TV BUZZLIST: BEST NEW SHOWS THIS SEASON
From 'Homeland' to 'Ringer', The 5 New Shows You Should Be Watching
In the past few years, I somehow went from someone who barely glanced at the television to juggling ten shows a week. Though I still have what seems like an endless list of shows I avidly follow, each season promises a new gem. Amidst a sea of multi-cam comedies and series doomed for cancellation, five new shows have piqued my interest and held tight. If you haven’t seen any of these, it's time to catch up!
#5 Ringer (Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW)
As a die-hard Buffy fan, I imagine I let out a cry of delight when I heard that Sarah Michelle Gellar was making her triumphant return to TV. Ringer, the noir-thriller starting Gellar and Gellar, was initially slated for a run on CBS. When the powers that be decided to shift the fledgling show to The CW, I was a little concerned. The CW is big on teen melodrama and genre (can I get a what-what for The Vampire Diaries?), and our little Buffy is all grown up now. Does Ringer have what it takes?
After a slow start, The CW and I agree that it does. Picked up for a 22-episode run, Ringer centers on Bridget (Sarah Michelle Gellar) -- a recovering addict/ex-stripper who happens to be a crucial witness in a mob case. On the lam from the bad guys and the cops, Bridget turns to her upper West Side socialite twin sister, Siobhan, for help. The two have been estranged for years, and Bridget finds herself in a whole new world of trouble when Siobhan vanishes off a (very CG) boat.
Gellar is fantastic as Bridget-posing-as-Siobhan, mysterious-and-possibly-evil-Siobhan, hot-mess-Bridget, and condescending-snot-Siobhan in flashbacks – confused yet? Don’t worry, the show moves at a decently fast pace but never quite loses the audience. With cliffhanger endings, love triangles, and who-done-it plots hanging around every corner, this show is one to keep on the radar.
Why We Love It: Sarah Michelle Gellar, TV Noir, Who-Done-It Mysteries
For Fans of: Buffy, Revenge (see #3)
#4 Up All Night (Wednesdays at 8/7c on NBC)
The lone comedy on my list, Up All Night, shines amidst a season of duds. The show stars Will Arnett (Arrested Development, Blades of Glory) and Christina Applegate (Married With Children, Anchorman), both of whose shows have floundered in the past few years. These two are comedy gold, and Up All Night finally gives them their chance to knock it out of the park.
The show follows Reagan (Applegate), a producer for the Ava show, and Chris (Arnett), her lawyer husband, as they juggle a new baby with their hip Los Angeles lifestyles. Maya Rudolph (SNL, Bridesmaids) steals the show as Ava, host of the Ava show and Reagan’s best friend. Whether they’re figuring out how to seem cool to their young, vegan neighbors, or dealing with hangovers and dirty diapers, Reagan and Chris seem real, despite the outlandish situations. Up All Night still has some kinks to work out, but given its new spot between Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock, this new comedy might be just what the doctor ordered. (And please – more Maya Rudolph!)
Why We Love It: Maya Rudolph, Awkward Situations, Self-Deprecating
For Fans of: Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development, 30 Rock
#3 Revenge (Wednesdays at 10/9c on ABC)
Talk about a guilty pleasure! Revenge takes Alexandre Dumas’s classic, The Count of Monte Cristo, to the Hamptons in this deviously campy new show. Emily VanCamp plays Amanda Clark/Emily Thorne, a young woman whose father was falsely accused of supporting a terrorist attack when she was just a child. After years of foster homes and abuse, Amanda learns not only that her father died in prison, but also that he was set up by the Graysons, the Hamptons’ King and Queen. She inherits his millions, changes her name, and heads back to her old stomping grounds to exact her -- you guessed it -- revenge.
Amanda-turned-Emily Thorne sets her sights on those who caused her family so much pain, knocking them out one by one. The cast of characters each has at least one dirty secret and will do anything to stay afloat: the conniving and glamorous Victoria Grayson, her philandering husband Conrad, their sweet, unsuspecting son Daniel and his rebellious sister Charlotte, Emily’s ally and super genius software inventor pal Nolan, and Jack and Declan Porter, the boys from the wrong side of the tracks (just to name a few).
The show is a thrill to watch, whether Emily is going tet-a-tet with Victoria, manipulating those hot Hampton men, or watching stone-faced as her enemies fall. Each week the stakes get higher and the love triangles steamier. Both VanCamp and Madelein Stowe (Victoria Grayson) play into soap stereotypes with glee as Revenge’s devious duo. I can’t wait to see if Emily can pull it off…or if someone will turn the tables on her!
Why We Love It: Hot Men at the Hamptons, Blackmail, Murder, Revenge
For Fans of: The OC, Ringer, Veronica Mars
#2 American Horror Story (Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX)
Warning: American Horror Story is not for the faint of heart. Ryan Murphy’s new show could not be further away from his family-friendly musical series, Glee. American Horror Story is disturbing, eerie, sexy, and even has some dark comedy infused in its veins. To describe what the show is about is almost futile, as each episode takes the characters down another terrifying story.
Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton are Ben and Vivien Harmon -- a couple suffering from the repercussions of a violent miscarriage, torrid affair, and move across the country. Their daughter, Violet (Taissa Farmiga), is well in the throes of adolescent angst. The only trouble: Their new house is as haunted as haunted gets. Known as “Murder House”, it is also home to a thrashing, sharp-toothed monster in the basement, a sultry maid who changes her appearance based on whomever she happens to be around, and a ragtag collection of brutally murdered ghosts.
Keep your eyes peeled for the Harmons' sassy Southern neighbor Constance (Jessica Lange) and her creepy kids, Tate (Evan Peters) and Adelaide (Jamie Brewer) – they seem to know exactly what’s going on in that house. American Horror Story has already pushed so many boundaries with its content that I’m almost afraid to find out what happens next. If you’re brave enough, watch this one in the dark and ask yourself, “Who is Rubberman?!”
Why We Love It: Pushing the Envelope, Rubberman, Horror
For Fans of: Honestly, I've never seen something like this on TV...definitely give this show a look.
#1 Homeland (Sundays at 10/9c on Showtime)
Amidst guilty pleasures, well-written comedies, and “normal” TV, there is the holy grail of television shows -- shows that are character-driven and smart, that keep me glued to the edge of my seat and completely entranced by plot twists and nuanced scenes -- those are the ones that I long for. Breaking Bad just finished, and Battlestar Galactica is long over. This season, a brand new thriller on Showtime has audiences everywhere hooked.
Homeland stars Claire Danes as you’ve never seen her before. Carrie, a volatile CIA agent, comes to believe that a prisoner of war has been turned against the United States and poses a major threat to homeland security. Sergeant Nick Brody (Damian Lewis) returns home after eight years to a wife that has met someone else, children he barely recognizes, and some serious post-traumatic stress. Carrie is clearly coming unhinged; an unreliable protagonist who suffers from some sort of personality disorder. Danes is mesmerizing as the clever, enigmatic Carrie. Full of fire and wit, this leading lady is like none we’ve seen before.
The show has increased in viewers steadily since its premiere and has already been picked up for a second season from Showtime. Mandy Patinkin is perfectly wise and suspicious as Carrie’s mentor, Saul, the CIA’s Middle-East Division Chief, and you can’t help but feel sorry for Brody’s wife, Jessica (Morena Baccarin). Each episode reveals that no one is to be trusted. Swiftly written and meticulously planned out, Homeland keeps me guessing at every turn. If you’re going to check out any new show, this is the one.
Why We Like It: Crazy Claire Danes, Political Thriller, Character-Driven
For Fans of: Sleeper Cell, Breaking Bad, 24
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