Evidence of the disconnect is everywhere.
Television this fall suggests we are attached to strangers in ways we can’t comprehend, yet distant from those closest to us in ways we don’t grasp.
We’re all in this alone. Let’s be alone together.
Playing on post-9/11 angst, the overriding themes of the new TV lineup are alienation and community.
Overall, the primetime scripts offer more interpersonal weirdness to think about, more puzzles to solve and more grand themes to ponder than ever before.
For viewers, that means passive viewing is out this fall.
Active tracking of story lines, recording, downloading and staying abreast will be the challenge. Prepare to feel overwhelmed before September is out.
The best of what’s on television dares us to pay attention and sort clues, with ongoing plot lines unspooling complicated stories, crowded ensembles and deep mythologies picking up where they leave off week to week.
Amazingly, playing catch-up to cable, the networks are respecting viewers’ intelligence.
Consider these offerings and try to connect the dots. Pay attention now:
A bank robbery leaves nine traumatized survivors who slowly reveal what went on during their time as hostages (ABC’s “The Nine”). A child’s abduction
reveals dark family secrets and suggests certain people are not who they seem (NBC’s “Kidnapped”), while the abduction of a politician’s wife may or may not really be an abduction (Fox’s “Vanished”).
A group of New Yorkers unknowingly leads intersecting lives (ABC’s “Six Degrees”). A Kansas town copes with post-apocalyptic devastation as a mysterious young man of uncertain circumstances returns (CBS’s “Jericho”). Far-flung strangers discover they have super-powers, but for what purpose? (NBC’s “Heroes”). Strangers with a distant connection reunite to find themselves (CBS’s “The Class.”)
Heavily serialized dramas, even serialized comedies, and experimental storytelling techniques are the rule this year, thanks partly to the success of “24” and “Lost,” partly to the anxious times.
A suspenseful version of “Groundhog Day,” the Taye Diggs mid-season hour “Daybreak,” tells a story through repeated flashbacks over the same 24 hours. The CW’s “Runaway” follows a family on the lam in serial form (think “Everwood” with suspense).
The bulk of the fictional worlds created in this fall’s dramas suggest a dark, uncertain time. The themes speak to modern malaise and our shared trauma, without putting a 9/11 label on it.
It’s not all serial mysteries. Thankfully, the lineups offer lighter notes as well.
A few of the best series treat the gentler side of American life. “Ugly Betty” looks at class differences and the emphasis on physical beauty in the tale of an endearing, clever young Hispanic woman (America Ferrera) who happens to be a plain Jane working in the cutthroat fashion business.
The must-try list also includes Aaron Sorkin’s “Studio 60”; the star-studded soap-mystery “Brothers and Sisters” with Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths and Sally Field; the TV adaptation of the poignant Texas high school football drama “Friday Night Lights”; and a bizarre Donal Logue sitcom about a bunch of goofballs who plan to rob a celebrity (Mick Jagger!), “The Knights of Prosperity.”
Finally, and far from must-see, Rupert Murdoch’s MyNetworkTV tests the public’s appetite for translated, second-hand tele-novelas with “Desire” and “Fashion House,” weeknights locally on KTVD-Channel 20. Consider these place holders until Fox figures out what to do with the stations left out of the WB/UPN merger.
The good news and the bad news are one: This year, there are more smart options than we’ll have time to enjoy.
TV critic Joanne Ostrow can be reached at 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com.
10 must-see shows on the new season
TV critic Joanne Ostrow has been parked in front of the TV checking out the fall offerings, and these are the 10 she thinks are the season’s cream of the crop:
1. “THE NINE” The traumatized survivors of a bank robbery gone wrong will be forever linked. The superb cast includes Tim Daly, Scott Wolf, Chi McBride and Kim Raver. A clever way to reference free-floating anxiety without mentioning terrorism. 9 p.m. Wednesdays, ABC, beginning Oct. 4.
2. “UGLY BETTY” A fun show with a big heart. Starring America Ferrera as the plain Jane with moxie, working in the fashion industry for the publisher’s bachelor son. Vanessa Williams is smashing as the mean, scheming editor. 7 p.m. Thursdays, ABC, beginning Sept. 28.
3. “THE CLASS” Very modern-feeling comedy from the creator of “Friends,” about eccentric 20-somethings who reunite after not seeing each other since third grade. No laugh track, just biting lines and lots of quirks. 7 p.m. Mondays, CBS, beginning Monday.
4. “STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP” Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing”) illuminates what’s wrong with network TV from behind the scenes at an “SNL”-like show. Bradley Whitford, Matthew Perry plus Amanda Peet make this wordy drama a standout. 9 p.m. Mondays, NBC, beginning Monday. (Story, 15F)
5. “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS” You don’t have to like football to love this series. Like the book and film, this sweet saga of Texas high school football has bitter undercurrents, notably racism. Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton are eye candy for adults, Zach Gilford, Taylor Kitsch, Scott Porter, Minka Kelly and Gaius Charles are the same for the younger demo. 7 p.m. Tuesdays, NBC, beginning Oct. 3.
6. “KIDNAPPED” Dana Delany and Timothy Hutton are rich New York parents whose son is abducted. Delroy Lindo is the FBI investigator; Jeremy Sisto is the rogue former agent. “Rashomon”-style storytelling will shift the point of view among characters in this serialized thriller. Cinematically impressive. 9 p.m. Wednesdays, NBC, beginning Wednesday.
7. “HEROES” This bizarre concept from Tim Kring (“Crosdsing Jordan”) has comic book elements (superpowered mutants!) and dark themes. Can they save the world and get a life? Adrian Pasdar (“Profit”) is the lead, but Masi Oka (“Scrubs”) will be a fan favorite, speaking in Japanese with English subtitles. 8 p.m. Mondays, NBC, beginning Sept. 25.
8. “KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY” Goofy comedy about a ragtag group that plots to burglarize a different celebrity’s apartment each season (it should live so long). Donal Logue of “Grounded for Life” is an acquired taste; Sofia Vergara is the eye-popping lone female. 8 p.m. Tuesdays, ABC, beginning Oct. 17.
9. “BROTHERS AND SISTERS” This soap-operatic drama from Ken Olin and playwright Jon Robin Baitz explores what happens when family secrets are exposed. Sally Field is the brittle matriarch with grown children played by Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths (“Six Feet Under”), Dave Annable, Balthazar Getty and Matthew Rhys. 9 p.m. Sundays, ABC, beginning Sept. 24.
10. “30 ROCK” Tina Fey, formerly of “SNL,” writes and stars in this sendup of the backstage insanity on a late-night variety show. With help from Alec Baldwin as the network suit and Tracy Morgan as the out-of-control star. But is the humor too “inside”? 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, NBC, beginning Oct. 11.
