Techtite Feature Article!

"I had hoped modern TV had evolved away from sitcoms like this."

---from the article

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"There are worse shows than this" retort, 2008 edition. Yes, there are worse shows than this, though this is about new shows. It's also important to note that this isn't an explicitly "worst of" list; just a list of the shows that are most likely to not succeed this fall. Does that mean they are bad shows? Don't be too sure. FOX in particular seems to like to cancel the most promising shows, while renewing Family Guy for another season. The shows at left each have that little something lacking that makes them unlikely to succeed (hence the "It might succeed, IF" comment after each show). That doesn't mean the show WILL fail, especially the sitcoms! Most viewers are pretty forgiving these days when it comes to sitcoms that should've mercilessly been cancelled two seasons ago (Hey, I love Brad Garret and Joely Fisher, though FOX should mercifully put 'Till Death out of its misery).

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Feel free to contribute. As always, review submissions are accepted!

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I get more letters about this list each year than any other feature story. However; for fanboys of their favorite network (especially all you FOX fanboys!) believe me; I'm the last person to like spreading bad news. Though if there's one thing I hate even more, it's growing attached to a show that will inevitably be cancelled...and as we've all become painfully aware: being a good show doesn't matter! So here's a list of seven new fall shows that, bad or good, might be gone as early as November sweeps, unless some major flaws are fixed.

Updated! Each week of the new fall season, one of the "Unlucky 7" (and one of the "best" new shows as well!) will be reviewed. If the show has been reviewed, click on the link attached to the show title.

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Worst Week (CBS, Mondays at 9:30)  What's it about? From the official summary of the series at CBS.com: "Magazine editor Sam has a great job and a beautiful fiancé, but whenever he gets around her conservative parents, disasters tend to follow." What I'm not buying: Here's the problem: Sam's "disasters" include public humiliation as surreal as Sam taking a taxi cab back to his home, while wearing a garbage bag...as a diaper. Ask yourself: why would a grown man willingly wear a garbage bag as clothing, and even if he did: why would he fold it like a baby diaper? What's worse: I had hoped modern TV had evolved away from sitcoms like this. Idiot man experiences potty problems, sexual problems, and total humiliation, while his "flawless" girlfriend stands idly by, rolling her eyes. It might succeed, IF: In case you wondered about the series title: it is presumed that each successive episode will be a week even worse than the last, as if Sam is "cursed," or something. The biggest problem with this series concept: it's been done. Just ask Steven Weber, and his far superior yet still cancelled sitcom, Cursed. Then again; viewers seem a bit more forgiving about how funny their sitcoms are these days, so it's hard to estimate when ---or even if--- this series will actually fail.

Crusoe (NBC, Fridays at 8)  What's it about? Take one part "MacGyver," one part Tom Hanks in "Castaway" and one part "Pirates of the Caribbean," and you have this tale of a man shipwrecked on an island for almost three decades, yet still determined to get home. Based, apparently, on the classic novel. What I'm not buying: Sure, saying that a classic novel has been made into a mere "Lost clone" would be pushing it, though it is pretty unlikely people will want to see a sole survivor on a tropical island, with no multiple castaways, no hidden "hatches," no "Others," and frankly, no real excitement. What's worse: Since this guy has already been on this island for 28 years, it's unlikely he'll find anything interesting on the island, which reduces the likely stories to little more than: "will he finally find some string to tie a raft together? It might succeed, IF:  With Lost gone until Spring, this series could become a surrogate replacement, so long as the stories are interesting. With no mystery, and one "castaway," I'm not sure that will happen.

Do Not Disturb (FOX)  What's it about? Hotel. Jerry O'Connell. Sitcom. That's about it. What I'm not buying: Few early onlookers to this series have anything nice to say about the pilot, aside from the cast. While the cast is talented there just isn't anything funny here. What's worse: FOX showed the same early onlookers the midseason show, "Outnumbered," which is actually funny; no laugh track required. This doesn't bode well for Do Not Disturb, which is one of the few new FOX sitcoms this fall...with Outnumbered needing a time slot in mid-season. It might succeed, IF:  So why show Do Not Disturb this fall and not Outnumbered? Because the cast is that good. O'Connell, Niecy Nash, and Jesse Tyler Ferguson are good pluses to a show which only needs a good script at this point. Will FOX give the show time to get one?

The Mentalist (CBS, Tuesdays at 9)  What's it about? Stop me if you heard this one: a guy who wants to solve crimes goes to the police pretending to be a psychic, because he's really observant and can pass off his observations as "psychic visions." Now: imagine if that story was made into a drama, not a comedy, and the "psychic" is now a "Mentalist" who solves crimes through keen observation, not as a psychic. What I'm not buying: So CBS thought the best idea was to rip off a popular USA network comedy, remove it of its humor, and simply have some guy stand around squinting at "little details" in a crime scene? What's worse: As I type this, the next season of Psych has just begun, with the new fall season just weeks away. Comparisons between Mentalist and Psych will be unavoidable...which for this series, won't be good. It might succeed, IF:  Again I find myself complimenting the casting department. I'm looking particularly forward to seeing Robin Tunney ("Prison Break") and Amanda Righetti ("The O.C.") back on TV. I just don't think I'll be seeing them long, unless this concept of "Psych; The Drama Series" gets enough viewers.

America's Toughest Jobs (NBC, Fridays)  What's it about? Twelve people are asked to do "America's Toughest Jobs," which for the purpose of this show, are such jobs as logging, oil drilling, and "extreme fishing." What I'm not buying: The trouble I have with this series is the quasi-snobbery of it all. "Toughest job" is in the eye of the beholder, with everyone saying their job is "tough," and to be frank, all of them are right. Is logging the toughest job in all of America? Tell that to an emergency room nurse, a New York City Fireman, and for that matter, a stock broker’s office assistant on Wall Street, five minutes before the closing bell. What's worse: To put it more succinctly: I doubt the majority of America will like the tone of this series, that "you're not working hard unless you're outdoors and sweaty." It might succeed, IF:  To put it even more simply: what we have here is a show which needs to expand its repertoire of "hard jobs." Every job is hard; show it. If this show gets more liberal about its message of what job is a "hard job," it could work.

The Ex List (CBS, Fridays at 9)  What's it about? From the official summary at CBS.com: "Successful thirty-something business owner Bella has everything she could possibly want. Except for a man. When a psychic tells her she's already dated her future husband, Bella has to go through her past romantic history to find the perfect man who got away. The catch? If she doesn't find the guy in the next year, she'll die alone." What I'm not buying: The problem with this series is: what constitutes proof she found "the right guy"...when she already decided he wasn't? What's worse: Obviously; this sitcom isn't a one-year deal, so something totally predictable has to happen at the end of the "year"/season. It's easy to presume this will lead to more searching for Bella, until the series' inevitable cancellation before she finds the right Ex. So, if you understand the reasoning here: why watch another show where we know the lead star will never achieve her goal, because if she does, that would be the end of the series? It might succeed, IF:  With a one-two punch like Grey's Anatomy's Elisabeth Reeser in the lead role, and Veronica Mars producer Diane Ruggiero at the helm; this might succeed, especially if the fans of those shows can be coaxed into watching something on Friday night.

Project Gary (CBS, Wednesdays at 8:30)  What's it about? While not another sitcom "about nothing," this is a relatively unremarkable sitcom concept, of a divorced father trying to move on in his life with a gorgeous girlfriend. What I'm not buying: Question; if this guy already has a gorgeous girlfriend, what's the "problem" here? This is sort of like Dream On, only without the R-rated sex scenes and "Martin Tupper" already found the perfect new girlfriend. While there's nothing bad with a kinder, gentler, PG-rated "Dream On" sitcom, there really isn't anything new here, either. What's worse: On the bottom of the "bad" list for a reason; this is one of those new series' whose biggest flaw is that there's not enough originality to the show, to easily draw in an audience. It might succeed, IF:  One last time: the casting department is not to blame, if this sitcom fails. Jay Mohr, Paula Marshall, Larry Miller, and Jaime King are some big names to throw around when promoting this series. The series itself seems very rubber-stamped, though, and a little too familiar. Then again; how many people are longing for an old fashioned sitcom formula...?

---Techtite

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Too depressing...? Don't worry. It isn't all bad: Top 10 Most Intriguing New Shows, 2008