Banana Scoop

Television is returning after a long holiday hiatus.  And it’s time to get a plethora of new shows as well as the return of some beloved ones.  And just like the Fall Check Up  and Preview I did last fall, I’m here to share with you guys what I’ll be tuning into this season.  Personally, it feels as though Fall TV is better than Mid-season.  With greats like Dexter, It’s Always Sunny, and a couple of others having only a 12 episode run, I’ve always wondered what filled those time slots in the Spring.  After doing a little research, I’ve seen that there are gems that I haven’t quite uncovered yet such as: Justified, Shameless, and 30 Rock.  So I’m going to be dedicating my time now to play catch up.  And that’s not even counting all the new series coming out.  As usual, it’s a gamble to try to get into new shows, mainly because you don’t know if it will be a waste of time or not, but I’ve got some faith in some in the appeal of some of these new shows.  I’ll update you later in the season to tell you how it’s going.

House of Lies

Don Cheadle is charming as hell.  He’s a very talented actor and has a ton of appeal.  In his new show, he plays a slick consultant to major companies.  Now I haven’t seen Mad Men nor am I a business major, but I would imagine this new show is kind of formatted like Mad Men, but just set in contemporary times.  The show is quite stylish if not a little gimmicky, but has a lot of flair and potential.  I’ve only seen two episodes so far and it’s hard to judge how well it will do.  I’ll keep an eye on it for the both of us.

Premiered January 8

Shameless

One week ago, I caught up 10 hours of Season One of Shameless.  An American adaptation to a successful British series [it’s currently on its 9th season] it stars mainly William H. Macy and Emmy Rossum, a raging alcoholic and his responsible daughter, who try to raise a family of 6.  It’s strangely addicting to see a self destructive father and the extremely likable family worth rooting for trying to cover his tracks.  I honestly believe this show is getting better and better and recommend if you’re into likable dysfunctional families.

Returned January 8

30 Rock

Tina Fey’s pregnancy has kept this show on hiatus.  I personally don’t keep up with this show.  But I’m heavily trying to get into it.  5 Seasons are hard to catch up on, but I continue to hear great things so I definitely think its worth a while.

Returned January 12

Parks and Recreation

On one of the most dramatically compelling seasons without losing its sense of humor, Leslie Knope’s political campaign has proved an interesting turn for our beloved parks department.  As always Parks and Recreation is one of the best television comedies on air and I’m sure it will continue to keep us all happy and laughing come every Thursday.

Returned January 12

New Girl

If you’ve read my post about New Girl growing stale, that doesn’t mean I’ll drop it immediately.  However, I will keep a watchful eye and benefit of the doubt.

Returning January 17

Game of Thrones

In what is likely very close to my favorite series of the year of 2011 [Breaking Bad was just TOO good], the second season premieres to finally cover up all of the loose ends that the ending.  There is simply too much to gush about to even begin gushing.  Nerd core.

Returning April 2012

The Walking Dead

The climax of the first part of the second season will provide a very interesting return to this series.  However I just hope they don’t follow up the conclusion with another waste of 5 episodes where they diddle their thumbs on some ranch.

Returns February 12

Alcatraz

JJ Abrams gave us Star Trek.  He also gave us Super 8, Lost, and Fringe.  The man has a lot of credibility to back him, so his new series Alcatraz looks to be quite promising.  However, although I’ve never seen them, apparently his last two shows fizzled.  I just watched the first episode last night, and of course the episode gave us more questions than answers in it’s two hour premiere and I still feel as though I don’t fully have a grasp on everything going on.  And based on Super 8, Lost, and Fringe, we likely won’t even know  what it’s about until episode 5.  Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Premiered January 16

Awake

Jason ‘Malfoy’ Isaacs stars in this new drama with one of the more interesting premises released.  About a man who lives two parallel lives after a tragic car accident, one where he lost his wife and the other where he lost his son, he finds himself stuck in a limbo where he doesn’t know which one is a dream and the other is a reality.  That alone should get you excited, but the preview really sums it all up.

Premiering March 2012

Justified

I’ve heard nothing but good things about this show, and I”m trying to catch up on seasons 1 and 2.  With powerhouses like It’s Always Sunny, The League, Archer, and a few others, F/X is becoming quite the powerhouse when it comes to good television.  Maybe to even make big names like NBC, Fox, and ABC shake a little in their boots.

Returning January 17

Community

Even NBC has noticed the big backlash it has received since putting Community on hiatus.  And combined with the bashing that both Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea? have received, NBC would be even stupider if they didn’t put the internet’s new favorite TV show back on the air.  And I’ve caught wind that Community has finished their ‘Law and Order’ episode where they make fun of the long running series, the return couldn’t be wanted any quicker.  I’ve heard rumors here and there that it will return later this spring, and let’s hope so.

Returning TBD

Final Notes

• You might be crying that I forgot NBC’s the Office.  I’ve since then washed my hands of that show due to its massive decline.
• Mad Men is still escaping me.  I haven’t been able to finally catch up on it.
• I still desperately want to start and finish the acclaimed series, The Wire

Well you’ve heard my take, what the heck are you guys watching this season?