Fall Preview: The Big Bang Theory

The Premise

The show is based around the lives of five individuals living in Pasadena, California: two roommates, Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, their next-door neighbor Penny and their two eccentric friends Howard Wolowitz and Raj Koothrappali. The show is based off the strange contrast between the four men's nerdliness and non-existent social lives and the extremely socially aware abilities of Penny.

Over the years various others have joined the show for extended periods of time including: Leslie Winkle, Bernadette Rostenkowski, Amy Farrah Fowler and Stuart Bloom.

Johnny Galecki (Hancock) stars as Leonard Hofstadter, Jim Parsons (The Muppets) stars as Sheldon Cooper, Kaley Cuoco (8 Simple Rules) stars as Penny, Simon Helberg stars as Howard Wolowitz, Kunal Nayyar (Ice Age: Continental Drift, Bruno) stars as Raj Koothrappali, Sara Gilbert stars as Leslie Winkle, Melissa Rauch (I Love You, Man) stars as Bernadette Rostenkowski and Mayim Bialik stars as Amy Farrah Fowler with Kevin Sussman (AI: Artificial Intelligence, Hitch) as Stuart Bloom.

The Big Bang Theory returns on CBS, Thursday September 26th at 8PM EST.

Where I Would Go With the Plot

First things first -- this thing needs to start getting wrapped up. We've had six great seasons, but the plots are slowly running out and we're not going to be able to get much out of these nerds an society girls. Howard has completely changed over the years going from uncontrollable perv to married and controlled. We've seen Raj go from completely unable to talk to women to a chatterbox in last season's finale. Leonard and Penny finally have told each other they love each other and Sheldon seems to be loosening up now that Amy is in his life. So my question, what else do these characters have left to do?

The main plot needs to revert back to Leonard and Sheldon. They're our main characters and we need to get their story-lines finished up before the series ends, probably in two seasons. This season will need to focus on Leonard and Penny figuring out what exactly they want to do. Penny is scared of commitment, but knows that she's found something good in Leonard. I expect Leonard to keep proposing every once in a while. Finally, in the premiere he'll do it casually, almost out of habit and she'll say yes. Of course, the humor will be that he doesn't realize it for a couple seconds.

Sheldon and Amy seem to be doing well, but Amy wants so much more of Sheldon. I'm not entirely sure how far CBS plans on taking their relationship on screen, but we should expect it to get physical at some time during this season. Whether that's Sheldon giving her a kiss or even more than that, I'm not entirely sure, but that needs to happen at some point this season too.

What I Think Will Happen

The show seems obsessed with giving us Raj's story right now. While we'll get progression in everyone's lives I feel that the main emphasis will be put on Raj and his new-found ability to talk to women. Ideally, I don't see Raj ended the series in a relationship, but a new-found appreciation to be able to talk to them.

Also, my gut tells me the show will get even raunchier this season. It's been the way the show has been going for the past few seasons and I doubt there will be any change now with Raj's open mouth and Sheldon's deeper trust in Amy Farrah Fowler. Those of you who know me now I'm not all for this.

All in all, my gut instinct is that we'll get the total effect of Two and a Half Men. They're doing to beat a dead horse out of this show and in the end it'll lose it's spark.

Fall Preview: Person of Interest

The Premise

John Reese, a former member of the CIA has completely disappeared following the death of his one true love and is considered dead by most. After a time he is approached by a reclusive billionaire who refers to himself as Harold Finch. Finch tells Reese that after 9/11 he built an extensive surveillance system for the government. The catch is that the machine was able to predict crimes deemed to be "irrelevant". Finch hoped the government would try to prevent these crimes but since they chose not to he has decided that it is his job to help protect the "irrelevants". Enter Reese, who Finch hires to keep an eye on the targets and get involved as necessary. The machine built by Finch dishes out social security numbers of people that will be involved in the crimes. Reese and Finch attempt to prevent the crimes solely based on these numbers, not knowing if they are following the perpetrator or the victim.

Their story also gets tangled with two NYPD detectives; the once-dirty cop Lionel Fusco and the straight-up officer Joss Carter. For the longest time both help Reese and Finch without knowing that the other is involved. The team also has friends in the city like Zoe Morgan who is known as a professional "fixer". A majority of the plot focuses on a corrupt law enforcement known as "HR" and their participation with the crime-lord Carl Elias. One other antagonist is Root, a woman determined to take control of the machine and set it free.

Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ, The Count of Monte Cristo) stars as John Reese, Taraji P. Henson (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Karate Kid) stars as Joss Carter and Kevin Chapman stars as Lionel Fusco with Michael Emerson (Lost, Saw) as Harold Finch.

Person of Interest returns on CBS, Tuesday, September 24th at 10PM EST.

Where I Would Go With the Plot

The season two finale impressed me a lot, but it left me more than confused by what exactly is going to go on in the next season. John, Harold and company don't really care about where the machine is as long as it's not in the wrong hands (and it's only in its own hands right now). One of the best things about this show is the ability to have episodes that don't add to the ongoing plot of the machine -- episodes that make you wonder whether the number given is the good guy or the bad guy. And then watching John help. Season three will be an excellent opportunity for us to return to that on a weekly basis.

Of course, we can't get rid of the rest of the plot. The government is obviously going to be mad about the machine being gone. Root still appears to have access and a special connection with it at that. There will still be people looking for it. The machine is really no longer that -- a machine; it's turned more into an AI. That gives it almost a human aspect. It'll trust certain people (Root, Finch, Reese) and it'll distrust others. I have the feeling that first off it will help Root break out of prison in the first couple of episodes but won't be willing to divulge it's location. This will make her continue to bother Finch and Reese.

Then comes the finale -- it's time for us to see the machine. But there has to be a twist and this it what I would do. Because of last season's finale we've already kind of got an idea of what the machine is like -- a massive expanse of computers filling an entire government complex. And that's how it started, but we've already seen that it's been able to translate itself to another location, why not make it even more? Finch will be shocked to find that the computer has made itself mobile and compact -- maybe one small laptop computer. It's begun to evolve and Finch will come to realize that the true villain in everything may be the machine itself.

What I Think Will Happen

Really, I think that we'll pretty much get where I would go with it. The writing on the show is so excellent that they really shouldn't stop what they've done right so far. The third season is so integral in making a show last for a few more seasons and changing things up might do more damage than good.

Of course, it's completely possible that Johnathan Nolan surprises us all and turns the show into more of a government spy game focusing completely on finding the machine while helping people in the process. I'm sure he'd do it justice, but I don't think that's the smartest thing they can do.

Oh -- and the one thing I'm positive will happen this season. It makes sense. I wouldn't do it yet, but it'll have to happen. Someone will die. This season adds on two new cast members and the storyline would be getting pretty crowded. I'm not sure who it will be though, but my gut instinct says that it'll be one of our two ex-CIA friends. Personally, I think it would be interesting for Reese to die and have the woman (I can't remember her name for the life of me) take over. But I also feel like the fans won't like her as much -- she's too hardcore and doesn't have the charismatic smugness that Caviezel brings to the show. So she'll get offed instead, nearing the season finale.

Fall Preview: How I Met Your Mother

The Premise

Season 8 started about as happily as anyone could imagine: Marshall and Lily had their first baby, Robin was dating the stud named Nick, Barney and Quinn were freshly engaged and Ted has won back Victoria just hours before her wedding. Sadly, all these relationships would end over the few short period of a few episodes (except for Marshall and Lily of course) in what is known to the group as "The Autumn of Breakups".

After the new parents find a solid babysitter in their life in Lily's father, she takes on a job as the Captain's new art consultant, finally honing in on one of her life dreams. Meanwhile Barney and Robin begin to realize what they mean to each other, except it's not that easy. Barney has begun a relationship with Robin's co-worked, Patrice, but after Robin hears of Barney's plans to propose to Patrice, Robin discovers that it was all a facade in order for Robin to realize how she feels about Barney. Oh, and that proposal was for her. She says yes.

After the proposal Marshall's career takes a wild turn. After a victorious court case that Marshall wins for his firm bad publicity forces the firm to lose practically all of its business, resulting in Marshall doing nothing but sit around the office all day. During the time, he applies to be a judge. Lily's job however is rendering great new opportunities. After working for the Captain for a while he discloses his plans to move to Rome for a year and asks Lily to bring her family along and work for him while there. After Marshall explains to her that he'd love to go preparations are made for the Erickson Family to move to Italy; that is until he receives news while on vacation in Minnesota that he has been appointed to be a judge in the state of New York, leaving him confused at the end of the season in what to do and what he should tell Lily.

Ted's life comes clear into focus after dating a crazy girl, Jeanette and realizing that his place as the only single member in the group has made him want to "settle down". After a fight with Lily about whether Barney and Robin should get a DJ or a band for their wedding, Ted runs into Cindy, his future wife's roommate. She mentions that her roommate plays in a band and later we discover that the mother is the bass guitarist.

Right before the wedding Ted realizes that he won't be able to be around Robin and Barney after they are married, making him decide that the day after their wedding he's going to uproot and move to Chicago for a fresh start. However, as everyone heads off to the big wedding, one more person is in route that will change his plans; the mother.

Josh Radnor stars as Ted Mosby, Cobie Smulders (The Avengers) stars as Robin Scherbatsky, Neil Patrick Harris stars as Barney Stinson, Alyson Hannigan stars as Lily Aldrin and Jason Segel (Despicable Me, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) stars as Marshall Eriksen with Cristin Milioti as the Mother.

How I Met Your Mother returns on CBS, Monday September 23rd at 8:00PM EST.

Where I Would Go With the Plot

I can tell you one thing: where I would go with the plot is definitely different from what's actually going to happen. I miss the days of Ted frantically obsessing over a girl, trying to find a way for their relationship to work out. We saw it first with Robin back in season one and then Victoria again later that season. We know how both of those ended. And then there was Stella in season three -- I wasn't a fan of Stella, but that arc showed us who Ted really was -- someone who wouldn't give up and someone who would find a way to prove he was totally worth it. Since Stella it's been more of a one night stand after another, even while he was in relationships. They were just so quick and he never had to work for them.

What I would do is introduce Ted to the mother at the end of the season premiere -- letting the Stinson/Scherbatsky wedding be the episode. The wedding was exceptionally hard for Ted but right afterward he meets to most amazing woman on the train stop and later on the train to Farhampton, the bass guitarist from the wedding band. He falls in love so quickly that he cancels his plans to move to Chicago on a whim. Of course with Lily and Marshall's plans to move to Rome diminished because of his new job, Ted moves back in with them while he looks for a new place to live. The only problem is that the Mother doesn't seem to be very interested in Ted more than an occasional friend.

Throughout the season Ted and the Mother become closer and closer and egged on by Lily and Marshall eventually find that they are perfect for each other. The series would end with Ted proposing to the Mother, helped by his best friend Barney who's already proved that when it comes to proposing he can do it best. Bob Saget closes our the narration talking about their wedding and finally relieves his poor children of listening to his story.

What I Think Will Happen

According to press releases the entire season will be during the 72 hours leading up to the Stinson/Scherbatsky wedding. While I think the wedding is a great way to end the series, I have serious reservations about an entire season (usually 24 episodes) taking place in a very constrained amount of time unless the show is 24.

Issues that usually only take an episode or two to get hammered out like Robin's something old, Marshall's new job as a judge or Ted moving to Chicago will take episodes now to get resolved, dragging along plots. Either that or they'll get resolved much quicker than realistic, which is something the show has always tried to be -- realistic with the times. While I know the show plans on meeting the Mother in the finale, is it worth the sake of dragging out stories or cutting them realistically short?

I have no doubt that the moment when Ted and the Mother meet will be magical. I'm also enthralled by the fact we'll get to meet the Mother through the eyes of the rest of the cast before she and Ted actually meet. It'll be a good chance for us to get to know her, like her and crave the two of them to meet. I have a feeling the finale will be one of the most heart-wrenching to watch since the end of Friends -- bringing happiness and sadness at the same time. I'm just concerned with what will happen in the other 23 episodes.

Fall Preview: Survivor: Blood vs. Water

The Premise

Survivor tries a new twist of the game with their upcoming 27th season of the show. For the third season in a row Survivor is bringing back some of our favorite contestants to play the game again, but this time they're bringing along those dear loved ones they left back home the first time. The show also returns to the Philippines for the third straight season. Redemption Island was also used during gameplay after being put on the shelf for a few seasons. The main twist is that a loved one can switch places with their loved one if they are on Redemption Island.

The season includes some well-known people playing the game, mostly Brad Culpepper, former NFL quarterback playing along with his wife Monica. The season also features the first person to ever play Survivor after appearing on CBS's Big Brother.

Survivor: Blood vs. Water premieres on CBS, Wednesday, September 18th at 8PM EST.

Where I Would Go With It

Last year The Amazing Race upped the stakes and made it possibly for one team to win $2 million if they won the first leg and then won the race in the end. Survivor: Blood vs. Water has potential to do the same. Typically there is a final two or a final three. They need to change it this time around. They need to make a final four. The twist is that if two loved ones make it to the final four together, any votes cast for either one technically count as a "family team vote". If together they receive more votes than the other two castaways (or other family) each of them would win $1 million.

I'm also intrigued by the Redemption Island twist. I was never a huge fan of Redemption Island because it was the same thing every week and totally got rid of the sadness of having your favorite voted out. This time around I'm willing to give it a go, especially since loved ones will start out on separate tribes. It'll be interesting to see what happens.

Of course the huge debate is about whether or not Survivor is scripted. Even if it isn't, it's pretty easy to see where things will come down to; in the end there has to be at least two family members together in order to create drama. If not, the entire point of the season is moot.

What I Think Will Happen

I could easily sum it up in one simple word: drama.

Survivor is my guilty pleasure. I get nothing out of watching it. The show really gives nothing to the viewer except a desire to think that one would win in such a competition. We think in our minds that it would be so easy for us to manipulate our way through the game. Well, we're seeing everything and they aren't. But anyway, we have to remember this isn't a strategy show anymore. This is pure entertainment.

So what we'll see is simple: blindsides, connections made, connections broken, family ties broken more than likely and some family ties solidified. Hopefully, we'll even see a proposal. In fact, I'm willing to bet on it!

Ten Shows to Watch in the Fall

I'm not convinced that these will be my favorite 10 news shows out of the fall. In fact, I already know there are a couple on this list that I won't be interested in at all. However, these are the shows that most people should keep an eye out for as they will more than likely be widely discussed and should be the cream of the crop.

#10: Super Fun Night (ABC)

A lot of people disagree with me, but ABC just can't do comedy anymore. I'm not a huge fan of the Modern Family and the only decent comedy they've had in past years was Cougar Town (now on cable). Super Fun Night will be their new comedy to do well, but only because of the main actress, Rebel Wilson.

Wilson has recently made a rather large name for herself in Pitch Perfect and if there ever was a time for her to break onto the TV platform, now is the time. This show is perfect for her, but I feel that after a couple of seasons it'll get old rather quickly.

The show is based on three young friends who for the past 13 years have put aside their Friday nights as "Friday Fun Night". However, in the trailer it looks nothing like a "fun night". After Kimmie Boubier (Wilson) meets an attractive attorney she decides for herself and convinces her friends that's it's time to switch things up.

Wilson combined her creative talents with Conan O'Brien to create the series, so if nothing else, this apparently overdone comedy will have big names attached to it in order to keep it alive.

#9: Rake (FOX)

When I heard about this show I was very, very excited. It was described to me as the new House on FOX, a show that has really never been replaced. But instead of a cranky doctor this time around, we get an inglorious, rule-breaking defense lawyer. It sounded spectacular. And then I saw the trailer.

This wasn't at all what I expected. The trailer mostly focuses on Rake's obsession with gambling and women. And then he takes on the case of a man who confesses to cannibalism, yet not murder. I can see the grounds behind what Rake is trying to do, but it seems a little over the top. And from what I've seen, lead actor Greg Kinnear has definitely done better in the past.

The show appears that it will have everyone facing off against Rake in all aspects of his life. This includes an ex-wife, court officials, a somewhat friendly bookie that he owes money too and the IRS. In the end, I don't know how Rake will make it through all of this.

One potential bright point in the series is Miranda Otto. But we'll have to wait and see what she offers.

#8: We Are Men (CBS)

This show has me intrigued just because it's a comedy on CBS that needs a new slow in their Monday night comedy line-up with How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men both coming to conclusions in the coming years. We Are Men is the most likely to succeed solely due to its star power behind Kal Penn and Tony Shaloub, who has been very absent from television since the conclusion to Monk.

However both Penn and Shaloub are not the main character in the series. That belongs to the little-known Chris Smith who portrays the youngest in a group of men who have been abandoned by women in the past.

The show begins with Carter (Smith) being left at the altar (literally, she's at the altar and then leaves with her ex-boyfriend). While coping with what's happened to his life he moves into a short-term rental complex with three older divorced men. The three take him in and begin to give him advice on life.

I'm sure this show will have its moments, but I'm unsure about how they see it going forward. I don't see more than three or four seasons for this comedy.

#7: Hostages (CBS)

By the end of this article you'll see this paragraph a few times, just changed up with different words. This show has a great premise. It looks like great acting. I'm sure it will be done well. It would just work much better as a movie. The plot won't last long enough for a television series. (See: Flashforward)

The entire premise of the movie is that a doctor who takes her job very seriously is preparing to perform an important surgery on the President of the United States. On the eve before the surgery her home is broken into by a rouge FBI agent and his crew. They take her family hostage and tell her that the surgery on the President will go wrong or her family will die.

In the trailer it's revealed that she finds a way to postpone the surgery by thinning the President's blood, but that's only for two weeks. Out of that I see three to four episodes, not an entire season, let alone multiple seasons. I don't doubt what we see though will be good.

#6: Sleepy Hollow (FOX)

I'm intrigued in this show purely because of its originality. Recently we've seen a lot of "re-tellings" on television, namely Once Upon a Time, but this show looks like it'll be pleasantly different.

The show bases itself upon the 1820 short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. After about 200 years of being asleep Ichabod Crane awakes to find himself in a modern world he understands little about (similar to Captain America in The Avengers -- there's even a subtle reference to this in the trailer). The catch? The headless horseman has also been re-awakened and seems to be even more bloodthirsty than  we've ever imagined him to be. 

Apparently back in his day Crane was working for General George Washington and he plans on continuing that by searching for clues that were left for him, similar to what we see in National Treasure. This show should be a good surprise for all of us looking for something different. And if not, at least we get to see John Cho in something else.

#5: Ironside (NBC)

It's been a while since we've seen a successful remake hit television, but I feel like this one will break that spell. While no one will be able to replace Raymond Burr's incarnation of a wheelchair-bound detective from the 60s and 70s, this modern-day spin of the story looks like it won't disappoint.

Two years after being shot on duty, police officer Robert Ironside is still hard at work, but contained (for the most part) to the wheelchair he uses to get around. However, his feisty attitude and apparent lack of caring how the system works make him an interesting individual.

Typically I'm not impressed by what NBC has to offer, but this year's line-up for them looks good. You'll see farther down that I'm looking forward to what may be the best new show of the year.

#4: Intelligence (CBS)

How excited am I that Josh Holloway and Meghan Ory will be working together on a new show? Pretty dang excited. I just don't know exactly how to show everyone how much, but I'm expecting great things from this show. Year in and year out CBS produces about one show that blows me out of the water. Last year, it was Elementary. The year before, Person of Interest. It's also given us How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds and The Mentalist, among other stellar shows. Even though I expect NBC and FOX to play a little catch-up in 2013 and 2014, this show should keep CBS on top.

The series is the story of an intelligence operative who has a chip implanted into his brain, the first operative of his kind. This allows him to re-construct crime scenes, identify people on sight without previously knowing them and just being awesome in all accounts.

CBS has a lot of potential will this show and has a very well-rounded cast for it as well. There is no reason why this show should flop.

#3: Almost Human (FOX)

Even though this show looks like it was created after multiple viewings of Robocop, it's time for another good science-fiction show brought to us on FOX by J.J. Abrams. Sadly, Fringe didn't end in the fashion most fans expected it to, bowing out early with a shortened and poorly written final season. Almost Human should make up for that though, bringing a quick-paced buddy cop drama to television again.

The talents of Karl Urban haven't been on television yet, but this may be the best way for him to command a role like we've never seen before. Urban portrays a cop who isn't happy with robotic cops being paired with human cops in standard law enforcement. However, his companion isn't like the others.

His robotic partner feels more like a human, but maintains his robotic personality, being abrupt, to the point and intelligent beyond all belief. The pairing seems so unnatural, yet natural in the trailer and should leave anyone watching it wanting more.

FOX has great potential with this upcoming show.

#2: The Blacklist (NBC)

Even though I have this show listed as number two, this is the show I am most excited for in the Fall. And it's on NBC. Looks like my days of ragging of the network are over. While it may in short seem like a different take on USA's White Collar, we have to remember that this has worked very well in the past. (See: The Mentalist)

Many of the actors may not appear to be mainstream actors that are well known but after viewing the trailer there is no doubt that they all known what they are doing and that they were very well casted. Lines seem natural and smooth, leading to a very collected delivery on all parts.

Raymond Reddington (portrayed by James Spader), also known as "Red" is on the FBI's most wanted list when he walks in and surrenders for reasons unknown to anyone but him. He is adamant that he wants to help, but will only speak with one person: a barely known FBI profiler on her first day on the job, Elizabeth Keen (portrayed by Megan Boone). He seems to believe there is something special in her that even she doesn't see. After bringing down the first man he tells the FBI about he reveals to them that over the past twenty years he has been creating a list of the most deadly and dangerous men that need to be brought down. He calls the list "The Blacklist".

This show appears to be the new hit of the Fall and shouldn't disappoint at all. If I had to call one show a "Must See", this would be it.

#1: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

You knew it would be on the list, it was only a matter of where. This show is already a hit and I don't doubt it will be far into the first season when it gets renewed for a second. The country is amid a huge super-hero craze and Joss Whedon (director of The Avengers) has found a way to whet America's appetite on a weekly basis with Agents of SHIELD.

Set in the aftermath of The Avengers the show brings to light more about the government organization that brought together our favorite super heroes in May of 2012. And it brings back fan favorite Clark Gregg.

Agent Phil Coulsen (Clark Gregg), presumed dead by most after The Avengers is revealed to be alive and still running a special sector of SHIELD. During the show he brings together another special team who will handle a slew of special new cases.

It was only a matter of time before we got this show and it looks like it will deliver in every aspect we expect it to. Agents of SHIELD should be on the air for many years to come.