It's A Series!! Happily ever after???

Why the obsession this year with fairy tales? There are two shows coming out two days apart from one another (and two Snow White movies coming out as well).  If I'm being honest, I'm actually pretty interested in both of them, for varying reasons. First up, "Grimm."

Photo from NBC.com

Part crime drama, part sci-fi horror show, "Grimm" stars one of the more successful reality-star-turned-real-actor stories. David Guintoli, from "Road Rules: South Pacific," has made the transition from reality to drama series via many small parts in a lot of different shows ("Grey's Anatomy," "Nip/Tuck,' etc). Now he plays Nick Burckhardt, one of the last Grimms (very creative the way they named this show, eh?). What or who are the Grimms, you ask? Nick asks this, too. Turns out that the Grimms are supernatural hunters (also descended from the Brothers Grimm) who are charged with the task of taking out the baddies from this world. Grimms have the ability to see what other people can't, like when someone's face contorts itself into a demon. That's how he knows who to kill. Good thing Nick is a cop, because he's got the whole detective thing under his belt already. He now just has to contend with seeing really freaky things happen that noone else can see.  And would you believe that his cases will now resemble your favorite childhood fairy tales?  Just a lot creepier.

Nick has a little help, though, in Big-Bad-Wolf-turned-good-guy Monroe, played by Silas Weir Mitchell ("Prison Break," "My Name is Earl"). You can see from the previews that he is clearly the comic relief of this show.


On the NBC website, the trailer is called Once Upon a Crime. A possible elbow in the side of ABC's show "Once Upon a Time?"  See the "Grimm" trailer here.

If you were a "Buffy" or "Angel" fan, you will be able to see those influences come through. Co-Creator of "Grimm," David Greenwalt, was a key player on both earlier shows. I, oddly enough, enjoyed both shows (though I was a late-starter for both and stopped watching "Buffy" once she died and came back to life) and will be watching "Grimm" to see whether it's worth putting on my permanent list. Unfortunately, it goes up against "Fringe," another supernatural sci-fi drama. Oh, DVR, you are my savior! 

"Grimm" premieres on NBC Friday, October 21, at 9:00 PM



ABC's fairy tale show, "Once Upon A Time" confuses me a little bit. But because it comes from Executive Producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz of "Lost," this shouldn't surprise me. It appears to be much more fairy tale-like than "Grimm" in that we actually get to see images we're familiar with: a gorgeous Snow White being awoken with a kiss by her Prince Charming, an evil Queen, etc. But it will float back and forth between present day and the stuck-in-time Fairy Tale world.  Will the sound of an airplane signal the transition between the two worlds? I doubt it. Maybe the slashing sound of a sword.

Photo from ABC.com

Jennifer Morrison ("House") plays Emma Swan, a bail bonds collector, who is approached one day by the son she gave up ten years earlier, Henry. He carries with him a book of fairy tales which claims that Snow White and Prince Charming sent away their daughter to escape the curse of the Evil Queen. This curse supposedly trapped the fairy tale world in time.  Henry claims that Emma is the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and that she is the only one who can save the fairy tales' happy endings. Hmm...

Emma takes Henry back to his home in Storybrook, Maine, and decides to stay a while. She meets Henry's teacher, Mary Margaret/Snow White, played by Ginnifer Goodwin ("Big Love," "Something Borrowed"), who gave him the book of fairy tales. She also meets Henry's mother, Regina/Evil Queen, played by Lana Parrilla ("24"), who also happens to be the mayor of Storybrook.  Other characters you'll be familiar with: Rumplestiltskin, Jiminy Cricket, even Grumpy and Sleepy!

But again, this show confuses me. How is Emma supposed to save all the happy endings?  How do these two worlds interact with one another? How did the Queen trap the fairy tales AND give them amnesia? How do I get that wedding dress Snow White is wearing? Oh wait, I already have a wedding dress. Silly me!  How did 10-year old Henry figure everything out? Is this feeling "Lost" enough for you?

Lana Parrilla summed it up this way: "you know the stories, but you don't know this story." Good enough for me!  See the trailer here.

"Once Upon A Time" premieres on ABC Sunday, October 23, at 8:00 PM

It's a series!! Two Broke Girls (one broke show?)

I wasn't sure if I was going to write about this show since I know 2 of the writers (granted, I haven't spoken to one of them in years and the other in a while). But I can't preview only shows I think will be hits. So here we have it. Two Broke Girls.

I know that the writing will most likely be good (these guys came from "It's Always Sunny in Philadephia," "Rob & Big," "Outsourced"). But from the previews I've seen, the acting kills the comedy. I do love the traditional, studio-audience comedy so I'm hoping that maybe the previews are just from the first episode or two and the actresses are just warming up. Oh, and did I mention that Michael Patrick King (of SATC fame) is Executive Producer? No? Well, he is.  And this may actually be a drawback for some of you who I know absolutely abhor the "Whitney" commercials, but Whitney Cummings is also an Executive Producer. Where did she come from? It's like she suddenly appeared and took over the comedy pilot scene, right?

Photo from CBS

Starring in this show are Kat Dennings ("Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist," and even an episode of "SATC"-- connections, gotta love 'em) and Beth Behrs (this appears to be her big breakout role).  I like Kat Dennings, but I find Beth Behrs a little annoying to look at, especially when she opens her mouth to talk. Is that mean? She plays an heiress, Caroline, who has fallen from grace because her daddy was caught in the middle of Wall Street shenanigans. She finds herself all dolled up at a local diner where Dennings' broke character, Max, works. They strike up the unlikely friendship and hilarity is supposed to ensue from there.

I would like to say that I have high hopes for this show, but from the little I've seen, I can't say that. For the sake of the people I know working on the show, I wish them luck, but I'm not sure I'll be tuning in every week.

Premieres: Monday, September 19, at 9:30 on CBS

It's a Series!! Person of Interest

Michael Emerson is certainly a person who interests me! We loved to hate him in Lost and now it appears that he'll be just about as creepy as Benjamin Linus in his new show.  He even has a list! What is it with this guy and lists???

Photo from CBS.com

The basics: Rich-guy Mr. Finch (Emerson) invented a machine that
somehow predicts that someone will either do something bad, or will have something bad done to him or her. The clue to this person's identity is revealed in the form of a social security number. John Reese (Jim Caviezel, who I'm not all that familiar with but you may know as Jesus in "Passion of the Christ") is a former CIA/Special Forces tough guy who is presumed dead and hides in plain sight as a homeless man. Rich guy approaches homeless guy with vigilante plan. Because really, do you see Emerson as the gun wielding type? Not so much. He needs a muscle man to do his dirty work. (Lists and other people doing his dirty work. Nothing changes right?)

Photo from CBS.com

Watching the preview, the whole "rich guy saving the depressed former glory guy" seems a little overplayed. And this machine that spits out social security numbers? What? But I kind of love the concept of predicting a crime and trying to stop it without really knowing all the players. It's not your average crime or procedural drama.  And with JJ Abrams at the helm, I think it'll have some outrageous twists and turns and mysterious themes going on. Though I have only watched some trailers and interviews, I will say that these guys are fun to watch, and the action will be great!  It will also most likely leave me wary of some of the crazy technology invented by Finch, and whether any of it is actually real! Somehow over the last few years, I have taken a liking to the sci-fi genre a bit, especially when combined with some action and a little humor. I think this show will hit that on the nose.

Photo from CBS.com

I don't want to leave out the female lead of this new series, although she doesn't feature in the previews I have seen. Taraji P. Henson plays Detective Carter, who tries to track down Reese after discovering that he is alive. Therein lies a little more danger, on top of trying to stop crime.

Based on the previews, reviews of the pilot and the caliber of the talent involved, I have high expectations for this show.  Clearly so does CBS, as it even awarded one of the most coveted/competitive time slots in television to this freshman series.  CBS bumped longtime Thursday at 9 PM placeholder CSI to make room for Person of Interest. The downside--it's up against Grey's Anatomy on ABC, Bones on Fox, and Whitney on NBC at 9:30. I'm confident that Person of Interest will hold its own.  Premiering Thursday, September 22 at 9 PM.

It's a series!!

So my new goal is to tackle the numerous freshmen shows coming out this fall and try to predict whether I'll watch or not. And hopefully, I'll find some new favorites in the bunch (like I need any more TV shows to watch!).  I can tell you that I'm super excited to check out a few of the new series, with the hopes that they'll rise up to the pedestal I reserve for special special friends--ahem--shows. Some of my tried and true favorites seem to be losing some steam or have gone off the air, so I'm looking to fill those voids.

I admit I've been a bit busy and haven't had a ton of time to devote to researching some of the shows that have sparked my interest, so stay tuned for upcoming posts.  I'll leave you with a link to a video of an interview with the cast of the first series I'll be previewing--and off the bat I'll tell you that I am already expecting AMAZING things from this show.  I give you "Person of Interest."