It's time, fellow TV fans, time for the new fall season to kick off.
Nielsen Media officially begins counting eyeballs on Monday, but a number of new shows have already jumped the gun and there's another one today with Madam Secretary on CBS.
Madam Secretary, starring Tea Leoni as the new secretary of state, is set for an unusual double-dip premiere today at 7:30 and again at 9:30 p.m. The late showing follows the Season 6 premiere of The Good Wife.
I suppose CBS wants to take full advantage of The Good Wife being the best drama on TV and tap into its base of viewers who enjoy watching powerful women being powerful.
NBC did the same thing last week with The Mysteries of Laura, but spread out the "special preview" over two nights. The official premiere (and the second episode) arrives at 7 p.m. Wednesday. I fail to understand how one can have a "premiere" when it's the second episode.
The Mysteries of Laura, starring Debra Messing as an NYPD homicide detective Laura Diamond, has made some TV critics' preseason "Worst New Shows" list. I'm not claiming it's the best drama in years, but there are plenty of other new offerings much worse this fall.
Check out my preview of The Mysteries of Laura in today's TV Week insert. Watch Wednesday's "premiere" if for no other reason than Little Rock native Josh Lucas stars as Laura's husband.
Warning: Sunday NFL football messes with the CBS prime-time schedule more often than not, pushing 60 Minutes back and having a domino effect on the rest of the evening's schedule.
If you set your DVR and forget it, you'll run the risk of missing the final minutes of a show if football has run long. Always double-check that your CBS Sunday program starts on time, or do as I do and also set the DVR to record the show following the one that might not start on time.
In addition, be sure to read my fall preview on today's Style Section front. It contains my Top 10 must-see list, which includes The Mysteries of Laura and Fox's The Red Band Society, which premiered last week.
There's also a handy list showing when all the new shows debut between now and Nov. 17. That's the date NBC's new State of Affairs with Katherine Heigl as a top CIA attache arrives.
State of Affairs is also making the worst lists. They say the fetching Heigl lacks the gravitas to portray a CIA agent. Well, if they disqualified actresses for being too pretty for a role, a lot of TV shows would be off the air.
For example, Leoni is certainly pleasant on the eyes, especially for a mature woman of 48. I give CBS props for not populating every series with perky little 20-somethings in an attempt to pander to younger audiences. Leave that to The CW.
In addition, Madam Secretary stars 58-year-old Tim Daly (a fan favorite since Wings) as Leoni's husband, Henry McCord.
Leoni stars as Elizabeth McCord, a former top CIA analyst and college professor. Now she's the newly appointed secretary of state who was asked to step in by the president (Keith Carradine) when her predecessor died under suspicious circumstances.
McCord is shrewd, ethical, apolitical and stubborn. That means she rubs a lot folks in Washington the wrong way.
"I'm impressed by her," Leoni says of her character in a CBS video. "I would vote for her. She's has a great heart. She has a pretty kicky sense of humor, and a great appreciation for her relationships with her kids and husband.
"She is a fish out of water, which always interests me as an actor. She is a three-dimensional woman who is not flawless. She's not a hero, but she's incredibly sympathetic.
"This is a really exciting time to be doing an hour drama as a woman, because I am in a gang now with some of the most extraordinary performers of my generation. We are all sort of descending on television at the same time and it's really cool."
McCord's team includes her chief of staff, Nadine Tolliver (Bebe Neuwirth); speechwriter, Matt Mahoney (Geoffrey Arend); press coordinator, Daisy Grant (Patina Miller), and her charming assistant, Blake Moran (Erich Bergen).
Added bonus: The marvelous Zeljko Ivanek (Damages, Big Love) portrays the president's combative chief of staff and McCord's rival, Russell Jackson. Nobody does sinister better than Ivanek.
NEW AND RETURNING
Here's a handy list of all the new and returning shows today and Monday. New offerings are in bold.
Today:
6:30 p.m. 60 Minutes (CBS).
7:30 p.m. Madam Secretary (CBS).
8:30 p.m. The Good Wife (CBS).
9:30 p.m. Madam Secretary (Pilot encore).
Monday:
7 p.m. The Big Bang Theory (CBS); Gotham (Fox); The Voice (NBC).
8 p.m. Scorpion (CBS); Sleepy Hollow (Fox).
Come back Tuesday and I'll have a preview of CBS' new Tuesday night drama NCIS: New Orleans, and a list of all the returning shows for Tuesday and Wednesday.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 09/21/2014