Fall primetime is back, people! That’s why I love the months of September and October. Even if I’m still wearing shorts well into November, it’s okay because there’s a host of brand new TV shows that need to be reviewed.
I know deep down I shouldn’t be adding even _more_ shows to my already full television palate, but it’s fine. No matter how much television hurts me (emotionally and academically), I still keep coming back for more. I’ve been watching the first few episodes of a handful of new shows, and I’m here to help you decide which ones to watch and which ones to skip:
**Watch this:** _“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”_ I just love a good workplace comedy. Andy Samberg stars as a hotshot detective in a New York police precinct that undergoes serious changes when a new captain takes the reigns.
In this show, Samberg throws out his usual slapstick comedic timing; his character, Jake, is still a big kid at heart who relishes in pulling pranks (like wearing a Speedo to work to prove a point), but we like him because he’s actually good at his job.
The other supporting characters also play off each other nicely; Joe Lo Truglio absolutely nails it as the clumsy, pencil-pushing detective who’s hopelessly in love with the toughest woman in the precinct.
I tuned in because I love Samberg and his boisterous quips, but I’ll keep watching for the addicting character chemistry and sharp writing.
**Skip that:** _“Hostages”_ The entire pilot was one giant eye-roll. I was yelling out plot holes throughout the hour like it was nobody’s business. Sure, Dylan McDermott looks amazing in tight black T-shirts, but his smoldering gazes only took me so far.
McDermott stars as Duncan Carlisle (which sounds like the name of a character in a “Fifty Shades of Grey” rip-off), an FBI agent and puppet master of an intricate assassination plot. With a group of henchmen, he breaks into the home of Dr. Ellen Sanders (Toni Collette) and plans to hold her family hostage until she kills the president.
See, Ellen is the doctor who’s about to perform surgery on him.
First of all, there would definitely be security detail on the person who’s going to put her hands inside the president’s chest. But it’s whatever. Carlisle and his crew traipse in like they’re there for an open house.
Plot holes aside, the rest of the characters are dully predictable. Sanders’ kids, for instance, are practically cutouts of television teenagers. The son is secretly a drug dealer — gasp. The 16-year-old daughter is pregnant — of course. And Sanders’ husband is cheating on her because apparently that’s what all TV husbands do.
**Watch this:** _“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”_ This fun series set in the realm of superheroes actually focuses on the non-super clan: a group of agents trained to engage individuals with different emerging superpowers.
I was sold as soon as I saw the flickering comic book pages, the iconic opening to any Marvel brainchild.
Obviously, this all takes place in the same fictional world as “The Avengers.” That means Jeremy Renner _and_ Chris Evans could possibly guest star. Enough said.
**Skip that:** _“Betrayal”_ I can get into any good, soapy drama. Just ask my Netflix account. I powered through two seasons of ABC’s “Revenge” during some downtime, and easily found myself absorbed in watching attractive, wealthy people manipulate each other.
So when I tuned into “Betrayal,” which aired right after “Revenge” — yes, those scheduling strategies actually work on people like me — I had high hopes.
But the main characters, who embark on a dangerous and lustful affair, seemed to lack palpable chemistry required for a show like this. Everything else about the show seemed borderline cheesy. For example, this oh-so meaningful line: “You make me wanna connect.”
Connect to what, dude? Dial-up Internet?