survive for a second season, although I really hope I’m wrong on this one.

THE MIDDLE

If you’ve been missing Malcolm In The Middle well don’t you worry, we’ve found a replacement. There’s nothing particularly original about the concept of this comedy but the characters are inspired and if you watch the trailer I defy you not to laugh. Concentrating on Frankie, a middle aged mom, living in the middle of no-where, it explores her life as wife of Mike, mother of Axel, Sue and Brick and the third best used car salesperson (out of three) in her local dealership.

Plus Points: The cast are impressive - Frankie is played by Everybody Loves Raymond star Patricia Heaton and Mike by Neil Flynn (the Janitor in Scrubs); however, they are both completely eclipsed by youngest child Brick, played by Atticus Shaffer (with that name he was born to be a star), his character is inspired and his portrayal brilliant; the script is sharp and the storylines simple, sweet and downright hilarious

Minus Points: I can’t think of any straight off although I have a few friends who were never big fans of Patricia Heaton so clearly, with her in the lead role, that could be an issue but if that’s the worst thing I can say about this I think we’ve got a sure-fire winner on our hands

Verdict: Hit! - RTE buy it now, this is a winner

MODERN FAMILY

Wow! I’ve just finished looking at one great ABC comedy and now we’ve got another? Filmed in the style of a mockumentary (a la The Office), Modern Family does exactly what it says on the tin, taking a look at modern American families. There’s Jay and Gloria - he’s trying to keep up with his much younger and extremely hot Colombian wife and her pre-teen son. There’s Phil and Claire - they’re your typical American family, mum and dad and three kids who find their parents the greatest embarrassment in their lives while the parents think they’re cool and down with the kids. And finally we have Mitchell and Cameron, a gay couple who have just adopted a Vietnamese baby girl.

Plus Points: When done right, the mockumentary style can really add another level to a comedy and it certainly works here; the writing is superb and the scenarios each family finds itself in hilarious; Gloria is played by model Sofia Vergara (aka Sofia Viagra) but she does have some acting talent as well as looking absolutely stunning; having the three different families allows for many contrasting storylines and it ensures the show won’t get boring quickly

Minus Points: As above with The Middle, I’m finding it hard to find any - what can I say, the trailer impressed me, maybe the actual series will have more faults.

Verdict: Hit! - another comedy winner from ABC, I definitely want to see more of this

V

Ahh V, one of the abiding television memories of my childhood. Who can forget the lizard baby? It was the talk of my street for days. The one thing that could get every kid in for tea and their bath before 9pm on a sunny summer evening was the prospect of seeing the next instalment of V. Well now it’s back, as ABC has updated it for the 21st century. This is a re-imagining of the original series although the basic story is still very similar to the original. One day the world wakes up to discover spaceships hovering over every major city across the world. These aliens, or visitors as they like to be called (hence the name V), claim they have come in peace, and offer gifts of medical and technological advancement as proof of this. However, not everyone is convinced and they’re right to be suspicious as the aliens are lying about their true intentions. One such woman is Erica Evans, a Homeland Security agent who discovers the aliens are really attempting to infiltrate global governments and businesses and ultimately destroy mankind and most serious of all they have the world’s youth on their side. Young people, including Erica’s teenage son, have been recruited as Peace Ambassadors but they’re actually unwitting spies. Forced to join an underground resistance movement, Erica must hide her activities while trying to protect her son, even though he’s joined forces with the enemy.

Plus Points: V had a cult following back in the 80s and now there’s a chance for a whole new generation to enjoy this story - with better writing, better acting and better special effects too; there’s a great cast signed up including the rather wonderful Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost (what this means for her Lost character Juliet we won’t discover until next January) and it also stars the rather appealing Scott Wolf (Battlestar Galactica)

Minus Points: there’s a certain kitsch/nostalgia factor connected to the original V and if it’s updated and made to look slicker and cooler than the original, it might lose some of its appeal (for my generation at least)

Verdict: Hit! - this will probably be the most talked about ABC show of this season because it’s a remake of a classic; the trailer looks good and there’s bound to be plenty of interest but will the audience stay with it after the first episode or two? With Elizabeth Mitchell leading the way, I’m betting yes.