Fall is in the air - and the annual ad blitz that accompanies TV's fall line-up is on the air. The ubiquitous commercials can signal which new shows will be successful and which will be cancelled faster than you can say, "Career suicide."
And since the major networks conveniently provide these commercials and previews of the most hyped new shows on-line as well as on-air, it's not too hard to guess whether a show will survive to see a sophomore season.
"Til Death"
Execs at Fox seem to be hoping that Brad Garrett, who found success playing a bitter, luckless brother on "Everybody Loves Raymond," can strike gold again as a bitter, luckless husband on their new sitcom, "'Til Death." (Thursdays at 8:00 p.m.) Joely Fisher of "Ellen" and a string of failed sitcoms on which she usually played the kooky best friend, co-stars as Garrett's kooky wife, Joy.
The two have lived in wedded ambivalence for 25 years when a chipper pair of newlyweds moves in next door. "'Til Death" is just another sitcom that depicts the wife as demanding and the husband as a fool duped into a sexless life where placation is man's only means of survival. "'Til Death" is not even funny in 30-second commercials, so 30 minutes of Garrett being awkwardly tall and unhappy could prove tedious.
Odds of survival: 0/10.
"Justice"
But Fox may have a success on its hands with the glossy law drama, "Justice." Victor Garber, who played a slimy lawyer in "Legally Blonde" (2001), is playing just that in this new show produced by famed producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
Set in Los Angeles, "Justice" follows a law firm of morally questionable defense lawyers that handle high-profile cases and the media storm surrounding them.
"Justice" concludes with a satisfying depiction of what actually took place at the crime scene. However satisfying, "Justice" shares a time slot (Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m.) with the ABC ratings-grabber, "Lost," and will have to win some serious viewers to make it.
Odds of survival: 6/10
"30 Rock"
After allowing the appalling "Joey" to run for two seasons, NBC is obviously desperate for a hit comedy, and "30 Rock" could do the trick. Tina Fey ("Saturday Night Live") writes, produces and stars in this sitcom which goes behind the scenes of an "SNL"-like production, "The Girlie Show."
Fey plays Liz Lemon, a writer for the show, alongside Alec Baldwin as Jack, an egotistical VP of development for NBC, and Tracy Morgan, an actor brought on to star in the show-within-a-show. Though it will not air until Wednesday, Oct. 11, previews for "30 Rock" are legitimately funny, and given Fey's considerable comic chops, "30 Rock" is capable of making NBC a sitcom force to be reckoned with again.
Odds of survival: 9/10.
"Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"
The cancellation of "The West Wing" also leaves NBC in need of another successful drama, but the network needn't worry. "The West Wing" creator Aaron Sorkin is back with his trademark blend of witty banter and serious plotlines in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." With a star-studded cast and critical praise, the show is primed for success.
Matthew Perry, Bradley Whitford, Amanda Peet and D.L. Hughley all return to television in this show that, much like "30 Rock," gives viewers a look at life behind the scenes of a live sketch comedy show. Starting Sept. 18, the show will air on Sundays at 10:00 p.m. against ratings losers like ABC's "What About Brian."
Odds of survival: 9/10.
"Ugly Betty"
ABC's "Ugly Betty" is the American version of a popular telenovela, but to those inexperienced with Latin American soaps, the sitcom most resembles the mediocre book and even less impressive film, "The Devil Wears Prada" (2006).
"Ugly Betty" tells the story of a homely girl hired to assist an executive at a glossy fashion magazine. This comedy, which stars America Ferrera ("Real Women Have Curves") as Betty, is brought to American audiences by executive producer Salma Hayek. Betty elicits sympathy from viewers and will probably ultimately overcome the mean fashionistas at work, but previews of the show do not provide enough laughs to make watching enjoyable. The girl power begins on Sept. 28 at 8:00 p.m.
Odds of survival: 4/10.
"Help Me Help You"
Not all is lost for ABC, though. "Help Me Help You," a comedy starring Ted Danson, is funny, smart and blessed with a time slot with little competition (Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.) Danson plays Dr. Bill Hoffman, a psychiatrist who holds group sessions with a screwy cast of characters, including a man who doesn't know he's gay and woman who dates Jewish men because she finds them unattractive and non-threatening.
Odds of survival: 7/10.
"The Class"
Though it inexplicably won 15 Emmys despite never having been funny, "Everybody Loves Raymond" is over, leaving CBS in need of another sitcom success. Airing at 8:00 p.m. on September 18th, the network hopes "The Class" can entice viewers and critics the way "Raymond" did with a cast of eight relatively unknown actors who play 20-somethings brought together for their third grade class reunion.
Commercials for "The Class" boast that producers David Crane of "Friends" and Jeffrey Klarik of "Mad About You" are behind this new comedy. But one needn't watch the commercials long to realize that even famous producers cannot make stale sitcom characters or tired situations seem fresh again.
Odds of survival: 5/10.
