After previewing ABC‘s and NBC‘s new fall shows, we move onto Fox. Unlike NBC and ABC, Fox’s lineup of new shows isn’t very long. As a matter of fact there are only three new shows. Glee has already premiered back in May (check it out here), and The Cleveland Show is a spinoff of Family Guy. So essentially the only truly new show that hasn’t premiered yet is Brothers. Overall I think Glee and The Cleveland Show have potential, but I think Brothers will quickly find it’s way off our televisions. So let’s get down to what I think of Fox’s new shows.
#1 Glee
Back in the spring Fox aired the pilot of Glee in order to start creating buzz for the show. For those of you who missed the pilot you are still able to check out the pilot of Glee on Hulu. After watching the pilot of Glee in the spring, I had mixed feelings. I liked the idea for the show. I actually like musicals and I want a show that uses the musical format to actually be successful on television.
Glee shows the potential to be a very good show. Some work needs to be done though in order to reach that potential. Something was missing from the pilot that needs to be addressed. Maybe it was just the fact that it was the pilot but something was missing in my opinion. I have faith in the series though since I think it has the groundwork in place to be a very good show. With time to develop, I think Glee should be able to reach it’s potential.
While the premiere didn’t do as well as Fox was probably expecting, I think Glee will have no trouble attracting viewers. While it was risky premiering the pilot early, I think it was a very good idea. This whole summer people have been able to spread buzz about the series and I believe that will allow Glee to essentially keep all of it’s audience from the spring premiere. There is even a slim chance that its ratings could improve. Plus Fox has been promoting the show like crazy so I would be shocked if Glee was cancelled early.
#2 The Cleveland Show
The show that seemed to take forever to actually see the light of day will finally premiere this fall. I am a fan of Family Guy (more of the earlier episodes than the more recent episodes) so I am obviously going to give The Cleveland Show a shot. I am a little worried about the show though. I think The Cleveland Show will do fine in the ratings, but I am worried about whether it will be funny enough.
In Family Guy, Cleveland was a pretty good character but I don’t know if he is able to carry his own show. Unless the new characters help carry the weight, I don’t know how long the series can remain funny. I also worry that I really haven’t found any of the clips to be that funny. Maybe it was just a bad choice of clips but the show is going to have to do a better job if it wants to keep my attention. One final thing I am worried about is that The Cleveland Show appears to be more serious than Family Guy. Family’s Guys funniest moments come from the “daydream” sequences. While I am guessing they will still be present in The Cleveland Show, I don’t think they will be as frequent.
I hope for the best for The Cleveland Show. I am just worried that it is not going to live up to my expectations. Maybe it will flourish and be as funny as the earlier Family Guy seasons. I have a feeling though it is going to be more like the recent seasons of Family Guy which have been in quite a slump.
#3 Brothers
I really don’t have very high expectations for Brothers. Simply put the show looks like a very average comedy at best. I really haven’t found any of the clips to be that funny. If that is the best the show has to offer (which generally is what clips are supposed to show), I don’t think the show will last very long on my schedule or on Fox. Michael Strahan is a better actor than I would have guessed but I think his act will get boring pretty quickly. The show just doesn’t appear to have much substance behind it.
I honestly would be shocked if Brothers was a hit. I think there is a much greater chance that the show turns into the next Do Not Disturb which ended up only lasting three episodes I believe. The show has too much working against it. First, Fox has not developed a good non-animated comedy in years. Second, with a lead-in like ‘Til Death (which doesn’t have an audience to begin with) there is little to no chance that it will get any help. Third, being on Friday is a death timeslot. CBS is pretty much the only network that does well on Fridays and I don’t think this year will change for Fox.
Unless the clips don’t do the show justice, I don’t think Brothers will last on my television schedule for very long and I think shortly after it will be canceled.
Tomorrow I will delve into CBS’ new fall lineup which fails to really excite me at all.
