Rumors of the Traditional Multiple-camera Sitcom’s Demise have been Greatly Exaggerated
Despite the fact that many studio executives already took it upon themselves to proclaim the death of the traditional multi-camera sitcom a few seasons back, a funny thing happened on the way to the funeral: THE BIG BANG THEORY broke out big. And, since the proverbial powers that be know a “license to print money” when they see one, there are no fewer than 6 attempts to find the next FRIENDS and or SEINFELD on the 2011/12 sked, including 2 BROKE GIRLS (CBS), LAST MAND STANDING (ABC), MAN UP (ABC), HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN (CBS), WORK IT (ABC) and WHITNEY (CBS)

TGIF!
With Primetime real estate at a premium, Fridays this fall have come back into play in a big way. Which means, viewers can say “goodbye” to the dreaded night of nothing to watch, and “hello” to a handful of cult/soon-to-be cult favorites including the CW one-two butt-kicking combo of NIKITA and SUPERNATURAL, Fox’s FRINGE, the final 13 episodes of CHUCK, NBC’s GRIMM, and CBS’ A GIFTED MAN. Thanks goodness it’s Friday indeed.

Men are from Mars
Whether they’re parenting badly (LAST MAND STANDING, SUBURGATORY, UP ALL NIGHT to name a few) or simply behaving so (WORK IT, HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN, THE PLAYBOY CLUB, among others), there was one very clear and consistent message being sent by all four major networks during last week’s Upfront: Men are morons.

The Bigger Name the Better
What’s the only thing Networks and Studios appreciate more than being able to craft a series around an already popular book, film, and/or television property? Having the big name to go along with it. Which is why, those shows not fortunate enough to have the already built-in audience awareness that comes with the likes of ABC’s CHARLIE’S ANGELS or the CW’s SECRET CIRCLE are littered with familiar faces both in front (Tim Allen, Kiefer Sutherland, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Rachel Bilson, Christina Applegate, James Van Der Beek, Poppy Montgomery, Zooey Deschanel, Christina Ricci, Emily Van Camp, Ashley Judd and Kerry Washington) and behind (Steven Spielberg, Shonda Rhimes, Kevin Williamson, Josh Schwartz and Chuck Lorre) the camera. Not, that there’s anything wrong with that.

Reality TV is Here to Stay
While it probably comes as little surprise that reality TV isn’t going anywhere, what might come as somewhat of one is that after much hemming and hawing, we’re actually okay with that. Particularly when each Network’s respective reality TV juggernaut continues to attract both the necessary eyeballs and advertising dollars needed to help fund and promote the hundreds of millions of dollars that go into developing the scripted dramas and comedies that make up one of the most exciting Fall Lineups we’ve seen in some time.

2 BROKE GIRLS
According to the Official CBS Description: 2 BROKE GIRLS is a comedy about two young women waitressing at a greasy spoon diner who strike up an unlikely friendship in the hopes of launching a successful business – if only they can raise the cash

Why We’re Excited: As evidence by her ability to make Michael “One Note” Cera seem believably crush-worthy in Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, combined with her more recent penchant for upstaging Academy Award Winning It-Girl Natalie Portman in Thor, Kat Dennings is — for lack of a better word — da’ bomb.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Thanks to SEX AND THE CITY’s Michael Patrick King at the helm, James Burrows in the director’s chair, and the already winning duo that is Kat Dennings and relative newcomer Beth Behrs, that ship has sailed!

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A GIFTED MAN
According to the Official CBS Description: A GIFTED MAN is a drama about a brilliant, charismatic surgeon whose life changes forever when his deceased ex-wife begins teaching him the meaning of life from the “hereafter.” 

Why We’re Excited: Despite the been-there-watched-that premise involving a dearly departed lover haunting their better half from beyond, it’s hard not to be at least mildly intrigued by any show that features Patrick Wilson, Julie Benz, and Jennifer Ehle in front of the camera, and Jonathan Demme (Silence of the Lambs) behind it.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Nothing says downer-of-a-way-to-kick-off-your-weekend like unwinding with a husband continually grieving over his dead wife on a Friday night.

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HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN
According to the Official CBS Description:HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN, inspired by the book of the same name, is a comedy about the unlikely friendship between a traditional, refined writer and an unrefined personal trainer.

Why We’re Excited: With the exception of Dave Foley — who thanks to his work on NEWSRADIO we will watch in anything — we’re not.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Again, not really a problem. Particularly after a slightly-less-than-sizzling sizzle reel that confirmed our suspicions that playing the hackneyed “Johnny Drama” on ENTOURAGE for the past few seasons wasn’t nearly the stretch Kevin Dillon might have us believe.

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UNFORGETTABLE
According to the Official CBS Description: UNFORGETTABLE stars Poppy Montgomery as Carrie Wells, an enigmatic former police detective with a rare condition that makes her memory so flawless that every place, every conversation, every moment of joy and every heartbreak is forever embedded in her mind.  It’s not just that she doesn’t forget anything – she can’t; except for one thing: the details that would help solve her sister’s long-ago murder.  

Why We’re Excited: Two words: Poppy Montgomery, who just might be enough of a distraction to keep us from ranting that this gruesome tired CBS procedural revolving around yet another brilliant albeit somewhat “different” protagonist bumped THE GOOD WIFE to Sunday.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us:. Thanks to a coveted post NCIS/NCIS: LOS ANGELES timeslot, there’s little point in wasting energy — be it positive or negative — on a show that CBS has already deemed their next big thing.

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PERSON OF INTERESTE
According to the Official CBS Description: PERSON OF INTEREST stars Jim Caviezel, Emmy Award winner Michael Emerson and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson in a crime thriller about a presumed dead former-CIA agent who teams up with a mysterious billionaire to prevent violent crimes by using their own brand of vigilante justice. 

Why We’re Excited: J.J. Abrams + The Dark Knight scribe Jonathan Nolan + LOST’s Michael Emerson + Jim Caviziel = You do the math!

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Between UNDERCOVERS and the first season of FRINGE, J.J. Abrams doesn’t exactly have the strongest track record when it comes to CBS’ bread and butter that are cookie-cutter procedural.

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HART OF DIXIE
According to the Official CW Description: Fast-talking New Yorker and brand new doctor Zoe Hart has it all figured out – after graduating top of her class from medical school, she’ll follow in her father’s footsteps and become a cardio-thoracic surgeon.  But when her dreams fall apart, Zoe decides to accept an offer from a stranger, Dr. Harley Wilkes, to work with him at his small practice in Bluebell, Alabama.  Zoe arrives in this small Gulf Coast town only to find that Harley has passed away and left his half of the medical practice to her in his will.  She quickly finds that Southern hospitality isn’t always so hospitable – the other doctor in town, Brick Breeland, is less than pleased to be sharing the practice with this young outsider, and his daughter, Lemon, is a Southern belle whose sweet disposition turns sour when she meets Zoe.  Zoe’s only allies are the mayor, former football star Lavon Hayes, her bad-boy neighbor Wade Kinsella, and handsome lawyer George Tucker – who just happens to be Lemon’s fiancé.  Zoe is out of her element and ready to pack her bags, but a surprise visit by her snobby New York mother leads to Zoe’s decision to stay in Bluebell for a while, discovering small-town life and a side of herself she hadn’t known was there. 

Why We’re Excited: Executive Producer Josh Schwartz took the words right out of our mouth when he tweeted, “Hart of Dixie hopefully has an old school WB flave – Felicity, Everwood, Gilmore. Leila writes with great humor and heart.”

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: As an adorable object of our affection, we need no convincing when it come to star Rachel Bilson…. But as a doctor who we would trust with our life? Not to point too fine a point on it, but at least judging from the few promos we’ve been able to see, Meredith Grey she ain’t.

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RINGER
According to the Official CW Description: Sarah Michelle Gellar stars as a woman who, after witnessing a murder, goes on the run, hiding out by assuming the life of her wealthy identical twin sister – only to learn that her sister’s seemingly idyllic life is just as complicated and dangerous as the one she’s trying to leave behind.  Bridget is six months sober and starting to turn her life around when she is the sole witness to a professional hit.  Despite the assurances of her FBI protector, Agent Victor Machado, Bridget knows her life is on the line.  She flees to New York, telling no one, not even her Narcotics Anonymous sponsor, Malcolm.  In New York, Bridget reunites with her estranged twin, Siobhan.  Wealthy, pampered and married to the strikingly handsome Andrew Martin, Siobhan lives what appears to be a fairy tale life – a life where no one knows that Bridget exists.  The sisters seem to be mending their frayed relationship, until Siobhan disappears mysteriously, and Bridget makes the split decision to take on her sister’s identity.  She discovers shocking secrets, not only about her sister and her marriage, but also about Siobhan’s best friend, Gemma, and Gemma’s husband, Henry.  And when someone tries to kill Bridget in her sister’s penthouse, she realizes she is no safer as Siobhan than she is as herself.

Why We’re Excited: Having completely missed the BUFFY bandwagon (And yes, before you take to the comments below to scold us, it’s on our summer watch list!) we’re somewhat curious as to what all the hoopla is surrounding Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: If the disturbing lack of eyeballs for NIKITA — last season’s fantastic freshman attempt on behalf of the CW Network to broaden its appeal with darker and more challenging fare — illustrated anything, it’s that the Network’s niche audience may not be as quick to welcome Sarah Michelle Gellar back to their small screen as our Twitter feed was.

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THE SECRET CIRCLE
According to the Official CW Description: Cassie Blake was a happy, normal teenage girl – until her mother Amelia dies in what appears to be a tragic accidental fire.  Orphaned and deeply saddened, Cassie moves in with her warm and loving grandmother Jane in the beautiful small town of Chance Harbor, Washington – the town her mother left so many years before – where the residents seem to know more about Cassie than she does about herself.  As Cassie gets to know her high school classmates, including sweet-natured Diana and her handsome boyfriend Adam, brooding loner Nick, mean-girl Faye and her sidekick Melissa, strange and frightening things begin to happen.  When her new friends explain that they are all descended from powerful witches, and they’ve been waiting for Cassie to join them and complete a new generation of the Secret Circle, Cassie refuses to believe them – until Adam shows her how to unlock her incredible magical powers.  But it’s not until Cassie discovers a message from her mother in an old leather-bound book of spells hidden in her mother’s childhood bedroom, that she understands her true and dangerous destiny.  What Cassie and the others don’t yet know is that darker powers are at play, powers that might be linked to the adults in the town, including Diana’s father and Faye’s mother – and that Cassie’s mother’s death might not have been an accident.

Why We’re Excited: You mean aside from Kevin Williamson’s inexplicable ability to end virtually every episode of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES with us on the edge of our seat couch? You’ve got continued employment for LIFE UNEXPECTED’s Britt Robertson, TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES Thomas Dekker and QUEER AS FOLKS’ Gale Harold.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Is it just us, or are witches hand down the least interesting aspect of THE VAMPIRE DIARIES?

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Now that CBS has taken the wraps off its 2011-12 Primetime Schedule, it’s time for you to have your say. Were the hundreds of millions of development dollars invested by the Tiffany Network well spent? Now would be the time to put on that critics hat, press play and let us know in the comments below.

Monday
8PM: GOSSIP GIRL
9PM: HART OF DIXIE

Tuesday
8PM: 90210
9PM: RINGER

Wednesday
8PM: H8R
9PM: AMERICA’S NEXT TOP MODEL

Thursday
8PM: THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9PM: THE SECRET CIRCLE

Friday
8PM: NIKITA
9PM: SUPERNATURAL

On Hold for Midseason:
ONE TREE HILL, THE FRAME, RE-MODELED

Officially Over:
LIFE UNEXPECTED, HELLCATS, SHEDDING FOR THE WEDDING

CHARLIE’S ANGELS
According to the Official ABC Description: Everyone deserves a second chance — even a thief, a street racer and a cop who got in a little too deep. After all, the three women who solve cases for their elusive boss, Charlie Townsend, are no saints. They’re angels… Charlie’s Angels. Set in Miami, this fun, glamorous, action-packed take on the 1970s smash hit series introduces us to three new angels, all fearless detectives, head-turning beauties and close friends. There’s Abby (Rachael Taylor), a Park Avenue princess who became a world-class thief. Then there’s Kate (Annie Ilonzeh), a Miami cop who fell from grace, losing both her career and her fiancé. Finally there’s Gloria, a disgraced army lieutenant who has a way with explosives. When one of the angels’ missions ends in Gloria’s tragic death, Charlie persuades them to partner with Gloria’s childhood friend, Eve (Minka Kelly), a street racer with a mysterious past. They may not know each other yet, but one thing’s for sure — Abby, Kate and Eve will always have each others’ backs.

Why We’re Excited: As if  Rachael Taylor, Annie Ilonzeh and Minka Kelly weren’t reason enough, this ABC reboot of the iconic 1976-81 series comes complete with cheestacular one-liners (Dialogue snippet: “You don’t look like cops.” “We’re not — we’re angels.”), luscious locales and the creators behind SMALLVILLE’s early (read: watchable) years Alfred Miller and Miles Gough.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: The primetime television graveyard is littered with failed reboots of iconic 70′s shows that didn’t exactly turn out to be the next BATTLESTAR GALACTICA.

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ONCE UPON A TIME
According to the Official ABC Description: From the inventive minds of “Lost” executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis comes a bold new imagining of the world, where fairy tales and the modern-day are about to collide. And they all lived happily ever after – or so everyone was led to believe. Emma Swan knows how to take care of herself. She’s a 28-year-old bail bonds collector who’s been on her own ever since she was abandoned as a baby. But when the son she gave up years ago finds her, everything starts to change. Henry is now 10 years old and in desperate need of Emma’s help. He believes that Emma actually comes from an alternate world and is Snow White and Prince Charming’s missing daughter. According to his book of fairytales, they sent her away to protect her from the Evil Queen’s curse, which trapped the fairytale world forever, frozen in time, and brought them into our modern world. Of course Emma doesn’t believe a word, but when she brings Henry back to Storybrooke, she finds herself drawn to this unusual boy and his strange New England town. Concerned for Henry, she decides to stay for a while, but she soon suspects that Storybrooke is more than it seems. It’s a place where magic has been forgotten, but is still powerfully close… where fairytale characters are alive, even though they don’t remember who they once were. The epic battle for the future of all worlds is beginning, but for good to win, Emma will have to accept her destiny and fight like hell.

Why We’re Excited: It’s PUSHING DAISIES meets LOST featuring SWINGTOWN’s Lana Parrilla, BIG LOVE’s Ginnifer Goodwin and HOUSE’s Jennifer Morrison. In other words, where do we sign up!

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: What ABC neglected to mention in promoting ONCE UPON A TIME’s pedigree, is that aside from being from the “inventive minds behind LOST,” Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis have the dubious distinction of being the not-so-inventive minds behind Tron 2.0

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PAN AM
According to the Official ABC Description: Passion, jealousy and espionage… They do it all – and they do it at 30,000 feet. The style of the 1960s, the energy and excitement of the Jet Age and a drama full of sexy entanglements deliciously mesh in this thrilling and highly-original new series. In this modern world, air travel represents the height of luxury and Pan Am is the biggest name in the business. The planes are glamorous, the pilots are rock stars and the stewardesses are the most desirable women in the world. Not only are these flyboys and girls young and good looking, but to represent Pan Am they also have to be educated, cultured and refined. They’re trained to handle everything from in-air emergencies to unwanted advances – all without rumpling their pristine uniforms or mussing their hair. There’s Dean (Jonah Lotan) – a cocky, charismatic and ambitious new pilot – the first of a new breed not trained in the war. On the sly against company policy, he’s dating Bridget, a stunning beauty with a mysterious past. A rebellious bohemian, Maggie (Christina Ricci) turns into a buttoned up professional for work so she can see the world. Rounding out the crew are flirtatious Collette (Karine Vanasse), the adventurous Kate (Kelli Garner) and, finally, Laura (Margot Robbie) – Kate’s beauty queen younger sister, a runaway bride, who recently fled a life of domestic boredom to take to the skies.

Why We’re Excited: Aside from being MAD MEN at 30,000 feet, PAN AM will have the one thing missing from Matthew Weiner’s AMC masterpiece: Improved pacing, courtesy of the man who practically invented the Aaron Sorkin walk-and-talk, executive producer Thomas Schlamme.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Do you really want to be among the first onslaught of shows (See also: NBC’s upcoming THE PLAYBOY CLUB) to invite comparisons to Matthew Weiner’s AMC masterpiece MAD MEN? We sure as heck wouldn’t.

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REVENGE
According to the Official ABC Description: Wealth, beauty and status define the people in this town, but one woman is willing to destroy everyone for the sake of revenge. Emily Thorne (Emily Van Camp) is new to the Hamptons. She’s met some of her wealthy neighbors, has made a few new friends and seemingly blends into the town. But something is a little odd about a young girl living in a wealthy town all on her own, and the truth is that Emily isn’t exactly new to the neighborhood. In fact, this was once her old neighborhood, until something bad happened that ruined her family and their reputation. Now Emily is back, and she’s returned to right some of those wrongs in the best way she knows how – with a vengeance.

Why We’re Excited: After spending years embodying the young and somewhat helpless ingenue on the likes of EVERWOOD and BROTHERS & SISTERS, Emily Van Camp will finally get to take matters into her own hands.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Wednesday night at 10PM has recently become the ABC equivalent of the Bermuda Triangle. Where have all the viewers gone?

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LAST MAND STANDING
According to the Official ABC Description: Today it’s a woman’s world, and this man’s man is on a mission to get men back to their rightful place in society. Tim Allen returns to ABC in this new comedy from Jack Burditt (“30 Rock”). Men may have built civilizations, invented the locomotive and created ESPN, but they’re about to find out that it’s not a man’s world anymore. You can’t get manlier than Mike Baxter. He’s the marketing director for an iconic outdoor sporting goods store, he loves to have adventures while he’s traveling for work and, of course, he drives a pick-up truck. While Mike is king of the hill at work, he’s the odd man out in a home that is dominated by women — namely his wife, Vanessa, and their three daughters, 22- year-old Kristin, 17-year-old Mandy and 14-year-old Eve. After being a stay-at-home mom for years, Vanessa recently returned to the workplace and was quickly promoted (much to the dismay of her primarily male co-workers). As a result of Vanessa’s increased work load, Mike is pulled into more hands-on parenting than ever before.

Why We’re Excited: Despite a somewhat lacklustre sizzle real, our inner HOME IMPROVEMENT fan will always have a soft spot for any show that offers up the possibility of a Jonathan Taylor Thomas guest spot Tim Allen.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us:  While Tim Allen was busy counting his syndication millions from HOME IMPROVEMENT, comedian Louis CK. kind of raised the bar when it comes to comedy about clueless men and the women they love.

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MAN UP
According to the Official ABC Description: Three modern men try to get in touch with their inner tough guys and redefine what it means to be a “real man” in this funny and relatable comedy. Will’s grandfather fought in WWII. Will’s father fought in Vietnam. Will plays Call of Duty on his PS3 and drinks non-dairy hazelnut creamer. So what happened to all the real men? They’re still here — they just smell like pomegranate body wash now. Meet Will (Mather Zickel). His evolved, sensitive nature is why his awesome wife, Theresa (Teri Polo), married him. But Will and his friends find themselves wondering — in a world of Axe ads and manscaping — what does it really mean to be a guy anymore? Will is more interested in finding the perfect gift for his son Nathan’s (Jake Johnson) 13th birthday than in doing his job selling insurance; sensitive soul Craig (Christopher Moynihan) still pines for his college ex, Lisa; and Kenny (Dan Fogler) clamps down on his anger and asks himself, “What would Tobey Maguire do?,” when his ex, Brenda (Amanda Detmer), starts seeing a guy (Henry Simmons) who is everything he’s not and much better looking. After Craig crashes Lisa’s wedding to try to win her back, they are all faced with an opportunity to Man Up and be like their forefathers.

Why We’re Excited: BETTER OFF TED creator Victor Fresco is an executive producer.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Despite the cast’s valiant attempt to channel Zach Galifianakis and MODERN FAMILY’s Julie Bowen and Ty Burrell, MAN UP misses the mark.

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SUBURGATORY
According to the Official ABC Description:Single father George only wants the best for his 16-year-old daughter, Tessa. So when he finds a box of condoms on her nightstand, he moves them out of their apartment in New York City to a house in the suburbs. But all Tessa sees is the horror of over-manicured lawns and plastic Franken-moms. Being in the ‘burbs can be hell, but it also may just bring Tessa and George closer than they’ve ever been. Tessa (Jane Levy) and George (Jeremy Sisto) have been on their own ever since Tessa’s mom pulled a “Kramer vs. Kramer” before she was even potty trained. So far, George has done a pretty good job of raising Tessa without a maternal figure in their lives, but suddenly he’s feeling a little out of his league. So it’s goodbye New York City and hello suburbs. At first Tessa is horrified by the big-haired, fake-boobed mothers and their sugar-free Red Bull-chugging kids. But little by little she and her dad begin finding a way to survive on the clean streets of the ‘burbs. Sure, the neighbors might smother you with love while their kids stare daggers at your back, but underneath all that plastic and caffeine, they’re really not half bad. And they do make a tasty pot roast.

Why We’re Excited: KIDNAPPED’s Jeremy Sisto, SHAMELESS’ Jan Levy, WEEDS Allie Grant, FIREFLY’s Alan Tudyk, CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM’s Cheryl Hines and SNL’s Ana Gasteyer… what’s not to love?

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: ABC give-ith… MR. SUNSHINE, BETTER WITH YOU, BETTER WITH TED…ABC take-ith away.

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NEW GIRL
According to the Official FOX Description: Created by Liz Meriwether (No Strings Attached), NEW GIRL is a new single-camera ensemble comedy starring Zooey Deschanel ((500) Days of Summer) as Jess, an offbeat girl who – after a bad breakup – moves in with three single guys and essentially sets a bomb off in their lives. 

Why We’re Excited: Have you seen (500) Days of Summer?

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Quick, name the last live action comedy that found mainstream success on FOX.

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I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER
According to the Official FOX Description: New multi-camera family comedy I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER stars Emmy Award winner Jaime Pressly (MY NAME IS EARL) and Tony Award winner Katie Finneran (WONDERFALLS) as single moms, life-long friends – and former nerds – who fear their privileged and overly indulged daughters are turning out to be just like the girls who picked on them in high school. 

Why We’re Excited: We’re not. Although a small part of us, you know, that part that prides ourself on being the told-you-so/couch potato quarter-back type of TV Addict is very much looking forward to pulling out the “Fox cancelled TRAFFIC LIGHT and BREAKING IN for this?” line when this laugh-track heavy, cliché-ridden comedy gets canned.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: With apologies to Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran who we both respect and admire as actors, letting our excitement get the better of us probably won’t be a problem when it comes to a show that relied on a tired Tiger Woods joke in its sizzle reel. 

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ALLEN GREGORY
According to the Official FOX Description: Created by and featuring the voice of Jonah Hill (Get Him to the Greek, Superbad), ALLEN GREGORY is the story of an extremely pretentious 7-year-old about to embark on his greatest challenge yet: leaving the safety of homeschooling and attending elementary school with children his own age.

Why We’re Excited: Suffice it to say, when it comes to hilarious animated tykes (see: Bart Simpson, Stewie Griffin and Rallo Tubbs) Fox has a wee bit of a trackrecord.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: No family or animated dog to play off of? Seriously, if ALLEN GREGORY has intentions of sticking around Fox’s increasingly competitive Animation Domination lineup, they best be having an equally funny ensemble for young Gregory to play off of.

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THE X FACTOR
According to the Official FOX Description: Launching this fall is the highly anticipated singing competition series THE X FACTOR, which marks the return of Simon Cowell to FOX. Cowell, along with Antonio “L.A.” Reid, Cheryl Cole and Paula Abdul, will judge the U.S. version of the international television phenomenon that will award an unprecedented $5 million recording contract with Syco/Sony Music to the next global superstar or breakout music group.

Why We’re Excited: Despite our general lack of interest in realty TV style singing competitions, we have to fess up to being somewhat intrigued as to whether or not Simon Cowell can replicate the success of the UK X FACTOR, particularly on the heels of the recent triumph that is NBC’s THE VOICE.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: The massive FOX publicity machine for this series is just getting started and we’re already tired of the promos.

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TERRA NOVA
According to the Official FOX Description: Epic family adventure series TERRA NOVA, executive-produced by Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park), Peter Chernin, René Echevarria (CASTLE, THE 4400) and Brannon Braga (24) and starring Jason O’Mara (LIFE ON MARS) and Stephen Lang (Avatar), premieres in the fall. The ambitious series follows an ordinary family on an extraordinary journey back in time to prehistoric Earth as a small part of a daring experiment to save the human race.

Why We’re Excited: Steven Spielberg, Time Travel and Dinosaurs… Oh My!

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: With this being the second consecutive upfront Fox has trotted out TERRA NOVA, whether or not the network can pull of such an expensive and effects-heavy series that shoots halfway across the world is still very much in question.

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ALCATRAZ
According to the Official FOX Description: From executive producer J.J. Abrams (LOST, Star Trek) and writer Elizabeth Sarnoff (LOST) and starring Sarah Jones (SONS OF ANARCHY), Jorge Garcia (LOST) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), ALCATRAZ is the chilling new thriller centered on America’s most infamous prison and the mysterious return of its most notorious criminals.

Why We’re Excited: J.J. Abrams is our constant.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Midseason (2012!) is a long time away.

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THE FINDER
According to the Official FOX Description: Created by Hart Hanson, the executive producer and creator of BONES, THE FINDER is a new procedural drama starring Geoff Stults (“She’s Out of My League”) as an Iraq war vet with an extraordinary ability to help people find the unfindable.

Why We’re Excited: If six seasons of BONES have taught us anything, it’s that creator Hart Hanson doesn’t just know a thing or two about “crimedy,” he has an eye for casting incredibly likeable actors with chemistry that can’t be contained.

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: The recent FINDER backdoor pilot that aired in BONES regularly scheduled timeslot didn’t exactly have us itching for more.

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TOUCH
According to the Official FOX Description: In addition, Kiefer Sutherland, star of the landmark Emmy Award-winning series 24, returns to FOX in TOUCH, scheduled to go into pilot production this June. Written and created by Tim Kring (HEROES), TOUCH centers on the relationship between a single father and his 11-year-old son with special needs. Their relationship and their lives take an extraordinary turn when the gifted son begins to make connections in his life and around the world.

Why We’re Excited: Kiefer Sutherland FTW!

Why We Probably Shouldn’t Let Our Excitement Get the Better of Us: Well, aside from the been there done that quality of the plot (See: Mercury Rising, Knowing, among others), pitching a show “from the creator of HEROES” isn’t exactly the selling point it once was.

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Joining NIKITA and ONE TREE HILL, both of which were just renewed for a second and [inexplicable!] ninth season respectively will be three new scripted dramas: A witch-centric VAMPIRE DIARIES companion piece executive produced by Kevin Williamson and starring LIFE UNEXPECTED’s Britt Robertson entitled THE SECRET CIRCLE, Josh Schwartz’s Rachel Bilson small-town medical dramedy HART OF DIXIE and Sarah Michelle Gellar’s highly anticipated small screen return with THE RINGER.

On the reality front, the CW’s continued attempt to find the next AMERICA’s NEXT TOP MODEL includes: H8R, an hourlong series from Mario Lopez that chronicles what happens when celebrities meet their “haters.” RE-MODELED, which follows modelling vet Paul Fisher as he aims to change the modelling industry by empowering small-town agents and models to take control of their careers. And THE FRAME, which focuses on 10 teams that are isolated from the outside worked BIG BROTHER-style.

Not so lucky, was HELLCATS, whose cheerleaders will have very little to cheer about following the news that they will not be returning next season.

Now that ABC has taken the wraps off its 2011-12 Primetime Schedule, it’s time for you to have your say. Were the hundreds of millions of development dollars invested by ABC President Paul Lee well spent? Now would be the time to put on that critics hat, press play and let us know in the comments below.

Monday
8PM: DANCING WITH THE STARS
10PM: CASTLE

Tuesday
8PM: LAST MAN STANDING
8:30PM: MAN UP
9PM: DANCING WITH THE STARS RESULTS SHOW
10PM: BODY OF PROOF

Wednesday
8PM: THE MIDDLE
8:30PM: SUBURGATORY
9PM: MODERN FAMILY
9:30PM: HAPPY ENDINGS
10PM: REVENGE

Sunday
7PM: AMERICA’S FUNNIEST HOME VIDEOS
8PM: ONCE UPON A TIME
9PM: DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES
10PM: PAN AM

On Hold for Midseason:
COUGAR TOWN, GOOD CHRISTIAN BELLES, SCANDAL, THE RIVER, APARTMENT 23, WORK IT.

Officially Over:
BROTHERS & SISTERS, NO ORDINARY FAMILY, DETROIT 1-8-7, BETTER WITH YOU, MR. SUNSHINE, OFF THE MAP, MY GENERATION, THE WHOLE TRUTH, V