Fall TV Preview

Shows entering their final season:

The Office: 9:00pm on NBC Thursday, September 20
     After almost a decade, NBC’s The Office is making its 24-episode victory lap for the ninth and final season. This was not a demand due to ratings, but a decision by the show’s executive producer, Greg Daniels, in order to wrap up the storyline on its own creative terms. For a show that has launched today’s stars like John Krasinski, Ed Helms, and Craig Robinson from obscurity, it seems that Daniels has made the decision just in time before the rest of show’s big actors leave to pursue other projects a la Steve Carrell and Mindy Kaling. Daniels intends to finish the series with a bang by “planning a very big, exciting last season” which will wrap up all of The Office’s loose ends and introduce Dwight’s family (spin-off alert!) as well as the documentary crew that has been “filming” the crew at Dunder-Mifflin for the past 9 years. For those that will have followed and grown with the Scrantonites since Michael Scott’s very first “That’s what she said,” it will be the end of a significant era in pop culture.

30 Rock: 8:00pm on NBC Thursday, October 4
     Despite massive critical acclaim and its fair share of awards, 30 Rock has failed to get the viewership it needs to keep the show going for much longer. The inevitable decision to finish the series on a clean, high note was made by mastermind Tina Fey and the rest of the show’s talented cast. NBC has ordered a disappointing 13 episodes for the seventh and final season which will feature the conclusion to Liz Lemon’s love life, an introduction to Kenneth the Page’s family, and an episode directed by Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston. Though this won’t be the last you see of the 30 Rock group; much of the cast has been shopping around their next respective projects.

Community: 8:30pm on NBC Friday, October 19
     If you’re a fan of the cult comedy, Community, then this hasn’t been the best year for your sanity. Near the beginning of this year, the show was put on hiatus in the middle of its third season. Though the fan base for the show was small, it was still more than enthusiastic. They rabidly took to Twitter to campaign for the return of the show (along with the help of the Community cast) with tags like #sixseasonsandamovie and #savecommunity. The network returned the show to TV to air the rest of the episodes, only to have creator and executive producer, Dan Harmon publicly feud with cast member and resident old curmudgeon, Chevy Chase. The verbal and digital argument that ensued involved Harmon’s anger with Chase’s on-set behavior due to Chase’s displeasure with Harmon’s writing (accusations that did not help the show’s ratings). While the two never came to terms, NBC ousted Harmon for poor ratings and alleged “difficulties.” The rest of the original crew will return in October but to a Friday time slot, historically given to shows that are about to be given the boot. Media are outlets are calling this Community’s final season; how will fans fight to bring it off of the chopping block now?

New 2012 shows, what the critics are saying:

Most Anticipated
The Mindy Project: 9:30pm on FOX Tuesday, September 25
     Mindy Kaling, left her cushy job as writer and actor of NBC’s The Office to start her own rom-com style show, The Mindy Project. Evidence is starting to show that her risk might just be worth the jump. After Kaling’s long run on the New York Time’s Best Seller List for her book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns), FOX has enough confidence to give her show their most coveted time slot with a lead-in from the hit show The New Girl. This will hopefully give The Mindy Project, which revolves around a clever, young OB/GYN building her career while finding room for a love life, a jump start towards the show’s key audience. Think Bridget Jones’ Diary meets Grey’s Anatomy with an exceptionally confident female role.

Show most likely to be canceled
Animal Practice: 8:00pm on NBC Wednesday, September 26
     The poster for this contender features Dr. George Coleman (Justin Kirk) looking back at his monkey pal on his shoulder; both clad in lab coats and stethoscopes. The premise seems to parody itself with a veterinarian who prefers the company of the animals and pet monkey than his customers while wacky situations ensue. This one has been tagged as the show to be canceled before 2013, but who knows? Sometimes surprises rise out of low expectations.

The newest guilty pleasure of 2012
Nashville: 10:00pm on ABC Wednesday, October 10
     By only reading the name, many can guess that ABC’s Nashville will be drenched in all things southern, especially country music. This highly anticipated melodrama will follow the public and personal lives of fictional country superstar Rayna James (Connie Britton) and the younger country pop star she is forced to team up with in order to save her career, Juliette Barnes (Hayden Pannetiere). Even if you aren’t a fan of country music (of which there promises to be plenty), there is sure to be such an addicting, drama-filled storyline that you can’t help but TiVO.