The Immediate Future (of television, that is!)

What to watch, what to watch? It's fun when American networks try on new shows. Of course, after an episode or two most of them are rejected, but at least we get to enjoy the whirlwind for a few weeks.

Here's a dozen standout newbies, along with links to some dazzling trailer action. Vetting a show based on a minute thirty or so of footage is bit like judging a book by it's cover- hardly an informed decision, but hey, you work with what you've got...

(I didn't write much about the previews, because I know I'll blog about the best of these at a later date!).

1. Awake

Brilliant premise, brilliant trailer. Just the idea of someone living like this gives me chills. Must-watch show of the season.

2. Terra Nova

The latest scifi series from Steven Spielberg and Brannon Braga. Fresh scifi blood's pretty scarce on the (tv)ground at present, so a lot of genre hopes are pinned on this one.

3. Scandal

I like this kick-ass chick. She's a crisis management lawyer with presidential contacts. The writing quality seems relatively promising, overall.

4. New Girl

Sitcoms in the vein of Friends are de rigeur. This light, fun take stars Indie Golden Girl Zooey Deschanel. Enough said.

5. Alcatraz

If you like Lost, you might like JJ Abram's latest effort- with Sam Neill! I think there's enough requisite spookiness for me to give it a chance.

6. Pan Am

Here's a flashback to old school stewardess glamour. I'm not really into this sixties-based television trend, but Christina Ricci is fantastic.

7. The Finder

A spin-off of Bones, so the writing's bound to be good. (Also glad the guy from Happy Town got a new show).

8. The Playboy Club

Lovers of Mad Men are bound to give this one a chance. Apparently, the sixties are SO in right now. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the allure?

9. Apartment 23

I really like Krysten Ritter, and am glad she got her own show. She just manages to bring so much sass to her small screen performances.

10. The Ringer

Not quite convinced Sarah Michelle Gellar has chosen the right vehicle for her tv return (the premise sounds dubious), but I will watch this out of Buffy-based respect.

11. Grimm

Obviously inspired by Supernatural, but it is from the executive producers of Buffy and Angel, so I'm in. Just hope it gets the chance to run a whole season.

12. Unforgettable

If I have to include a procedural, it would be Unforgettable. Basically, the protagonist is like a female Sherlock Holmes.

Happy Viewing!

xoxo

Supes Up

A succubus, a pickpocket and a werewolf cop walk into a (fey) bar. Not a joke, but a scene from Lost Girl, the Canadian television series recently picked up by America's Syfy network.

I have a soft spot for Canadian productions. I don't know what it is about programs from the other America, but they seem to stick in my mind. (I would make some jokes at Canada's expense here, but all the best ones have already been laid out by the writers of How I Met Your Mother).

More importantly- I love me some supes. Lost Girl taps heavily into the supernatural zeitgeist. (Hey, if there's room for the paranormal on bookstore shelves, there's room for the paranormal on television screens. Case closed).

Some of us watch supernatural television the way other people watch procedural dramas:

Average Joe's Weekly Viewing

-NCIS

-Law and Order

-Cold Case

Supe Fan's Weekly Viewing

-Supernatural

-True Blood

-The Vampire Diaries

In summary- Joe relaxes with the cops, while I kick back with the fey. Cest La Vie.

Lost Girl's costuming and sets make me think gritty graphic novel, though the content is a little tamer. Despite predictable lesbian overtures and an early threesome (why does paranormal tv equal risque romps these days?), it's clear our heroine Bo's heart belongs to wolf boy Dyson from the get go.

There is, of course, lots of sass. Attitude is de rigeur in shows where the main character's an outsider giving the finger to the Man.

Our loveable succubus Bo (get it?) does just that, by refusing to join a clan. Unlike Aaron Spelling's first paranormal soapie back in the day (ah, Kindred: The Embraced), this time the clan situation's easier to follow. Let me break it down for you:

Light.

Dark.

That's about it.

The debut episode did hammer home the importance of a quality support cast that can compensate for a relatively mediocre lead. It's not that Anna Silk is a bad actress- I just think she's miscast.

The story gives the impression the character Bo is around her mid-twenties. The actress, however, is easily in her late thirties. There's also constant references in the script to Bo's beauty. In all honesty, Silk isn't notably beautiful. She's thin and relatively pretty, but her features aren't that distinctive. She also doesn't have enough onscreen charisma to compensate for the lack.

Luckily, the other two thirds of the lead crew are impressive talents, thereby saving the day.

I love Ksenia Solo (which is why I used a photo of her for this blog, instead of the lead). Solo plays Kenzi, a tough talking teen thief who becomes Bo's best bud. Not only can she act, she has some of the palest blue eyes in the business.

Likewise, actor Chris Holden-Reid, who's face might look familiar from Tudors, also brings it to the table. Granted he's the only cop I know who wears a steampunk kind of leather vest to work, but boy, can he carry it off. Holden-Reid puts in such an understated, yet impacting performance, you can't take your eyes off him.

In the series debut, Bo fights a guy who makes the cast of Gladiator look small. I have to admit I was shocked when our heroine calmly cut the big baddy's throat. I was expecting a whole "I won't kill" rigmarole. No one mentions it again, and Bo seems unbothered by it, which definitely hints at a dark side behind the pretty face.

Just like the now-defunct supe show The Dresden Files, we've got a bar where the fey hang out and a bartender that seems to know more than he's saying. Most importantly, there's also a Private Investigations business to propel our protagonist into action.

You see, outsider heroes always have a heart of gold, but that heart of gold is wrapped in a heavy coating of reluctance, sprinkled with an unwillingness to get involved. Mandatory psyche requirements that inspire audience love, but cause headaches for writers. Who wants to watch a reluctant hero sit around at home?

How to overcome this quandary? Make the main character a PI. Appparently it's the perfect job for cash-challenged tv characters who have problems with authority, but can't resist helping the underdog (for a fee).

Honestly, PI's are the new superheroes. They're also less of a headache for the wardrobe department, since it excuses the need for crazy costumes, while allowing for a lot of black leather.

Overall, Lost Girl is great fun. Sure, the script isn't groundbreaking, but the stories are still well-constructed and the show is definitely enjoyable.

Like Supernatural, where the strength of the story lays in the Winchester's sibling relationship, the growing friendship between Bo and Kenzi looks set to be Lost Girl's backbone.

I'll definitely stay tuned for season two, which is currently filming.