With networks panicking to fill schedules after last year's strike, and with eyes straying to other forms of entertainment, this year's fall schedule is all about familiarity and desperation. Remember Knight Rider? It's back, and possibly dumber than ever. That hit show from Australia? It's here now, but with American accents. "It's derivative with a twist. That's what they're looking for," Mad Men's Donald Draper said of a TV pitch in a recent episode. And that certainly seems to be the case with what's coming up this year.
Still, derivative with a twist can work. Without it, we wouldn't have The Office, Battlestar Galactica, or, really, Mad Men, which is essentially The Sopranos, but with advertising execs instead of mobsters. (Okay, that last one might be a stretch.) True, we also wouldn't have Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. But the beauty of television is that while the networks might know what they're looking for, the viewers get to decide what stays. Here's a list of new shows whose twists on the familiar might or might not give them power to stick around. (Today: Monday through Wednesday in series premières. Tomorrow: the other half of the docket.)
MONDAY
America's Toughest Jobs
When and where? NBC, 8 p.m. (premières 8/25)
What's it about? Everyday schmoes compete to prove that they can handle the kind of life-threatening, endurance-testing occupations that they've seen on basic cable.
Where does it come from? Basic cable. Deadliest Catch/Ice Road Truckers producer Thom Beers is the mastermind behind this pastiche of his other hit shows. (Here's an idea for Beers' next "extreme careers" series: I Was A Cameraman For Thom Beers.)
Odds of it outlasting what it's ripping off: The game-show element makes an interesting twist, but these kinds of shows aren't really "appointment television," are they? Aren't they meant to be watched in six-hour Sunday-afternoon marathons, while intermittently napping and snacking?
Worst Week
When and where? CBS, 9:30 p.m. (premières 9/22)
What's it about? A young, newly engaged couple takes a vacation with the distaff half's parents, and everything that could go wrong, does. Their wedding may be in jeopardy—or at least the prospect of ongoing cordial relations with the in-laws.
Where does it come from? A British series called The Worst Week Of My Life, which ran for two seven-episode series plus a three-episode Christmas miniseries between 2004 and 2006.
Odds of it outlasting what it's ripping off: The premise seems limiting, but the creators have said that, as with the British series, Worst Week will jump ahead to another awful week roughly every seven episodes. Since Worst Week is part of the powerhouse CBS Monday comedy block, it stands a good chance of running longer than its inspiration. (Unless it tanks, in which case it'll be off the air quick and replaced by Two And A Half Men reruns.)
My Own Worst Enemy
When and where? NBC, 10 p.m. (premières 10/13)
What's it about? Christian Slater is a quiet married-with-children type who lives a life with no surprises. He's also an international super-spy killing machine. The only thing they have in common is the same body, which confuses both of his personalities.
Where does it come from? Slater's personalities are named Henry and Edward, a tip of the hat to the two-sided protagonists of Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll And Mr. Hyde. There's a good chance that the phrase, "It's True Lies meets Dr. Jekyll" was used in at least one pitch meeting. Another possible source: Lit's 1999 single of the same name. Then again, what out there hasn't been inspired by Lit?
Odds of it outlasting what it's ripping off: Not great. Oh, it might be a hit show, assuming fans of Chuck have room in their hearts for two ordinary-folks-doing-spy-shit series. Christian Slater has kept a weird, career-skid charisma about him, and, if nothing else, the relentless barrage of advertising during the Olympics has raised awareness. But the likelihood of Slater's character becoming the new shorthand for split personalities seems a little slim. Here's, let's try it. "That guy's weird. It's like he's got two personalities inside him. One day he's Christian Slater as a suburban dad, the next he's Christian Slater as a globetrotting master of espionage." Nope. Doesn't work.
Raising The Bar
When and where? TNT, 10 p.m. (premières 9/1)
What's it about? Old TV pioneers don't die, they just go to basic cable. Raising The Bar is the latest from Hill Street Blues and L.A. Law co-creator Steven Bochco. It is, as its name suggests, a legal drama. Its name does not suggest, however, that it stars E.R.'s Gloria Reuben, Malcolm In The Middle's Jane Kaczmarek, and a newly floppy-haired Mark-Paul Gosselaar.
Where does it come from? There's a long precedent of legal dramas. This one's gimmick seems a little thin: Young lawyers who know each other square off against each other while working for the Public Defender's office and the District Attorney's office. Could the tension spill over into the bedroom? Well, could it?
Odds of it outlasting what it's ripping off: With a show like this, it's less about originality than quality, and Bochco has a long history of working on quality shows, though they've been slow to take off in the last decade.
TUESDAY
90210
When and where? CW, 8 p.m. (premières 9/2)
What's it about? At this point, everyone who has eyes and ears is aware that there's a show called 90210 launching this fall. In spite of endless promotions, it's really tough to say what this new 90210 will be like. Will it emulate its source material? Will it subvert the genre à la The O.C.? Will it bring the nasty like Gossip Girl? Will returning cast members Shannen Doherty and Jennie Garth play it straight, or send up their characters? One thing's for sure: It had better do something, or The CW may not be around by the time the next school year rolls around.
Where does it come from? In the early '90s, Beverly Hills, 90210 helped define teen culture with its mix of soapy plotlines and sideburns. (It was a different time, kids.) It was edgy yet bland, taking on sex, drugs, gang violence, the ineffable charms of Color Me Badd, and other hot topics, and wrapping up the plotline with the unconvincing reassurance of an after-school special.
Odds of it outlasting what it's ripping off: Not great, since the original proved remarkably long-lived, continuing well after most cast members had left or aged into crows' feet.
Opportunity Knocks
When and where? ABC, 8 p.m. (premières 9/23)
What's it about? Biggest Loser host J.D. Roth pulls up in front of a random family and offers them trucks full of prizes if they can answer questions about each other in a game show staged on their front yard in front of their friends and neighbors.
Where does it come from? The warmhearted public humiliation suggests the Ashton Kutcher touch (he's one of the executive producers), but everything else suggests a G-rated variation on The Newlywed Game.
Odds of it outlasting what it's ripping off: It's within the realm of possibility. This seems like the sort of low-impact, highly sponsor-friendly show that could easily catch on. Also, does anyone even remember The Newlywed Show these days?
The Mentalist
When and where? CBS, 9 p.m. (premières 9/23)
What's it about? It wouldn't be a new fall season without CBS trying to make a star out of Simon Baker. This time out, Baker plays a discredited psychic who helps California cops crack cases with all the keen powers of observation that once let him dupe the rubes.
Where does it come from? If you want to reach way back, Baker's crime-solving tactics owe a lot to Sherlock Holmes. In terms of recent TV, though, Baker is playing a House/Shark hybrid stranded in an episode of Psych.
Odds of it outlasting what it's ripping off: Baker's The Guardian lasted three seasons, though his Smith was cancelled after three episodes. This one should fall somewhere between. Put the over/under at three months.
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