Shows, shows, everywhere and maybe one for me and you

There are so many new shows premiering this week it almost feels like September.

Let's talk about this week's new shows in the order I liked them -- starting with the one I liked the best.

"Southland" (premiering Thursday at 10 p.m. on NBC): Ben McKenzie (Ryan on "The O.C.") stars as a rookie cop on his first day on patrol. He's aided by his training officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), a man who doesn't suffer fools. The show has a terrific cast including Tom Everett Scott, Regina King, Shawn Hatosy, Arija Bareikis (who I always remember as the star of "The American Embassy"), and Kevin Alejandro (Santos on "Ugly Betty"). With its sprawling cast, interweaving plotlines, and travels through L.A., the show reminded me of "Boomtown." "Boomtown" was a superior show but "Southland" really has quite a bit of potential. John Wells, who just saw his "ER" end after 15 years, knows how to tell a story, draw viewers in, and make us care. And McKenzie is convincing as a man struggling to prove himself while learning what the heck is going on all around him. (And the inside jokes made at his expense are quite fun). There's a moment at the end where King is absolutely heartbreaking. The pilot had moments where it was way too heavy-handed but the good parts definitely outweighed the clunky "we're making important TV here" moments. Plus C.Thomas Howell is in it, so the show is definitely getting the benefit of the doubt from me. Three and a half stars. And if you don't want to wait to watch the premiere, remember you can see it here.

"The Unusuals" (premiering Wednesday at 10 p.m. on ABC): This show makes the mistake of thinking character quirks count as character development. Detective Jason Walsh (Jeremy Renner) makes a dinner involving a Skittles (yes the candy) reduction. Detective Leo Banks (Harold Perrineau) is so afraid he's going to die at age 42, he wears a bullet-proof vest at all times. Detective Eddie Alvarez (Kai Lennox) always talks about himself in the third person. Detective Henry Cole (Josh Close) quotes the bible every chance he gets. Thrown into this mix is Detective Casey Shraeger (Amber Tamblyn) who, in the pilot, gets assigned to the Second Precinct when another detective is found murdered. As any fan of "Joan of Arcadia" knows, it's great to have Tamblyn back on TV. And Casey is a pretty different female character for TV -- check out her response when one of the detectives calls her "sweetie." It turns out that everyone has a secret and it's going to be Casey's job to figure out what's been going on. In the pilot, the series is a little too in love with being eccentric. Even the device of the dispatcher announcing peculiar crimes quickly becomes tiresome. But I think if the show could go past the oddities of its characters, we might have a really terrific series here. Three stars.

"Harper's Island" (premiering Thursday at 10 p.m. on CBS): This show is the epitome of the road to a potentially good show being paved with bad execution. I love the idea of a 13-episode series where a different character gets killed off each week until the murderer is revealed. The show has the potential to create a "Who Shot J.R.?" type viewer frenzy. But I don't think that's going to happen here. This is the kind of show were characters do stupid things -- like walk alone in the woods or skinny dip at night -- that scream "the bad guy is going to get me next." Christopher Gorham stars a Henry, a groom who has invited all his friends to the island where he spent his summers as a child to celebrate his big day. Katie Cassidy stars as his bride-to-be. The guests are a smattering of characters out of central casting like the randy uncle, the scheming dad, the party boy, and the overly flirtatious friend. I will say that I was totally surprised by who was killed first so that's saying something. But I don't think there's enough here to make me care who gets killed next or who did it for that matter. Two and a half stars.

Are you excited about "Southland," "The Unusuals," or "Harper's Island?" Talk about it below. And after you've watched the shows, let me know what you think.

House

Well by now much has been written about Kutner's death on Monday night's episode of "House." It is the kind of controversial plot development that divides fan and really lays down the gauntlet. It is clear that the showrunners at "House" are going to tell the stories they want to tell regardless of the fallout.

We also now know why Kutner was written off the show. Actor Kal Penn asked to leave so he could take a job with the Obama Administration. I think it's great that Penn is pursuing another interest. We have to remember that acting is, in many ways, like any other job -- at some point you might want to try something different and learn a completely new skill set.

Now obviously the show could have written him off in a wide variety and certainly much more open ended ways. Kutner's death was harsh. It was finite. Just as the characters had no warning, we, as viewers, didn't have any either. It happened at the top of the episode. There was no long period of diagnosis of a disease or a struggle with depression. He wasn't in a car accident or murdered by another patient. He inexplicably killed himself. It was a senseless death of a successful man with so much potential.

This leaves House struggling to understand that which has no explanation. He is trying to apply logic and deductive reasoning, something that has always worked for him in the past, to the illogical and the senseless. I thought one of the most powerful moments of the episode was the final shot of House looking at a photograph of Kutner where he looked melancholy -- like perhaps the camera had caught him in a moment where the façade he showed to the world was down.

I have to confess after I got over the initial shock, I was left simultaneously intrigued and repelled by the plot development. I don't think this is a black and white issue where we can declare it to be either a good or bad decision by the showrunners. I'm interested to hear your thoughts. Talk about "House" below.

Where Have I Seen Them Before?

Mary Jo Deschanel was Kutner's mom on "House." She's the mom of Emily Deschanel, Bones on "Bones," and Zooey Deschanel.

Robin recognized Nicholle Tom as the Marilyn Monroe look-alike on "The Mentalist." She was Maggie on "The Nanny" and Tara on "The Minor Accomplishments of Jackie Woodman." Robin also caught Marcus Giamatti, Peter on "Judging Amy," as Gabriel on "The Mentalist."

A new haircut couldn't throw them. Diane and Susan caught Morena Baccarin as James Van Der Beek's (not) sister on "Medium." Baccarin was Jessica on "Heartland" and Inara on "Firefly."

Jen recognized Katherine Boecher, Lilith on "Supernatural," as Alena on "Heroes."

Jeanine recognized Dana Davis, Monica on "Heroes," as Michelle on "Bones." She was also Felicia, Malcolm's (Chi McBride) daughter on "The Nine."

Ryan recognized a familiar face from the past. Linda Purl as Diane Annenburg on "Bones." She was Charlene Matlock on "Matlock" and Fonzie's girlfriend Ashley on "Happy Days."

Joe recognized Lacey Goranson as the woman with tattoos in the Laundromat that was a victim of the Artist on "Fringe." She was the original Becky on "Roseanne."

That's all for today. If I'm not here on Friday, it just means I've runaway with Tim Riggins. Just kidding. I'm back on Friday with quotes of the week and to discuss the season finale of "Friday Night Lights." Have a question? Seen a familiar face? Want to nominate a quote of the week? Write me at amytvgal@zap2it.com.

Amy Amatangelo, TV Gal ®

E-mail

• Digg
• Facebook
• Fark
• Yahoo Buzz
• Stumbleupon