The 2011/2012 TV Season – What I’m Watching

October 27, 2011

Now that autumn's here, it's time to curl up with a mug of hot chocolate, a purring cat on your lap (or in the case of Meret, a biting cat…), to watch the new TV season.  

There are several new and returning shows that I am following:

Desperate Housewives (ABC): this is the final season for Bree, Susan, Gaby and Lynette, and after eight years of following their exploits, I feel morally obliged to watch, despite the lacklustre effort of the last few seasons.  If nothing else, the increase in tension of not knowing if all four are going to make it to the end of the season does add a bit of interest.  There is a conscious effort to come full circle with many events this season echoing back to the first season, which is very nicely done.

Glee (Fox): I absolutely adored Glee's first season.  The mix of music and characters was fun TV viewing.  Unfortunately, the second season had a major slump, focusing too much on new characters and not so much on those we'd come to love over the first season.  The producers are promising a return to first season goodness, but we shall see.  So far the first couple of episodes have not drawn me in.

House (Fox): Although not officially announced as the last season, I'd be very surprised if House were renewed for a further season despite the excellence of Hugh Laurie.  So far the episodes have been watchable, but nothing outstanding.

Terra Nova (Fox): this is Fox's all-out budget drama for this year, and involves dinosaurs and time travel.  While the pilot made an interesting two-hour TV movie, the characters were not engaging enough for me to commit to watching the rest of the series.

Person of Interest (CBS): CBS's new Michael Emerson vehicle centres around an eccentric millionaire who has developed a computer system  linked to surveillance footage to predict crimes.  He brings in a rogue military man (Jim Caveziel) for the heavy grunt work.  Of course, I could quite happily spend an hour watching the wonderful Emerson watch paint dry, so this is on my list of regular viewing.

Grimm (NBC): I have not yet seen the premiere of this, but the premise sounds intriguing.  From what I understand it's about a catcher of evil fairytale characters in the modern world.

PanAm (ABC): This is another part of ABC's Sunday evening lineup.  It's about the lives of 1960s PanAm stewardesses, one of whom is a CIA courier.  So far I'm enjoying it – great costumes and interesting characters.

Once Upon a Time (ABC): For me this is the standout show of the new season.  I've only seen one episode and already I'm begging for more.  It is by the writers of Lost, and its pedigree shows.  The concept is intriguing – fairytale characters trapped in modern day Maine – and the characters are well written and acted.  I'm seeing hints of the character development and mystery that were a hallmark of Lost's success so I hope ABC has a real winner on its hands.   

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