Remember when the new fall TV season used to barge into our living rooms in one huge, concentrated barrage? For a couple of weeks in September, the networks would debut all of their freshman series. By late October, viewers would've had the chance to sample whatever sounded intriguing. The good part about this massive attack was it got the season launch hoopla over with fairly quickly. The bad part was so many shows premiered at the same time that promising ones sometimes got lost in the shuffle as viewers suffered from new-show overload.
While potentially good series still get canceled too soon (I haven't forgiven Fox for yanking "Lone Star" after two episodes in September 2010), at least the networks now take their time about unspooling the goods. Sunday night, for example, the new animated series"Allen Gregory" premieres on Fox. And it's not even the last new series debut on the schedule. Fox is also sitting on a rookie sitcom called "I Hate My Teenage Daughter," which isn't slated to premiere until Nov. 30. In the case of that show -- which stars Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran as farcically ineffectual mothers -- the longer it sits on the shelf, the better. Judging from a first look at the pilot, it's in the running for worst new comedy of the season -- quite an achievement.
This week also brings fresh editions of reality-show franchises ("Top Chef" is back, and this time they're messin' with Texas); a TV newsmagazine show ("Rock Center With Brian Williams"); and the return of some familiar faces ("Bones"). And since Halloween is Monday night, we're not out of the spooky woods yet.
It's not surprising the cable channels go nuts with paranormal ghost-hunter shows and horror movies on Oct. 31. But a special Halloween episode of "The Sing-Off"? With dismal ratings in its Monday time slot, maybe NBC is hoping to scare up more viewers.
SUNDAY
"Once Upon a Time": Last week's series premiere scored impressive ratings, so we'll see if viewers come back for another visit to Storybrooke, the Maine hamlet and its cursed fairy-tale characters. (8 p.m., KATU)
"Allen Gregory": Actor Jonah Hill is the creative force behind this new addition to the Fox Sunday night animated series lineup. Hill voices the title character, a pretentious 7-year-old schoolboy. (8:30 p.m., KPTV)
MONDAY
"The Sing-Off": I feel sorry for this likable a cappella competition series. After doing well in short-run stints for the network, NBC committed to a full season in a prime time slot. And the show's been getting killed in the ratings. Oh, well. Tonight's outing features a Halloween-y opening medley of "This Is Halloween," "Werewolves of London" and "Ghostbusters." (8 p.m., KGW)
"Rock Center With Brian Williams":The actual show is a newsmagazine featuring the NBC anchor, along with correspondents such as Oregon's own Ann Curry, of the "Today" show, and her co-host, Matt Lauer. The show will be broadcast live (well, on the East Coast) from Studio 3B in Rockefeller Center, focusing on the week's notable news, people and stories. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, can we talk about the ridiculous title? Yes, I know it's a play on Rockefeller Center, but "30 Rock" has already done that. "Rock Center" sounds like an off-brand chain of guitar stores. Maybe their first story can be explaining why we shouldn't make fun of the title. (10 p.m., KGW)
While potentially good series still get canceled too soon (I haven't forgiven Fox for yanking "Lone Star" after two episodes in September 2010), at least the networks now take their time about unspooling the goods. Sunday night, for example, the new animated series"Allen Gregory" premieres on Fox. And it's not even the last new series debut on the schedule. Fox is also sitting on a rookie sitcom called "I Hate My Teenage Daughter," which isn't slated to premiere until Nov. 30. In the case of that show -- which stars Jaime Pressly and Katie Finneran as farcically ineffectual mothers -- the longer it sits on the shelf, the better. Judging from a first look at the pilot, it's in the running for worst new comedy of the season -- quite an achievement.
This week also brings fresh editions of reality-show franchises ("Top Chef" is back, and this time they're messin' with Texas); a TV newsmagazine show ("Rock Center With Brian Williams"); and the return of some familiar faces ("Bones"). And since Halloween is Monday night, we're not out of the spooky woods yet.
It's not surprising the cable channels go nuts with paranormal ghost-hunter shows and horror movies on Oct. 31. But a special Halloween episode of "The Sing-Off"? With dismal ratings in its Monday time slot, maybe NBC is hoping to scare up more viewers.
SUNDAY
"Once Upon a Time": Last week's series premiere scored impressive ratings, so we'll see if viewers come back for another visit to Storybrooke, the Maine hamlet and its cursed fairy-tale characters. (8 p.m., KATU)
"Allen Gregory": Actor Jonah Hill is the creative force behind this new addition to the Fox Sunday night animated series lineup. Hill voices the title character, a pretentious 7-year-old schoolboy. (8:30 p.m., KPTV)
MONDAY
"The Sing-Off": I feel sorry for this likable a cappella competition series. After doing well in short-run stints for the network, NBC committed to a full season in a prime time slot. And the show's been getting killed in the ratings. Oh, well. Tonight's outing features a Halloween-y opening medley of "This Is Halloween," "Werewolves of London" and "Ghostbusters." (8 p.m., KGW)
"Rock Center With Brian Williams":The actual show is a newsmagazine featuring the NBC anchor, along with correspondents such as Oregon's own Ann Curry, of the "Today" show, and her co-host, Matt Lauer. The show will be broadcast live (well, on the East Coast) from Studio 3B in Rockefeller Center, focusing on the week's notable news, people and stories. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, can we talk about the ridiculous title? Yes, I know it's a play on Rockefeller Center, but "30 Rock" has already done that. "Rock Center" sounds like an off-brand chain of guitar stores. Maybe their first story can be explaining why we shouldn't make fun of the title. (10 p.m., KGW)
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