A List of Exciting YA(ish) Shows Premiering Fall, 2012 & Some to Catch Up On Before They Return
By REBECCA, August 13, 2012
Well, folks, it’s that time of the year again. The time when, were I still a student, I’d be getting jazzed about buying shiny new pencils and woodsy-smelling notebooks. Instead, now that I’m an adult (cue laugh track), I can put aside childish things and—you know—decide which characters I want enter into borderline unhealthy but oh-so-enjoyable emotional relationships with. Yes, it’s time for a roundup of the YA(ish) tv shows I’m excited about for the fall!
Now, I don’t have cable tv, so my relationship with shows has long been a model of binging once things are out on dvd or on Netflix. This has always worked out fairly well for me because I am inherently a glutton with no self-control or patience whatsoever, so I don’t like to have to wait and watch shows one episode a week. However, lately I’ve felt like tv is getting too good to have to wait months or years to try a new show. And, let’s face it, Netflix is deteriorating into total crap with the advent of other avenues of streaming video. So . . . just this week I decided that, goshdarnit, there is NO REASON why I should deny myself the joys of watching shows in (quasi-)real time any longer! So, I’m going to try out Hulu Plus for the Fall premieres and see how I like it.
(Also: I shall attempt to live in a world where shows only come on once a week, thus hopefully breaking the breakout cycle of glutting myself on a show, feeling bereft when it’s over, and then immediately needing to fill the void with a new show, no matter how awful—yes, Dawson’s Creek, I’m looking at you! Extrapolate from this statement any hypotheses about my personal life that you will.)
YA(ish) Show Premieres I’m Excited For This Fall (by premiere date)
Nashville, ABC
Series Premiere: Wednesday, October 10th
Holy rusted pickup, Batman, am I psyched about Nashville! It stars my beloved Tami Taylor Connie Britten as the queen of country music whose label thinks that she could use a hot young thing (Hayden Pannettiere) opening for her on tour to spice up her image. Naturally, this turns into a mega diva-off, when it becomes clear that the newcomer is trying to steal her spotlight. So, basically, it seems like it’ll be Country Strong meets All About Eve—or at least that’s what I’m hoping for. I really cannot stress how much I love musicals or how strongly I feel that there should be more of them.
Arrow, the CW
Series Premiere: Wednesday, October 10th
The CW’s take on DC Comics’ character Green Arrow. Dudes, I’m a sucker for anything superhero related, so I’m open-minded about this show, even though I can’t quite imagine what a superhero show on the CW would look like. There have, of course, been many a comic-based movie franchise lately, but I’m jazzed to see the kind of comic-like scope that serial tv can bring to the Green Arrow world.
The New Normal, NBC
Series Premiere: Thursday, October 11th
The new show by Glee creator Ryan Murphy tells the story of a single mom who is looking to escape her small town (and bigoted grandmother) allows her young daughter to convince her to move to L.A., where she gets the money to follow her dream of going to law school by becoming a surrogate for a gay couple. I’m kind of scared that this show is going to be a horrible tale of metro-homonormative assimilation, but I’m totally going to give it a chance because a.) Ryan Murphy and b.) the preview looks mildly hilarious due mainly to the antics of an extremely racist and homophobic Ellen Barkin.
Beauty and the Beast, the CW
Series Premiere: Thursday, October 11th
Beauty and the Beast meets crime procedural (maybe?). Homicide detective, Cat, meets the mysterious man—or beast—who once saved her life. He has been hiding out for ten years, protecting his secret: that when angry he totally Hulks out into a beast. Cat agrees to keep his true identity a secret, and he begins to help her solve cases. And, of course, they become drawn together in ways that I’m sure are mutually delightful and destructive. I know, I know: this show will probably be terrible, but I can’t help but hope that maybe it’ll be kind of like Angel meets The Vampire Diaries meets Jean Cocteau . . . no?
YA(ish) Shows I’m Most Excited Are Returning in the Fall
Once Upon A Time, ABC
Season 2 Premiere: Sunday, September 30th
I really enjoyed the first season of this show by the producers of Lost. All the fairytale characters we have read about in books have been cursed by the evil queen to forget who they really are, and are trapped in the small town of Storybrooke, Maine. Throughout the season, the lines between their Storybrooke lives and their fairytale lives become dangerously blurred (and shit gets dark near the end!). Sure, Once Upon A Time has silly moments, but I was always intrigued by its machinations and slow unfolding of the relationships between characters in both worlds.
Supernatural, the CW
Season 8 Premiere: Wednesday, October 3rd
Oh, Supernatural, how do I love thee? Lots and lots. I know: it’s in its eighth season, so if you haven’t been watching, there is a lot to catch up on . . . so you better start now! Sam and Dean Winchester are brothers who fight evil. Done. This delightful gem of a genre show began with humble one-off mysteries and slowly built to a totally epic scale. Ok, so the last season wasn’t the strongest season of television ever written, but I am choosing to have faith that the brothers Winchester can keep it worth my while.
Gossip Girl, the CW
Season 6 Premiere: Monday, October 8th
This is the final season of Gossip Girl, friends, and I’m expecting it to be epic. Not so much because the last season was so good, but because I imagine all the writers and costume designers and directors being, like, “hey, it’s the final season of a totally over-the-top show; of course I must make everything outrageously showy and dramatic!” For those of you who haven’t watched the double G, you should check out my list of 10 Reasons Why You Should Watch Gossip Girl here and GET ON IT.
Smash, NBC
Season 2 Premiere: Midseason
So, you know what I said above about loving musicals? Y’all, I loved the first season of this show! It chronicles the journey of writing, casting, and premiering a musical about the life of Marilyn Monroe. There a lots of fun characters and we get great character development, but it’s still a fast-paced show, and for the love of god it’s a freaking musical. The songs are catchy; the lyrics are charming; the singing is awesome; the dancing is fun; and there are people pretending to be Marilyn Monroe—what more do you want? Me? Nothing. I know the title of this section says that these are shows premiering in the Fall, but this one is too good not to include, and also I simply can’t believe it got bumped to midseason in the first place.
So, that’s just a brief preview of the Fall shows I’m jazzed about. What did I miss? What would you recommend?
Erin
/ August 21, 2012Even though I’ve been working in one of Dish’s call centers for almost three years, I’ve never watched a few of these series that have been around for a while. The number of new and existing shows that will soon be starting amazes me. I actually think all of that will change once fall lineups start because now I can use the PrimeTime Anytime feature on my Hopper. I can make my Hopper record primetime of all the four major networks, and two other channels if I want. This way I won’t miss any new episodes of Grimm, and I can actually check out other shows that air at the same time. I’ve heard that Grimm and Once Upon A Time are similar, so I’m looking forward to watching that this season. I also think that Arrow and Nashville are going to be shows that are around for a few seasons, or at least I hope so!
Margalit
/ August 13, 2012Sounds like this fall has some potential! Yay, Connie Britten! I’ll need some serious distraction until the second season of “The Killing” is on Netflix…
arepg
/ August 13, 2012Yeah, I still haven’t finished Bunheads, but I’m totally into it—really, is there a ballet show I wouldn’t watch? Nay. I’m always confused by shows that run over the summer though, as if they aren’t real, so I forget about them. For this reason I’m now super behind on Bunheads and Pretty Little LIars (love!).
Casey Barber (@GoodFoodStories)
/ August 13, 2012I gave Bunheads a chance because of its Gilmore Girls legacy (and Sutton Foster, because she is AMAHZING) and despite the fact that it will never be Stars Hollow 2.0, it’s grown on me quite a bit. Kelly Bishop on my TV every week will always be a good thing; the other GG cameos are fun to spot (hello, Chris Eigeman!); and I’m interested to see where the storyline goes with the second season. Plus, strummy la-la interstitial music, I’ve missed you!