2011 Fall TV

Most of the new shows of Fall have already aired, but there are still a few left waiting in the wings, like new new Fox sitcom I Hate My Teenage Daughter, which premieres tonight.

What it's about: Two friends and single moms (Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran) bond over the fact that their respective teen daughters have become mean girls after years of being spoiled. Not only are they terrorizing their high school classmates, the girls also undermine their mothers in this half-hour comedy.

Where it works: The humor is a bit funnier than typical sitcom fare because the writers aren't afraid to get edgy portraying how mean the teenage girls are. Plus, Pressly and Finneran have some good chemistry as women who are kind of afraid of their kids but also want to be their best friends.

Where it doesn't: Pressly and Finneran start to get pathetic in their desperation to please their daughters. Their relationships with the girls also come off as a bit inauthentic.

You might like this show if: You miss Pressly since My Name Is Earl went off the air, or you really like traditional, formulaic sitcoms.

When it's on: Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on Fox.

Watch a preview for I Hate My Teenage Daughter when you read more

Most of Fall TV's new shows have already bowed, but tonight brings some more fresh meat with the spooky NBC drama Grimm. It's one of two Fall shows that has a heavy fairy-tale theme (the other is ABC's Once Upon a Time).

• What it's about: The life of a soon-to-be engaged homicide detective turns upside down when he starts seeing horrific visions. Nick (David Giuntoli) learns that his hallucinations of ordinary people morphing into monsters aren't hallucinations at all — they're an inheritance. As it turns out, Nick is one of the last living members of the Grimm family, and those fairy tales are actually true. Now that Nick has the power to sniff out the evil that's lurking inside certain criminals, he has an edge at work, but his life is in danger.
• Where it works: We all know that vampires, werewolves, and the like are so hot right now, and the supernatural twist definitely sets Grimm apart from your typical cop drama. The pilot centers on the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale, and if each episode centers on one story, it could make for a fun series.
• Where it doesn't: The premise has a lot of potential, but there's so much supernatural setup to get through that we don't get much character development. Nick seems vanilla at best, and you can't build a must-see series around a forgettable leading man. Plus, as the pilot tries to set up the rest of the series, some of the dialogue discussing the magical elements comes off as forced and silly.
• You might like this show if: You favor the creepier side of supernatural series (like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Vampire Diaries) over the love story side.
• When is it on? Fridays at 9 p.m. on NBC

To watch a preview of Grimm, just read more

Believe it or not, NBC's Grimm isn't the only upcoming TV show inspired by a fairy tale. Tonight, ABC will unveil Once Upon a Time, a new drama that explores the idea that fairy tale characters are real — they've just forgotten who they are.

What it's about: Jennifer Morrison stars as Emma Swan, a woman who gets an unexpected visit from a 10-year-old boy on her 28th birthday. When she takes him back to his hometown of Storybrooke, the lonely lad tries to convince her that the Wicked Queen in his fairy tale book cursed everyone in the Enchanted Forest (like Snow White, Prince Charming, Rumpelstiltskin, and so on) by taking away their happy endings. Now they're living regular lives (Snow White is a teacher) with no recollection of their magical past. Though Emma is skeptical, we learn that she is, in fact, the key to making everything right again in Storybrooke.

Where it works: The pilot has cheesy moments, but it also has enough edge and twists to keep me invested. I was happy to see both Ginnifer Goodwin (as Snow White) and Morrison back on the small screen, and they both fit their roles nicely (though Goodwin is a teeny bit bland). The juxtaposition of the characters in their magic lives and real world is also fun to see; the kid in me enjoyed each new character reveal (Pinocchio, Little Red Riding Hood, etc.), and there are plenty more that aren't even touched on in the first episode.

Where it doesn't: The special effects are a little cheesy, and none of the leading men was particularly compelling. I'm also skeptical of how far the show can go beyond one season since the premise hangs on whether or not Emma can send the fairy tale characters back home.

You might like this show if: You still love old-school Disney animated movies.

When it's on: Sundays at 8 p.m.

To see pictures and a preview of Once Upon a Time, just read more

Tonight, CBS brings us a new odd couple in How to Be a Gentleman, a comedy that pairs an exceedingly polite, buttoned-up guy named Andrew (David Hornsby) with macho trainer Bert (Kevin Dillon). When the former classmates reconnect for the first time since high school, they agree to form a friendship that can help Andrew loosen up and Bert tidy up.

• Where it works: I was happy to see Flight of the Conchords's Rhys Darby bringing some of the humor as Andrew's brother-in-law, and Dillon has one singing bit that works.
• Where it doesn't: Most of the characters are irritating and the jokes fall flat. The premise feels like it's been done before, and I had a hard time getting by Hornsby as the leading man.
• You might like this show if: You're a die-hard Johnny Drama fan.
• When it's on: Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS

Watch a preview of How to Be a Gentleman when you read more

ABC is adding another family comedy to its Wednesday night lineup this Fall, but this time the family unit is only two: father and daughter pair George and Tessa (Jeremy Sisto and Jane Levy). In Suburgatory, George decides it's time to leave Manhattan when he finds a box of condoms in high schooler Tessa's room. He moves them into a big house in the suburbs, where Tessa feels like an outsider among the foreign culture of malls, SUVs, and fake classmates.

Where it works: The dialogue is wickedly funny. Tessa is whip smart while still being a realistic, clever teen (without being too snarky). She's not the only asset to the cast: Cheryl Hines is hilarious as big-haired neighbor Dallas.

Where it doesn't: The show is cute but it may not be distinctive enough from other family comedies like Modern Family to attract viewers.

You might like this show if: You wish Daria had been a live-action comedy.

When it's on: Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.

To see some photos and a video preview of Suburgatory, just read more

Rachel Bilson hasn't starred on a TV series since her breakout role on The O.C., but she's heading back to the small screen tonight for the premiere of The CW's Hart of Dixie. This time around, she plays Zoe Hart, a confident doctor with dreams of being a cardiothoracic surgeon. Her plans change when she's informed that she's in need of a serious bedside-manner adjustment before she can get a promotion. Zoe then heads to the deep South where a job as a general practitioner awaits her. Naturally, her NYC attitude isn't exactly welcomed with Southern comfort when she arrives.

• Where it works: It's good to see Bilson back on TV, and though I didn't immediately take to Zoe, I was definitely warming up to her by the end of the episode. Plus, fish-out-of water shows come with plenty of entertaining fodder, from Zoe's criticism of her new community to jokes about having the rare female doctor in town. The pilot also sets up plenty of drama for the rest of the season, from relationships to family secrets.
• Where it doesn't: Bilson has no problem playing a beautiful girl with a side of sass, but Zoe's personality makes it hard to take her seriously as a doctor. Zoe is supposed to have graduated at the top of her class at medical school, but she often comes across as a valley girl. The pilot also goes a bit overboard with the Southern theme: all the country music and bad accents grow tiresome after 40 minutes.
• You might like this show if: You'd happily watch an O.C. spinoff where Summer becomes a doctor and moves to Alabama (sadly, without Seth).
• When it's on: Mondays on The CW at 9 p.m.

To watch a preview of Hart of Dixie, just read more

With Mad Men off the air for now, you can get your '60s fix with tonight's premiere of new NBC drama The Playboy Club, which was supposedly inspired by Lane Pryce's affair with a Playboy bunny on Mad Men. The series takes us to Chicago in 1963, where a group of women are making their keep by strutting around a nightclub in lingerie.

What it's about: Amber Heard plays Maureen, the new bunny on the block who is still a bit green but is earning her weight in tips as she dreams to sing on stage. Her initiation into a life of scandal comes early when she accidentally kills a creep who's trying to grope her. She gets some help from Nick, a handsome lawyer (Eddie Cibrian) with some shady mob connections and charm to spare.

Where it works: As a person who's pretty unfamiliar with the backstory of Hugh Hefner and the Playboy mansion, the '60s-set series kept my attention because of the glitz and glamour. The pilot introduces us to a wealth of characters (David Krumholtz shines as the club's current man in charge) and sets up plenty of fodder for where the show could go.

Where it doesn't: While the bunnies all look hot, none of them spark a huge amount of intrigue. Maureen's a bit too blah while the rest come off as caricatures. Cibrian's got the right look, but he's trying so hard to be Don Draper that it's distracting. What's worse is that Nick comes off as bland and uninteresting instead of dashing and mysterious.

You might like this show if: You can't get enough of Mad Men's 1960s nostalgia.

When it's on: Mondays at 10 p.m.

To watch a preview and see pictures from the pilot of The Playboy Club, just read more

The new TV season is chock full of familiar faces, and CBS's new comedy Two Broke Girls is no exception. Kat Dennings moves from the silver screen to the small screen, but brings along her signature sarcasm in this new series from executive producers Michael Patrick King (Sex and the City) and Whitney Cummings, which premieres tonight.

• What it's about: Kat Dennings plays Max, a sassy Brooklynite working at a greasy-spoon diner in Williamsburg. When a prissy, down-on-her-luck rich girl joins her (Beth Behrs), the girls strike up an odd couple-style friendship. It's not long before Max and Caroline are living together and saving up for a business of their own.
• Where it works: Dennings's acid tongue brings just the right amount of sarcasm to keep the sitcom edgy, and newcomer Behrs holds her own as spoiled but scrappy Caroline. The dynamic between them is fun to watch and the setting makes for hilarious hipster jokes aplenty.
• Where it doesn't: Some of the supporting characters are a little too stereotypical (e.g., Max babysits for a rich Manhattan woman with twins named Brad and Angelina), and some of the jokes are trying too hard to push the envelope (there are jabs at both Stephen Hawking and Duke University).
• You might like this show if: You're a fan of Dennings, or you're looking for the perfect show to keep the laughs going after How I Met Your Mother.
• When it's on: Mondays at 8:30 p.m.

Watch a preview when you read more