The Fall TV season stresses me out like you wouldn’t even believe. With all these new shows, I need a pretty solid roadmap to make it through. Which is why I created these killer TV Survival Guides, out to show you what to watch live, what to DVR, what to stream online, and what to catch up on a long TV marathon. I’ve already tackled Monday. Here’s Tuesday’s guide.
WHAT TO WATCH LIVE:
Happy Endings TV’s goofiest ensemble returns for their third season, and boy, have I missed them. Eliza Coupe, Zachary Knighton, Adam Pally, Elisha Cuthbert, Damon Wayans Jr, and the flawless Casey Wilson are back to pick up the pieces where the second season finale left off. Will Alex and Dave get together? Or will it be Penny and Alex? Honestly – I don’t care either way, just as long as the show keeps its fast-paced, funny energy.
The New Normal I’ve fallen head over heels for Ryan Murphy’s half-hour family comedy, which follows gay couple Bryan and David (Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha) as they start a family with the help of a surrogate, Goldie (Georgia King). All the performances are in top form, especially Ellen Barkin who plays Goldie’s racist grandma, Jane (think of her like an angrier Sue Sylvester, if that’s even possible). But the biggest scene-stealer of them all is RHOA’s Nene Leakes, who delivers some of the best one-liners on TV. (Seriously – I couldn’t be more proud of her if she was my own child). I have to hand it to Murphy – I really through this show would be terrible, but it has totally impressed. My favorite of the new season, for sure.
Parenthood I’ve been telling you for years that you should be watching Parenthood. The show is filled with some of the best dramatic performances on television (Lauren Graham, Peter Kraus, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen, Dax Shepard, and Craig T. Nelson deserve all the awards all the time). And in a world without Brothers & Sisters, Parenthood reigns supreme as the best family drama on TV. This season, Ray Ramono joins the cast for a multi-episode arc, which should be interesting. Check it out.
WHAT TO DVR:
New Girl I’m not a huge Zooey Deschanel fan, so it’s been really hard for me to get into New Girl. All that “look how quirky I am” bullshit really gets under my skin. Still, I’ve learned to tolerate the brown-eyed banged beauty and the nonsensical show surrounding her – mainly because her supporting cast is so strong. DVR it and fast-forward through the boring parts.
The Mindy Project I’ll tell you what the other critics are seemingly too afraid to tell you: The Mindy Project’s pilot was not very funny. As in, you’ll probably only laugh a handful of times. But here’s the thing: Mindy Kaling is a star. She’s adorably self-aware – confident and insecure at the same time while still remaining likeable. You want to watch a show around her voice. I feel confident that things will improve, once the rocky bits get through. But just in case, DVR it so you’re not watching real time.
Sons of Anarchy Okay I’m not going to pretend anymore: even I don’t watch Sons of Anarchy. But have to seen the trailer for the new season? Holy shit it looks so good! Katey Segal is like, threatening to kill people and shit. And I believe her! I will for sure be tuning in.
WHAT TO WATCH ONLINE:
Ben and Kate Of all the new shows this year, Ben and Kate is the one that I feel most on the fence about. Dakota Johnson (Kate) and Nat Faxon (Ben) play a bother and sister duo who, like most family, are super close and super annoyed with one another. Still, the chemistry between Johnson and Faxon is enjoyable, and different enough from what we’ve been seeing on TV in other shows. I’d give it a chance.
Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 Speaking about shows that are different, have you ever seen a show like Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23? I don’t think so. There’s a lot of fun to be had with Krysten Ritter’s Chloe McGruff – the nasty B making the life of her roommate June Colburn (Dreama Walker) miserable. And who would have thought James Van Der Beek’s best acting would be done playing a heightened version of James Van Der Beek?
WHAT TO WATCH IN A MARATHON:
Flipping Out Jeff Lewis is back and he’s bitchy than ever. Seems that the stress of filming two shows back to back (Design Therapy and this season of Flipping Out) has finally gotten to him. Add onto that the drama of planning Jenni’s wedding, and training a new assistant, and working with his longtime boyfriend Gage and you’ve got a season of flip outs and bitch outs. Sign me up for a Sunday morning marathon.
Covert Affairs I can’t remember what season we’re up to, but all I know is Auggie finally admitted he has feelings for Annie and I just know she has feelings for him too and OMFG I CAN’T WAIT UNTIL THEY FINALLY KISS.
WHAT TO READ ABOUT ONLINE THE NEXT DAY:
Both The Voice and Dancing with the Stars will air 8pm results shows. Like all reality show results shows, these are terrible and painful things to watch and should very much be skipped. However, you’ll probably want to look online and see who got voted off the night before. Other than that, I’d say the only other show worth checking up on is Go On – and that’s only because I’m writing the recaps for Backstage.com (SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT).
WHAT TO IGNORE:
I love Mamie Gummer, but holy shit is Emily Owens M.D. awful. You’re going to want to ignore the shit out of that. Also, Private Practice is the worst and this is probably its last season and if you haven’t started watching yet, you’re not going to want to start anytime soon.