I spent the day at WEVV today taking a look at what's new this fall from CBS and Fox, and this liveblog followed along. I hope this helps you decide which you like - or dislike - of the two networks' new shows!
FOX
3:15 p.m.: BEN AND KATE
Hehehe! I love it! Here's another Fox comedy winner, just book it. Nat Faxon's Ben Fox is a goofball with his head firmly in the clouds. His sister, the ever-steady, ever-organized and prepared-for-anything Kate (played by Dakota Johnson) and her five-year-old daughter Maddie (played by Maggie Elizabeth Jones) are the foils to most of Ben's schemes ... but they love him, despite the wacky misadventures he gets them into. Indeed, maybe Kate will learn a little something from him ... maybe? The show will air on Tuesday nights between Raising Hope and New Girl at 7:30 CT. And if you're not watching it, you're missing out.
2:30 p.m.: THE MOB DOCTOR
What a relief - a good show after the indigestion-inspiring show I watched before this one. (See below.) In The Mob Doctor, Jordana Spiro plays Dr. Grace Devlin, a talented young resident at Chicago's Roosevelt Medical Center. She's a surgeon with a bright future, but because of her brother's gambling debts, she's forced to work for the Mafia on the sly. And "on the sly" could mean she works anywhere and on anyone involved with the mob. Watching her juggle both of her worlds is captivating, and it gives Fox a good, solid follow-up drama to Bones on Monday nights. It'll air at 8 CT.
1:55 p.m.: THE MINDY PROJECT
Oh, wow. Where do I start? First off, I wanted to like this one. Mindy Kaling, actress/writer/producer/comedian best known for her role as Kelly Kapoor on NBC's The Office, finally got her own show. I wanted to like it, but it didn't take long to decide that it's not something I could ever watch again, not even on a bet. It'll be canceled fairly soon, if there is justice on this planet. This show - hell, even the idea for this show - wasn't good enough to pass muster at NBC. NBC. Think about that. That should be your first clue that something's amiss here, folks. Kaling's character (Surprise! Her name is Mindy!) is a trainwreck, and not in a good way. She talks too much, drinks too much and is incredibly immature (thus the "Project" in The Mindy Project, I guess). The show also stars Chris Messina, who most recently had a recurring role on HBO's Six Feet Under. I conclude this with that because six feet under is where this stinker belongs. Ugh. However, if you like it, it'll air on Tuesday nights at 8:30 CT. Let us pray that it doesn't drag its lead-in, the returning New Girl, down with it.
CBS
One thing that's perfectly clear about the crop of CBS' new shows this year is that they've spared no expense, left no stone unturned and brought aboard some real star power to bolster what's already a strong schedule. In addition to a host of returning favorites this season, four new series - Elementary, Vegas, Made in Jersey and Partners - fit right in and should give CBS a real, solid lead over its competitors. These shows are that good.
11:25 a.m.: ELEMENTARY
A modern-day take on Sherlock Holmes, Elementary stars Jonny Lee Miller as Holmes, Lucy Liu as Joan Watson and Aidan Quinn as Capt. Tobias Gregson. Holmes is fresh out of rehab, and Watson has been hired by Holmes' father as his "sober companion." The two team their skills - Holmes' ability to deduce damn near anything and Watson's medical expertise - to help the NYPD solve cases most might find impossible. The pilot's opener was a bit stilted, but as the show went on, it got progressively better. Call it "quirky." Quirky keeps you wondering what comes next. If you're wondering what comes next, you won't change the channel. It should do well against Rock Center (NBC) and Scandal (ABC) on Thursday nights at 9.
10:40 a.m.: VEGASAh, the allure of Sin City ... this is at least the third TV show to use Las Vegas' name in the title in my lifetime, and of those three, this one is my favorite. Inspired by real life, starring Dennis Quaid as cowboy-turned-sheriff Ralph Lamb and Michael Chiklis as mob fixer Vincent Savino, the show is set in the '60s. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Didn't we do the '60s thing briefly last year?" Yeah, we did (on ABC with Pan Am and NBC with The Playboy Club), but unlike those mediocre efforts, this one's actually good. With Quaid and Chiklis on board, it's a solid alternative on Tuesday nights at 9 CT, where it'll go up against Parenthood (NBC) and Private Practice (ABC).
9:50 a.m.: MADE IN JERSEY
Janet Montgomery plays Martina Garretti, a new lawyer in a fancy NYC law firm. She's from New Jersey, and while people don't expect much from her, she's (maybe a little surprisingly) good at what she does. Using her street smarts, she gets to the bottom of a tough murder case in the pilot I watched - despite some bumps in the road along the way. Kyle MacLachlan plays her boss, Donovan Stark; Stephanie March plays a snobby, bitchy lawyer in the firm, which, if you're familiar with her former roles, is a bit of a switch. This one will air Friday nights at 8 p.m. CT against Grimm on NBC; What Would You Do? on ABC; Fringe on Fox and Nikita on The CW. I like its chances - a lot. It might face a peripheral challenge from Fringe, but the rest? No contest.
9 a.m.: PARTNERS
This new show on CBS, which will air on Monday nights at 7:30 p.m. CT, stars Michael Urie (formerly of Ugly Betty) as Louis and David Krumholtz (formerly of NUMB3RS) as Joe. They're lifelong friends and now business partners, and the interaction is between the two (one's gay, the other straight) is hilarious. This one looks like another CBS winner.
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