POISON SCOOTER

Fall Television Preview - Sitcom Edition

It's September and that means the networks are going to roll out their new schedules for we here at Poison Scooter to tear apart. But before we start bagging on the junk, let's take a closer look at the shows that seem like they have half a chance. All week long, I'll be breaking down the new shows...starting with...

Sitcoms

In looking over the new schedule, I see five new situation comedies that look somewhat promising despite the fact that the sitcom is my least favorite genre. What is drawing me to most of these shows is the pedigree involved in either the cast or the creators. A closer look...

The Class is heading into the Monday Night CBS comedy powerhouse line up to lead in to How I Met Your Mother and has been trying to shake off comparisons to Friends. Maybe the fact that David Crane (the creator of Friends) is behind this show has something to do with that buzz? Or maybe it's the large group of 20-something friends that make up the cast? (There's 8 not 6, so there.) What makes me excited is the same thing that worries me, this comparison to the Friends. John Ritter's kid is the lead and he comes from some genuine sitcom God roots, so maybe this will have half a chance.

Another show I'm digging because of the man behind the scenes is The Knights of Prosperity over on ABC. Knights is from the guy who made the very likeable Ed, Rob Burnett, and features the capable Donal Logue as the lead. This show was once being called Let's Rob Jeff Goldblum, then Let's Rob Mick Jagger and despite the name change, the show still centers around a band of misfit working men looking to rob the Rolling Stone legend's penthouse. I like to see sitcoms take chances, and this concept sounds the most refreshing on the schedule this year. See: My Name Is Earl.

Notes from the Underbelly has some potential based on the female leads, Rachel Harris (smart alec blonde on all those VH1 shows) and Jennifer Westfeldt (Kissing Jessica Stein) and the director who is Barry Sonnenfeld. I'm not usually into shows centered around women, this show is about a couple who try to hide their pregnancy from friends and family, but the strong buzz on the pilot and the casting is making me sniff this one out on ABC.

NBC looks to have paired up a couple of freshman sitcoms into a solid hour of programming ala their Earl/Office one, two punch already on the schedule. 20 Good Years and 30 Rock both look good on their own, but I find when you have two shows back to back that are a draw you are more likely to invest the time in watching. John Lithgow (3rd Rock) and Jeffery Tambor (Arrested Development) paired together as two men who in their old age decide to live life bigger will certainly be silly, and that can be enough unless this goes the way of Golden Girls and tries to appeal to retirees. 30 Rock is a look at life behind the scenes of Saturday Night Live, even if they don't come right out and say that. Tina Fey, former head writer of SNL, pairs up with Tracy Morgan and some other SNL cast offs in this Lorne Michaels produced venture. What I've been saying for years is that Lorne Michaels needs to transition his folks from SNL into TV and get away from the 90 minute abortions of his sketches he has produced over the years. I'd never see a full length feature of Brian Fellows, but I wouldn't mind watching Tracy Morgan on this ensemble. And oh yeah, uber SNL host Alec Baldwin comes to TV playing a Micheals-esque boss to Tina Fey. I'm really excited about this show.

posted by Scooter @ 9:39 AM