We all know how it goes. It's instinctive. When something isn't working, breaks down or freezes, you shut down and restart. We're mystified by what's going on, but we know "close, quit, shut down and reboot" seems to work.
That's this TV season, too. For the U.S. networks and, to a slightly lesser extent, the cable channels, it's a restart-reboot season.
The last TV season, which started a year ago with such promise - compelling, smart dramas in Pushing Daisies and Life; the sizzling high-grade soap Dirty Sexy Money; and the mind-boggling, sexy vacuity of Gossip Girl - ended in disarray and disappointment almost as soon as the Writers Guild of America went on strike.
There was carnage, as the mediocre but heavily hyped shows Big Shots, Cane and Bionic Woman were evaporated by the strike. There was confusion as the expected rash of reality shows never really materialized. Then along came the cable drama Mad Men.
And an awed audience and industry realized that television drama is still the iconic, most important storytelling genre of our time.
It has been a very confusing period.
And if there's a theme to the smaller-than-usual batch of new dramas and comedies, it's just that - confusion. Just as most of us are unsure about the workings of the equipment we shut down and reboot, the writers and producers of new U.S. network shows are focusing on the unknown, the hard to fathom, the mystery of things that we sense but cannot understand.
The Fox drama Fringe, now running, is about fringe science - experiments in mind control, pesticides and mercurial weapons that turn people into mush but don't kill them. The Mentalist, a seemingly textbook CBS police procedural, is really about the possibility that if psychic powers exist, they are used for evil purposes. Dollhouse, coming in mid-season from Fox, features characters who have had their personalities wiped clean so they can be imprinted with any number of new personas. My Own Worst Enemy, the NBC drama starring Christian Slater, is about a guy programmed to have two separate personalities.
The fascination with fringe science, and paranoia about how it is used, continues on the CBS drama Eleventh Hour, which is about "reproductive cloning, cryogenic preservation and experimental brain surgery," among other things. Life on Mars, ABC's remake of the British hit, is about a guy going back in time after a car crash. Even the sitcoms are full of odd, let's-look-at-the-unknown themes, with the single-gal comedy The Ex List being about a psychic's warning to the main character that she's already met "the one."
There's confusion and uncertainty, too, in more mundane matters. NBC's schedule is generally considered a shambles, and programming executive Ben Silverman has been the target of vicious rumours that he will soon quit.
Shows that had little or no impact after a strong start two years ago, such as Heroes, are in dire danger of collapsing if their audience does not return this year, and it might not. Fox's 24 hasn't aired for two years and there's fear the momentum has been lost. Many shows are still in development and not arriving until January.
Like anyone who is obliged to shut down and reboot, the U.S. TV industry is nervous about losing everything.
These lists of recommendations come with a caveat: Some shows have been seen, while others (Life on Mars, for instance) aren't available yet, and in some cases only a selection of clips was available. In late August, ABC announced production on five new shows to air this season, and none have seen the light of day so far. Also, these lists focus on U.S. network TV. An overview of Canadian TV will come later.
FIVE ESSENTIAL SHOWS
The Mentalist (Mondays, A; Tuesdays, CBS; starts Sept. 22)
Simon Baker plays Patrick Jane, a former celebrity TV psychic who now admits that his powers were highly tuned observational skills. And yet he's so good at finding the truth, it's uncanny. Now he consults with the cops, the California Bureau of Investigation, where most of his colleagues (Robin Tunney plays his grumpy boss) really dislike his superskills. For a show that is obviously derivative, The Mentalist is charming and enjoyable TV drama. Baker is very, very good here, a mercurial character who can be convincingly witty, smart and then vulnerable. There's an intriguing back story about a serial killer who targeted Patrick's family.
My Own Worst Enemy (NBC, Global; Mondays, starts Oct. 13)
Christian Slater stars as a man with dual identities - Henry, a suburban dad with an ultra-ordinary life; and Edward, a cool, ruthless, globetrotting spy - in what is a twist on the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde story. A chip was implanted in superspy Edward's brain and the chip malfunctions. Or something. Slater is the reason to watch. Very little of the show was available in advance, but Slater looks lively in the clips and Alfre Woodard has been cast as Edward's boss. The show could go nowhere fast or become excellent.
