The Fall TV season is officially underway. Last week saw the premieres of many of our favorite shows, but the results were not always fantastic. Modern Family, which won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy this year, returned with an uncharacteristically weak episode that relied more on forced physical comedy than anything else. Usually the show generates rabid quoting on Facebook, but this time around, just about the only thing that piqued anyone’s interest was the notion of adding salt to chocolate milk.
Also disappointing viewers was 30 Rock, which had a decent but not spectacular premiere. True, the show always seems to fumble its first few episodes each year, and yes, the extended Barefoot Contessa references were somewhat genius, but like Modern Family, the series did not feel like it was firing on all cylinders.
More successful was Cougar Town, the retooled ABC comedy, which is less about Courteney Cox‘s sexpot ways and more about her stable of kooky friends. The show has steadily built a strong network of devoted fans and is poised to be the breakout hit this year that journalists were expecting it to be all along.
Meanwhile, Community on NBC recruited the omnipresent Betty White for its premiere to fairly strong effect. Like many of the other comedies, the show didn’t put forth its best effort; however, a freestyle rap over the ending credits proved to be wildly inspired and hilarious.
As for reality TV, Dancing with the Stars raked in the ratings with its new tabloid-heavy cast of “stars.” David Hasselhoff got the boot, which was unfortunately, but at least we still have the awkward dance stylings of The Situation, Audrina Patridge, and Bristol Palin. Plus, let’s not overlook Jennifer Grey, whose emotional tribute to Patrick Swayze left judge Carrie Ann Inaba, as well as much of the audience, choked up.
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