American Autumn Schedule

America has begun it’s Autumn schedule with some brand new shows as well as some welcome returns. Long running series Dexter is currently 3 episodes into it’s 6th season while House is 2 episodes into it’s 8th season. On the other end of the scale The Walking Dead began it’s eagerly awaited 2nd season last night and Hawaii Five-O returned for it’s 2nd Season nearly 5 weeks ago. New series Terra Nova is 4 weeks into it’s first run and eagerly anticipated fairy tale saga Once Upon A Time makes it’s debut in a couple of weeks. On the comedy side, Big Bang Theory is onto it’s 5th run while a Charlie Sheen-less Two And A Half Men is enjoying it’s 9th season with Ashton Kutcher facing mixed reactions. These shows will arrive on UK screens shortly although some such as House and Terra Nova already have

Hawaii Five-O a enjoyed a great first run and so it was only natural that a 2nd season would follow, especially considering the cliff hanger ending of the 1st season. With Five-O broken up (Mcgarrett and Kono in prison and Chin Ho Kelly back in HPD) it seemed that only Danno remained to put the team back together. At the start of the 2nd season he does just that with the help of Mcgarretts old mentor Joe White (played brilliantly by Lost’s Terry O’Quinn aka Locke). Pretty soon the team are back together and once again going after the bad guys.
     The thing I liked about this reboot is that it was easy watching. It is like a throwback to the 80’s full of car chases, over the top fights and extravagant back drops. The fact that it’s filmed in Hawaii means that it is simply beautiful to watch. The cast are all brilliant in their respective roles. Some reboots of classic shows, be they series or film, often face the inevitable comparrisons with the original. Hawaii Five-O stands up as a show in it’s own right. 

Terra Nova is a new addition to the tv schedule both in the states and over here in the UK, although it is a week ahead in America. The story centres around the Shannon family. They are a normal family from the year 2149 who are transported back 85 million years. There they join a colony called Terra Nova which has been set up to give the human race a second chance. Steven Spielberg is executive producer and it shows with some very Speilberg-like action sequencers. Some scenes have even been in Jurassic Park! It has shown a lot of promise within it's first few episodes although some of the acting is a tad wooden. Stephen Lang is arguably the stand out star in the show, playing the commander of Terra Nova and the first human through the portal. He played the bad guy in Avatar if you're not sure who he is.
     As a fan of things like this I've found it a very good series although it may not be to every ones taste. There are one or two plot holes to look beyond but all in all it's a good premise, oh and there's dinosaurs.

When I heard of Charlie Sheens sacking from Two and a Half Men I couldn't see how the show could carry on. I'd always seen it as being about Charlie Harper and how he copes with having his brother, Alan, and his nephew, Jake, living with him. Without Charlie then there was no show, simple. The creators decided to carry on though and rather than recast another actor as Charlie, they have introduced a completely new character in Walden Schmidt played by Ashton Kutcher. It feels like a different show almost a sequel series. It is very good though and the humour is still there. It could have gone either way and when I found out about Kutchers casting, I wasn't so sure. I am happy to be proved wrong though as he brings something different to what was perhaps becoming a tired show.

     I'll review the various other shows that are coming to our screens in future posts. I'm going to finish off with the trailer for the upcoming Once Upon a Time staring former House M.D. star Jennifer Morrison. She played Dr Allison Cameron for 5 seasons.