TVSquad

Last, but certainly not least, we are giving you a preview of the shows that FOX has planned for the fall season. We've already discussed ABC, CBS, and NBC's new shows. Let's just say that our TiVos are going to be working overtime this fall.

For FOX, we're covering comedies Happy Hour, 'Til Death, and The Winner. And the dramas are Justice, Standoff, Vanished, and The Wedding Album. The network was kind enough to send us the DVD screeners but, since we can't technically "review" them, we're just going to give you a short preview and our initial thoughts.

Happy Hour

(Thursdays at 8:30 pm)

Premise of this screener: Henry Beckman moves to Chicago to live with his girlfriend, Heather, only to have her dump him. He finds a new place in the same apartment building with a roommate, Larry Cone. Larry sets out to teach Henry the beauty of living a single life, which includes a martini happy hour each day at 4 pm.

Anna says: Of all the comedies FOX is offering up this season, this one is the most likely to be canceled. The pacing in the pilot was slow and therefore comedic timing was off-- which could just be chalked up to the fact that it's a pilot and the cast/crew aren't familiar enough with the show and their characters to make it snappier. It just struck me as a typical sitcom that was a cascade of joke set-ups. That said, there were some very funny lines and I enjoyed the lead character. The Larry Cone character is a little fuzzy, though. I think he was supposed to be a Dean Martin-type but I wasn't getting that vibe.


'Til Death

(Thursdays at 8 pm)

Premise of this screener: Eddie and Joy Stamm (Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher) have been married for twenty years, and it shows. Sure, they're devoted to each other, but the novelty wore off long ago; they'd rather sit and watch TV and eat ice cream in silence than cuddle. Then newlyweds Jeff and Steph Woodcock (Eddie Kaye Thomas and Kat Foster) move in next door, so lovey-dovey with each other it makes Eddie sick. Eddie makes up for it by trying to impart his dark view of marriage onto Jeff, who just happens to be the new vice principal at the school where Eddie teaches. But the Stamms may end up learning more about marriage from the Woodcocks than vice versa.

Joel says: At first, it seemed like Garrett's character would become an even darker version of Robert Barone, the role he played on Everybody Loves Raymond. But the saving grace of this show is the fact that, while the Eddie character is cynical, he really loves and is devoted to his wife. It lightens things up just enough to make to make the show likeable. I like the realistic view of what a long-time marriage looks like (Eddie says that the reason why people get married is so you have someone to take you to the hospital... sounds right to me), and I think the interplay between the old marrieds and the newlyweds will make for some funny stories. As long as they lay off the "Woodcock" jokes, they'll be fine.


The Winner

(Mid-season)

Premise of this screener: A rich and successful middle-aged man looks back to 1994, the year he came of age... at 32. Back then, Glen Abbott (Rob Corddry) lived with his parents, didn't have a job, and it seemed like he didn't want to grow up. But then his childhood crush Alison (Erinn Hayes) moves in next door, and Glen not only tries to come out of his funk, he even bonds with her shy son Josh (Keir Gilchrist), who seems to be more emotionally mature than Glen is.

Joel says: Seth MacFarlane is one of the executive producers of this show, and it shows. When we see Glen with his family in the first half of the pilot, it has the feel of a live-action Family Guy episode, with crammed-in O.J. and other 1994 references butted-up against broad jokes about his family and Glen's immaturity-laced depression. Not much of it is funny (though it's nice to see Lenny Clarke and Julie Hagerty, who play Glen's parents). But after Alison moves in, the show's pacing slows to a more realistic pace and actually starts bringing some laughs. Corddry plays the childlike Glen well, and his bond with Josh is pretty strong right away. The show has potential if MacFarlane resists every one of his comedic impulses and lets the humor come from the characters.


Justice

(Wednesdays at 9 pm)

Premise of this screener: The Turk, Nicholson, Tuller & Gaines law firm has yet another big case defending a big name celebrity and, seemingly as always, they're pulling out all the stops to show their client's innocence. Each of the partners of this firm has his or her own strengths and weaknesses, some more obvious than others (in particular, Garber's character is the star of the firm, but jurors just don't like him). After the verdict is read, we're treated to a flashback scene of what really happened.

Keith says: The twist endings are what make this show most interesting to me. We see how the case plays out during the episode, then, after the verdict, we get a flashback to what really happened. There are some aspects to the show that remind me of CBS's new Fall show, Shark, like the tricks lawyers use to get a read on what the jury is thinking. However, you'll quickly see what cash from a lot of high-profile cases gets a top law firm, where Shark is dealing with the DA's office limitations. If the cases play out as interesting as the pilot, this show will be fun to watch. Also, the pacing is pretty fast and furious. Bruckheimer has a pretty good track record, so this show stands a chance. Oh, and it's great to see Victor Garber back now with Alias gone.


Standoff

(Tuesdays at 9 pm)

Premise of this screener: Ron Livingston and Rosemarie Dewitt are two hostage negotiators who not only have to deal with the high pressure of their job, but they're also having an affair, which causes trouble with their superior officer. In the screener, they get involved in two hostage standoffs: a distraught dad holding his kids in a car, and a crazed politician's son holding a diner hostage.

Bob says: It's Moonlighting, only with hostage negotiators. To me, this plot is rather limited, so every single thing hinges on the writing and the characters. Neither blew me away in the pilot, but is there enough here to salvage the show in later episodes? Certainly. I just think the banter and tension between the two lovers could just get in the way of the main action (it worked on Moonlighting, but at least that was part comedy). I just hope it goes beyond the typical set up and characters (one is by the book, one is a rebel, there's a hardnosed captain, etc). Could be a good fit with its lead-in, Bones.


Vanished

(Mondays at 9 pm)

Premise of this screener: The wife of a U.S. senator disappears during a charity function where she is the guest of honor. The search for her is told from various angles including the senator, the lead FBI investigator, the couple's children, and a reporter.

Anna says: It looks and feels a lot like CSI, which makes sense since the executive producer is a former producer for CSI. This is the right way to do a drama with an ensemble cast. Although there are a lot of characters, it is not confusing. Everyone has a clear role. Everyone, that is, except Ming Na. I was extremely frustrated with her character. It was very, very weak. She's supposed to be assisting the lead FBI investigator but all she gets are one-sentence lines. The pilot takes a lot of twists and turns and I'm sure there were a whole slew of red herrings, but it was exciting for sure. I enjoyed the cliffhanger at the end that will definitely have me tuning in to the second episode.


The Wedding Album

(Mid-season)

Premise of this screener: Tony Zutto is among the finest wedding photographers in New York but, ironically, he refuses to get married. In the pilot, Zutto hires Milla Cavendish as his assistant and she turns his world upside down.

Anna says: I was very surprised to see this on FOX. It's a dramedy in the same vein of last season's abruptly-canceled Love Monkey on ABC. The show has a great storytelling mechanism: weddings. Zutto's story isn't the only focus of the show, the engaged couple also has a storyline of their own. It would be a little more poignant, however, if the couple's storyline mirrored the story happening for Zutto (like in Grey's Anatomy and Scrubs). The two don't really seem to intersect except that Zutto happens to be shooting the couple's wedding photos. Still, I really enjoyed all the characters. Zutto and Milla are already very complex people and that will make for great stories. The weakness may be that the wedding sagas are more entertaining than anything happening with Zutto.

*Taylor points out that the Zutto role is being recast ('The Carver' just doesn't work as a photographer) and the show is being re-worked so I look forward to seeing a very different pilot.