New shows are always a gamble. But you can improve your odds by checking out BuddyTV’s rankings of the best and the worst of the new fall TV programs. Click here for premiere dates.
#21 The New Normal
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Tuesday, 9:30pm
Preachy, abrasive and only rarely funny, this comedy from Ryan Murphy deals with a young woman who becomes a surrogate for a gay couple. Important social issues and an excellent cast are wasted in this sub-par program.
#20 Beauty and the Beast
Network: The CW
Timeslot: Thursday, 9pm
This remake of a 1980s crime drama is pretty (Kristin Kreuk and Jay Ryan are beautiful) but ultimately stale. With absolutely zero chemistry between the leads and a somewhat less-than-monstrous Beast, there just isn’t much point.
#19 Animal Practice
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Wednesday, 8pm
The monkey is the best part. The people aren’t really worth the effort.
#18 Made in Jersey
Network: CBS
Timeslot: Friday, 9pm
Made in Jersey is the story of a street-smart Jersey girl who happens to be a lawyer in a snooty Manhattan firm. Think about every stereotype you know about lawyers and New Jersey people, and you pretty much have this show covered.
#17 Ben and Kate
Network: FOX
Timeslot: Tuesday, 8:30pm
Sometimes, a TV show is a mystery. Ben and Kate is well-made and features likable characters in believable plots. But we didn’t laugh. Future episodes may change this, but the pilot was a bit of a dud.
#16 Partners
Network: CBS
Timeslot: Monday, 8:30pm
Decent enough but utterly forgettable, this sitcom focuses on two lifetime friends — one gay and one straight — as they try to have serious relationships with anyone other than each other.
#15 Chicago Fire
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Wednesday, 10pm
The actors are pretty, and there is a spark of something in the pilot. But that spark gets smothered under convoluted plots and way too many characters.
#14 The Mob Doctor
Network: FOX
Timeslot: Monday, 9pm
The Mob Doctor has an intriguing concept — a high-end surgeon indebted to the mob has to balance morality and survival. The pilot doesn’t quite meet the promise, however, leaving us with a decent but bland medical/crime drama.
#13 Malibu Country
Network: ABC
Timeslot: Friday, 8:30pm
If you like broad sitcoms, laugh tracks, pot jokes or Reba McIntyre, you will like Malibu Country just fine. Otherwise, don’t bother.
#12 Guys with Kids
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Wednesday, 8:30pm
Surprisingly sweet and amusing, this is the rare multi-camera sitcom capable of generating laughs. Guys with Kids is, despite the title, essentially a look at the headaches and weirdness of parenting.
#11 Emily Owens, M.D.
Network: The CW
Timeslot: Tuesday, 9pm
Mamie Gummer is intensely likable in the title role of this cheerful medical soap. Other than an irritating voiceover, everything about this show counts as light and likable, actually. We can only hope for substance in the future.
#10 Vegas
Network: CBS
Timeslot: Tuesday, 10pm
CBS’ oddest choice would be right at home on AMC — big stars (Dennis Quaid and Michael Chiklis play the leads), moral ambiguity and a glance into history all factor. The resulting show has quality, as long as the network doesn’t turn it into a straight procedural after the pilot.
#9 Nashville
Network: ABC
Timeslot: Wednesday, 10pm
Battling country music stars are at the center of this well-cast and intriguing soap. There are a few too many plots (especially with regard to city politics), but stars like Connie Britton and some excellent music make up for it.
#8 Elementary
Network: CBS
Timeslot: Thursday, 10pm
Do we really need another reboot of Sherlock Holmes? If we do, then CBS’ offering is a valid choice. Jonny Lee Miller is an appropriately eccentric Holmes while Lucy Liu is intriguing in the part of Watson. Just don’t compare it to Sherlock…
#7 The Neighbors
Network: ABC
Timeslot: Wednesday, 9:30pm
This show is absurd. A normal family moves into a housing development filled with clueless aliens. We’re talking about green slime, inexplicable English accents and more randomness worthy of Monty Python. If you can accept all that, you will laugh. A lot.
#6 Revolution
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Monday, 10pm
This sci-fi tale of a future with no electricity is the biggest gamble of the season. The pilot is entertaining, and there is a story to tell. But years of high-concept thrillers make us wary of Revolution’s future.
#5 The Mindy Project
Network: FOX
Timeslot: Tuesday, 9:30pm
Early on in the show, Mindy describes her life in terms of romantic comedies. That fits. The main character is a likable, intelligent, successful woman who just happens to be hopeless when it comes to men. Paired with New Girl, this could definitely work.
#4 666 Park Avenue
Network: ABC
Timeslot: Sunday, 10pm
666 Park Avenue is not perfect. The horror themes are occasionally hokey and often recognizable. But an excellent cast (Terry O’Quinn and Vanessa Williams make the best probably-evil couple ever) and a strong sense of fun keep this haunted-apartment drama moving.
#3 Last Resort
Network: ABC
Timeslot: Thursday, 8pm
High tension and excellent acting are the hallmarks of this pilot. Set mostly on a submarine and on a tropical island, we get to experience isolation and paranoia along with a sub crew that narrowly escapes attack by the US government. It’s hard to tell where Lost Resort is going, but we plan to find out.
#2 Go On
Network: NBC
Timeslot: Tuesday, 9pm
A comedy about death is more than a little tricky. Fortunately, Go On figures it out. Matthew Perry is just sarcastic enough to make his grieving widower character sympathetic but never sweet. And the crowd of damaged misfits surrounding him are weirdly excellent as well.
#1 Arrow
Network: The CW
Timeslot: Wednesday, 8pm
Come for the abs, stay for a strong story, excellent cast and exciting superhero action. Arrow is dark, enjoyable and one of the best comic adaptations in recent years.
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