I’m finally finished watching at least the first episode of every new network show this fall. Now that I’m done, it’s time to rank ’em, all 21 of them, with some quick notes. Let’s begin.
1. Last Resort – the series I was most interested in through a few episodes and was subsequently most bummed when it was cancelled, it’s too bad it will never get a proper chance to plan an ending, which even a full season could have given it – it had a genuinely fascinating premise and managed to sustain it well in the episodes afterwards
2. Ben and Kate – the best comedy of the fall, which hopefully will last more than a year, Ben was always funny even from the get go but the other characters have gotten funnier as the show has gone along
3. The Mindy Project – I was hesitant at first, but it’s funny. The most recent episode may have been the best yet and they’re slowly figuring out how to use their pieces, which I think is a great sign, increasing and decreasing different cast members’ screen time, based on how well they work
4. Nashville – this started higher but has been going down, as every episode seems kind of like the previous one – still, this is where things get choppy, and a solid premise with solid acting already gets you a pretty good ranking
5. Elementary – it was surprisingly good, and I just don’t watch non-original Law & Order proecurals, but if I did, I would watch this one; I’ve thought about watching another episode, which is pretty impressive in and of itself
6. Arrow – I’ve only see one but I plan to watch at least a couple more which means this show could move up or move down, but just based on the one it’s really here – it was fun and made me want more
7. Revolution – I watched a few, and really wanted it to be better; the characters, particularly Charlie started to grate on my nerves, and compared to Last Resort, the other big serial sci-fi type show, it really paled in comparison, but even that fact that I wanted to watch more keeps it above most shows
8. Vegas – This show was actually not bad in the one episode I saw; hardly great, but more enjoyable than I had anticipated
9. The New Normal – was it bad? No, it wasn’t bad. It wasn’t really good either though and the grandmother character was particularly irritating
10. 666 Park Avenue – it wasn’t a terrible idea at going after the magic that worked for the first season of revenge, but it wasn’t handled as deftly as it could have been either, John Locke does not himself make a show
11. Emily Owens M.D – It had one or two parts that made me half smile but it was a pretty boring and pointless show – its rank at 11 is more a tribute to the badness behind it rather than a credit to Owens
12. Go On – there were a couple of parts that were funny, but that’s negatively balanced out by a couple that kind of irritated me
13. Chicago Fire – do you remember one thing about this show? I don’t and I watched it.
14. Beauty and the Beast – this show had no imagination and wasn’t written particularly well
15. The Mob Doctor – this happened? it featured Zeljko Ivanek and that’s probably why I’m giving it this slot
16. Malibu Country – southern country people move to southern california and hijinks ensue! there’s your show, and it’s really not any more complex than that
17. Animal Practice – there was a cool monkey, and that’s pretty much what gets it to 17
18. Guys with Kids – Jimmy Fallon has a pretty hip reputation these days, but this show isn’t helping it – it’s too bad Anthony Anderson and Zach Cregger were wasted on this drek
19. The Neighbors – it was fun to watch an episode of because it was so bizarre, but it was also very bad
20. Made in Jersey – I got a much bigger kick out of watching this than a couple of the shows above it because it was so over the top about her jersey-ness, but I don’t think in this case it necessary makes it better
21. Partners – a terrible, terrible show, is it a sign of progress that we can now have a show featuring a gay main character and only focus on its terribleness
Television, the Drug of the Nation 
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