Series premiere: Modern Life

Series name
Modern Family

Debuts
Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and City, repeating Friday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and City

Regularly airs
Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and City

Premise
A faux documentary about the days in the lives of three families: a gay male couple who’ve recently adopted, an old grump with a young wife and a 30-something couple with kids and lots of schedules and rules. Sound mundane? Just wait.

Primary cast and crew
Ed O’Neill (Married with Kids) is Jay, grumpy man made happier by his young wife. Slightly happier.
Julie Bowen (Ed, Lost) is Claire, harried mother.
Ty Burrell (Back to You, National Treasure) is Phil, harried father.
Sofía Vergara (Dirty Sexy Money) is Gloria, pop tart younger wife.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (The Class, Do Not Disturb) is Mitchell, gay dad.
Eric Stonestreet (Bones, NCIS) is Cameron, the other gay dad.

But what do I know anyway? After having seen only a couple of trailers, I predict…
Well, I have been reading and this is one of the most highly regarded new shows. So who am I to resist the momentum. A++! Although I suppose I should hold off on the second “+” until I actually see it for myself. Which I will do.

Other reviews
The Hollywood Reporter fairly gushes: “Long on heart, brimming with great characters, smartly cast, expertly written and funny from start to finish, “Family” is the obvious choice for best new fall comedy — and possibly best series.”

Tim Goodman over at the San Francisco Chronicle is also smitten: “Modern Family is politically incorrect and viciously spot-on in its send-ups of parents, kids, friends, family in general and, well, pretty much everyone”

Official website
Looks like some potential fun, but first, I must tame the jaysus computer, which does not like abc.com at the moment.

Can’t wait for the next new-series preview?
FlashForward, asap. Premieres Thursday.

Wondering when the other new series and returning series are kicking off?
Click here for my select list of fall 2009 premieres and other important dates. Who am I to tell you what to do, but you could consider bookmarking it…

– Denise Duguay

Series premiere: Cougar Town with Courteney Cox

Series name
Cougar Town

Debuts
Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009 at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC and City, repeating Friday at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC and City

Regularly airs
Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. ET on ABC and City

Premise
Wizened hag of 40 something is dared by a friend to start having fun again five months after her divorce. So she hits the hay with younger men. And offers then crackers and peanut butter. And not in a kinky way.

Primary cast and crew
Courteney Cox (Friends, Scrubs, Dirt) is Jules, successful divorcee with horrible, horrible elbow skin. Such a hag.
Busy Philipps a (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, ER) is Laurie, the friend who gets her into the cougaring game.
Christa Miller (Scrubs) is her other best friend.
Josh Hopkins (Swingtown) is Grayson, the divorced guy across the street from Jules. They rub each other the wrong way. On the surface. Which sounds a bit dirty.

But what do I know anyway? After having seen only the trailer …
I like it. Courteney Cox is fun, although her trauma at discovering pinchy elbow skin? Seriously? However, not sure how much suspension of disbelief I am willing to put into buying Courteney Cox as a mother of an older teenager. Definite maybe. But then again, Wednesday is a busy night on my DVR.

Other reviews
Alan Sepinwall of the New Jersey Star Ledger wisely observes that, while he likes the show and its chances, “Cougar Town has to walk a very careful line between making fun of the cougar concept and embracing it.”

Ken Tucker at ew.com says it manages to make its sex-starved storyline funny rather than vulgar and creepy. He gives it a B.

Official website
Still having the computer problems. Sorry. Will update.

Wondering when the other new series and returning series are kicking off?
Click here for my select list of fall 2009 premieres and other important dates. Who am I to tell you what to do, but you could consider bookmarking it…

– Denise Duguay

Series premiere: Mercy

Series name
Mercy

Debuts
Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and City

Regularly airs
Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and City

Premise
Nurse Jackie, the recently-wrapped great cable series starring Edie Falco, gets carbon copied into an ER template, with a little Grey’s Anatomy PTSD a la Dr. Owen Hunt.

Primary cast and crew
Taylor Schilling is Veronica Callahan, nurse just returned to hospital duty from war with a little baggage and a lot of attitude.
Jamie Lee Kirchner (Just Legal, CSI) is Sonia Jimenez, her chippy nurse colleague.
Michelle Trachtenberg (Gossip Girl, Six Feet Under) is Chloe Payne, brand new nurse who is puppies and sunshine and who should not at all be confused with Nurse Jackie’s newby nurse character called Zoey. Crazy talk.
James Tupper (Men in Trees) is Dr. Chris Sands, new to the hospital and also just back from war. He’s headed to the linen closet with Veronica.
Delroy Lindo (Kidnapped) is hospital boss Dr. Alfred Parks.
Guillermo Diaz (Weeds) is Angel Lopez, nurse.
Liz Heldens (Friday Night Lights) exec produces.

Buzz buzz
Originally intended as a midseason show, it might not be cooked yet in the middle.

But what do I know anyway? After not having seen the pilot, I’ve got a feeling …
Maybe it’s the unrelenting ads pairing Veronica, nurse saviour, with Law & Order: SVU’s Olivia, police protector but I’m sick of this show before I see it. I suppose my ER jones will drive me to try it out, but seems shockingly unoriginal.

Other reviews
USA Today also sees the similarities to Nurse Jackie, and says, quite cleverly, that “No Mercy should be shown.”

Robert Lloyd, at the L.A. Times, counsels patience. It’s good, he says.

Official website
Videos, photos, nurse trivia game and, coming soon!, an interactive nursing station.

Wondering when the other new series and returning series are kicking off?
Click here for my select list of fall 2009 premieres and other important dates. Who am I to tell you what to do, but you could consider bookmarking it…

– Denise Duguay

Series premiere: Eastwick with Paul Gross and Rebecca Romijn

Series name
Eastwick

Debuts
Wednesday, Sept. 23 at 10 p.m. ET on ABC

Regularly airs
Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC

Premise
Three women in cutest small town make a wish at the cutest town fountain and suddenly experience new confidence and each a special power. Then Paul Gross comes to town talking a lot like Jack Nicholson, but with a more dated hairstyle. Based, of course, on the novel and film The Witches of Eastwick, which is where the Nicholson stuff comes from, I guess.

Primary cast and crew
Jaime Ray Newman (Mental, Eureka) is Kat Gardener, a nurse and mother of five with some weather issues.
Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle) is Joanna Frankel, newspaper writer who is suddenly very influential.
Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty) is Roxie Tercoletti, mother, artist, dreamer.
Sara Rue (The Big Bang Theory, Less Than Perfect) is Penny, who feels a little threatened that she’s lost her former BFF Joanna to her witchy new friends and the strange new Nicholsonesque character in town.
Paul Gross (Due South) is Darryl Van Horne, aka Nicholsoneque character who has just bought… everything in town.
Veronica Cartwright (The Nine) is Bun Waverly, head of the local historical society. Not a big fan of ants. Or Darryl.

But what do I know anyway? After having seen the pilot …
I thought I would like this more, but although Romijn is pretty solid as the central character, and there seems to be some intrigue coming up, it’s … flat. Gross is particularly flat, or is written flat. (And is it just me or is he suppressing his natural charm by doing Nicholson?) Maybe things will loosen up in the next few episodes?

Other reviews
The Hollywood Reporter agrees, saying “the spell is weak but there’s a chance for wicked good times.”

Variety, however, loves it.

Official website
I’m having computer issues, but the video crashed my browser twice so I’m giving it a pass.

Wondering when the other new series and returning series are kicking off?
Click here for my select list of fall 2009 premieres and other important dates. Who am I to tell you what to do, but you could consider bookmarking it…

– Denise Duguay