Freshman Fall Series: How Are They Doing?

Now that many shows are starting their winter hiatus, I thought it'd be a good time to evaluate the new shows. Let's break it down by network:

ABC:

Modern Family. This is one I predicted would do well, and it's since been picked up for a full season. I've enjoyed every episode. The show is sweet without being saccharine. It would warm the heart of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Cougar Town. I predicted this show to bomb. In fact, it's doing quite well. This will be one of those shows lots of people watch that I'll never understand why. Like Bones.

Hank. It got canceled. Sorry, Kelsey Grammer. Maybe you could guest-star on Greek with your daughter Spencer. You can't play her dad, since that role's already taken, but maybe you could be a wacky professor or something.

The Middle. It's doing decent. Was picked up for a full season. Congrats, Patricia Heaton.

Eastwick. I predicted this show to bomb. It has been canceled, but ABC is committed to airing all the episodes that have been shot. Guess this beats airing reruns of According to Jim. Though not by much.

FlashForward. I wasn't sure about this one at first. I only gave it a shot because of John Cho. I'm very glad I did--it's one of my favorite new shows. The fiancé and I treat each episode like a movie event, complete with popcorn and dimmed lights. Don't judge.

V. I didn't think I would like this. I was right. The fiancé has gotten me to sit through all four episodes. With each one, my soul dies a little more.

The Forgotten. Who watches this show? Anybody? Bueller?

CBS:

Accidentally on Purpose. I predicted it to bomb. It's holding its own. I guess audiences like their cougars. Congrats, Jon Foster--you're finally on a non-cancelled show!

NCIS: LA. It's doing spectacular. No surprise, with the legions of NCIS fans out there. Congrats, LL Cool J and Chris O'Donnell.

Three Rivers: I predicted it to bomb. It has been canceled. CBS may or may not air the remaining episodes. I'm sad for Daniel Henney. Hey, maybe Grey's Anatomy will pick him up. He's definitely worthy of a McNickname.

The Good Wife: It got rave reviews, and it's doing great for CBS. Congrats to Julianna Margulies. I still can't spell your name without the help of Google, but you seem to be doing a nice job on the show.

NBC:

Trauma/Mercy: I put these together because they are basically the same show. One of them is about nurses, and the other is about EMTs. I think. And one of them is canceled and one of them is barely hanging on. I don't care enough to look into this further.

Community: I like Joel McHale from The Soup. I watched about fifteen minutes of this before I couldn't take it any longer. Sorry, Joel. I think NBC could go either way with this show, and since they don't have much else in the way of comedy, look for it to stick around.

Fox:

Brothers. It's right up there with Viva Laughlin as the most laughably horrendous show in history. At least that's what I hear. I haven't seen a second of it. Kudos to the show for introducing a wheelchair-bound character though.

Glee. Speaking of wheelchairs, this is another of my favorite new shows of the season. You can't watch Glee without a smile on your face. It is scientifically impossible. Also: Every Wednesday night, my Facebook is inundated with status updates about people watching this show. And yet, it does just aiiight in the ratings. What gives? I think Sue Sylvester needs to give Nielsen a call.

The Cleveland Show. This is a spinoff of Family Guy, a show my fiancé got me into. Neither he nor I have seen a second of The Cleveland Show. Yay for diversity. Yay for bear neighbors. That's all I got for this show.

The CW:

Melrose Place. Love it, love it. Love that Ashlee Simpson-Wentz is leaving the show. Sad about Colin Egglesfield's departure. Love Ella Sims. She might be the coolest and baddest new girl on TV. Does anyone else think it's weird that neither Thomas Calabro, Heather Locklear, Josie Bissett nor Laura Leighton appear to have aged a day from the original Melrose?

The Beautiful Life: TBL. I had this show paired with Melrose as a hit this season, and boy was I wrong. In my defense, I had not seen any of this show before giving my prediction. Still. Lesson learned. If Mischa Barton's in it, it will probably fail.

The Vampire Diaries. I call it a rainy day show because it's not something you have to watch immediately, but it's more than sufficient for a rainy day with nothing to do. Also, Stefan, played by the handsome Paul Wesley: He's all the reason you need to watch this show.

That's a wrap!

The Vampire Diaries: Thumb Sideways. The Beautiful Life: TBZzzzzzzz

Three posts in one night? Did somebody watch too much TV this weekend? I think yes.

I tried two new series tonight, The Vampire Diaries and The Beautiful Life: TBL. One sucked, and the other one was The Beautiful Life. Haha. Get it?

Now since TVD (I'd rather not call it just VD) premiered ten days ago, I had two episodes to watch. The premiere was eh. But it had a kickin' soundtrack, and there was just something about the characters, particularly Elena (Nina Dobrev from Degrassi, holla) and the creepy yet cute stalker vampire, and Stefan (the young soldier from Army Wives who tried to hook up with Claudia Joy's teenage daughter). I didn't care much for Ian Somerhalder, who looks about 40 years old. Nor did I care for Elena's druggie brother (what a cliche), or their aunt, who by the way looks exactly like the brother's ex-girlfriend. Um, casting? Yeah--diversity needed. PRONTO. The show didn't blow me away, and I had another episode in the can, so I watched it, and by the end, I started to like the show a little more. No, it's not appointment television, but it's worth downloading for a rainy day.

The Beautiful Life. Twenty minutes in, and I wanted to strangle myself. The characters were UNINTERESTING. Also, I could not understand a word they were saying, partly because several of them spoke with a vague British accent. And I couldn't keep track of everyone's connection to everyone else. And Mischa Barton annoyed me. (By the way, why is she so angsty in every show she's on?) And I couldn't get over that poor Corbin Bleu from High School Musical. He had the worst storyline of everybody. He had the dream job of being a DJ or something, and he hooked up with some older lady who ran an agency or something. Zzzzz. At the end of the episode, the blonde made a corny joke about how the new model guy had to sleep in her room. "Where?" "On the floor." The end. But thanks, TBL, for freeing up my Wednesdays to watch Glee. Yay!