Published: October 02, 2008 10:16 am            

TELEVISION: An early look at new shows

The fall TV season is under way, and most of the season’s new shows have already premiered. Night & Day takes a look at some of the newcomers to find out what’s worth watching.

• “Worst Week” (8 p.m. Mondays, CBS) — Sam (Kyle Bornheimer) falls victim to Murphy’s law all the time. He’s impregnated his girlfriend, whom he’s going to marry. The dad (Kurtwood Smith from “That 70’s Show”) already hates him. Things get off to a bad start as Sam, on his way to visit her parents, has to take his drunk, flirty female co-worker home, then he’s soaked and drenched in her vomit. He has to shower, but he can’t find a towel. The co-worker wakes up and kicks him out of her house. And he’s sans clothes. And of course, things follow that pattern for the rest of the show. It is called “Worst Week,” after all.

Fans of “Meet the Parents” will immediately react to this kind of painful humor. And the pilot is very funny, surprisingly so, mostly thanks to Bornheimer. Bonus points for no laugh track.

However, the show is somewhat predictable and one wonders how this kind of concept will carry for multiple episodes, to say nothing of multiple seasons. But with Bornheimer leading the way, it’s got a chance.

• “Opportunity Knocks” (8 p.m. Tuesdays, ABC) — The new Ashton Kutcher-produced game show finds host and co-producer J.D. Roth dropping in on a family and setting up a giant stage in the middle of the neighborhood. The family members are asked questions about the rest of their family. The questions range from “What move did your sister do to win a cheerleading competition?” as other cheerleaders demonstrate to “There’s a picture of your son in each grade in a frame ... in which grade was he missing his two front teeth?”

It’s a cute diversion, but not much more. It probably won’t become must-see television for most people. And pulling away prizes from family members after they miss questions as their entire neighborhood looks on — well, it’s kind of sad.

• “The Life and Times of Tim” (11 p.m. Sundays, HBO) — Every YouTube clip of this new animated show ranges from hilarious to uproarious. In the extended sneak peek, Tim’s boss brings his dog Keith to work. Tim has to cover for the dog in various ways — all very funny, some kind of unprintable.

Judging from this preview and the other clips, Tim generally finds himself in a number of strange situations. When he tries to get out of them, he often is made to look or feel like a fool. The premise is kind of like “Worst Week” but even funnier, way more bizarre, profane and not so married to Murphy’slaw.

The show’s animation is basic, to say the least, falling somewhere between “Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist,” formerly of Comedy Central, and Cartoon Network’s “Home Movies.” Though rudimentary, it fits the show, as it seems to jive with Tim’s subdued manner.

Who knows what kind of audience this show will find on HBO, but if it doesn’t make it there, it would probably do just fine in a late-night slot on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

But let’s not push it right off to another network. Here’s hoping it finds success on HBO.

• “The Mentalist” (9 p.m. Tuesdays, CBS) — The Mentalist, aka Patrick Jane, is quite observant. A former TV psychic (“I used to make a good living pretending to be a psychic”), Jane has a gift for reading people.

In the pilot, Jane’s probing questions mostly get the expected responses — basically, a lot of blank looks that seem to ask the audience, “How did he know that?”

Simon Baker is smug as Jane, not completely unlike William Peterson as Gil Grissom on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.” Whether he’s fittingly smug depends on your tolerance for smugness.

The show’s other characters are clichéd, the dialogue is run-of-the-mill and the pilot doesn’t do anything new in the way of plot, but the formula works for CBS. “The Mentalist” likely has a long run ahead of it.



MORE PREMIERES ON THE WAY

A few new shows have yet to premiere this fall season. Here’s a list of upcoming premiere dates.

• “The Ex List” (9 p.m. Friday, CBS) — A psychic tells a woman that she’s already dated her future husband and if she doesn’t find him within a year, she’ll remain alone forever. So the woman has to go through her “ex list.” A good premise, but what’s with the one-year thing? Based on an Israeli series.

• “Sanctuary” (9 p.m. Friday, Sci-Fi) — A Web series picked up by a network, this show follows a group who helps protect dangerous and mysterious creatures while learning more about them. The show is shot almost entirely using green screen technology.

• “Kath & Kim” (8:30 p.m. Oct. 9, NBC) — Molly Shannon and Selma Blair star in this comedy about a daughter (Blair) who moves back in with her mother (Shannon), just as mom is starting a new relationship. This one could be a weird winner. Based on an Australian series.

• “The Eleventh Hour” (10 p.m. Oct. 9, CBS) — A biophysicist investigates scientific crimes for the FBI. It seems like a cross between “The X-Files” and other CBS detective shows, and it should do well with its “CSI” lead-in. Based on a British series.

• “Life on Mars” (10 p.m. Oct. 9, ABC) — NYPD Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O’Mara) gets hit by a car and finds himself as an NYPD detective ... in 1973. The cast is star-studded, featuring Harvey Keitel, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol and Lisa Bonet, among others. Based on a British series.

• “Testees” (10:30 p.m. Oct. 9, FX) — A comedy developed by Kenny Hotz of “Kenny vs. Spenny,” this show follows two friends and roommates who work at a product testing facility.

• “My Own Worst Enemy” (10 p.m. Oct. 13, NBC) — Christian Slater stars in this much-hyped drama about a man living a split life: one in a normal middle-class suburban life, the other as a deadly secret agent.

• “Crusoe” (8 p.m. Oct. 17, NBC) — A new drama based on Daniel Defoe’s novel, “Crusoe” casts Philip Winchester as a man who is stranded on a tropical island away from his love and left to battle both enemies and elements. It should be interesting to see if the series can provide anything new to a classic tale.

        

• Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.