Impending Doom of Upcoming Fall TV Season?

[marksman]

Perhaps I am alone in my feelings, but on the verge of a brand new television season, I am more concerned than ever that I am going to be underwhelmed and overly disappointed.

I, like many people here, are huge fans of television. I have for years always eagerly anticipated the new television season. Before the advent of the internet, reading magazines and newspapers to get the scoop on the upcoming shows was a must have. Now in 2007 we have all that, plus a ridiculous amount of information on the internet, and even now we have pre-release versions of many shows available.

So where does my fear come from? It seems like my eagerness for the new tv season has eroded more every year, to where it has gotten to be almost a negative feeling. Where once I was excited about all the new content I could check out and hopefully find some new shows to enjoy, I am instead sure that most shows will suck, and those that don't suck will likely be canceled. One would think with this attitude I would be off television. That is not the case though. With the expansion of cable/satellite, there are new tv shows coming on all year long. So I don't need the fall season anymore. The cable channels are MUCH more likely to actually air a show they hype up and promote to me, so I feel much less like I am wasting my time. Even if it only lasts a season or two, you can count on it staying, most of the time. Certainly there are exceptions, but on the networks, most new shows don't make it through their initial orders, it seems.

To get to this season specifically, I have seen several early episodes via leaks and previews, and have been fairly disappointed in them all. Beyond that the slate of shows and their descriptions simply leave me entirely lacking. I did not think I would like Heroes last summer, though, and I really enjoyed it. Problem is this was the only show I can remember that was introduced last year that I care about watching this year. The year before that Criminal Minds was the only new show I can recall having the least bit of interest. So with my recent history, I will be lucky if I find a single show that I both enjoy and that gets renewed for the next season.

I wish I could get that eagerness and anticipation back where I could be excited to see the first episode of "Best of the West". Now I assume everything will suck, and it is hard for me to muster even a little bit of interest. I can't remember having such a poor response to the blurbs and descriptions to an entire fall lineup.

Am I doomed by my pessimism to never enjoy another Fall TV Season again?

[TIVO_GUY_HERE]

I know what ya mean. I used to love the eagerness of the new Fall Season, not so much past few years.

Tho, the New Summer Seasons have fail to disappoint past few years.

[TAsunder]

I'm pretty excited because it seems like they are all starting around the same time this year, which is unusual.

[mwhip]

I still get attached but it depends on the show. I am sure I will like Chuck and look forward to it every week but is it going to be the quality that FNL is? I doubt it. I am more upset when good shows don't get a chance.

[Bettamojo5]

I too am underwhelmed with the offerings so far. As you said, I may be surprised by one or two, but odds don't look good right now.

[That Don Guy]

Perhaps I am alone in my feelings, but on the verge of a brand new television season, I am more concerned than ever that I am going to be underwhelmed and overly disappointed.

Am I doomed by my pessimism to never enjoy another Fall TV Season again?
I wouldn't say "never again". Television tends to run in cycles. For example, in the mid-1970s, sitcoms had a run of popularity; in the mid-1980s, they were in decline; in the mid-1990s, they were in favor again; today, they've once again taken a backseat. More crime shows! More medical shows! More competeition shows! (Who would have thought ten years ago that not only would there be a separate Emmy category for reality TV, but there would be two of them - one for "competition shows" (which is considered popular enough to qualify for the main Emmy telecast), and one for non-competition shows (which is relegated to the Who Cares Creative Arts Emmys - and the producers are probably glad for that, considering what Kathy Griffin said in her acceptance speech)?)

For that matter, who would have thought that Saturdays would have turned from the night of Carol Burnett and The Love Boat to Cops and whatever shows NBC and CBS feel like showing a second time (I am under the impression that one of NBC's Saturday night instant reruns this fall will be Friday Night Lights, to catch the people who are out on Friday nights watching actual high school football)?

-- Don

[Goobergirl]

precisely the reverse!

I'm amazed by the quality and variety of television these days, and I think it has everything to do with all the cable channels and different audiences.

I've been "eagerly anticipating" fall seasons probably longer than you've been alive, and in the last few years it's been "heh...whatever". But this season I see a whole bunch of stuff I'm looking forward to checking out:

Pushing Daisies
Journeyman
Bionic Woman
Chuck (watched the pilot via blockbuster DVD...looks fun!)
Reaper
Moonlight

And more. And among the shows that have happened in recent years?

Heroes
Lost
Grays
Damages
Saving Grace
Mad Men
The Company (more like a big movie)
The Office
30 Rock

And this doesn't even address all the lesser shows I catch here and there, and stand by stuff like Daily Show and Colbert.

In fact, it's kinda bugging me that there's so much great TV happening: I need to have a LIFE!

[sieglinde]

If it is bad, I can watch Netflix and the stored masses of unwatched summer shows I have. I have a few last year shows also. Time to catch up. (I can do also something really weird. It is when you pick up this thing that is a bunch of papers bound together. All the papers have "print" on them and sometimes they tell a very long story or have a very long article on something that is not fiction. I think this is called "reading".)

[dcheesi]

This crop doesn't seem any worse than any other year. I find that as I get older, I'm increasingly apathetic about TV shows in general. It's kind of all been done, ya know? But I don't attribute that to the shows themselves, it's just me getting old & jaded.

[Peter000]

When I compare TV of now to the TV of say, the '70's or 80's, there's just no comparison... we have MUCH better TV now than then, IMO.

There's always going to be the dreck (the game shows and reality, for me), but the top shows of today are much better than the top shows of yesteryear.

[appleye1]

I'm really looking forward to spring more than fall. I'm really irritated that I have to wait until then for some of my favorites like 24, The Shield, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, and The Amazing Race to return.

I'm going to check out a few of the new fall shows, Journeyman and Bionic Woman in particular, but none of them look very promising to me.

[allan]

I'm not too thrilled. Most of the top-tier shows are either losing steam, or I have good reason to think they WILL lose steam. The 2nd-tier shows are okay, but not great. And I get tired of the filler shows by the end of summer.

[tivogurl]

My disappointment isn't so much over the quality of shows as over the speed with which they're cancelled. If Fox had pulled The X-Files as quickly as it does now it would never have had time to find an audience. I am also disappointed with the constant need to "win" every time slot. That kind of thinking pits good new shows against current hits, almost always resulting in the cancellation of the new show because it unsurprisingly didn't win #1 in its time slot. Personally, I think "#1 or nothing" is a waste of studio dollars.

[bicker]

Given that this was the best August for television I can remember, I'm quite optimistic about the fall as well.

[pkscout]

I guess I've just gotten jaded. I'm figuring the good shows will get canceled in the first few weeks and be replaced by four more days of Lets Make a Deal, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, etc. I don't have much loyalty to or faith in network television because they have proved me right over and over and over again.

[bicker]

I think folks can choose to look at the cup as half-full or as half-empty. What I see, this year, is that already, despite having added a second dual-tuner HD DVR to my living room array, I will have a conflict on Tuesday, September 25, since the Unit, House, Reaper, Eureka and Boston Legal will all be broadcast at the same time. (Luckily, Eureka is rebroadcast later than night.) The conflict between The Unit, House and Reaper will last as long as all three of those shows do. And there is another time-slot with a conflict like that: Private Practice, Criminal Minds and Bionic Woman. I remember having an issue with three shows on at the same time last fall -- this fall it is two time-slots with such a conflict... that indicates progress of a sort, in the "television is getting better" direction.

I don't see much sense in focusing on the shows that we don't like. Those shows are for other people. It's like being upset that so much of the space on the shelves in the store are for clothing that doesn't fit, when all you really should care about is the clothing that does fit. If you find yourself reading books or surfing the web at night, specifically during times when you used to be watching television, then perhaps either you've grown up (I hope I never do) or you really don't enjoy television as before. If, instead, you have a continual backlog on your TiVo, then take that as a sign that television is very good.

[cheesesteak]

Most of the big network new shows are going to suck. It's been like that forever. The cable networks have lots of quality programming to fill in the gaps.

[DreadPirateRob]

I think folks can choose to look at the cup as half-full or as half-empty. What I see, this year, is that already, despite having added a second dual-tuner HD DVR to my living room array, I will have a conflict on Tuesday, September 25, since the Unit, House, Reaper, Eureka and Boston Legal will all be broadcast at the same time.


Boston Legal is on at 10, so unless it's a 2-hour premiere (which seems silly given the type of show that it is) you wouldn't have a 5-way conflict. (I've had those before, and they suck).

Edit - I looked it up and see they have a 90 minute seasion premiere. Yeah, that sucks. BT is your friend.

[Sadara]

Wednesday night is one of my 5 way conflicts... Bionic Woman, Kitchen Nightmares, Gossip Girl, Private Practice and Criminal Minds.

[mattack]

I think you guys are just getting old... (as am I)

It seems to me there are good years and bad years (which is which is each person's opinion of course). Last year there were too many shows that I liked (not necessarily new that year), so I even stopped watching the various CSIs at some point.

I haven't determined whether I'll actually do it, but I'm considering checking out some of the new shows, but generally netflix-ing the recent shows I've missed instead. (and will netflix the new shows when they get on DVD, etc..) while still Tivoing news and reality shows, the latter which typically don't get onto DVD as often as sitcoms & dramas.

[Fl_Gulfer]

I'm glad I have 2 HD-DVR's and to regular Tivo's in the other rooms. I'm more happy about the shows coming back this season than the new shows. NCIS, The Unit, Bones, Boston Legal, Numb3rs, Hero's, Lost? maybe. There are a few more that slip my old brain. oh yeah! Stargate Atlantis........ My sweethart is taking over..

[marksman]

Lots of good posts here. I will post some of my follow-up around your post if you don't mind. As it helps me a bit. By the way I did think of one show I am interested in, Kitchen Nightmares. I watch the BBCA version, so I am looking forward to this one.


precisely the reverse!

I'm amazed by the quality and variety of television these days, and I think it has everything to do with all the cable channels and different audiences.

Oh I think Cable is chocked full of goodness. If I stacked up all my favorite shows, Cable would own the networks. That is kind of my point though. The cable networks don't really follow the traditional season of tv, so the fall season is not really a time to shine for them. They manage to put out entertaining and appealing fare all year along. This summer was pretty dang good, without almost any of it coming from the networks.


I've been "eagerly anticipating" fall seasons probably longer than you've been alive, and in the last few years it's been "heh...whatever". But this season I see a whole bunch of stuff I'm looking forward to checking out:

Pushing Daisies
Journeyman
Bionic Woman
Chuck (watched the pilot via blockbuster DVD...looks fun!)
Reaper
Moonlight

This list is a bit indictive for me. It is all very sci-fi/super-naturalish. I know not liking that bent of programming is sacrilege on an internet forum, but I have never really been into it. That is why me liking Heroes was a bit of a Surprise. I have already seen 2.5 of those shows and did not like them.

It very well could just be me burned out. I can't think of a genre or incarnation that right now I am not sick of... I generally hate police/doctor shows... Sci-fi ick. (It does seem lke a very strong sci-fi season as I mentioned.)

There are a few other shows whose plotlines had a minor appeal to me, but as I mentioned, I know they are going to suck or be canceled. It will be interesting to see how many of your list of shows above make it to the end of this season, and of those how many you are still watching. Not as any kind of verdict on you, but just curious to see how the tv season unfolds. I think if 2 of those shows made it the full season, it would be surprising. And that really shouldn't be. Even if all of them were horrible, they should be given a chance.



Heroes
Lost
Grays
Damages
Saving Grace
Mad Men
The Company (more like a big movie)
The Office
30 Rock


Of those, I really enjoyed Heroes. I was a big fan of Lost for the first year and a half. The rest of them I have not seen except The Office and 30 Rock. (30 Rock is one show I enjoyed from last year that is coming back. The problem is it likely came back by the skin of its teeth.) Some of the other ones Mad Men, Company, Damages, are ones I want to watch but have not had the time. I liked the Burn Factor or whatever too. I am not taking issue with Cable shows. Right now Cable is all over the networks. But the hype of the fall season is all about the networks, and it is leaving me disappointed before it even arrives.



In fact, it's kinda bugging me that there's so much great TV happening: I need to have a LIFE!

To be honest, I am not even sure what I am complaining about. I don't have the time to watch all the stuff that backs up on my DVR now. I used to watch a lot more tv than I do now. Which is actually good, because my tolerance for lower quality shows has gotten less. Now if I sit down and actually watch something, it is guaranteed to be something I am going to really enjoy. Else it will be relegated to background noise.

Maybe the television gods are playing a trick on me, and because I have such low expectations for the first time in ever, I might come out of this fall season with a handful of shows. Thankfully I will be out of town on vacation the when things start rolling for the Fall, so that will help. The downside is I am sure 4 or 5 shows will be axed before I return home.

TV viewing has just changed a lot for me. I like to devote myself to seeing shows. It started when I got my first TiVo 8 or 9 years ago. Now it is an obsession. I don't even like to watch shows where I don't see every episode. So when the networks bring the new stuff out and don't give it a chance, I feel like I did not get to see all there was to be seen.

[jeff125va]

Part of me actually hopes there aren't any good new shows. We get so far behind on the ones we watch as it is. I think we finished this past season some time around the 4th of July, which was earlier than normal. We've enjoyed watching some other series on DVD over the summer but I wish we could have gotten further with them. I certainly hope that all of those shows stay good, but the ones that survived are more than enough to keep us busy.

Of course, I will still check out the shows that look interesting. I don't want to miss out on the next great show that I'll wish I would have seen from the beginning. I'd rather end up having wasted time the first few episodes of a show that I end up dropping than trying to catch up on a show that I find out later I really love. So I'm looking forward to my returning shows and would be really disappointed if those shows suck, but as far as new shows I'm pretty much indifferent.

[jamesbobo]

I think it's just a part of aging. And it's not just TV. It's music (don't listen anymore)and movies (only go to the theater a couple of times a year) too.

[Dmon4u]

I don't know. I'm very optimistic that perhaps 2 shows out this year will still be on the schedule next year.

That's twice as many as some recent years have produced !