With apologies to both students and teachers who are more than likely dreading the return to the classroom after a glorious two month vacation, September is — at least for those of us who have been diagnosed with a somewhat worrisome addiction to television — the most wonderful time of the year.
So much so that we liken the August calm before the storm that is the upcoming slew of September series and season premieres to Major League Baseball’s Spring Training. Which is to say that despite the fact that by June the dominating New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox will more than likely be sitting atop of the standings, everybody — even the lowly Kansas City Royals — has a shot at a Pennant in April. A comparison that was made all the more apt at the recent Television Critics Association Press Tour in Los Angeles.
Be it the Network Presidents that were brimming with confidence as they unveiled their Fall Schedule filled with show after show that… would you believe it… “tested through the roof,” to actors insisting that their co-stars weren’t so much a cast but a “family,” hope was in the air. And while the somewhat cynical portion of our brain couldn’t help but wonder if said aforementioned Network Presidents have seen the entirety of their Fall lineup, or if cast members realized that based entirely on their show’s Pilot there is a fairly good chance that their “family” will be headed for a messy divorce come November, a slightly larger portion — also known as the part of us that can’t bring ourselves to write Fall TV Previews for the likes of LAST MAN STANDING, MAN UP and THE PLAYBOY CLUB — would prefer not to rain on everybody’s parade. At least not yet.
Call us crazy, hopelessly naive, or what have you, but there’s is simply something inexplicably exciting about this time of year. Can TERRA NOVA possibly live up to the hype, not to mention its reported 10 million dollar price tag? Will RINGER’s Sarah Michelle Gellar make a successful return to the small screen? Does newly-minted President Robert Greenblatt have what it takes to reverse NBC’s disastrous downward spiral? As corny as this sounds, all we know for sure is that we’ll be rooting for all of them — even Whitney Cummings — as we countdown to Fall. Which in case you’re wondering, is T-Minus 28 days away. 
