I have to give Fox a little credit for continuing to try for new live action comedies, but let's face it. They haven't had a hit in ages. Raising Hope is a fun little show and it does well enough, but it didn't exactly reinvigorate the genre for the network. They have had a lot of success with animation, however, so at least they've got that. Indeed, as part of their new line-up, they have some new animated programming, so expect their Sunday nights to be even more jam-packed than they already are. I don't generally focus on animation in this blog, but if you're interested, their new animated comedies are Allen Gregory and Napoleon Dynamite. There's not a whole lot out there on them at the moment, but I did see trailers. Meh.
Here are the new Fox comedies premiering this fall:
THE NEW GIRL
Description: Zooey Deschanel (500 Days of Summer) fronts a cast that includes Damon Wayans Jr. (well, not anymore--Happy Endings got picked up, so this role will have to be recast), Max Greenfield (Veronica Mars), and others.
First Impressions: Sigh. I should probably start by pointing out that I generally can't stand Zooey Deschanel. She's pretty much the blandest actress on the planet. You know, when she's not being completely annoying. I know more than a few guys that just adore her and I don't get it. Same goes for Scarlett Johanssen. Pretty girls, terrible actresses. That said, it's really hard to approach this pilot with anything more than a groan. In terms of concept, it's far from the worst I've seen, but the thought of watching Zooey unconvincingly sob and go into stereotypical "girls are just so emotional!" hysterics doesn't appeal to me at all. My only hope would be that the unstable sad sack shown in the trailer would get her effing act together sooner than later. She's just trying so hard all the time. When you're desperate to be quirky, it doesn't make you interesting or unique, it makes you a dork. And in this instance, it makes her a dork who sings all the time. And dances. I appreciate a good goofball and I love a quirky energy, but with Zooey? It's just annoying. Which, to be fair, seems to be the intent. That's where I'm a little hopeful for this one. If their intention was for her to be an annoying mess at first, but who becomes someone you'd actually want to watch week-to-week, I could get behind that. Sure, I'd want this progression to happen way faster than it probably will, but I'm trying to be optimistic here. When you can't get behind the anchor to the show, it's nearly impossible to care about the show as a whole. If Zooey proves to be way more interesting and considerably funnier than she appeared to be in the trailer, this show could work. Given that all the Damon Wayans Jr. scenes will have to be reshot, the end result will likely be a bit different anyway. With this show, it pretty much boils down to whether you like Zooey or not, because she seems to be the whole show. I'm... not a fan. But, most people seem to think she's just adorkable, so odds are this will be a hit. I'll give it a shot and hope for the best.
I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER
Description: Stars Jaime Pressly (My Name Is Earl), Katie Finneran (Wonderfalls), Chad Coleman (The Wire), and Kevin Rahm (Desperate Housewives).
First Impressions: Well... Zooey's looking better and better? Wow. Um... aside from noting the Glee soundtrack, I hardly know what to say. This looks like a tragic case of a good cast in a bad show. I actually like the actors involved quite a lot, but this looks pretty painful to watch. The base concept doesn't grab me at all. I think there are way too many shows out there teaching girls how to be bitches, thanks, and feeding the perception that young girls are nothing but brain-dead, slutty mean girls who are the bane of everyone's existence always grates on me. I just can't really relate to it at all and find it hard to believe that any parent could be so horrendously that they'd allow their daughters to turn out like this. I realize they're exaggerating for comic effect here, but that doesn't make it seem any more charming. That said, comedies are far and away the most difficult to size up from just a trailer. As ever, I'll give it a shot, but not only do I think it will be pretty unfunny, but I'm pretty sure it won't exactly start a fire in the ratings department. Honestly, if they simply got rid of the daughters, I think the show would look a lot more promising. With any luck, the daughters are simply a device and aren't central to the story at all. Given the number of lines they were granted in the trailer, this could very well be the case. Hopefully that isn't the only comedic device they'll be using though, because that will get real old real fast. Like, by the end of the trailer fast. I'm not sure I even cracked a smile during the trailer, so I'm not holding out a lot of hope for this one. If you're in to stereotypes, however, hop on board!
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