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ENTERTAINMENT
September 28, 2007 • THE ARROW
Fresh Fall Features
13
A guide to four of the hits and misses for the new fall TV lineup by Elyse Kaplan and Jimmy Moore
Aliens in America
Gossip Girl
Bionic Woman
Private Practice
Geeky, but lovable, 16-year-old Justin
(Dan Byrd) has come to terms with the fact
that he will never be popular. Unfortunately, his energetic and nosy (but well meaning) mother has other plans for him. She
plots to boost his popularity by signing up
for an exotic exchange student to come live
with them. Of course, nobody could have
predicted it would be Raja that shows up
instead. And when Justin’s dad finds out
he comes with a monthly check it is decided that Raja will be here to stay.
The future looks bright for this quirky
comedy. Some may recognize Scott Patterson (Luke from Gilmore Girls) or Lindsey
Shaw (Mose from Ned’s Declassified). Like
many other shows (think The Office or Heroes) it is proving that being a little nerdy is
actually the new cool.
In this new teen drama, based on a
popular book series of the same name, a
young, rich, and popular socialite named
Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively)
causes a rift with her former best friend
Blair (Leighton Meester) when she returns
to her old town. Sure, it sounds cliché, but
here’s the twist: amidst all the conflict,
a mysterious “Gossip Girl” is blogging
about all of it.
Made by Josh Schwartz, the creator of
The OC, Gossip Girl will be a guaranteed hit
among its target audience of teenage girls.
The new show had an impressive premiere, drawing flocks of former OC fans
looking for their weekly fix of adolescent
drama, and while its future is somewhat
unclear, for now it seems as though Gossip
Girl is here to stay.
Jamie Sommers (Michelle Ryan) is the
stereotypical struggling woman just trying to make it through the day. But just
like every seemingly average person on
TV, something that is about to go terribly
wrong. In her case, a horrific car crash is
about to change everything. When the only
chance of survival is to undergo top secret
surgery with cutting edge technology, her
whole life is turned upside-down. With a
debt to pay she tries to find her place in the
world, and might just save it in the mean
time.
This action packed drama is already a
must see this season. With twists and turns,
you will always be on the edge of your
seat Although Bionic Woman is based on
an iconic 70s series, it promises to be better,
stronger and faster than before.
In this Grey’s Anatomy spin-off, viewers find Addison Montgomery (Kate
Walsh) leaving Seattle Grace Hospital and
relocating to sunny Los Angeles, where
she enters a medical practice brimming
with attractive people and intertwining
love triangles.
While Private Practice is doubtlessly
gaining many of the same fans as Grey’s
Anatomy, the show’s “pilot” episode,
which aired last April, suggested that,
while entertaining, the show may not offer anything original enough to outlast
its competitors.
Its watered-down approach to the medical drama genre demonstrates that ABC is clearly just trying to
fill a time slot. In a few words, don’t hold
your breath with this one. It will probably
be gone before long.
Premieres Monday, October 1st
8:30 The CW
Premiered Wednesday, September 19th
9:00 The CW
Premiered Wednesday, September 26
9:00 NBC
Premiered Wednesday, September 26
9:00 ABC
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