LITTLE ROCK — The first official week of the new fall season continues with some popular returning favorites and a half-dozen new offerings (with one exception). Here’s the programming breakdown for the next three days with the new series in bold type.
ABC Today:
7 p.m., Charlie’s Angels 8 p.m., Grey’s Anatomy (two-hour premiere)
CBS
Today:
7 p.m., The Big Bang Theory (two episodes) 8 p.m., Person of Interest 9 p.m., The Mentalist
Friday:
7 p.m., A Gifted Man 8 p.m., CSI: NY 9 p.m., Blue Bloods
Saturday:
7 p.m., Rules of Engagement 7:30 p.m., comedy reruns 8 p.m., crime show reruns 9 p.m., 48 Hours Mystery
FOX Today:
7-9 p.m., The X-Factor (Part 2)
Friday:
7 p.m., Kitchen Nightmares 8 p.m., Fringe
NBC Today:
7 p.m., Community 7:30 p.m., Parks and Recreation 8 p.m., The Office 8:30 p.m., Whitney 9 p.m., Prime Suspect
Friday:
8-10 p.m., Dateline NBC
THE CW Today:
7 p.m., Nikita 8 p.m., Supernatural
THE SIX NEWBIES
X-Factor kicked off Wednesday and continues tonight with the second part of the two-part premiere. Charlie’s Angels. Look up “Eye Candy” in the Big Book o’ TV Stuff (2011 edition) and you’ll see a photo of the three “little girls” starring in this remake of the 1976-81 series.
Minka Kelly, Annie IIonzeh and Rachael Taylor are all hot chicks and wear hot-chick outfits. That’s why they got this gig. It certainly wasn’t for their acting ability. Accept the show for what it is and watch, or let it slide. Your life won’t be less for it.
Person of Interest. This thriller is from J.J. Abrams, the creator or co-creator of Felicity, Alias, Lost, Fringe and Undercovers. That’s four hits and a strikeout. That record is reason enough to check this show out.
It stars Lost’s Michael Emerson (he played Ben) as Mr. Finch, a billionaire computer genius who invents surveillance software for the government that can identify folks (perpetrator or victim) who will be involved in violent crimes.
It’s sort of Minority Report meets Early Edition.
Finch enlists the aid of presumed-dead former CIA agent John Reese (Jim Caviezel) to help him stop the crimes before they occur.
My concern is that this may be too much of a onetrick pony to keep my interest going. But Emerson is brilliant, so the series can’t be dismissed.
A Gifted Man. This drama continues TV’s attempt to offer quirky twists to standard fare. Kudos for the effort, but this one’s a little odd.
A Gifted Man stars Patrick Wilson as Dr. Michael Holt, an arrogant, materialistic surgeon who suddenly starts getting life lessons and advice from beyond from his recently dead wife, played by Jennifer Ehle.
Think Ghost Whisperer meets House meets Touched by an Angel meets Eli Stone meets Highway to Heaven. The series is supposed to be inspirational.
Whitney. This sitcom got lots of pre-season buzz thanks to the comedic genius of Chelsea Lately regular Whitney Cummings. Not only does she star in this offering, but she co-created CBS’ 2 Broke Girls. She’s everywhere.
In Whitney, Cummings plays Whitney Cummings, a woman who tries to infuse romance back into her fiveyear relationship with boyfriend Alex (Chris D’Elia).
Prime Suspect. Maria Bello stars in the American adaptation of the beloved British series that starred Helen Mirren.
Mirren was brilliant and Bello, if not quite that, is still a cut above the average female TV cop. Check her out as she takes on the good ol’ boys at her new precinct.
THINGS TO NOTE
Michael’s gone. Tonight’s Season 7 kickoff of The Office will feature James Spader. Michael Scott (Steve Carell) is really, really gone.
So long, Erica. All My Children signs off network television at noon Friday on ABC. Once more for nostalgia’s sake, here are all 10 legal married names of Susan Lucci’s Erica Kane: Erica Kane Martin Brent Cudahay Chandler Montgomery Montgomery Chandler Marick Marick Montgomery.
Thought there were 12 marriages? The two to Mike Roy were not legit.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Weekend, Pages 30 on 09/22/2011