The PopFilter Fall TeeVee PreVee

CABLE!

 

THE AFFAIR (SHOWTIME)

PREMIERES SUNDAY OCTOBER 12TH

WHAT IT BE:

In Treatment creators Hagai Levi and Sarah Treem jump to Showtime for this 10 episode story of two couples, and the affair that breaks them apart or brings them together, or both, seeing as how it lasts for ten episodes.

WHY IT MIGHT BE DECENT:

If you’re going to spread out the story of a married man fucking a married chick over ten episodes, you get the people who brought you something methodically paced and yet still incredibly engrossing. Nah…who am I kidding – PopFilter Hall of Famer Jimmy McNulty is the cheating husband. He looks exactly the same, by the way.

WHY IT MIGHT SUCK BUTT:

The amount of times the main character is forced to say “What’d I do?”

WHAT CHANNEL SHOULD THIS HAVE BEEN ON?

The Sundance Channel? There’s something about Showtime that feels like they need a little more hitch than a show like this would have in its giddy-up. Or maybe this is the award winner that Showtime needs to balance out their popcorny line up.

 

 

HAPPYLAND (MTV)

PREMIERES TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH

WHAT IT BE:

I’m not sure how we’re going to get around that trailer, but I’ll try. There’s this girl that works at a shitty, half-rate Disneyland, who wants to live like a shitty, half-rate Disney princess, but life isn’t always what you see in the movies. Sometimes, you have toSHE FUCKED HER BROTHER.

WHY IT MIGHT BE DECENT:

Because most shows featuring incest these days are pretty good. I don’t think it’s because of the incest, but what if it is?

WHY IT MIGHT SUCK BUTT:

I don’t know if it will, but if it does, it will be its own brother’s butt.

HOW MANY EPISODES BEFORE I QUIT IT?

As many as it takes to get to that sweet twist…

 

INTRUDERS (BBCA)

PREMIERED SATURDAY, AUG 23RD

WHAT IT BE:

Based on a novel by Michael Marshall Smith, Intruders follows a former LAPD officer who is asked to stand around and guess and some crazy shit going on in a small town.

WHY IT MIGHT BE DECENT:

Because it’s the BBC, and everything they do is at least classy, if not good. Right?

WHY IT MIGHT SUCK BUTT:

This is NOT a BBC show that got shipped to America! This is a show made specifically for BBC America! Well, I never! This bad boy actually already premiered to middling reviews, with most critics citing the fact that it’s way to confusing to make up for its dumbness.

HOW MANY EPISODES BEFORE I QUIT IT?

Since I haven’t started my fall binge yet, we’ll see if I can get around watching any of these. But based on what I’ve heard so far, you have to make it through the first couple to get any idea of what’s going on.

 

KINGDOM (DIRECTV)

PREMIERES WEDNESDAY, OCT 8TH

WHAT IT BE:

A father (Frank Grillo) tries to build the next MMA superstar while keeping his gym and his family afloat.

WHY IT MIGHT BE DECENT:

It seems like we should have had a solid drama about fighting for awhile now. Kingdom seems to have picked a good role model, eschewing Lights Out for the movie Warrior.

WHY IT MIGHT SUCK BUTT:

Is the main character played by one of the Hydra agents who betrayed Nick Fury and Captain America in The Winter Soldier? Sorry, I’m out. Wait…is the future superstar played by Nick Jonas, of the Brothers Jonas? Wait…I’m back in.

WHAT CHANNEL SHOULD THIS HAVE BEEN ON?

This is one of those shows where the channel dictates how the show goes. Kingdom on FOX would be wildly different from Kingdom on FX. But for the channel to be DirecTV…that seems to scream that no one else wanted it. Then again, that’s what we used to say about AMC, and what we today say about AMC.

 

SURVIVOR’S REMORSE (STARZ)

PREMIERES SUNDAY OCTOBER 4TH

WHAT IT BE:

Grantland’s Bill Simmons’ always pitched that Entourage shouldn’t have ended, but instead should have replaced Vinnie Chase with a young black rapper, and re-started the story. Homeboy really needed more Entourage. Well, instead of a rapper, we have a young basketball player, and instead of HBO, we have Starz. Win some, lose some. Well…win rarely, lose often.

WHY IT MIGHT BE DECENT:

If this show goes the route of Mulaney, and just announces “Hey, we’re like that thing you know,” that might allow it to get over that hurdle and move forward.

WHY IT MIGHT SUCK BUTT:

If you come up and tell me you’re a douche bag, that doesn’t mean I’m all of a sudden no longer tired of douche bags. I don’t know if the world is ready yet for anything remotely resembling Entourage. 

HOW MANY EPISODES BEFORE I QUIT IT?

2. I can do two.

 

Z NATION (SYFY)

PREMIERES FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 12

WHAT IT BE:

3 years after a zombie breakout (4 years after a zombie TV show becomes a ratings record-setter), a group of people find someone who has survived a zombie bite (a group of people decide there’s enough room on TV for another one).

WHY IT MIGHT BE DECENT:

Harold Perrineau?!? Tom Everett Scott?!? DJ Qualls?!? Fuck yeah!!!

WHY IT MIGHT SUCK BUTT:

Does any channel, outside of OWN and Lifetime, have a worse track record than Syfy? This looks like it was made to suck in the same way Sharknado was, but with that they’re only asking to you HateLike something for two hours a year. This is for an hour a week. Fuck and no.

HOW MANY EPISODES BEFORE I QUIT IT?

I’ll get Mike to watch this one.

 

We did it! See you in two weeks for the 2014 Fall TV Extrvaganza!!! The

Mysteries of Laura and Red Band Society!!! Shit!!!