Top 5 Best New Fall Shows

BY STEPHANIE BREIJO

Now that we’re back at school and have the usual unfortunate workload piling up on us, we’re all just about ready to settle back into the age-old procrastination of watching T.V. Luckily for you and every other homework-suffering student, this fall has a great lineup of spankin’ new school distractions.

1. “Pushing Daisies” – ABC

Imagine a dark and witty comedy a la “Six Feet Under” and “Dead Like Me.” Now imagine colorful and amazing cinematography amidst an opposing fall lineup of cop shows, and you’ve got “Pushing Daisies,” a show about a man who brings corpses back to life to learn about their killers and collect the bounty.
Speaking from Comic-Con experience – yes, I’m aware of what I just admitted – this pilot is incredible. It’s funny, mildly morbid, smart and even a little bit sexy. When you’re bored to tears on Wednesdays or maybe have a Wasted Wednesday party to get to, give this creative and innovative newbie some of your mid-week time.

2. “Reaper” – CW

No, I don’t have an obsession with death on T.V, thank you very much. This show is dark and just plain hilarious. It occupies the No. 2 spot because, well, think of it this way: Kevin Smith is backing it and it shows. Think “Ghostbusters” meets “Mallrats.” It follows a slacker and his token chubby hilarious friends as our directionless protagonist learns his parents sold his soul to Satan before he was even born. What does one do in that situation? Why, become the Devil’s bounty hunter, of course!
You feel bad about your crappy job at an appliance store? Imagine how much worse your life could be…in fact, you don’t even need to imagine it –just watch the show and get the well-earned laughs from it.

3. “Chuck” – NBC

Have you ever wondered what your life would be like as an unintentionally recruited super-spy? I can say that after being raised on “North by Northwest,” the answer for me is a definite YES. I know there are others like me out there. You know who you are. It’d be cool, admit it. Well if you can fully embrace your inner CIA agent, this is the show for you.
It seems to be the summer of slacker sitcoms between “Reaper” and “Chuck,” but while “Reaper” has a taste of the supernatural, “Chuck” has a taste of treachery and danger. It’s a good mix with a quirky cast and it seems like it will hold its own this fall with an electronics salesman as the nerdy James Bond-like figure for a younger crowd.

4. “Bionic Woman” – NBC

Lean more toward the Sci-Fi and Action primetime slot-fillers? Then look no further because “Bionic Woman,” the updated version of “The Six Million Dollar Man,” is here to distract you from last-minute Wednesday night homework.
One of those introspective shows with an I-Don’t-Want-This-Responsibility-or-These-Robotic-Parts/Deal-With-It plotline, “Bionic Woman” is a fast-paced show built on technology and right vs. wrong. Our hot British, college-dropout protagonist finds that her life changes after a car crash. She wakes up with a new arm, eye and God knows what else.  Lesson here? Drop out of college, become bionic. Simple as that.

5. “Back to You” – Fox

This show, above everything else, is all about the Kelsey Grammer. Whether you love the actor or you hate him, the once-Dr. Frasier is back as a middle-aged news anchor. Fact: this show could mean the death or rebirth of the scripted, multi-camera, live-audience sitcom.
While it seems like a toned-down “Anchorman,” and believe me, it’s WAY toned-down, it looks like it’ll have its moments among the adolescent-humor-based fall shows.

All in all, while this season brought us textbooks, college fees and a whole lotta stress, we’ve got some sweet, sweet T.V. releases coming our way. And besides – who doesn’t love a good rivalry between slacker protagonists? It gives us all hope.