Looking Ahead on TV

Those that know me know how much I loved watching Lost. Even at its low points in seasons two and part of three, before things started picking up again, I still faithfully watched the show. Now, it's all over.

So is 24, for that matter. While it lost a lot of its magic several years ago, I still liked to tune in and follow the plot from time to time, just to see what was happening with the characters I liked. While 24 is slated to get a major motion picture, we won't have another season following Jack Bauer around as he saves the free world as we know it from the evil machinations of terrorists and evil governments (sometimes our own).

Heroes was another show like that for me. I enjoyed the first season, struggled through the next two, and finally gave up a few episodes into the fourth. I still read the recaps though, and liked to keep an eye on the characters, ready to return if the story looked any better at any point.

But this season saw the ending/cancellation of several shows I liked. Lost, 24, Heroes, Better Off Ted, and Dollhouse. None of these things came as a huge surprise to me (except maybe Better Off Ted, though that show never seemed like it had a huge audience).



I had already set up my replacement show for Lost earlier this season too - FlashForward - but they canceled that one too! I'm watching through the West Wing currently having never seen it when it was first on the air, and enjoying it immensely, but I just capped off season 5 there and only have two more to watch. So what's next on my slate?

Well, I'll need something to replace Lost and something for West Wing. My first thought was another older show, the Wire. I've never seen any of them, and to be completely honest, I have no idea what the show's about. But a number of people have recommended the show to me and the reviews for the show were pretty stellar. So I ordered that and figured I'd give it a try. It will be my new West Wing - ready to watch whenever I have a free hour or so I want to enjoy.


Replacing Lost will be a bit harder. Like I said, my first thought was FlashForward, but that's not possible anymore. Other shows that are currently on the air that I'm considering are V or Fringe. I tried to get into V early on and couldn't, only being able to watch the first three episodes of the four-part miniseries. From what I read, it never really got its feet until the season finale. From what I understand, that one episode had more to it than the entire rest of the season. Not a stellar endorsement for the show, but if season two is able to keep up, I could be persuaded to give it a try again.

Fringe, on the other hand, I've already seen the first season to and loved it. The characters were interesting, and the plots were really good. I heard some complaints that the first season had a very "monster of the week" feel to it, but I have to say, watching it myself, I didn't get that impression. People are liking the metaplot that Season Two brings, and that encourages me. The problem here is that I would have to get and watch all of Season Two before Season Three hits the air, and generally they don't release the DVDs with a lot of lead time.

There are a few shows coming up on the major networks that look interesting too. Not many, mind you, but only one needs to be good.


Undercovers
(Spy Action/Drama, Wednesdays 8pm)
Steven Bloom (Boris Kodjoe) and Samantha (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) are a married Los Angeles couple who own a small catering company helped along by Samantha's easily frazzled younger sister Lizzy (Jessica Parker Kennedy).

Secretly, the duo were two of the CIA's best spies until they fell in love on the job five years ago and retired. When fellow spy and friend Nash (Carter MacIntyre) goes missing, the Blooms are reinstated by boss Carlton Shaw (Gerald McRaney) to locate and rescue him.

Thrust back into the world of espionage as they follow leads that span the globe, the pair realise this supercharged undercover lifestyle provides the excitement and romance that their marriage has been missing.

Ben Schwartz also stars. J.J. Abrams, Josh Reims and Bryan Burk will produce.

This one I particularly like because it is written by JJ Abrams. Other than that, I have no reason for wanting to see this show. I'm not a big fan of spy shows in the first place, but who knows. It could be good.


Terra Nova
(Sci-Fi Drama, Mid-Season)
An epic family adventure 85 million years in the making. The action-adventure series follows an ordinary family from the future on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a part of a massive expedition to save the human race..

Steven Spielberg (“Jurassic Park,” “The Pacific”), Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga (24, “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and David Fury (24, “Lost”) will produce.

This is the only sci-fi show to really hit this season, I think. I don't have high hopes for it - usually these kinds of shows come out all cheesy - but I'm willing to give it a try.


The Event
(Drama/Thriller, Mondays 9pm)
A high-octane conspiracy thriller about Sean Walker (Jason Ritter), an everyman who investigates the mysterious disappearance of his fiancee, Leila (Sarah Roemer), and unwittingly begins to expose a global conspiracy that could ultimately change the fate of mankind.



An eclectic band of strangers soon find their lives affected by his investigations - his shadowy father-in-law (Scott Patterson), the leader of a mysterious group of detainees (Laura Innes), and the newly elected U.S. President Martinez (Blair Underwood).

Ian Anthony Dale and Zeljko Ivanek also star.

Now this is the one I really hope will prove to be good. It sounds like one of those massive conspiracy-type shows that I like. Just don't screw it up or get yourselves canceled before being able to show anything!


No Ordinary Family
(Superhero Dramedy, Tuesdays 8pm)
After 16 years of marriage, Jim and Stephanie's relationship lacks the spark it once had, and their family life now consists of balancing work and their two children. During a family vacation set up by Jim in an attempt to reconnect, their plane crashes into the Amazon River.

Surviving the incident, each of them discover they now possess unique and distinct superpowers. But saving and savoring their family life will be equally important, as they try to find purpose for their new powers and embark on a journey to find out what defines and unifies them.

Michael Chiklis, Julie Benz, Romany Malco, Tate Donovan, Autumn Reeser, Christina Chang, Kay Panabaker, and Jimmy Bennett star..

Finally, there's a new superhero show. I'm nervous that it's billed as a "dramedy", and as far as a premise goes, it sounds like it's not going to be all that good, but I'm a sucker for superhero shows.


Other shows I'm interested in but that aren't going to be coming up on any of the major networks are Song of Fire & Ice (which I don't know when is coming out) and Walking Dead (which I've been told is being produced, but not sure when it comes on).



In the end, I think the best bet of the bunch will be Fringe. It's got a proven track record already and has cleared the difficult part of not being canceled or dropped in the first season. Just need to figure out how I can catch up on the second season before the third one launches.