The TV Addict 

With the exception of LOST, I have a feeling that FOX is going to own the ratings this year. Just a gut feeling I got after checking the major network’s sites on the new season. And Sci-Fi channel seem to be taking it in the nads with 25% of their viewers having vanished.

It was actually 8 individual discs (one for each show) in a beyond-awesome package that made me feel like a special Emmy voter or critic. I’m still very speechless since getting the package. Thank you TV Guide and FOX and please don’t let this be the last screener I get!!!

Since I just got the package this morning and hyperventalated for about an hour (and had to wait for a power outage to be fixed), I’ve only seen the Prison Break premiere. I’ll respect FOX’s wishes and not give anything away, but it was an awesome premiere. The subplots which are usually quite dull really grabbed my attention. William Fitchner (now creditied as Bill Fitchner) is an excellenet new development and the perfect obstacle for the runaways to face. It’s still the edge-of-your-seat thriller we love about Prison Break. I’m off to go check out Vanished.

Haha, well at least when it comes to the FOX shows, they’ll be premiering very shortly.

So I just watched Vanished. Okay, this IS the new Prison Break. It has those negligible flaws (going overboard with attempts to be flashy including the X-Ray zooms and out-of-place camera angles). However it is gripping and you’ll be tempted to see how this story plays out. It also proposes that same question of the legs this show has beyond this season (if the story can even stay fresh for an entire 22 episode run). Unlike the epitome of television thrillers, 24, the show throws all its plot twists into the pilot so they can draw upon them as the season progresses. 24, on the other hand, builds stories from its out-of-nowhere plot twists as they come naturally over the coarse of the season. The effect that this brings to Vanished is a level of absurdity, bringing out the second Prison Break comparison: the show requires a suspension of disbelief. The final comparison I would make is the season’s new Veronica in the form of the agitating female TV reporter portrayed by Rebecca Gayheart. However, the story drives the show and, as I said before, the story is plenty intriguing if you’re willing to go along for the ride.

I’m skipping over House and Bones being that I still have some of last season’s episodes of my TiVo. But I’ll be back to report my thoughts on Standoff in an hour or so. I am on such a TV high!

Just finished Standoff and I have to say, it was without a doubt the best of what I’ve seen so far in the package!

It’s hard not to compare the new shows to their network counterparts, especially when as a concept, Standoff seems very similar to Bones. But the show stands out and has a very different look and feel from Bones. It actually seems much less dark and somewhat more suspenseful. Rather than the traditional crime drama formula of throwing you for a loop for an hour until the real criminal is unleashed, we meet out villain from the start and the characters get to talk him out of committing the crime. It’s fresh and very interesting to see this being played out. The characters are fairly one-note, but the actors hit that note to perfection. Gina Torres as the anal boss seems to be the only supporting character, but that’s really all the show needs (and, yes, she is excellent, taking what could be a very dull character and making her all the more appealing). While I’ll hold off until I see the other three pilots, I’m ready to declare this the best of FOX’s crop of new shows.

Now I’m off to take TV Addict’s advice and check out Justice. I’ll check back here shortly.

Final post for now. Just finished FOX’s two new comedies “‘Til Death” and “Happy Hour.”
These were certainly the end of my TV high. “Til Death” is the superior of the two but that isn’t saying much. The biggest surprise was the amateurish acting from a TV great like Brad Garrett, though the writing could be at fault there. Instead, the highlight of the show was Garrett’s TV wife Joely Fisher. She makes the best of what she has to work with and was my only source of laughter. The majority of the pilot was cringe inducing, especially anything involing the newlywed couple next door. Perhaps the biggest problem ailing the show is how gimmicky it comes off. Each act starts off with young children giving their thoughts on who they will marry (leave the cutesy kid interviews to Grover on “Sesame Street”) and the annoying counter that lets us know how long each couple has been married in the beginning of the episode.
Then came “Happy Hour” which had absolutely nothing to redeem itself throughout the entire 22 mintues. Beth Lacke as the overeating, desperate friend/boss can come off as humurous, but only when you’re grasping for an ounce of comedy in a sitcom that is sorely lacking.

Overall, I’m so incredibly grateful FOX and TV Guide put together this package and ecstatic that I received it. There’s a chance I wouldn’t be sticking to “Vanished,” “Standoff,” and “Justice” if I’d had to watch them amidst a flurry of other debuting and returning series. And now I’ve gotten to view them before the chaos that can become of the fall season and can say that I highly recommend FOX’s new dramas. If I end up watching House and Bones before this thread drifts off the front page I’ll share my thoughts.
And thank you TV Addict for this great site!

It was a very fun day. How did you get a screener for The Nine?