2009 Fall TV Planner

- So You Think You Can Dance season 6 starts on Weds., 9/9 despite being a Tues./Weds. show. The first audition episode is Boston.

- V is set to start on Nov. 3, replacing Shark Tank.

- The Closer is slated to return with new episodes in December. The last time they did a December run it was just a few episodes to tide us over to the next season, not sure if this will be the same.

- Glee starts on 9/2 instead of 9/9 with a replay of the pilot which they first showed in May.

I was working on planning for myself and thought I would share my research. If changes occur I will update as I have them. And yes, I am a complete TV junkie! I only included Prime Time TV. Also, though this is technically for the Fall season I am including anything that overlaps with that but started in the summer (such as Project Runway); for those shows, when available, I included an end date.

All times are Eastern/Pacific. If you are not in those time zones (like me, I am in Denver) then you may need to shift and/or search your local listings. For me, in Denver, things are typically just an hour earlier.

Sorry for the multiple tables, but with page width I had to do 1 day per table.

Descriptions for new shows are located beneath each day's table.

* = new show, see overviews after the day tables

ABC – Lost, The Bachelor, Better Off Ted, Scrubs, Happytown*, The Deep End*, V*

CBS – Miami Trauma*, The Bridge*, Undercover Boss*, Arranged Marriage*, Rules of Engagement

CW – Life UneXpected* (previously Parental Discretion Advised)

Fox – 24, American Idol, Past Life*, Human Target*, Sons of Tucson*

NBC – Chuck, The Apprentice, Celebrity Apprentice, Parenthood*, Day One*, 100 Questions*, The Marriage Ref*, Who Do You Think You Are?*

Accidentally on Purpose – CBS | Cast includes Jenna Elfman (Dharma and Greg), Grant Show (Swingtown, Melrose Place) | The general premise for this half hour sitcom is that Elfman’s character has a one night stand with a guy in his early 20s after breaking up with her boss and end up “accidentally” pregnant.  Then, the guy moves in to help, and it sounds like that was not her intention, nor is she prepared to have someone so immature around.  Sounds possibly good, I will watch it if I have time.

The Forgotten – ABC | Cast includes Christian Slater (My Own Worst Enemy, and the list goes on) | Another Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI, Cold Case, and so on) show, I will likely watch it for that reason alone; the fact that Christian Slater is in it is a huge added bonus!  The show is about a group of people from varying walks of life who work with a former detective (Slater) to identify the bodies of victims in unsolved cases which then opens up the ability to solve the case.  It sounds a bit like Cold Case, but with civilians and unidentified victims.  I love Cold Case, so I am sure this is right up my alley.

The Good Wife – CBS | Cast includes Juliana Margulies (ER), Chris Noth (Law & Order:  CI, Sex and the City), Josh Charles (In Treatment, Sports Night | Margulies plays a woman whose husband ends up in prison forcing her to go back to work as a lawyer to support their 2 children.  I want to give this one a shot, and will if I can squeeze it in without dropping from exhaustion!

Melrose Place – CW | Cast includes Laura Leighton and Thomas Calbro (the original Melrose Place), Colin Egglesfield (All My Children), Jonah Miller (Swingtown), Ashlee Simpson-Wentz | The network is running with the success with 90210 and has moved on to another remake.  Leighton is back to take over for Heather Locklear’s Amanda as the landlord and Calabro is back in what sounds to me like a merging of his previous character and the character played by Jack Wagner.  I have to admit I have been anxiously awaiting this one, I was a huge fan of the original.

NCIS:  Los Angeles – CBS | Cast includes Chris O’Donnell (Grey’s Anatomy, numerous movies), LL Cool J (In the House, numerous movies) | Those of us that watch the original NCIS got a glimpse of the new show last season in a two-episode story that combined members from both casts.  The new show is set in the NCIS Office of Special Projects where they handle some of the country’s most dangerous criminals and they do so with a lot of cool technology.  Word has it we will see a lot of back and forth between the two chows character-wise.  This show is definitely on my list, despite Tuesday being a mess for me, I need 2 DVRs!

The Beautiful Life: TBL – CW | Cast includes Mischa Barton (The O.C.),  Elle Macpherson | Ashton Kutcher is listed as the creator of this new show, but the description is sounding suspiciously like “Models, Inc”, a short lived spin-off of the original “Melrose Place.”  Essentially models learn about the cut throat modeling industry while living in a residence for models.  We’ll see if they even manage to get the season together with the problems Barton has had keeping it together.  This is not on my list at all.

Cougar Town – ABC | Cast includes Courteney Cox (Friends) and Busy Philips (Dawson’s Creek) | I must admit, the whole “cougar” thing annoys the hell out of me.  I felt a little better when I discovered that the name of the show is largely derived from the name of the high school football team in the town the show is set in.  However, Courteney Cox does play a newly single woman who ends up pursuing younger men.  The redeeming factor, for me, is Busy Philips—I loved her in Dawson’s Creek.  Because of her I will at least start the season with it on my list of shows to watch.

Eastwick – ABC | Cast includes Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty; the X-Men movies), Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle; Beverly Hills, 90210), Jaime Ray Newman (Eureka, Mental, General Hospital) | This show is based on the John Updike book and 1987 movie The Witches of Eastwick, about 3 women in a small seaside town who find themselves to be witches and what ensues as they become closer and then encounter a man who fires them all up.  I am hoping this is good, because I am a fan of the story; it is definitely on my list.

Glee – Fox | Cast includes Jane Lynch (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Jessalyn Gilsig (Heroes, Nip/Tuck) | I had planned to watch the series premiere when they showed it towards the end of last season, but forgot.  It sounds really good.  A teacher takes on the task of trying to get the schools Glee Club to the Nationals.  If you have not seen at least one of the numerous previews they have shown you must never watch Fox.  It is definitely on my list.

Hank – ABC | Cast includes Kelsey Grammer (Frasier) | In a nutshell, Wall Street CEO loses his job and has to move his family back to his old, small hometown and learn to live far below his previous means.  The premise is very fitting for current times for sure.  Kelsey Grammer is great, and for that fact I will add it to my “watch if it fits my schedule” list.

Launch My Line – Bravo | The latest fashion design reality show | The hosts are the two guys behind DSQUARED2.  Let’s hope it is better than The Fashion Show!  I will squeeze it in if I can, I must admit to an obsession with these shows, I even watched The Fashion Show all the way through the season, despite the pain it caused my brain!

Mercy – NBC | Cast includes Delroy Lindo (Kidnapped, numerous movies), Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) | Yet another medical drama (what was NBC thinking with 2 in one season?), this one focus on the lives of 3 nurses and their take on hospital life.  I guess I will take a peek at it if I have time.

The Middle – ABC | Cast includes Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond) | Middle aged wife and mother of three who lives in the middle of nowhere (AKA some small town in Indiana), that seems to be generally the focus, with her and her husband and kids all being a bit quirky and goofy.  For me, it is on my “watch it if there is nothing else on” list…I am sure it is funny but it is not the type of thing I get excited about.

Modern Family – ABC | Cast includes Ed O’Neill (Dragnet, Married with Children) and Julie Bowen (Boston Legal, Ed) | Viewed from the perspective of a documentary filmmaker (that it seems won’t appear) 3 families (one blended, one “typical”, one gay couple with adopted baby) live their lives and hit the typical bumps in the road.  I am torn on this one, it sounds like it has potential to either be fabulous or a disappointment, I will give it a shot if it fits the schedule for me.

Community – NBC | Cast includes Chevy Chase (SNL, numerous movies) | A new half-hour sitcom, note that it moves to the 8:30 slots after “SNL Weekend Update Thursdays” ends.  In short—a bunch of misfits attend junior college and bond in a study group.  I have seen some of the previews and they made me laugh, and I love Chevy Chase…so, if I can squeeze it into my tight Thursday, I will.

Flash Forward – ABC | Cast includes Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), Courtney B. Vance (Law & Order:  CI), Peyton List (Mad Men, As the World Turns) | That just touches the surface of an amazing cast full of familiar names, not to mention a director (David S. Goyer) involved in varying ways in some amazing movies including story credits for The Dark Knight and Batman Begins.  The oversimplification of the story is that everyone in the world blacks out at the same time for over 2 minutes, and during that blackout they get a peek at their lives 6 months in the future.  We then follow certain characters as they either hope the glimpse was true or dread that it may actually happen.  This show has been at the top of my list since I first heard about it.

Brothers – Fox | Cast includes Michael Strahan (football player and sportscaster), CCH Pounder (The Shield) | Retired NFL player goes home to Texas to help with his brother’s failing restaurant and gets sucked back in to his family and the role he has always played in it.  This is not a show on my list of things to watch.

The Cleveland Show – Fox | Animated | A spin-off for character Cleveland Brown from the animated show “The Family Guy.”  I don’t watch “The Family Guy,” so this is not on my list.

100 Questions – NBC | Cast is all relatively new players | In this half-hour comedy a woman turns to an online dating site to find love.  The site has you fill out a questionnaire to determine your personality (sounds like eHarmony to me), and this launches her in to looking back on her life and learning about herself.  It is a James Burrows show (Will & Grace), so that makes it worth checking out to me.

Arranged Marriage – CBS | Reality show| Three single people who want to get married but have not managed to find “the one” agree to let their friends & family choose a spouse for them.  The show follows from the decision, to the selection, to the marriage and onward.  This could either be incredibly fascinating or frightfully misguided.  I guess I will give it a try if I have the time.

The Bridge – CBS | Cast includes Aaron Douglas (Battlestar Gallactica) | Douglas stars as a police officer selected to head the union and follows his challenges as he interacts with the higher-ups, his fellow officers, etc. and continues to do his job.  Not sure about this one, other than Douglas the show is full of people I have never heard of before.  I am sure I will at least watch the first episode since I like crime shows, but I am not counting on it being any good.

Day One – NBC | Cast includes David Lyons (ER), Julie Gonzalo (Eli Stone) | A random group of residents in a Van Nuys apartment building find themselves to be the survivors of a global catastrophic event and begin the process of figuring out what happened and how to move forward. 

The Deep End – ABC | Cast includes Billy Zane (Is there anything he hasn’t been in?  Most recently though, Samantha Who?), Tina Majorino (Most recently, Big Love, but she has been acting since she was little including the movie When a Man Loves a Woman which is why her name stands out for me.), Clancy Brown (What stands out to me is that he played The Kurgan in the movie The Highlander.) | The basic premise is that 4 recent Law School grads are starting out at one of L.A.’s most prestigious law firms.  It sounds like this task will be made difficult by various dramas going on behind the scenes at the firm including some major power struggles.  It is a great cast, and I think definitely worthy of making my list, though I will admit I am a big fan of legal dramas.

Happy Town – ABC | Cast includes Steven Weber (Without a Trace, Wings), Amy Acker (Dollhouse, Angel), Sam Neill (Crusoe, The Tudors, Jurassic Park) | First, I must say that seeing Amy Acker on the cast list threw me for a loop.  I am hoping this does not mean we will see her character phased out of Dollhouse.  The premise appears to be small town sheriff tries to solve crimes that may be connected to a string of past kidnappings.  I will check it out if I am able, if for no other reason that the fact that I love Amy Acker.

Human Target – Fox | Cast includes Mark Valley (Fringe, Boston Legal), Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies, Boston Public), Danny Glover (a gajillion movies!) | Based on a graphic novel from DC Comics, this show is about a man who works as a bodyguard of sorts and impersonates his clients to draw the fire himself.  For some reason the description made me think of “Quantum Leap” minus the time travel aspect, which would not be a bad thing if done well.  I will give it a try I am sure, especially since I like the cast…hello, Danny Glover!

Life UneXpected – CW | Cast includes Shiri Appleby (Roswell),  Kerr Smith (Dawson’s Creek) | A young girl who has moved from one foster home to the next decides to become emancipated but must first get the approval of her birth parents (Appleby and Smith) which leads her on a journey to find out who they are.  They, in turn, end up with temporary custody of her despite being estranged.  Sounds kind of cute actually, and I really like Shiri Appleby and Kerr Smith.  Definitely on my list of shows to try and squeeze in.

The Marriage Ref – NBC | Hosted by Jerry Seinfeld | Various celebrities will join Seinfeld to provide commentary and their judgment on real life situations between actual spouses.  Not sure what I think of the sound of this…could be funny I guess.  I will try and take a peek if there is time, but it is definitely not my type of show.

Miami Trauma – CBS | Cast includes Jeremy Northam (The Tudors, numerous movies), Lana Parrilla (Swingtown) | Another new show from Jerry Bruckheimer.  A group of surgeons and the staff that support them working at a major trauma facility.  I am surprised to see Jeremy Northam doing television and figure it must be really good scripting for him to make that leap, between that and liking Lana Parilla (I was VERY sad to see Swingtown not continue) I will definitely add this to my list.

Parenthood – NBC | Cast includes Craig T. Nelson (The District, Coach) and Bonnie Bedelia (The Division), it is a huge list with tons of well known names! | Based on the movie, and Executive Produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer.  Let’s hope it does better as a TV show this time around than it did the first time.  Let’s also hope it manages to get off the ground as it is in its second production delay, this time due to Maura Tierney’s health.  This has been at the top of my list since I first began to hear word and see previews because I loved the movie and the cast looks great, so my fingers are crossed that it all comes together!

Past Life – Fox | Cast includes Kelli Giddish (All My Children) | A psychologist (Giddish) works with an NYPD officer to solve various crimes, past and present.  Sounds sort of like Col Case with a psych aspect and that sounds good to me.  I will definitely watch it.

Sons of Tucson – Fox | Cast includes Tyler Labine (Reaper) | Labine stars as a guy hired by 3 brothers whose father is in prison.  We’ll see, not much to go on and I have no idea who any of the cast are, but maybe a preview will grab me.

Undercover Boss – CBS | Cast Reality show | Big wigs go undercover as low man or woman on the totem pole at their company to see things from a new perspective.  Great premise if the focus is on them learning humility and seeing how little they know about what is done to make the company successful and how to do it; awful premise if a joke is made of it or if they use it for their own gain.  I am sure I will check out the first episode out of curiosity but am not holding my breath…

V – ABC | Cast includes Scott Wolf (Everwood, Party of Five), Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost) | Aliens arrive.  We think they are benevolent and accept their gifts and their presence.  We are wrong, they are fooling us.  Don’t let the simplicity of my description fool you, this show is at the top of my list of things to watch, I cannot wait to hear when it will premiere.  I love a good alien story!