With the Fall TV Lineup about to kick into high gear, it's time once again to run through the list of the good, the bad and the unwatchable on the four major networks this fall. So without further ado....
NBC
Community
Premieres: Thursday, Sept. 17 at 9:30pm
Starring: Joel McHale and Chevy Chase
This new comedy from Dan Harmon ("The Sarah Silverman Program") and Emmy Award-winning directors Joe and Anthony Russo ("Arrested Development") centers on a dysfunctional crowd at Greendale Community College, particularly Jeff Winger (Joel McHale, "The Soup"), a smarmy lawyer whose degree has been revoked. McHale's hilarious on "The Soup," and we've got faith that the kickassery will translate to sitcom.
Trauma
Premieres: Monday, September 28 at 10pm
Starring: Cliff Curtis, Derek Luke, Anastasia Griffith, Aimee Garcia, Kevin Rankin and Jamey Sheridan
NBC couldn't deal long without its prime-time medical drama fix after the departure of “ER,” so it’s put together a new series to strike gold twice - only this time the mining is much, much more intense. A group of San Francisco first-responder paramedics partake in an action-packed look at one of the most dangerous medical professions in the world. Traveling by land, by sea or by air to reach victims in time, they're the first to the scene in every emergency you can imagine. Count us in.
The Jay Leno Show
Premieres: Monday, September 14 at 10pm
Starring: Jay Leno, assorted guests
Ousted “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno can't let go of the limelight, so he's returning with a new show that's... well, it's not too different from the old show, by the sound of it. Airing every weeknight at 10pm, NBC seems to be banking on the notion that Americans want to see nearly four hours of late-night talk shows each night. This is keeping in mind that pay-service radio broadcaster Howard Stern pulls more listeners each day than Conan, Letterman and Fallon combined. In other words: don't get too used to it.
Mercy
Premieres: Wednesday, September 23 at 8pm
Starring: Delroy Lindo, Taylor Schilling, Michelle Trachtenberg, Jaime Lee Kirchner, Guillermo Diaz
A new medical drama! The original ideas just keep on coming. Veronica's a nurse returning from a tour in Iraq - if that weren't enough to handle, she's returned to her job at Mercy Hospital, dealing with an alcoholic mother, a dangerously naive rookie, and army of life-or-death moments flying past her. Love and lives are on the line at Mercy Hospital. We're partial to "Trauma," but this looks a little more up the alley of the "ER" fanbase.
