The Five Most (and Least) Anticipated Questions for 2011 Fall Television

How fitting that the day after Labor Day the fall television season unofficially starts off with the return of Sons of Anarchy. So I thought I would look at the five biggest questions going into Fall.


1. Will Beavis and Butt-Head Still Be as Funny? Somebody recently ask me this and my simple question was no not because it would be stale but simply because we were fifteen years older than when it first came on. But from the promo where they watch Jersey Shore, there will still be plenty to laugh at, at least nostalgically.

2. Can The Walking Dead Match its Behind the Scenes Drama on Scene? I was not enamored with the first season as some were (it at limes moved as slow as some of the zombies on the show), but I still enjoyed it. Yet since the show ended its six episode run the show has made headlines for all the wrong reasons. Most concerning was AMC forcing show runner Frank Darabont, the guy who brought the comic book to the small screen and wrote and directed the Pilot and replaced him with a dude whose last two lines on his resume are Hawthorne and Crash.

3. Can Sons of Anarchy Bounce Back? Let’s be honest, the Irish storyline was painfully bad. It was a two-three episode arc that they stretched into a full season. Now with Ireland in the rearview mirror, it looks like the show is going back to the Jax vs. Clay storyline that made the first two seasons so compelling, so hopefully so if the fourth season.

4. Should I Be Excited for Something “From the Writers of Lost”? Once Upon a Time toped my list of Most Anticipated Shows of Fall 2011 but I do have big reservations about the pedigree. Hopefully the creators of the show look at how their bosses flubbed Lost and learn from their mistakes, because if done right Once Upon a Time can be a grand television show.

5. Can The Sing-Off Transition into a Weekly Contest? The Sing-Off was a nice winter diversion when there was nothing else on in the two weeks leading into Christmas but now it is going head to head with the befuddling reality ratings king, Dancing with the Has Beens and Nobodies. The show was lucky to lose its one link and made a huge upgrade by bringing in Sara Bareilles. But I have not liked the song selections from the promos. Seriously, can we please put a moratorium on people singing Rolling in the Deep who are not named Adele?


Since you cannot have light without dark, here are the least anticipated questions of fall:

1. Does Kate Beckett Survive? (Spoiler Alert for Stupid People!!!) Yes.

2. Ozzie or Coach? First off I hated bringing back Boston Rob and Russell and hoped Survivor would never do that again, or the stupid Redemption Island twist. Of course they brought back both. After it was announced that it was going to happen, I initially thought bringing back Matt and Andrea, the two people who were brought back from Redemption Island, would be a no brainer. (I secretly hoped they would go Erik and Matt as a battle between the dumbest Survivors ever). But then they revealed the two returning contestants would be… Ozzie and Coach? What?!? Was there anyone sitting at home thing, “you know who I want to see more of: Ozzie”? Survivor has come off of three of its four worst seasons in a row, I fear this season will make it four of the worst five.

3. Will X-Factor Outsuckshine American Karaoke? Let me get this straight, the show is being judged by a Pussycat Doll (on her fifth reality show), someone who has not had a hit in two decades, and the biggest douchebag. The real question is why would anyone watch this?

4. How Will Morgan Use the Intercet? Hopefully it kills him in the first episode back. If not the show may go out with a whimper not a bang.

5. Who Is the Titular Character on How I Met Your Mother? If I had made this list for the last five years, this question would have made it ever time. I cannot even remember the last time I cared who the Mother is.


And here is what I will be watching this fall and when they return. Mark your calendars.

Mondays
8:00 – The Sing-Off (NBC) 9/19
8:00 – How I Met You Mother (CBS) 9/19
8:00 – The Lying Game (ABC Family) airing now; note the new starting time starting next week
8:30 – 2 Broke Girls 9/19 (premieres at 9:30 before moving to its regular timeslot)
10:00 – The Playboy Club (NBC) 9/19
10:00 – Castle (ABC) 9/19

Tuesdays
10:00 – Parenthood (NBC) 9/13
10:00 – Sons of Anarchy (FX) Tonight
10:00 – Covert Affairs (USA) 11/1

Wednesdays
8:00 – Survivor: South Pacific (CBS) 9/14
8:30 – Free Agents (NBC) 9/14 (premieres at 10:30 before moving to its regular timeslot)
9:00 – Modern Family (ABC) 9/21
10:00 - Revenge (ABC) 9/21

Thursdays
8:00 – The Big Bang Theory (CBS) 9/22
8:00 – Community (NBC) 9/22
10:00 – Beavis and Butt-Head (MTV) 10/27

Fridays
Chuck (NBC) 10/21
Grimm (NBC) 10/21

Sundays
8:00 - Once Upon a Time (ABC) 10/23
9:00 – The Walking Dead (AMC) 10/16
10:00 – Pan AM (ABC) 9/25
10:00 – Homeland (Showtime) 10/2
10:00 - Hell on Wheels (AMC) 11/6
TBA - Leverage (TNT) 11/27