TVScores for the Fall 2006 Season
Although Fox has been getting its groove on since the end of August, the week beginning Monday, September 18 is when the remaining U.S. television stations will finally bum-rush the Fall 2006 season with a slew of new shows that, in my opinion, seem generally more interesting and worth the time investment than in TV seasons past.
And in a new trend that has grown increasingly more prevalent in recent years, there will be tons of film stars around trying to make their mark on the small screen, as well, most notably including Academy Award nominees James Woods and Virginia Madsen and Emmy winner Ray Liotta in the rookie legal and crime dramas Shark (Woods) and Smith (Liotta and Madsen). I predict lots of pleasant (re)viewing ahead.
As the season progresses, I will revisit this list regularly to revise my grades and weigh in on additional programs. Keep up-to-date with me by simply clicking the link for TVScores Fall 2006, found under Score Stuff in the righthand sidebar.
Bones
A- The squints are back with a brand new boss and still rockin’ the evidence. Go team!
Celebrity Duets
C Once you’ve seen the stars sing one time, most of whom sound okay, I can’t imagine coming back to see anymore (except for maybe Queer Eye‘s Jai Rodriguez, who rocked the house with Gladys Knight in his first standing-ovation-worthy performance). All three judges are too nice, and it’s really hard to get worked up over celebrities who’ve obviously been singing for a long time, even if it was only in private and/or in the shower.
Happy Hour
F Oh, those sly TV execs and their silly language games! Happy Hour really means “Sad (as in pathetically unfunny) half-hour.”
House
A- Doc House is back in the house, and although his pain may appear to be gone—for now, thanks to that mysterious coma-and-Ketamine treatment sneaky Cuddy and Wilson slipped over on him—his ‘tude definitely is not.
The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Series V
B+ Their relationship is noticeably tamer now that Inspector Lynley and Sergeant Havers have learned to like and respect one another, but the same old convoluted and intriguing crimes viewers are accustomed to keep the atmosphere on the dark and spicy side nonetheless.
Justice
A- Pay attention or—whew!—you might miss it. This new legal/crime drama starring Alias‘ Daddy Bristow himself, Victor Garber, is fast-paced, visually arresting, and so entertaining. Thanks, Fox.
MI-5
A- Though still a tad predictable in its fourth season, and now with only one main character left over from the 2002 debut season, this British espionage drama with a modern, global perspective remains breathtakingly thrilling, intriguing, smart, and fast-paced. It’s like an updated Mission: Impossible for those who find traditional British crime dramas too stuffy for prime time. My only gripe: I wish the show went by the much snazzier name Spooks here in the United States, like it does in the United Kingdom.
Men in Trees
B Men may indeed be up in the trees in remote Elmo, Alaska—the setting of ABC’s new dramedy starring Anne Heche—but will viewers be in attendance to watch the quirky romance show on historically low-rated Friday nights? Or will the ratings be small-town sized? The latter seems more likely than the former.
Midnight Money Madness
D The opportunity to win hundreds of dollars in cold hard cash aside, this show’s set is so garish, the hosts so irritating, and the questions so dumb, it almost makes my eyes and ears bleed. Definitely not something I could watch for more than ten or fifteen minutes at a time. (And doesn’t that ploy where you have to pay 99 cents for each attempt to win seem hinky?—there’s no guarantee you’ll get through, which the hosts readily admit, but they have no problem taking another dollar from you for multiple calls and text messages. I can just see some poor, lonely schmuck falling for that gimmick and charging up hundreds of dollars in no time while trying to cash out.)
Million Dollar Listing
D If you’re an aspiring real-estate agent, a real-estate groupie, or have always dreamed of living in Malibu or Hollywood, California, watch to your heart’s content. Otherwise, this clunker might be a waste of your precious time that you’ll deeply regret never ever being able to get back.
Prison Break
A- So far, so good in jailbird land.
Standoff
B+ Two A-list FBI crisis negotiators partner both on and off the job, with frequently funny results—not must-see TV for me, but nice lightweight entertainment nonetheless.
‘Til Death
B+ Everybody Loves Raymond‘s Emmy-winning brother Brad Garrett returns to sitcoms, not in the highly anticipated and touted spinoff of the popular series, but a new half-hour piece that offers a humorous comparison and contrast of married life for newlyweds and old pros. It’s very watchable, sometimes realistic, and often funny.
Vanished
C Why, oh, why do we need this FBI/missing-person show when Without a Trace is still running strong? Capable cast aside, it seems a bit redundant and unnecessary, not to mention nowhere near as gripping as its predecessor.
