Enough time has passed since the fall season started for us have a pretty good idea of which shows we love and which ones we’re just not into. We at Blend Television put together a list of some of the new fall shows that have left an impression on us one way or another. There are also a few series that some of us haven’t made up our minds on just yet.
Before we get to the list, if I had to pick a winner for new fall shows this season, it’d have to be Life on Mars. Of the shows we discussed, those of us that have been watching Mars are all pretty much in agreement that so far, it’s fantastic. So we’ll start out with that one and then move on to some of the other new series, listed in no particular order.
Life on Mars
Love It:
If there's one thing I've made clear during my time writing for this site, it's that I love cop shows filmed in New York. Life on Mars takes the New York cop show and puts a twist on it. Not only is it set in the 70s, but there's a time travel element that makes it unique, without being too sci-fi. Add in a cast that includes the utter badassness of Harvey Keitel and Michael Imperioli, and what you get is probably the best new show of the season. - Kona Gallagher
Love It:
Seriously. Can I transport back to the 70’s? With sharp writing and an interesting concept, this show had me at the first commercial break. The clichés of the past work with, instead of against, the new ideas of the lead character. There’s a true blending as these two conflicting times that is truly remarkable. - Erin Dougherty
Gary Unmarried
Love It:
Gary Unmarried isn't Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's not The Office or Arrested Development either, but in a world where Two And A Half Man gobbles up more viewers than Charlie Sheen does hooker snatches, a semi-original half hour of Jay Mohr yelling at his ex-wife and complaining about his children deserves an entire season to flesh itself out. I like the idea of watching a show where two people selfishly bicker about a pool table. It may not be Ann Landers parenting, but someday, God willing, I'll get that goddamn pool table back from my harlot of an ex-wife too. - Mack Rawden
Hate It:
Honestly, this show didn’t have a chance with me. I watched it, and the slight entertainment that I received from it was completely cancelled out by my strong hatred of Jay Mohr. Seriously, this guy is so not funny that I even forgot he did a stint on SNL back in the early 90s. That was when I started watching, and I remember virtually every skit! Death to Gary Unmarried, and Thank God they replaced Jay Mohr as the host of Last Comic Standing with Bill “I’m-A-Has-Been” Bellamy.- Amanda Krill
Kath and Kim
Hate It:
Michael Higgins is the most underrated comedic actor working today. Too bad he's not a trained ninja. Then maybe he could have used surreptitious, Bruce Lee shit to stop Molly Shannon and Selma Blair from obnoxiously smothering this could-have-been-brilliant adaptation to death with their obstreperous, unfunny prattles. Kath & Kim could have been 2008's Romy & Michelle's High School Reunion. Instead, it's The Hills with more potbellies, less glitz, and the same amount of pathetically insipid tediousness. Fuck this show. - Mack Rawden
Hate It:
I love Molly Shannon, so I really, really wanted to love Kath & Kim, but it was doomed from the start. Not only do I find Selma Blair supremely annoying, but she is only seven years younger than Shannon, who plays her mother. This is just one example of how ridiculous this show is. The comedy in this sitcom is nearly non-existent. The jokes are half-assed at best, with one of the big laugh lines in the premiere comes after Kim's estranged husband says that she'll never see him again after he walks out the door. Kim snarkily replies that that's not true because it's a glass door. Uh, zing? Bottom line, Kath & Kim makes the craptacular Worst Week seem like the Shakespeare of sitcoms. - Kona Gallagher
Fringe
Love It:
Being a former X-Files junkie, this show is nothing but freaking awesome. I was actually semi-skeptical because though I am a current Lost junkie, honestly, how many good shows can J.J. Abrams really be involved in? But, I was seriously happy with the results. The fact that there is a character named Astird – I mean Astrid, is just a bonus. - Amanda Krill
On the Fence:
I understand the void it’s filling (I miss you, early X-Files), but Fringe isn’t quite doing it for me yet. The show’s riding a see-saw of good-bad-better inconsistency that’s giving me nosebleeds. All I need to see right now is plain, old-fashioned “freak-of-the-week” horror-suspense. More 80 year old newborn “babies” and exploding heads! Less convoluted conspiracy theories and (sorta) back from the dead company men. At least not for another season or two. - Charmaine Dennis
My Own Worst Enemy
Love It:
Time to break out the hot buttered popcorn and Milk Duds! My Own Worst Enemy reminds me of the way I felt the first season of Alias: like I was watching an action thriller mini-movie each week. Henry, the reluctant spy woken from blissful ignorance and thrust into a world not his own, along with his devious alter-ego Edward are/is (a) compelling character(s). I love the psychic struggle and can’t wait to see how each learns to live with the other’s deeds and mistakes. - Charmaine Dennis
Love It:
My Own Worst Enemy is like that girl you know is only going to give you a nasty rash but you still just have to hook up with. It may just be my huge mancrush on Christian Slater - my favorite movie of all time is Pump Up The Volume, for the love of god, but I’m really enjoying his portrayal of two different people who are really one person and honestly don’t even have that big of a difference in their personality. Ok, so it’s not really that great, and maybe even kinda bad, but I still love it, just like that girl who gave me the clap in college. - Dustin Christian
On The Fence:
I don’t know if it’s the crush I’m still harboring for Christian Slater or the slight Alias-like feel to this new series but I think there’s a chance it could turn out to be really good. The pilot was a bit iffy but not so bad that I wouldn’t give it a chance for at least a few more episodes to see where it goes. - Kelly West
90210
On The Fence:
Honestly, I just don’t care enough about 90210 to keep watching. At least when the characters from the old series were on, I had enough interest to tune in and see what happened to them, but without them I’m indifferent. Well, other than my completely inappropriate crush on Silver, but we don’t speak of that. - Dustin Christian
Hate It:
I jumped all in to this spin-off out of devotion to the original, even though they did choose the hypocritical, insipid Kelly Taylor as their carryover character. I should have known then. Poor character development, shallow storylines and an overall lack of intelligence has driven me from my beloved 90210. Damn you. Damn you all. - Erin Dougherty
Worst Week
Hate It:
While watching the pilot episode of this series, I felt increasingly more awkward and uncomfortable with each passing minute. I haven’t felt this bad for a main character since Gaylord Focker tried to win over his fiancé’s family in Meet The Parents. Only in the case of Worst Week, there wasn’t enough funny to make up for all the pity. - Kelly West
Hate It:
Maybe I’m too empathetic but I just can’t get into a show about one guy constantly having a bad day. Add to that a lack of clever problems for the hero to overcome (really, diapers at his parents-in-law?) and you’ve got a recipe for a sitcom where the laugh track is the only laughing going on.
Love It:
I heart Simon Baker but that isn’t even a factor in my love for The Mentalist. Creative storylines and an incredibly charming ensemble cast have ensured this show’s spot on my DVR list. And can I just say, the sexual tension between all the characters almost makes me blush. - Erin Dougherty
On The Fence:
The Mentalist has been described as a grown-up version of Psych. A fake psychic uses his powers of observation to help the police solve cases. I was blown away by the pilot, in which a woman shot her husband because Patrick Jane helped her admit to herself that she knew he had killed their daughter. We were also introduced to Red John, the serial killer who killed Jane's family and helped put him on his current path. While the second episode was just as good, the third and fourth episodes really dropped off from the first two. While I'm still interested in seeing where it's going, I'm not as excited by The Mentalist as I originally was. - Kona Gallagher
Knight Rider
Hate It:
I didn’t care much for the Knight Rider TV movie that aired earlier this year but I thought I’d give the TV show a chance. I turned it off partway through the first episode right around when Michael and the hot chick started stripping down to their undies in the car in an effort to not die. Seriously cheesy (and not in a good way). - Kelly West
Hate It:
I didn’t watch the original Knight Rider, so I am in no way tainted on this show. My husband loved the original, so he was all about this show. Since I am generally stuck watching whatever he watches, I sat through a couple of episodes. This show was so not good that I would rather go empty the dishwasher and do laundry than sit through it. I sit through a lot of crap (American Gladiators for example), but this was not even that good. - Amanda Krill
