Ypulse Youth Advisory Board Fall TV Preview: Part Two
Posted by meredith on 09-11-2009
As promised, here is part two of our Fall TV Preview. Below are personal picks for "ones to watch" this season from Youth Advisory Board members Megan Reid and Michael Hayball and me.
Ed. Note: If you're looking for a comprehensive list of new and returning shows take a look at this schedule from The Los Angeles Times or this one from our friends at Sweet Designs.
What Meg will be watching….
Project Runway on Lifetime
Biggest Draw: The "Project Runway" formula of Heidi Klum, design meltdowns and triumphs, fashion world judges, and of course, Tim Gunn's catchphrases.
Potential Drawbacks:: The show’s network switch to Lifetime from Bravo, as well as the change in the filming location from NYC to LA.
Buzz-o-Meter: Medium. Longtime fans like me are probably the most hyped for the current season. I think the show’s new home on Lifetime has garnered the most buzz, both in blogs/articles and among fans. That probably reached its height back when the deal was first announced, though. Runway was such a typically Bravo reality show—very artsy, talent-based, urban—that it was hard to imagine it alongside the kind of content I associate with Lifetime. Thankfully, nothing’s really changed. To quote Tim Gunn, they make it work.
Models of the Runway
Biggest Draw: Getting to see behind the scenes of Project Runway. And maybe, pretty girls?
Potential Drawbacks: Lifetime probably wanted to piggyback on the popularity of "America's Next Top Model," but unlike top model hopefuls, the young women on Models of the Runway have no real control over their "competition." It makes the show seem kind of pointless. The only reason I watched was to see the model elimination, but I quickly got frustrated with all the petty housemate drama that took up most of the episode. It wasn’t worth it to wait a half hour to see an elimination that took 60 seconds on previous seasons of Project Runway.
Buzz-o-Meter: Low. I haven’t heard anyone talking about the show.
What Michael will be watching…
The Cleveland Show
Biggest Draw: The biggest draw for me, and for anyone for that matter, is that "The Cleveland Show" is the latest show and spin-off from Seth McFarlane, creator of "Family Guy."
Potential Drawbacks: Cleveland is not known for being the funniest secondary character on the show (that would be Quagmire, in this author's opinion), and do we really need another Seth McFarlane cartoon? Not that I don't enjoy his comedy, but there's four cartoons on Sunday night, and three of them are Seth's. That, and some people, believe it or not, do not like his sense of humor, and that might turn people off to Fox's Sunday night.
Buzz-o-meter: Medium-to-High. Mainly because of the reasons mentioned. Here's the final word; Fox has already bought two seasons of a show with jokes based around the least funny character in "Family Guy." I'd like to think that they're being overconfident, but I'm hoping otherwise.
What Meredith will be watching…
Bored to Death
Biggest Draw: Cult appeal. Billed as a “noir-otic comedy” this new HBO offering features Jason Schwartzman, best known for his role as Max Fisher in indie flick "Rushmore," as a Brooklyn writer who moonlights as an unlicensed detective with no experience. Add in a quirky supporting cast — comedian Zach Galifianakis and Ted Danson (a regular on the show's lead-in "Curb Your Enthusiasm") — and a lengthy list of noteworthy guest appearances (Parker Posey, Kristen Wiig, Oliver Platt all appear in the premiere) and a certain hip, young fanbase is pretty much a given. Plus, the premium cable factor ("It's not TV, it's HBO") promises a higher end, more cinematic production quality.
Potential Drawbacks: The private eye premise — a different case per episode — has the potential to wear thin after a while. Especially if the clients, i.e. guest stars, aren't consistently enticing the whole season. Then again, if the dynamic between the main actors is compelling enough, that shouldn't be a problem. It's hard to tell since neither Schwartzman nor Galifianakis have done much work on TV.
Buzz-o-meter: Medium-to-High. Although it's hard to tell how much of that is because of the Brooklyn bubble I'm in. In any case, I've seen a lot of print ads for this and spotted excited mentions on a good number of local and pop culture blogs I follow. With this particular crew of actors and author Jonathan Ames (the Brooklyn writer who created the show) behind it, I think you can bet on a devoted following spreading the word about "Bored to Death."
About Megan Reid
Megan is a college student, freelancer and hardcore bookworm. She began writing fashion articles for her hometown newspaper at age 15, and her work has since appeared in publications like Boston magazine, Mountain Living and CosmoGirl. Meg also loves theatre and the arts, and when she's not sending postcards, devouring YA novels, or reading up on 19th-century cultural studies, she's probably dragging someone along on a late-night ice cream/Starbucks run. Meg has lived in three (soon to be four) countries and five states, though she currently resides in Arizona.
About Michael Hayball
Michael lives a simple life in Allen Park, MI. When he is not attending Henry Ford Community College for his Associates, he can be seen chatting and socializing around campus and the local coffee shop. He enjoys a good iced caramel cappuccino, or a regular coca-cola. Michael loves what he calls “The Blog Music," and he was and still is raised on a steady diet of electronic music and old-school hip hop. Michael hopes to work for Spin magazine one day, and screams like a little girl every time a new issue comes to the local coffee shop.
Categorized under: TV, Youth Advisory Board
