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Fall TV Crime Spree

by Stephanie Allerdice
09.01.2008

Fall TV premiere month is upon us. Finally a deluge of delicious drama and comedy to quench the thirst we have suffered through this long, dry summer of bad reality TV marathons and unsatisfying reruns.

Not only do we get our old friends back but we also get to meet some new ones, and among those are a lot of criminals. If you check your fall TV schedule you will notice that a host of new crime dramas are coming to a small screen near you this fall. There are five in all, two are original and should fare well in the coming months, one should be on the chopping block already and two are stolen from the British so we’ll see how that goes.

The first of the new crime shows to premiere is “Raising the Bar.” It’s TNT’s new show about a bunch of passionate young lawyers fighting to make a difference in and out of the courtroom. The show stars everyone’s favorite “Saved by the Bell” alum. Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Now, good old Mark-Paul has grown up a lot since his years as Zack but his acting prowess is not enough to make this show interesting. Having sneak-peeked the first episode, this show offers nothing new to the full range of lawyer dramas we already have. It’s not witty enough to compete with “Boston Legal” and it’s not dark or dramatic enough to compete with any of the “Law & Orders." And while I’ve only seen the pilot, none of the characters seem individually interesting and they don’t have that much chemistry with each other so the dynamic is completely off base. Because it is one of the few original shows on TNT it might run for awhile but if it had been picked up by a major network it probably would have been canceled after the first couple episodes. “Raising the Bar” premieres on TNT on Monday, September 1 at 10:00 p.m.

Next up is Fox’s new sci-fi crime drama “Fringe.” Written by J.J. Abrams, the show follows FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) as she is thrown head first into the mysterious world of fringe science and unexplained phenomena. “Fringe” seems to be bound for success, most shows Abrams writes turn to gold and The Hollywood Reporter has pointed to “Fringe” as being the new show most likely to succeed in the fall schedule. I have to say I agree with them after seeing the two-hour season premiere, this show has what it takes to not only draw a massive audience but keep them coming back for more. It’s like a cross between “Bones” and “The X-Files.” While it has a mild gross-out factor, “Fringe” is more about character drama and the chemistry is there. Both newcomer Anna Torv and veteran Joshua Jackson light up their roles with brooding intensity. And though the concept of the show may not seem unique to you, already in the first episode it is littered with original plot points. “Fringe” premieres on FOX on Tuesday, September 9 at 8:00 p.m. before moving to its regularly scheduled slot at 9:00 p.m. Tuesday nights.

Competing with FOX’s “Fringe” will be CBS’s “The Mentalist.” Starring Simon Baker, “The Mentalist” is about former “psychic” Patrick Jane, who is now a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation. Jane possesses unparalleled powers of observation, which helps the CBI solve crimes. This show is kind of like “Monk’s” average cousin. It has the same concept, someone with a unique mental process solving crimes but unlike “Monk,” this is a show for the masses in that there are no gigantic mental leaps when it comes to solving the crime. The show is done in a very logical manner so it is easier to follow. “The Mentalist” seemed very dry in its pilot episode, but I can see it loosening up and getting better. Also, Baker’s portrayal of the main character seems too straightforward and archetypal, but I expect some twist and turns on down the road. However, if I had to choose between “The Mentalist” and “Fringe,” I would have to go with “Fringe.” “The Mentalist” premieres on CBS on Tuesday, September 23 at 9:00 p.m.

And now onto this season’s British rip-offs. I think the Brits must be getting tired of us taking stuff from them. I mean first it was just our independence but now we want their TV too. Both the crime dramas we are taking this year originally aired in the UK in 2006. CBS’s “Eleventh Hour” is a remake of an ITV mini-series that starred Patrick Stewart (“Star Trek: The Next Generation”). It seems to be CBS’s answer to FOX’s “Fringe” in that it centers on a government scientist and a government agent trying to prevent crimes that have their base in science fiction. Having not seen much except some clips and trailers, I can’t predict how this show is going to do but the odds might not be against it with Jerry Bruckheimer as the producer. “Eleventh Hour” premieres on Thursday, October 9 at 10:00 p.m. on CBS.

The other British show we are making our own this fall is “Life on Mars.” Originally on the BBC is 2006, “Life on Mars” is about Detective Sam Tyler (Jason O’Mara), who gets thrown back into the 1970s following a Car accident in 2008. Produced by David E. Kelley, the man who brought us “Boston Legal,” “Boston Public” and “The Practice,” this ABC remake is also expected to do well. The original series had two short but successful seasons in the UK and if they let David E. Kelley on as a writer, I don’t see why not. “Life on Mars” premieres on Thursday, October 9 at 10:00 p.m. on ABC, going head-to-head with its other British friend on CBS.

With this plethora of new crime drama, most of which are in competing time slots, I don’t think all of them are going to succeed. While “Raising the Bar” gets to live in it’s own little corner of the world, CBS’s new dramas are going up against the big guns at FOX and ABC and I’m sorry but most CBS shows don’t have enough fight in them to win out against other primetime programming. So my money is on “Fringe” and “Life on Mars” taking the top prizes in this year’s crime race.

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