August 29, 2008
Less is more on TV this season, at least when it comes to new shows. That’s because most of the shows starting up this fall really aren’t “new” at all.
There are only 18 bona fide “new” scripted series premiering this year (last year, there were almost 30). Some aren’t so much new as they are adaptations of popular overseas shows (the networks call this “reimagining”). The NBC sitcom Kath & Kim, based on an Australian comedy of the same name, falls in this category, as do Eleventh Hour and Worst Week on CBS, Life on Mars on ABC and Little Britain USA on HBO (all of which are “reimaginings” of British series). Then there are the holdovers from 2007-08: Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Private Practice on ABC, Life and Chuck on NBC. These shows all premiered last year, only to have their launches aborted due to the writers strike. Rather than bring them back last spring, the networks decided to “relaunch” them this season as if they were new (even though they’re not).
Confused? No worries. Here’s a brief look at what’s new, what’s sort of new, and the best of what’s coming back on broadcast television and cable:
For a complete list of all returning shows this season, click here:
Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10:30pm ET, 7:30pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.edrobertson.com
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes
Posted in Articles, Commentary, Entertainment, Television, classic literature, classic television, comedy, news | Leave a Comment »
Tags: 2008 fall tv preview, 2008 television season, 90210, abc, alan ball, ali larter, amc, australian import, big love, bob saget, breaking bad, british imports, broadcast networks, broadcast television and cable, californication, cbs, chuck, crash the series, crusoe, curb your enthusiasm, damages, daniel defoe, dennis hammer, dennis hopper, dexter, dirty sexy money, do not disturb, dustin diamond, easy money, eleventh hour, elvis costello, entourage, everybody hates chris, fall tv season, flight of the conchords, fox, friday night lights, fringe, fx, gary unmarried, gossip girl, harper's island, hbo, heroes, ian mckellan, it's always sunny in philadelphia, jay mohr, kath & kim, kings, knight rider, leverage, life, life on mars, little britain usa, lost, mad men, mark-paul gosselaare, masi oka, merlin, miniseries prisoner, my name is earl, my own worst enemy, nbc, new scripted series, niki sanders, nip/tuck, patrick warburton, private practice, privileged, pushing daisies, raising the bar, real time with bill maher, reaper, reimagining, rescue me, rules of engagement, saturday night live, screech, scrubs, showtime, simon baker, six feet under, smallville, sons of anarchy, spectacle, staggered premiere dates, starz, steven bochco, summer heights high, sundance, surviving suburbia, television adaptations, testees, the cw, the ex list, the life and times of tim, the mentalist, the office, the prisoner, the shield final season, tim kring, tnt, true blood, trust me, valentine, villains, weekend update thursdays, worst week, zach from saved from the bell
2008 Fall TV Preview
August 29, 2008Less is more on TV this season, at least when it comes to new shows. That’s because most of the shows starting up this fall really aren’t “new” at all.
There are only 18 bona fide “new” scripted series premiering this year (last year, there were almost 30). Some aren’t so much new as they are adaptations of popular overseas shows (the networks call this “reimagining”). The NBC sitcom Kath & Kim, based on an Australian comedy of the same name, falls in this category, as do Eleventh Hour and Worst Week on CBS, Life on Mars on ABC and Little Britain USA on HBO (all of which are “reimaginings” of British series). Then there are the holdovers from 2007-08: Pushing Daisies, Dirty Sexy Money and Private Practice on ABC, Life and Chuck on NBC. These shows all premiered last year, only to have their launches aborted due to the writers strike. Rather than bring them back last spring, the networks decided to “relaunch” them this season as if they were new (even though they’re not).
Confused? No worries. Here’s a brief look at what’s new, what’s sort of new, and the best of what’s coming back on broadcast television and cable:
For a complete list of all returning shows this season, click here:
Ed Robertson
Pop Culture Critic and Television Historian
Co-Host, TV CONFIDENTIAL
Every other Tuesday at 10:30pm ET, 7:30pm PT
Share-a-Vision Radio, KSAV.org
www.edrobertson.com
www.tvconfidential.net
blog.tvconfidential.net
Also available as a podcast via iTunes
Posted in Articles, Commentary, Entertainment, Television, classic literature, classic television, comedy, news | Leave a Comment »
Tags: 2008 fall tv preview, 2008 television season, 90210, abc, alan ball, ali larter, amc, australian import, big love, bob saget, breaking bad, british imports, broadcast networks, broadcast television and cable, californication, cbs, chuck, crash the series, crusoe, curb your enthusiasm, damages, daniel defoe, dennis hammer, dennis hopper, dexter, dirty sexy money, do not disturb, dustin diamond, easy money, eleventh hour, elvis costello, entourage, everybody hates chris, fall tv season, flight of the conchords, fox, friday night lights, fringe, fx, gary unmarried, gossip girl, harper's island, hbo, heroes, ian mckellan, it's always sunny in philadelphia, jay mohr, kath & kim, kings, knight rider, leverage, life, life on mars, little britain usa, lost, mad men, mark-paul gosselaare, masi oka, merlin, miniseries prisoner, my name is earl, my own worst enemy, nbc, new scripted series, niki sanders, nip/tuck, patrick warburton, private practice, privileged, pushing daisies, raising the bar, real time with bill maher, reaper, reimagining, rescue me, rules of engagement, saturday night live, screech, scrubs, showtime, simon baker, six feet under, smallville, sons of anarchy, spectacle, staggered premiere dates, starz, steven bochco, summer heights high, sundance, surviving suburbia, television adaptations, testees, the cw, the ex list, the life and times of tim, the mentalist, the office, the prisoner, the shield final season, tim kring, tnt, true blood, trust me, valentine, villains, weekend update thursdays, worst week, zach from saved from the bell