Although a few new programs debuted earlier this month, today is the official kickoff of the Fall 2013 TV season.
There are over 30 new shows coming up in the next few months, in addition to several returning favorites. To put it simply, this is the best time of the year to be a TV fan, as there’s something for almost everyone to watch and enjoy.
Recently, we put up a complete schedule of air dates for the new and returning TV series. But there are five shows in particular that have our complete attention. At least two of them are blockbuster hits in the making, while the others show some promise… for comedy if they don’t work as dramas.
The 5 Most Anticipated Fall TV Shows
-
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Network: ABC
Premiere: Tuesday, September 24Perhaps the biggest no-brainer of the fall season. “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” may be going up against TV’s top rated show, “NCIS,” but it also has the full backing of ABC, Disney, Marvel and a legion of Joss Whedon fans.
“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” also has a direct link to the Marvel Studios movies with Clark Gregg’s beloved Agent Phil Coulson, who is somehow back from the dead and leading a new team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in new adventures.
We caught the pilot at Comic-con and at the TCA and it played well both times. If the rest of the season can maintain that quality and the audience sticks with it, this could get a fast renewal from ABC.
-
The Tomorrow People
Network: The CW
Premiere: Wednesday, October 9You know how Fox has Zooey Deschanel and Emily Deschanel on two different shows? The CW is locking up the Amell cousins, with Stephen Amell on “Arrow” and Robbie Amell on “The Tomorrow People.”
“The Tomorrow People” is based on a British TV series from the ‘70s that mixed in elements of The X-Men with sci-fi. It’s the whole “hated and feared by a world that doesn’t understand them” thing.
When Hollywood veers outside of Marvel or DC superheroes it’s usually a trainwreck. We haven’t seen enough of The Tomorrow People to tell how it will hold up. But even if it’s bad, it should make for some great unintentional comedy.
-
Dracula
Network: NBC
Premiere: Friday, October 25
NBC’s “Dracula” is another show that could venture into unintentional comedy if the execution isn’t there. But it has a major asset in its star, Jonathan Rhys Meyers; who still has a strong following from The Tudors and he has experience in period pieces.
Meyers’ Dracula takes some liberties with Bram Stoker’s original tale that may put the title character in a more heroic light as he seeks vengeance against those who transformed him into a vampire.
More intriguingly, Dracula’s greatest ally may be his longtime nemesis, Abraham Van Helsing (Thomas Kretschmann).
-
Almost Human
Network: Fox
Premiere: Monday, November 4“Sleepy Hollow” may be from the creators of “Fringe,” but “Almost Human” is the brainchild of J.H. Wyman, one of the writers who made “Fringe” into the great series that it became.
“Almost Human” takes place over 30 years in the future, as police officer John Kennex (Karl Urban) gets a new android partner named Dorian (Michael Ealy). Fox has often tried to find a way to combine the procedural aspects of a police drama with a genre show. “Almost Human” seems like it may have the right mix. And with Whyman at the helm, it could maintain the imagination of “Fringe” as well.
-
Mob City
Network: TNT
Premiere: Wednesday, December 4For the first time since AMC removed him from The Walking Dead, Frank Darabont is back on TV with a much anticipated period drama set at the height of the war between the LAPD and Mickey Cohen’s mob during the late 1940s in Los Angeles.
Former “Walking Dead’ stars Jon Bernthal and Jeffrey DeMunn have leading roles in “Mob City” alongside an impressive cast that includes Neal McDonough, Milo Ventimiglia and even Simon Pegg in the pilot episode!
“Mob City” is only getting six episodes in its first season and it’s coming out in a traditionally quiet month for TV. But the short run may work to its advantage since few other dramas will have new episodes in December. TNT has been hyping this one for a while. If Darabont can deliver again, “Mob City” will be a huge hit.
