I know that summer is ending when I begin to get excited for all the television I plan to watch. Whether I will have time for it is a different story, but the line-up for this fall is enticing.
I know it is hard to have faith in new shows these days because so many of them get canceled. Although this may be true, I find that I am drawn to the stars in the following shows because I am already a fan of their work, and getting to watch them week after week will be a treat.
I’ll start my list with the first new show I heard about, Gotham (Fox). Bret McKenzie stars as future Police Commissioner of Gotham City, Jim Gordon. The premise of the show is that Gordon is a fledgling detective whose life changes when he investigates the murder of young Bruce Wayne’s parents.
I think McKenzie will do a great job in this role because he is sincere but edgy. The show also plans to portray the origins of the Riddler, the Penguin and Catwoman, to name a few villains. I absolutely jumped on the Batman bandwagon a few years ago, and after a summer of extensive promos, I hope the show lives up to the hype.
Another superhero show coming to the small screen is The Flash on the CW. What mostly caught my eye was its star, Grant Gustin, who played Sebastian Smythe on Glee. I love superheroes, but he specifically is the reason why I will watch this show. It was only a matter of time before he landed a starring role. I look forward to staring at his face every week and at the next Comic Con.
I will see anything with Viola Davis, so I will definitely be watching How to Get Away With Murder (ABC). She plays a law professor with questionable morals who takes no prisoners. Alfred Enoch, Dean Thomas in the Harry Potter movies, and Matt McGorry from Orange is the New Black also star.
I have faith in this show because it must be good enough to pull Davis to TV. Shonda Rhimes is one of the executive producers, and I predict a hit.
My intense drama pick is Gracepoint (Fox), which is the revamped American version of the British show Broadchurch (BBC America). Both star David Tennant, who is perfect. The show centers around a child’s homicide in a small, coastal California town. Tennant and Anna Gunn from Breaking Bad play the detectives on the case, and Michael Pena plays the boy’s father.
I am a huge fan of The Killing (Netflix), so I think that Gracepoint will fill this niche well, even if it only lasts 10 episodes.
For every gritty homicide drama, I need about three comedies to keep me centered. This brings me to Mulaney. Mulaney, Mulaney, Mulaney. I am such a fan of John Mulaney’s work that I was thrilled to hear that he got his own show on Fox. Its multi-camera, sitcom style and laugh tracks go against everything I stand for, and I wonder if this kind of program is the right style for him. But I need this show to be popular enough in the beginning that it has a chance to find its groove and everyone can see how amazing John Mulaney is.
My childhood hero Martin Short stars along with Nasim Pedrad, which only gives me more reasons to watch. I hope other people watch too.
There are also plenty of shows I already know I love, and I can’t wait to keep watching. I’m very pumped to see how Parks and Recreation will handle the seventh and last season, as well as the time jump that shocked viewers in the spring finale. I don’t want this show to end, but I know the last season will wrap up wonderfully.
The Mindy Project (Fox) is hilarious, unique and one of my favorite ensemble comedies of all time. We have to wait until January for the 10th season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FXX), unfortunately. But, until then, we have the sixth season of The League (FXX). I hope the old shows will continue to make me happy.
I wish the new shows good luck. It’s a tough business, but I feel that a lot of these have potential and will make it.
