MUST-SEE TV
Here are my Top 7 new shows, ranked in order. Check them out, but nothing is guaranteed. I've made educated guesses based on previewing the pilots and 22 years on the TV beat. But every season has promising programs that start out nicely, then crash and burn after a couple of episodes.
1.) Supergirl. Winsome Melissa Benoist is adorable and brings just the right amount of shy dorkiness and spunk to the role of 24-year-old Kara (CAR-uh) Zor-El, who escaped the destruction of her home planet of Krypton.
For more than 10 years she has kept hidden the powers she shares with her famous cousin, Kal-El, but it's time to let out the inner superhero. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll cheer along.
Calista Flockhart (Ally McBeal) plays her rich and powerful (and mean) media mogul boss, Cat Grant. The cast includes guest stars Helen Slater, who played Supergirl on the big screen in 1984, and Dean Cain, who was the man of steel in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993-97).
2.) The Muppets. This promises to be a "more adult" offering that will remain family fodder. For the first time, fans will get to explore the deep, dark secrets of the Muppets' private lives. Sounds intriguing.
3.) The Grinder. Rob Lowe is a hoot as TV lawyer Dean Sanderson. He doesn't know what to do, however, once his series is over, so he moves back home. He believes he can translate what he did on the tube into a real courtroom. Oddly, it seems to be working.
Fred Savage (The Wonder Years) is Dean's long-suffering lawyer brother, and William Devane (24: Live Another Day) plays their dad.
4.) Scream Queens. This is the latest of Ryan Murphy's (American Horror Show) anthologies. The campy comedy-horror series is set on a college campus that is bedeviled by a series of murders once the dean (original scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis) rules a sorority must hold an open rush.
Emma Roberts is the queen bee and others in the cast are Lea Michele (Glee), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Keke Palmer (Masters of Sex), Nick Jonas (Kingdom), Ariana Grande (Victorious) and Oliver Hudson (Nashville).
5.) Life in Pieces. Here's your new series, those of you who miss Parenthood. Dianne Wiest (In Treatment) and James Brolin (Marcus Welby, M.D.) head the multi-generational family comedy. Each ambitious half hour contains four free-standing, but related, segments from the perspectives of different family members.
The cast includes Colin Hanks (Fargo) and Betsy Brandt (Breaking Bad).
6.) Heroes Reborn. The 13-episode limited series will again revolve around ordinary people who discover they have extraordinary abilities. In this reboot we'll see several familiar faces from the original, plus new folks. They include Zachary Levi (Chuck) as a vigilante out to hunt down our heroes.
This time around, there's no cheerleader to save in order to save the world. That cheerleader (Hayden Panettiere), by the way, is singing over on ABC's Nashville.
7.) Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris. Check out this ambitious 10-episode series for its nostalgic novelty -- a live one-hour variety show with skits, pranks, audience participation, music and surprises.
Style on 09/20/2015