WHAT IS HIP ON TV THIS FALL?
After peeking at most of the new shows and viewing a few returning series, we’ve got a fairly good handle on what you shouldn’t miss–and what you might want to pass up.
(All times are Central.)
FOX
SPOOF: “The Tick,” premieres Nov. 8
OUR TAKE: This is a silly takeoff of superheroes starring Patrick Warburton (Puddy of “Seinfeld”) as a big goofball.
WHEN 7:30 p.m. Thursdays
UPN
STAR TO WATCH: Kyla Pratt, “One on One”
OUR TAKE: As wisecracking 14-year-old Breanna Washington, Kyla is smooth and appealing.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Mondays
RETURNING SHOW: “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” premieres tonight
OUR TAKE: The Bufferino (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is back from the dead, but she’s not quite right …
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesdays
NEW CARTOON: “The Legend of Tarzan”
OUR TAKE: It’s a good-looking action spinoff of the Disney movie that doesn’t make the mistakes of some cartoons (see: “The Mummy”).
WHEN: 9 a.m. Sundays
SCI-FI: “Enterprise”
OUR TAKE: This retro “Star Trek” is the ad ventures of the first Starfleet starship a few centuries before the “Next Generation” crew was born.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Wednesdays
NBC
NEW SHOW: “Emeril”
OUR TAKE: The celebrity super-chef should stick to the kitchen instead of starring in this unfunny show about a celebrity super-chef.
WHEN: 7 p.m. Tuesdays
ABC
NEW CHARACTER: Sydney Bristow (Jennifer Garner), “Alias”
OUR TAKE: She’s a college student with a cool way to pay for tuition: a spy!
WHEN: 8 p.m. Sundays
WB
New Show: “Smallville,” premieres Oct. 16
OUR TAKE: This high-flying series looks at Clark Kent (Tom Welling) as a teenager before his powers fully developed as Superman.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Tuesdays
PREMISE: “Raising Dad,” premieres Friday
OUR TAKE: It’s a “Not-So-Full House” without the charm. Former “Full House” dad Bob Saget is raising two, instead of four, girls. Where are the Olsen twins when you need them?
WHEN: 8:30 p.m. Fridays
NEW CARTOON: “The Mummy”
OUR TAKE: A snorefest sequel to this summer’s “The Mummy Returns” that doesn’t capture the spirit of its movie the way some cartoons do (see: “The Legend of Tarzan”).
WHEN: 10:30 a.m. Sundays
NEW KID: Molly Stage (Reagan Dale Neis), “Maybe It’s Me,” premieres Friday
OUR TAKE: Fifteen-year-old Molly is a riot trying to keep her personal thing together while dealing with her wacky family.
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. Fridays
