Deja View

V … NCIS … doctor dramas…. New shows, or Netflix DVDs to return? Everything old is new again this year, and our guide will get you through it all.
By Julie Foster

Trauma (NBC)
The Backstory:
NBC tries to re-create ER’s success with first responders.
The Elevator Pitch:
ER meets Third Watch.
The Good:
Executive producer Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) knows how to tack l e good drama. On the other hand, FNL frequently overdoses on the melodrama.
The Bad:
The cliché dialogue and stereotypical characters in one three minute trailer left us trauma ti zed. We can’t imagine watching a whole episode, never mind a season.
The Verdict:
It’s going to take a brilliant team to save this from flatlining.

Three Rivers (CBS)
The Backstory:
Follow organs from donor to surgical team to recipient as the cooler travels through an angsty Pittsburgh hospital.
The Elevator Pitch:
Chicago Hope meets Seven Pounds.
The Good:
Ratings-giant CBS is rolling out only four shows this fall, so the powers that be must think this one is good. We’re not convinced.
The Bad:
The idea would have made for an intriguing episode of ER, but it’s a pretty thin premise to hang a series on.
The Verdict:
Keep this one on ice for now.

Mercy (NBC) above
The Backstory:
An Iraq war vet (Taylor Schilling; in maroon scrubs) joins a team of sexy nurses in the soapiest hospital outside of daytime TV.
The Elevator Pitch:
Grey’s Nurses.
The Good:
Um…we’ve never seen such low-cut scrubs before.
The Bad:
Nobody needs another Grey’s Anatomy.
The Verdict:
Pull the plug, stat.

Modern Family (ABC)
The Backstory:
Ed O’Neill (Married With Children) returns to sitcom land for this mockumentarystyle show about three quirky families.
The Elevator Pitch:
The Office meets a friendlier Married With Children.
The Good:
Offbeat parenting, like disciplining a BB-gun-wielding child by shooting him with the offending toy.
The Bad:
Can O’Neill cut it if he’s not Al Bundy?
The Verdict:
If audiences tune in, they’ll like it.

Hank (ABC)
The Backstory:
A Wall Street whiz kid (Kelsey Grammer) goes bust and moves his pampered family to the sticks to start over; hijinks ensue.
The Elevator Pitch:
Funny Farm with a dash of economic meltdown.
The Good:
Grammer and costar Melinda McGraw (Mad Men) bring plenty of talent; the pilot’s script was penned by an Emmy winner.
The Bad:
The family’s reversal of fortune might remind viewers of their own disappearing 401(k)’s.
The Verdict:
Laughing at the downfall of the rich never gets old.

Community (NBC)
The Backstory:
The Soup’s Joel McHale is a snarky suspended lawyer sent back to community college to make up for his bogus law degree.
The Elevator Pitch:
A hipster Back to School.
The Good:
McHale’s trade mark wit; Chevy Chase and The Daily Show’s John Oliver in supporting roles; Arrested Development alumni as producers. That’s an A-plus combination.
The Bad:
A band-of misfits study group? Somebody OD’d on John Hughes movies.
The Verdict:
A summa cum laude graduation.

Brothers (FOX) above
The Backstory:
A former NFL star (Michael Strahan) comes home to bail out his brother (multishow vet Daryl “Chill” Mitchell), then has to deal with some problems of his own.
The Elevator Pitch:
Everybody’s All-American with a fraternal twist.
The Good:
The focus on brotherly bonding is appealing, and Mitchell is generally funny as hell.
The Bad:
Not much sets this apart from the usual new comedies that fumble every season. And really, how many athletes can act?
The Verdict:
We’re reserving judgment till halftime.

Flash Forward (ABC)
The Backstory:
The world loses consciousness for two minutes and takes a mental trip six months into the
future. Hope someone got lotto numbers!
The Elevator Pitch:
A Village of the Damned blackout takes us Back to the Future.
The Good:
Cool premise; strong cast (Joseph Fiennes, Star Trek’s John Cho).
The Bad:
High-concept shows often fall flat after the first few episodes.
The Verdict:
Could be the next Lost… or the next Lost circa rocky season three.

The Vampire Diaries (CW)
The Backstory:
Vampire brothers—one good, one evil—battle over a demure teenage girl in a small town.
The Elevator Pitch:
Supernatural sibs with Twilight fangs.
The Good:
Lost’s Ian Somerhalder is back from the dead as the bad vamp.
The Bad:
The soapy romance looks more Twilight than True Blood.
The Verdict:
Where’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer when we need her?

The Cleveland Show (FOX)
The Backstory:
Family Guy’s favorite neighbor spins-off to Virginia with his new brood for wacky, irreverent fun.
The Elevator Pitch:
Family Guy Gets His Groove Back.
The Good:
If you like the character Cleveland, you’ll probably like this show.
The Bad:
Mild-mannered Cleveland might not deliver the kind of biting humor Family Guy fans crave.
The Verdict:
Don’t unpack that moving van just yet.

NCIS: Los Angeles (CBS)
The Backstory:
Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J dive deep undercover in a new branch of CBS’s hit show.
The Elevator Pitch:
NCIS: Special Ops Unit.
The Good:
With its strong cast and red-hot franchise appeal, it’ll likely bring ratings gold.
The Bad:
How many procedurals can one network sustain?
The Verdict:
Things are looking sunny in L.A.

Human Target (FOX)
The Backstory:
Mark Valley (Fringe) stars as a proxy to protect endangered clients in this adaptation of a DC Comics graphic novel.
The Elevator Pitch:
Terminator 2 meets James Bond.
The Good:
Kickass effects, great action, and Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica) in the pilot.
The Bad:
The hero is, understandably, pretty one-dimensional; the premise itself could result in one-note staleness.
The Verdict:
Our TiVos are locked on and ready to record.

Day One (NBC)
The Backstory:
Global catastrophe strikes; ordinary citizens must unravel the mystery and rebuild society.
The Elevator Pitch:
Jericho meets The Stand.
The Good:
We love a good apocalypse!
The Bad:
Jericho didn’t fare so well.
The Verdict:
We’ll give it at least a day or two.

V (ABC)
The Backstory:
Aliens with a secret agenda infiltrate Earth in this remake of the eighties miniseries.
The Elevator Pitch:
Independence Day with shades of Galactica (the enemy looks like us!).
The Good:
Full of surprises, even if you’ve seen the original; a great cast led by Lost’s Elizabeth Mitchell.
The Bad:
The nature of the Visitors might be too cheesy for today.
The Verdict:
Bring on the invasion!

Happy Town (ABC)
The Backstory:
Seven years after mysterious unsolved kidnappings plague a small idyllic town, a new crime spree threatens the peace.
The Elevator Pitch:
Twin Peaks meets Harper’s Ferry.
The Good:
Amy Acker (Dollhouse) and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) bring weight to a spooky story.
The Bad:
A tired concept that’s been done before, and done much better.
The Verdict:
This show will mysteriously vanish before long.