Now that we are three weeks into fall premieres, the reviews are out. As expected, Modern Family was a hit (the Emmys agreed with us, too), but are the major casting changes to Glee and The Office causing us to tune out? How did Whitney, New Girl and other new shows stack up? Read below to find out what’s worth squeezing into your schedule this semester.
Modern Family
Riding on the tails of four Emmys (Supporting Actor and Actress, Best Direction and Best Writing), the first new episodes of our favorite dysfunctional family haven’t disappointed. Modern Family is back with new laughs and a highly anticipated, new Lilly. The double-feature premiere (please, ABC, can we have an hour of Modern Family every week?) was full of quick dialogue, hilarious montages and memorable quotes. This comedy doesn’t usually stick to a single plot line for very long, but we’re looking forward to following Cam and Mitchell’s road to adopt another baby (and, inevitably, Haley’s road to find another boyfriend) as well as plenty of other crazy schemes. Check out this list of season three hints from Executive Producer Christopher Lloyd: http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/09/21/season-3-modern-family-sofia-vergara-ty-burrel/.
Pan Am
With its dazzling stars and dreamy visuals, Pan Am is a whirlwind hour of romance, opportunity and espionage. The pilot episode put in the time to help establish storylines for our four main stewardesses (from the affair-no-more of elegant Collette to the wedding woes of new girl Laura), which opened up the possibility for more subplots; however, the series seems to be flying high on the “promise of adventure.” There’s plenty to love, from smooth-talking pilots to toe-tapping Sinatra songs, but don’t expect Pan Am to delve deep into era issues of sexism or the Cold War. This hour-long flight will simply focus on the day-to-day drama of being part of a “new breed of women” in the 1960s, whether that takes us to London, Rome, or seat 3D.
Whitney
From her voiced-over introduction, Whitney is taped in front of a live studio audience. You heard me,”title star Whitney Cummings’ mix of smart and sassy drives this half-hour sitcom about modern relationships. Though the comedy takes its turn with tried-and-true relationship humor and the supporting cast covers pretty much every rom-com stereotype in the book, Whitney definitely has potential to shine (NBC thinks so, too – the show earned the highest rating of its new fall comedies). Whitney’s amusing look at “happily unmarried life” with her loveable boyfriend Alex is endearing and, at times, oddly familiar; however, until Whitney picks up a solid plot and NBC loses the overbearing laugh track, the show will continue to feel more like a stand-up routine.
Glee
Season one was stellar. In season two, we overlooked the slow writing and strained song choices (mainly because of the introduction of golden boy Chord Overstreet). This year, many Glee fans are beginning to lose interest, resulting in a 32 percent decrease in viewers for the premiere episode. By now, Sue’s character is a total stretch (seriously, how would she even still be allowed on campus?), to one end of the spectrum as Mr. Schue’s moral-filled optimism is to the other. Quinn is on a short-lived rebellion streak and most songs are still centered on the dynamic duo of Kurt and/or Rachel. Does this mean we’ve stopped watching? If the addition of an adorable, blazer-less Blaine, the whim of West Side Story and Puck’ssweet reunion with baby Beth are any indication, we’ll keep tuning in. According to EW.com, episode 3X03 was “one of the series’ best episodes ever”; Glee fans, you might have something to sing about after all.
The Office
Steve Carrell was endearing in this summer’s Crazy, Stupid, Love, but returning to The Office just wasn’t the same without our favorite boss. The premiere wasn’t without its share of exciting news – both Pam and Angela are pregnant – and hilarious moments (a well-deserved spoof on the trend of “planking”) and perhaps the biggest shocker of all: Andy “Nard Dog” Bernard has scored top spot at Dunder Mifflin, and is spending the first few episodes winning over the approval of his coworkers (er … employees). Side-stepping all skeptical predictions, The Office is on-track with its blunt honesty and loveable characters. Hopefully Andy’s promotion isn’t the biggest shock of the season and the writers still have plenty of surprises in store.
New Girl
It’s hard not to fall in love with Zooey Deschanel. She is adorable as the quirky, charming Jess in NBC’s fall comedy New Girl and viewers (a record-setting 10.1 million for the premiere) agree. Having both a mini meltdown and several supermodel friends lands her three male roommates; the result of which is a mix of fast-paced dialogue, pop culture references and “male-knows-best” advice. All four main characters are interesting and personable, but Jess’ over-the-top “loveable loser” persona can be either hit or miss sometimes (Hillbilly teeth and “Hey Sailor?” Come on. Burning my hair with a smoking curling iron? OK, maybe … ). The show had a solid start and very few slow moments, in my opinion. Think differently? Go put a dollar in the “douchebag jar.”