2012 Fall TV Thread

AFAICT, the last HBO dramatic series that failed to get picked up for a second season (aside from Luck, which was cancelled for reasons other than ratings) were John In Cincinnati and Tell Me You Love Me in '07.

Maybe I was misremembering. I don't actually have HBO, but it seems like those series turnover pretty quickly. If it's not one season, it's two or three. Outside of Larry Sanders, Arliss, Oz, Six Feet Under and Sopranos, everything else just seems to come and go pretty quickly.

Arliss (rendered in its logo as Arli$$) is an American situation comedy about a sports agent and his group of associates. The series premiered on HBO in 1996 and ended in 2002.

Jesus christ

xpost Nah, they're lettin' stuff breathe now. Even the super niche Treme just got picked up for a fourth (but final) season. The shortest-lived drama series of late was probably In Treatment's three seasons...but it was on five times a week, so even that had >100 episodes.

Arliss (rendered in its logo as Arli$$) is an American situation comedy about a sports agent and his group of associates. The series premiered on HBO in 1996 and ended in 2002.

Arliss was on when I still had HBO. And even after I stopped getting it for free some years later, I was surpised it was still on HBO. It was so dumb and awful. A lot of early HBO series were though. Anyone remember 1st & Ten?

Maybe I was misremembering. I don't actually have HBO, but it seems like those series turnover pretty quickly.

not compared to network though. for one thing, hbo doesn't pull a show half-way through a season

"if not season one, it's season two or three" vs cancelled after two episodes

The series follows the on-and off-field antics of the fictional American football team, the California Bulls.[1][2] The team changed owners throughout the series' history, with the premise that a woman is in charge.

During the first season Diane Barrow (Delta Burke) becomes the owner of her ex-husband's team as part of a divorce settlement, after he has an affair with the team's tight end. She quickly learns the ups and downs of pro football. In one episode, she is forced to coach the team herself after the head coach, Ernie Denardo, is placed in the hospital. She also has constant battles with her General Manager/husband's nephew, who has dealings with the local mob, and fights off advances made by her quarterback played by Geoffrey Scott.

The second season dealt with two themes: training camp and the playoffs. Barrow was dealing with her players taking recreational drugs during training camp. During this season, O. J. Simpson joined the cast as T.D. Parker, a veteran running back who is forced to make the transition from player to coach. Two real life football stars made cameo appearances. Marcus Allen portrayed a rookie who was taking over T.D.'s spot on the team. And Vince Ferragamo played "Mainstreet" Manneti, a veteran quarterback. Jason Beghe joined the cast to play Tom Yinessa, a walk-on quarterback who deals with his overnight celebrity.

Delta Burke left the show mid-way through the third season, after committing herself to CBS' Designing Women, which she had begun starring on in 1986, and of which was renewed. Diane loses control of the Bulls to Teddy Schraeder, her former lover, who manipulates everyone to his own ends. His antics include having T.D. fire Ernie as coach, Yinessa practice without a contract, and ignoring the steroids that John Matuszak's character is using. Legal issues force him to leave the country and turn control over to his daughter, played by Leah Ayres.

Season 4 was briefly renamed 1st and Ten: The Bulls Mean Business. Shanna Reed joins the cast as the team's new female president, representing the new owners, the Dodds Corporation. Her attempts to innovate include bringing a female soccer player in to kick, and signing an Olympic sprinter as wide receiver. Joe Namath has a cameo appearance. Shannon Tweed would replace her in Season 5, and remain with the show to the end. The show was renamed 1st and Ten: Do it Again for the fifth season. The final season was 1st and Ten: In Your Face.

All I remember about those early HBO series is that they looked like stuff I'd get in trouble for watching (nudity, adult situations, strong sexual content, etc).

The first time I ever heard "shit" on television was in a hotel room on a family vacation while Not Necessarily the News was on HBO. It was 1984 and we were visiting the Grand Canyon.

All I remember about those early HBO series is that they looked like stuff I'd get in trouble for watching (nudity, adult situations, strong sexual content, etc).

My dad would let me watch it with him because he wanted someone to watch tv with -- the football was boring but obviously I loved getting away with hearing swearing and the nudity. Even as a kid though I thought this was a dumb show.

Yeah, the BHC reboot. It's based on Axel Jr. (or whatever his name will be) being a cop in Beverly Hills, constantly trying to live down his father's reputation. Eddie will make cameos, but it's supposedly going to be a semi-serious procedural cop show.

"Yeah, she may be Ace Ventura's daughter, but she's a real NYPD detective who focuses on dog poisonings and ritual animal mutilations."

I am still v much enjoying Last Resort
totally ridic but vv watchable and Braugher kills it always

also I keep saying this but Nashville might be my new favorite show. GOD so great. So cheese. So soap. It's the best!

I feel like I'm living in a personal golden age for network comedies. I really, really enjoy all of these shows:

30 Rock
Community
Parks and Recreation
Up All Night
The Big Bang Theory
The Middle
Modern Family
Suburgatory
Don't Trust the B**** in Apt 23
Happy Endings
The Neighbors
South Park
Family Guy
American Dad
Bob's Burgers

I know some of them are considered to be objectively terrible but they all reliably make me laugh like crazy

oh also:

New Girl
Ben and Kate
The Office

have not given up on The Mindy Project yet, either

the mindy project ep from a few wks ago, "Danny Castellano Is My Gynecologist", is the hardest ive laughed @ a sitcom in as long as i can recall

atho i watch like only 1 or 2 of those other shows u list

watch i'm watching now, order of most anticipated each week to least

The New Girl
Key & Peele
30 Rock
The Mindy Project
American Horror Story
Don't Trust The B
Happy Endings

And probably Community when it gets back, at least for a while. So basically bantering urbanites and Ryan Murphy fever dreams (I will also watch The Glee Project next season).

Two years ago my favorite thing on TV was Season 2 of Community, last year season 2 of Happy Endings, this year season 2 of the New Girl. I see a trend.

I avoided New Girl s1 but they really have shifted from "she's quirky, they're not!" to "everyone's equally neurotic here"

oh wait put suburgatory between don't trust the b and happy endings. all the abc stuff feels a little shrill this year, though still enjoyable

I kind of hate the actor that plays Danny on the Mindy Project. I feel like the writers are going for a Sam Malone-ish sort of vibe with the character, but he just comes off as a jackass.

haha my favorite characters on TV are Nick Miller on New Girl and Danny, mostly because they represent how my id would play out if I was single and (respectively) unsuccessful and successful at work

I avoided New Girl s1 but they really have shifted from "she's quirky, they're not!" to "everyone's equally neurotic here"

they got to that point by the third episode of s1 IMO

I love Nick! They are definitely characters with the same sort of vibe but I think a combination of the writing and the actor make Nick likable. xp

yeah i will eventually check out s1 of new girl and happy endings

both those series took a few episodes to warm up and got way better

The thing that caught me off guard about New Girl was how it went from "surprisingly good" to "holy hell this is amazing" so quickly; it had made my "do not ever miss" list by the third episode

I am still v much enjoying Last Resort
totally ridic but vv watchable and Braugher kills it always

sad that i will not get to see all the moments of forbidden passion they had planned for frenchy mcgorgeous.

also I keep saying this but Nashville might be my new favorite show. GOD so great. So cheese. So soap. It's the best!

i thought the church-singin move was a pretty good one by the writers/showrunners. somewhere david simon is self-righeously irritated.

Nick is a great character, but I cannot fathom a string of threads talking about how amazingly good New Girl became without bringing up Schmidt.

I feel like Schmidt gets overpraised a little; he is hilarious but the show is working because everyone is bouncing off of everyone else in the best possible way, not just because Schmidt is amazing

having said that, Schmidt's monologue about his oral sex technique may be the most amazing thing I've ever seen on television

New Girl is unstoppable and I'm really enjoying Mindy Project and, for the most part, Suburgatory. I'm even hating Dallas slightly less than I used to.

Can't really get into Apartment 23. I never cared about Dawson's Creek so the van der Beek thing is pretty empty for me + Chloe is evil in a way that just makes me hate every character that still associates with her.

Happy Endings still qual though. I'm finally burning out on Parks and Rec and 30 Rock.

yeah i enjoy apt 23 but it seems like it's chasing a pretty slim audience that enjoys burlesque assholery AND b-level celeb culture hijinks

as a 30-rock style comedy, i mean - obv people love celeb culture and assholes in reality tv

my problem with suburgatory this year that i don't believe the dad's relationship with dallas at all

Ben and Kate is my favorite sitcom by far this year

that is another one where ensemble synergy was off-the-charts fantastic from the first second

I think that may be the common thread in all of the comedies that appeal to me; if I feel like the actors are having a blast and that they are working well together, it's very easy for me to be swept along on their ride (which also reminds me that Cougartown would be on my list if I could ever remember to watch it; every time I do it's AMAZINGLY FUNNY)

Actually that's probably the block I have with How I Met Your Mother; I feel like that ensemble is talented but they have no business all being on a show together and the only times I felt they were tolerable to watch was when Sarah Chalke was in the mix.

OK wow, I just watched the last Happy Endings. Brad and Jane were amazing.

Happily support Ben And Kate love. It's a show with genuine charm; you sense that there's a real affection on the part of the creators for the characters.

Hm, I haven't watched since the first ep. Maybe I'll give it another try.

IIRC Ben and Kate is semi-based on the show creator's relationship with her brother, so it's not surprising that it's dripping with affection

I'm finally burning out on Parks and Rec and 30 Rock.

You picked a lousy time to burn out, because this week's episodes were among the greatest either show has ever offered.

I kind of hate the actor that plays Danny on the Mindy Project. I feel like the writers are going for a Sam Malone-ish sort of vibe with the character, but he just comes off as a jackass.

― this will surprise many (Nicole), Friday, December 7, 2012 2:00 PM (6 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah this is true. also the show has moved way too quickly into trying to be an ensemble show with B plots where you don't see the title character for minutes at a time -- it's like hey this is The Mindy Show, maybe remind us what these other people have to do w/ her some more before sending them off on their own adventures.

that Morgan dude is already the star of the Mindy Project

yeah i almost mentioned him as the clear standout of the cast besides her but i couldn't remember his name

apparently Tobo and Toby aren't coming back.

OK, that P&R was really good.

finally catching up on that cancelled 'nyc 22' show made by richard price, what a shame - it's great

http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/NYC_22/70197059?trkid=7115812

huge lolz at suburgatory opening this week

IS THIS TRASH CAN REAL?!

yeah that was pretty great