The glamour of moving in is long gone, the fresh feel of the return to campus is wearing off and classes are kicking into full swing. When worn out from full days of lecture and labs, studio and discussions, dancing and laughing, what do we turn to?
The answer, of course, is television.
This is part one of a two-part preview from the Clarion giving you the low-down on the most buzzworthy new series starting this fall. We’ve sifted through the pilots for these (predominantly female-oriented sorry, boys!) new fall series to give you the good, the bad and the ugly.
2 broke girls
Premise: Coming from a poor, working-class family, Max (bitingly sarcastic Kat Dennings) spends her days working in a local Brooklyn diner with boss Han “Bryce” Lee, Russian cook Oleg and cashier Earl. Her working girl routine is disrupted when trust-fund baby Caroline comes in as a new waitress after losing her fortune. Quick friends, the girls start working towards their new dream of opening a cupcake shop.
Rapid reaction: Dennings rocks her 20 minutes of television, stealing the show with witty one-liners, snappy retorts and shaming hipster bums for wearing beanies “because of Coldplay” rather than to keep their heads warm. The supporting characters all do their jobs of playing amplified, one-dimensional personalities, but without Dennings the show loses its charm and fresh edginess.
Verdict: This show will probably last at least a few seasons. The sitcom formula works well for this plot, but the shtick could get dry quickly. Even Dennings may not be able to keep this boat afloat if the supporting characters keep lacking dimensionality
revenge
Premise: An adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo, grown-up Amanda (Emily Van Camp) changes her name to Emily and moves back to the Hamptons to take revenge on the people who caused the destruction of her family and the death of her father.
Rapid Reaction: Beginning with a Confucius quote, a moonlit lake and a gunshot, the show does not seem promising. Yet, despite the sweeping slow motion gazes and soap opera drama, the show will reel you in. Van Camp’s subtlety in expression makes her a chameleon shifting in seconds from sweet, soft-spoken Emily to twisted, vengeful Amanda. The drama of the Hamptons is akin to that of “Gossip Girl,” yet the show plays up its strengths: the actors and puzzle-piece of a storyline.
Verdict: This show is a keeper. Previewing to some glowing reviews and promising numbers of viewers, the show has a storyline that sets it up for a long, epic series. Dropping enough little clues and vengeful morsels to let the viewers unravel the mystery themselves without smacking them over the head with answers, Revenge leaves you questioning who really deserves revenge or forgiveness.
the playboy club
Premise: In the swinging ‘60s of Chicago, The Playboy Club houses rich men and beautiful women. Maureen, the new bunny, accidentally kills a mob boss, and ladies-man and lawyer Nick Dalton helps her cover it up. It turns out, under the false lashes and one-pieces, all bunnies have something to hide.
Rapid Reaction: In response to the craze over Mad Men, The Playboy Club and Pan Am (see next week’s preview) seek to provide more flashy, fun ‘60s-set television offerings. The cast is full of pretty faces and mediocre acting. While the show cheeses it up with perfectly timed entrances and corny dialogue (i.e., “I hate water”; “Me too”), it also provides interesting storylines (such as a bunny smuggling money for the Mattachine Society and a gay rights group) and enough classy ‘60s fashion to keep the viewer waiting for another episode.
Verdict: The show opened to mediocre reviews and a measly amount of viewers. The Playboy Club appears to be the washed-up cousin of Mad Men, but is a decently enjoyable guilty pleasure.
ringer
Premise: Trying to escape her sordid past, Bridget reunites with her wealthy twin sister Siobhan (both played by Sarah Michelle Gellar). But when Siobhan disappears, Bridget panics and takes her place. She soon learns her perfect sister was hiding a dark past of her own, but that the past was coming back to haunt her — only now Bridget is the target.
Rapid Reaction: Regrettably, the show is a sore disappointment to all Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans. To be fair, perhaps early expectations were too high, with the show showing such promise in Comic-Con trailers, but Ringer digs its own grave with an unfortunate combination of elementary dialogue, forced acting, contrived plotlines over-explained to the point of exhaustion and distractingly awful cinematography.
Verdict: Ringer may stick around; it may get canned. Who knows. Gellar has a decent following from previous efforts, but the pilot was not nearly as strong as the previews made it out to be. It might be worth sticking out another episode, but in all likeliness this show won’t last too long.
the secret circle
Premise: Cassie (Britt Robertson) moves to Chance Harbor to live with her grandmother after her mother is killed. Quickly befriended by some of the school’s local teens, she finds she is from a family of witches, the local teen coven — among others — wants her power, and that her mother’s death may not have been as accidental as she thought.
Rapid Reaction: The premiere was a mixed bag. The cheesy dialogue, sub-par acting and incredibly predictable plot line make even some of the serious scenes laughable, but as an easy-to-watch, angst-filled teen drama, it mirrors all the qualities of its sister show, The Vampire Diaries.
Verdict: Enough people will tune in weekly to see the budding love triangles, floating raindrops and power-hungry adults all encapsulated in a mere forty minutes of teen witchcraft. Reviews and ratings are already indicating renewal for another season, so you might as well cave and watch the show in spite of its faults.
