Channel Surfing: Fall 2010

Fall marks the beginning of a new school year, as well as a new season — that is, a new season of amazing TV. This fall is no exception. Here we'll highlight which shows you should tune into, which shows you should DVR and which shows are not even worth your time.

Monday:

Monday has some great options for viewers this season. One of the most anticipated shows is Hawaii Five-O (CBS). This remake of the 1970's hit is set to be a departure from the original. The plot centers around four cops in Hawaii. The series stars Alex O'Loughlin (Moonlight), Scott Caan (Ocean's Eleven), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica). Hawaii Five-O is filled with action, rather than campy fun like the original. It will be interesting to see how this remake translates to the 21st century especially since most of its original audience is still alive.

Another show on your radar should be Mike and Molly (CBS). This comedy about two people in an over-eaters anonymous group looks funny and stars Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls) and Billy Gardell (My Name Is Earl). Although there will be plenty of fat jokes on this show, it's genuinely funny with lines like "I feel like I'm hugging a futon." CBS certainly has been delivering good comedies in the past few years, and Mike and Molly looks promising.

One of the most interesting new shows coming this fall is Lone Star (FOX). The plot centers on a Texas con man leading a double life. It plays a little like a soap opera about the oil industry, but has garnered good early reviews. Lone Star features Jon Voight, Andie MacDowell and Mark Deklin. This refreshing drama from FOX is definitely a DVR-worthy show.

NBC's The Event is a toss up. No one knows enough about it to actually decide if it is worth watching. What one can gather is that it is a conspiracy-laden, plot-twisting drama featuring Blair Underwood as the president of the United States. It deals a lot with contemporary issues like terrorism and national security. The premiere will certainly clear the air, but until then The Event is only DVR-worthy.

The one show to forget this fall is Chase (FOX), which is a story about U.S. Marshals and is really similar to USA's In Plain Sight. It looks like a time-filler that literally took its plotline from cable. Even though it's produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, this show should be marked as a minor hiccup in his career.

Watch: Hawaii Five-0(CBS, 10p.m.), Mike and Molly (CBS, 9:30 p.m.)

DVR: The Event(NBC, 9p.m.), Lone Star (FOX, 9 p.m.)

Forget:Chase (Fox, 10 p.m.)

Tuesday:

Tuesday looks to be the lame duck of television this fall. Think of Tuesdays as a night to get your homework done because the new programming on TV isn't worth watching. But if that's still not reason enough for you to do your homework, here are your options.

ABC is bringing The Incredibles to life with No Ordinary Family. The story is about a family who survives a plane crash and gains superpowers in the process. The show follows them as they learn to use these powers and deal with the after effects on their lives. This dramedy is faux documentary, and the characters break the third wall and talk directly into the camera. It doesn't look interesting enough to watch live, so add it to your DVR list and watch Glee instead.

Another show to DVR is Raising Hope (FOX), which is about a 25-year-old guy who is left to raise a baby all by himself. While this storyline is not really original, it looks pretty hilarious with newcomer Lucas Neff as the new parent who has no idea how to raise a child. In one scene the baby starts crying and because he does not have a bottle, he fills her milk into a rubber glove and uses that instead. The dynamic is intensified when you meet Neff's mother and father and see how they raised him. This show is definitely a good addition to the DVR repertoire.

Two shows that we should absolutely forget about this fall are Running Wilde (FOX) and Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC). Running Wilde is a dramedy about a rich, spoiled man (Will Arnett) who gets a second chance at being with the love of his life (played by Keri Russell) who wants nothing to do with him. As much as critics had high hopes, Running Wilde looks pretty bad.  Detroit 1-8-7 is another cop show but takes place in Detroit. It's kind of like The Office in that it's a fake documentary drama. Unlike The Office, though, it looks awful.

DVR:No Ordinary Family (ABC 8 p.m.), Raising Hope (FOX 9 p.m.)

Forget:Running Wilde (FOX 9:30 p.m.), Detroit 1-8-7 (ABC 10 p.m.)

Wednesday

Wednesday's lineup is a mix between the great shows of Thursday and the forgettable shows of Tuesday.

One of the biggest contenders for the fall is NBC's Undercovers, produced by JJ Abrams (Alias, Lost). If anyone knows how do action, suspense and drama it's JJ Abrams. Undercovers is a show about a husband-wife spy team that quit and are brought back into the job. Who can resist a high quality spy show, especially when all the previews have been so phenomenal? They are equally action-packed and intelligent and get down to the basics about marriage while still blowing up cars. Watch this one live, it's sure to be brilliant.

The Defenderson CBS is about two Law Vegas attorneys who have a penchant for going overboard with their partying ways. Starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell, the show looks interesting to say the most. The premise has been done many times before and is trite. It may just become so formulaic that you will be able to figure out what happens after the first few minutes. It's at least worth DVR-ing for now, but you may need to forget it later on.