Several inventive comedies sneak onto the fall 2005 TV schedule, along with a spate of spooky sci-fi/horror/paranormal mysteries channeling “Lost.”
The six major broadcast networks roll the dice with 31 new series – 11 comedies, 18 dramas, two alternative series – over the next few weeks. Unlike last year, when “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost” sprang from the pack by midsummer, this year there’s no clear standout ready to dislodge the ratings leaders.
But there is Chris Rock.
His voice-over show leads a list of surprisingly satisfying new takes on the half-hour. The sitcom is dead, long live new stabs at comedy like UPN’s “Everybody Hates Chris,” CBS’s “How I Met Your Mother,” NBC’s “My Name Is Earl” and Fox’s “Kitchen Confidential.”
Following on the creative push by “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Arrested Development,” efforts to reinvent the tired format are proliferating. They won’t all break through, but half-hours with heart, strong points of view and new rhythms are making the tube safe for humor again.
In addition to Rock, a few big names return to the small screen this fall, notably Don Johnson in the WB’s so-so legal drama about mismatched lawyers (he’s suspiciously convincing as the burnout case). Melanie Griffith lends her marquee value to “Twins,” a doomed sitcom about unlike siblings, also on the WB.
Madam President
Geena Davis plays the first female president in ABC’s promising “Commander-in-Chief,” while Benjamin Bratt and Dennis Hopper make like military men at a sort of “West Wing” meets the Pentagon in NBC’s lame “E-Ring.”
Jennifer Love Hewitt is the “Ghost Whisperer” on CBS, chatting up the undead, and David Boreanaz is back in Fox’s “Bones.”
While experimentation is the welcome trend in comedy, playing on our fears seems the prevailing trend in dramas, notably fear of unknown and supernatural forces. There’s something out there – aliens? sea monsters? terrorists? – and it’s tricked out with increasingly slick and affordable special effects.
An autumn summary
Here are the networks at a glance:
UPN, formerly an afterthought, is the network with the best new series. “Everybody Hates Chris” is a “Wonder Years”-style reflection of the comedian’s youth with Rock providing voice-over narration.
NBC, formerly the powerhouse network, has the worst drama slate. However, the network has two female-led reality shows – Martha Stewart’s “Apprentice” and Amy Grant’s “Three Wishes” – that could click. The comedy “My Name Is Earl” is surprisingly edgy for the Peacock.
CBS, the ratings ruler, will launch a promising half-hour titled “How I Met Your Mother,” in addition to too many criminal procedurals. Opting not to disrupt a good thing, the network adds only six new series in all.
Fox could make its bones with “Bones,” about a brainy female forensic anthropologist (Emily Deschanel) who clashes with an FBI agent (David Boreanaz) in a witty update on the crime genre.
The WB has “Supernatural,” a road trip through classic horror stories (in the old “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” time slot).
And ABC has enough steam from last season to keep going, even if the alien life form of the suspenseful “Invasion,” neatly paired with “Lost” on Wednesdays, doesn’t evolve.
Will any of these newcomers click like “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives” did last year? The key is how many series viewers can juggle at once. Even if they’re great, how many is too many when it comes to complex mysteries, multitudinous casts and horrific premises involving supernatural forces?
Night-by-night fall TV schedule
MONDAY
“Surface” (NBC)
Icky sea monsters. “There’s something in the water” and Lake Bell, above (“Boston Legal”) is an oceanographer on the case. The story follows four characters who encounter the critters, which at first seem beautiful, especially to kids.
“How I Met Your Mother” (CBS)
Josh Radnor as Ted recounts to his children the complicated story of how he met his true love, their mom. Alyson Hannigan (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) and Neil Patrick Harris (“Doogie Howser, M.D.”) are among his pals in a fun and surprising comedy.
“Out of Practice” (CBS)
So much talent, so little promise. Stockard Channing, Henry Winkler, both above, Ty Burrell, Christopher Gorham, Paula Marshall and a couple of former “Frasier” producers can’t hold together this sarcastic, emotionally overheated half-hour about a feuding family of doctors.
“Kitchen Confidential” (Fox)
Inspired by Anthony Bourdain’s salacious memoir, this tasty half-hour from Darren Star (“Sex and the City”) follows a former superstar chef, played by Bradley Cooper (“Jack & Bobby”), below, trying to reclaim his life. “I loved satisfying people’s appetites, especially my own,” he explains in flashbacks of sex-and-drug excess. Yummy cast, smart script.
“Prison Break” (Fox)
“Oz”-lite. A young man gets himself thrown in prison in order to break his brother out and prove his innocence. Wentworth Miller plays Michael Scofield; Dominic Purcell is death-row inmate Lincoln Burrows. Scofield will do anything, including tattooing blueprints on his body, to spring his brother.
“Just Legal” (WB)
Unconvincing legal drama from Jerry Bruckheimer about a mismatched pair: a young idealist (Jay Baruchel) and a burnout case (Don Johnson) team up in a funky Venice Beach office.
TUESDAY
“My Name Is Earl” (NBC)
A gruff but strangely likable guy wins $100,000 in the lottery and sets about making things right, apologizing to those he’s offended, winnowing his list as he goes. Jason Lee, at right, is perfect as Earl; the offbeat tone is similar to “Raising Arizona.” Lee’s read on his character: “It’s sort of walking that line between real and caricature.”
“Commander-in-Chief” (ABC)
Thelma becomes president! Geena Davis plays Mackenzie Allen, the vice president about to step into the Oval Office. But the party doesn’t want her to assume the presidency; they’d prefer Nathan Templeton (Donald Sutherland), the House speaker and sexist insider. She prevails and sets about attempting to unify the country while dealing with kids and a husband (Kyle Secor) who’s relegated to first lady duty. If subsequent episodes measure up, it may squeak by on a roll call.
“Close to Home” (CBS)
Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of a gated community? Jerry Bruckheimer imagines a youthful prosecutor (Jennifer Finnigan, “Committed”) in violent, spooky suburbia. Inspired by headlines but over the top.
“Bones” (Fox)
Emily Deschanel plays brilliant forensic anthropologist and novelist Temperance Brennan. When bodies are burned, decomposed and otherwise unable to give up their secrets, she’s called in by law enforcement to read the clues. David Boreanaz is the special agent she works with, uneasily. Smart banter and dark humor distinguish this from the usual special-effects forensic shows. Inspired by forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs.
“Sex, Love & Secrets” (UPN)
Love, lies and lust among twentysomethings in L.A.’s hip Silver Lake district. Denise Richards (“Love Actually”) and Eric Balfour (“Six Feet Under”) lead the ensemble. A “Melrose Place” wannabe.
“Supernatural” (WB)
A scream-fest of urban legends, folklore and ghost tales. The hour follows a road trip by two brothers (Jared Padalecki of “Gilmore Girls” and Jensen Ackles of “Smallville”) who, exploring their family tragedy, encounter evil in small towns across America.
WEDNESDAY
“The Apprentice: Martha Stewart” (NBC)
Mark Burnett delivers another reality show, tailored to the “artistic” temperament of Stewart as opposed to Donald Trump. Contenders are housed in a loft; the lieutenants are Stewart’s daughter Alexis and Charles Koppelman, chairman of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. Stewart’s tone will be “businesslike.”
“E-Ring” (NBC)
Benjamin Bratt and Dennis Hopper at the Pentagon. You can see the duct tape holding this drama together. Executive producer Jonathan Littman said: “There’s a lot more that goes on in that building than the war on terror. You can’t shy away from it and we won’t. But the show’s not political. It’s really about the people.”
“Freddie” (ABC)
Freddie Prinze Jr.’s real life inspired this comedy about a guy overrun by women: Freddie has taken in his grandmother, who pretends not to speak English (she understands every word but answers in Spanish), his impulsive sister-in-law, his pragmatic sister and her 13-year-old daughter.
“Invasion” (ABC)
Creator Shaun Cassidy (“Cold Case,” “American Gothic”) says the country is living in an “aftermath” time. This drama concerns the aftermath of a hurricane in Florida, but clearly goes deeper to touch universal fears. Is it possible the hurricane was just the beginning of a more ominous event? Might it have been a coverup of an otherworldly infestation? A cleverly unnerving hour.
“Criminal Minds” (CBS)
A grotesque wallow in obsessive sex crimes, touted as a suspense thriller. Mandy Patinkin and Thomas Gibson are elite profilers anticipating the next sick, twisted episode – er, murder.
“Head Cases” (Fox)
Successful lawyer Jason Payne (Chris O’Donnell, at top) has a nervous breakdown and recovers at a “wellness center.” Fellow outpatient Schultz (Adam Goldberg, above) attaches himself to Payne. Schultz has “explosive disorder.” This interferes with Payne trying to reconnect with his son and potential girlfriend. The guys forge an unlikely alliance. Unlikely, indeed.
“Related” (WB)
Marta Kauffman of “Friends” returns to TV with a one-hour dramedy, a female buddy show about four sisters. Jennifer Esposito (“Crash”) plays a high-powered attorney now unexpectedly pregnant; Kiele Sanchez (“Married to the Kellys”) is a therapist for transvestites; Lizzy Caplan (“Mean Girls”) is a serial dater; Laura Breckenridge plays the baby of the family, a college student. Cute, but flimsy.
THURSDAY
“The Night Stalker” (ABC)
Based on the ’70s cult hit, the show follows Carl Kolchak (Stuart Townsend) a newspaper reporter exploring unexplained phenomena. He is obsessed with finding out who or what killed his wife; the FBI thinks he’s the primary suspect. The special effects outdo the suspense.
“Reunion” (Fox)
Intriguing soapy mystery with a season-long arc following the lives of six friends over two decades. The pilot flashes back to 1986 and high school graduation. Each episode covers a year in their lives, working toward the present and revealing a mystery – which one is now deceased?
“Everybody Hates Chris” (UPN)
A half-hour narrated by Chris Rock, inspired by his Bed-Stuy childhood where he was bused across town to a mostly white school. This “Wonder Years”- style comedy has plenty to say about race and family. The expressive Tyler James Williams, above center, plays young Chris, who served as the family’s “emergency adult” when he wasn’t being beaten by bullies. Hip, funny and astute.
“Love, Inc.” (UPN)
Busy Phillips and Holly Robinson Peete lead the group of four matchmakers at “a full-service dating consulting firm” in New York in this forgettable half-hour.
FRIDAY
“Three Wishes” (NBC)
Hankies ahoy! Amy Grant drops into different locales each week to relieve suffering, bring families together and work minor miracles in a reality show reminiscent of “Queen for a Day.” Kinder, gentler reality shows are in.
“Inconceivable” (NBC)
“ER” in a fertility clinic with clashing, sniping and flirting doctors, lawyers, psychologists and patients. Better on paper, the execution is a very busy mess.
“Hot Properties” (ABC)
Four female real estate agents, stereotypes all. One’s older than she admits, one’s a hot Latina, one’s dateless and miserable, one’s engaged but not for long. This fixer-upper wants to be “Desperate Housewives” – the sitcom.
“Ghost Whisperer” (CBS)
Jennifer Love Hewitt sees dead people. And as a young newlywed, she helps them complete bits of life’s business to allow them to R.I.P. Inspired by the work of medium James Van Praagh, who serves as a co-executive producer.
“Threshold” (CBS)
This should catapult Carla Gugino (“Sin City”), at right, to greater fame as head of a team of scientists who make first contact with extraterrestrials. “We’re planning to tell a seasonal arc where each episode provides a puzzle piece to a larger mystery,” says executive producer Brannon Braga. Not unlike ABC’s “Lost.”
“Killer Instinct” (Fox)
Johnny Mesner plays Jack Hale of the San Francisco Police Department’s deviant-crime unit. Hale’s partner died in the line of duty. He’s still raw and haunted, but determined to keep investigating the creepiest cases. Other than exterior shots of San Francisco, it’s a rehash.
“Twins” (WB)
The battle between brains and beauty. Sara Gilbert, Melanie Griffith, Mark Linn-Baker and Molly Stanton in a tepid half-hour from the “Will & Grace” producers, about twin sisters and stereotypes. Gilbert plays the brain, Stanton plays the beauty; Griffith is the beautiful mom, Linn-Baker is the unbeautiful, smart dad. The family business is undergarments. Laughing yet?
SATURDAY
(No new series)
SUNDAY
“The War at Home” (Fox)
Three teenagers, two baffled parents. Think “Married … With Children” without the novelty. Michael Rapaport and Anita Barone plus a howling laugh track. Worse still, all deliver “confessionals” to the camera.
TV critic Joanne Ostrow can be reached at 303-820-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com.
