ABC Fall 2009 Preview

The new fall season is coming soon and I thought it was time to start looking at the new shows that will be on television this fall. All this week I will look at what new shows the networks have to offer us this fall.

I will begin with ABC for two reasons. First I have been lucky to have seen all of ABC’s fall pilots already. Second, unless one network comes out of nowhere ABC has easily the most intriguing and exciting new group of fall shows. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if ABC had at least 3 or 4 of the top 5 new network shows.

So what makes ABC’s slate so interesting? I honestly don’t know if I have seen a more impressive slate of shows on one network since ABC’s amazing 2004 season where shows such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Grey’s Anatomy premiered.

In the 1990’s ABC was one of the must see networks for comedies. They had several great comedies. Lately ABC has struggled on the comedy front. It’s not that all their comedies have been bad (I am a fan of Scrubs and Better Off Ted). All of their comedies have tanked on the ratings front, and quite a few also weren’t very good either. It seemed like ABC might never regain it’s status of having good comedies. After this year I think that will change. For comedy fans, ABC will be a must watch on Wednesdays.

It doesn’t stop with the comedies though. ABC has brought along some great new dramas as well. Sci-fi fans might be sad to see Lost go in the spring, but ABC is not leaving sci-fi fans hanging. ABC has the makings of two great sci-fi dramas which could easily be the two best new shows of the season.

So without further ado let’s get to my list of the best new shows on ABC this fall (remember to check back as I will have full reviews of every show as it gets closer to their premieres.):

© Bob D'Amico/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#1a Flash Forward

It’s really not that surprising that Flash Forward tops the list. Flash Forward is being promoted as the next Lost. While I think that is a little premature, I can’t deny that Flash Forward is a great drama that actually has the potential to be the next Lost.

Ever since I heard of Flash Forward, I was anticipating the series. I thought it had the making of a great series. While the pilot wasn’t perfect, I can see Flash Forward as a future top 5 show. I feared that I would be disappointed after watching the pilot, since I had such high expectations. The pilot might have been a little bit of a disappointment but that is because I had such high expectations for the series.

Unless you hate sci-fi and/or character dramas you must check out Flash Forward this fall.

© Bob D'Amico/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#1b V

If Flash Forward wasn’t enough for sci-fi fans, there is also the treat known as V. V is actually a remake. I have never seen the other iterations of the franchise so I am unable to make comparisons. I can say though that V is a great sci-fi adventure. V is more sci-fi than Flash Forward but if you love sci-fi you are going to love V.

V doesn’t technically start until November but since that is only a month into the fall season, I consider it a part of the fall schedule. I believe V is going to be in a season long battle with Flash Forward for the best new show of the season.

© Ron Tom/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#3 Modern Family

I just love when shows come out of nowhere and shock you. Before checking out the pilot of Modern Family, I didn’t have any expectations for the show. I thought at best the show would be an average comedy. Well my first impression was very, very wrong. Modern Family is simply the top dog as far as new comedies this year. Unless there is another shocker in the comedy category, Modern Family will be the best new comedy of the year.

Modern Family is simply a laugh out loud comedy. Unless the pilot was a fluke, Modern Family will quickly establish itself as one of the best comedies on television. As a matter of fact it might already be in my top five comedies after only one episode. Modern Family might be what the family comedy needed in order to be relevant again. For those of you afraid of the words family comedy after watching an episode of According to Jim, you don’t have to be afraid anymore. Modern Family might go down as the rebirth of the genre.

© Richard Foreman/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#4 The Middle

While not on par with Modern Family, The Middle is still a very good comedy. While I have never seen Malcolm in the Middle before, The Middle reminds me of it. While it is more of a traditional family comedy than Modern Family, it is better than any new family comedy of the last few years.

The Middle has some misses in it’s jokes but it has more hits. It might not have any laugh out loud moments but it provides plenty of chuckles for a half hour show. I worry a little about the lasting power but I plan on keeping The Middle on my television schedule this fall.

© Richard Foreman/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#5 Hank

ABC’s comedies continues with Hank. The subject material of the show is grounded quite well into today’s events (a CEO being fired). The only problem with the series is that it doesn’t stray far from the family comedy genre. It’s far better than According to Jim’s final seasons but it doesn’t provide as many laughs as Modern Family or The Middle.

I think Hank is going to end up being a pretty average comedy. It will be one of those shows that you watch but don’t eagerly anticipate every week.

© Adam Larkey/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#6 Shark Tank

You can check out my full review of Shark Tank, but I don’t know if it really pays. Shark Tank has already premiered and based on the initial ratings, I don’t think it is going to last much longer. Unless it grows an audience pretty quickly it just doesn’t have the ratings to survive in the fall. I personally enjoyed the series but I could see why some people would be turned off. Unless a miracle occurs I don’t think it will end up lasting into the fall so this spot could be filled quite quickly with a new show.

© Kevin Foley/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#7 Eastwick

Being all the way at #7 you would think that Eastwick must be a terrible show. That is not true though. It just shows how truly impressive ABC’s new fall lineup is. At this point Eastwick needs some work but it has the groundwork in place to be a nice dramedy similar to Desperate Housewives. Right now I would consider it to be an average to a slightly above average drama. I question its lasting power but I think it also has the potential to improve to an above average dramedy.

© Michael Desmond/American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.

#8 Cougar Town

In what didn’t turn out to be much of a surprise, I didn’t think Cougar Town was that great. That’s too be expected though as a 21 year old male. Cougar Town is more of a female comedy. It wasn’t terrible but it didn’t stand with the other comedies in my opinion. It had a couple funny jokes and it might improve so I am going to give Cougar Town a second chance. I don’t know how long it is going to stay on my schedule though.

Be sure to check back tomorrow as I preview NBC’s new shows coming this fall.