It’s no secret that this fall season is full of shows for geeks. In the wake of the success of Heroes, we have a new crop of geeky shows to fall in love with. Between Chuck, Reaper, Journeyman, Bionic Woman and a couple of other shows, primetime is full of series that explore the whole “what if” scenario. This is a good thing for those of us TV watching dorks that were a little worried that there wouldn’t be much to watch until Lost and Battlestar Galactica returned next year.
Some of the above listed shows only cater to geeks, while others shows actually center on them. Look at Chuck and Heroes. I’m willing to bet that Hiro and Chuck are the types of characters who would watch their own shows if TV characters ever spent much time watching television.
What interests me most is the fact that not only has geek-TV gone mainstream, but that there are actually shows out there where the geek is the main character. Sure, you could argue that Heroes is an ensemble show but let’s face it, Hiro is one of the main reasons many of us tune in. He’s totally dorky and we love him. He’s not just there for comic relief. We’re actually rooting for him to succeed. Characters like Hiro used to be in the background of the show. Take Marshall Flinkman from Alias. He was the brains behind a lot of operations but spent most of his time in the background, setting things up and amusing people with his social awkwardness. Could Marshall Flinkman have had his own show? Five years ago, probably not but looking at this season’s primetime line-up, the idea wouldn’t be all that far fetched in today’s television.
There’s a slight difference between shows that center on geeky characters vs. shows that cater to geeky viewers. In terms of the latter types of series, I’m talking about shows like Star Trek, Sliders, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Quantum Leap, The X-Files and just about anything you’ll find on the Sci Fi channel. The science fiction genre has always explored what-if scenerios. What if there were wars in space? What if you could jump back in time or visit parallel dimensions? These are concepts that go back for decades and always seem to find an audience. Generally though, these series included strong alpha-type characters battling a myriad of science fiction or supernatural-related issues.
So why is it that geek-TV has all of a sudden become the latest TV rage? Well, looking at shows like Heroes, Chuck and Reaper as examples, the creators have taken extremely ordinary people (let’s ignore the fact that they’re all good looking) and given them extraordinary abilities. In all three of these shows there are characters that, due to evolution, an email forward or a sold-soul, are now faced with a crazy destiny. In Heroes, the characters are trying to adapt to their super-abilities while also doing their part to save the world and themselves against threats like Sylar and super-secret super-hero organizations. In Chuck, the title character has a mind full of government secrets due to an email that was sent to him. And in Reaper, the lead character learns that his parents sold his soul to the devil and now he has to capture escaped souls from hell to pay back the debt. In each show, one or more of the characters start off being resistant to the missions they’re facing but inevitably, they’ve learned, or are learning, to embrace their abilities and move forward.
I think it’s the fact that these people are more or less regular-Joes that makes us enjoy watching their stories unfold. Chuck will most likely appeal to 20-somethings who, like the character, have no idea what they want to do with their lives and are just waiting for something to happen to push them in a direction – any direction. I’ve been there. I’m still sort of there. Being able to relate to the main character from the get-go makes following his adventure all the more enjoyable, no matter how unrealistic it all is.
That brings me to my final point. Anyone who questions how realistic these shows are is obviously missing the point. Is it possible that a guy could get an email that, when opened, will upload a flood of government intel into his brain? Probably not. I don’t know and I really don’t care. It’s a fun concept so I’m willing to suspend my disbelief enough to see where the writers take the story. If I wanted to watch a show about realistic people with realistic problems, I’d put on HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me. I only saw one episode of that series but it seemed so realistic and so depressing that it actually put me in a bad mood. No thanks. If I’m in the mood for a bit of reality, I’ll turn on the news or turn of the TV entirely. When it comes to television, I’m a geek. I’ll take make believe worlds with far-fetched scenarios over reality any day.
Desperate Housewives (ABC) 9:00 pm
Now You Know - (Season Premiere!) The fourth season picks up with a new family moving to Wisteria Lane (Dana Delaney and Nathon Fillion – yay!). Meanwhile, Bree and Lynette have a hard time keeping their issues a secret.
Brothers & Sisters: Family Album (ABC) 10:00 pm
Home Front - (Season Premiere!) The Walkers celebrate Kitty’s birthday and wait to hear from Justin, who left for Iraq three weeks ago.
Chuck (NBC) 8:00 pm
Chuck Versus the Helicopter (New!) –The scientist that tries to remove the government secrets from Chuck’s head is assassinated causing Casey and Sarah (who work for different government agencies) to blame each other. Casey’s set up to work at Buy More and now Sarah takes a job at a gourmet hot dog place to keep an eye on Chuck.
How I Met Your Mother (CBS) 8:00 pm
We’re Not From Here (New!) – The description for this episode alone is laugh-out-loud funny: After seeing how successful Male-Gael is with the ladies, Ted and Barney pretend to be out-of-town visitors to try and pick up girls.
Aliens in America (CW) 8:30 pm
Pilot (New Series!) – A family takes in a Muslim foreign exchange student in an effort to help their dorky son make friends. This pilot is surprisingly funny and definitely worth checking out if your TV schedule isn’t already full.
Heroes (NBC) 9:00 pm
Lizards (season premiere!) – Suresh has gone under cover with the Primatech folks and is ordered to find the Haitian. Niki and Micah are back in this episode. Hopefully we’ll find out what happened with D.L., who was shot and in very bad shape in the season finale.
Journeyman (NBC) 10:00 pm
Friendly Skies (New!) – Dan goes to the doctor to have his head checked out after thinking his time trips might not be real. Later, while on a flight with Katie, he disappears and ends up having to deliver a baby.
Cavemen (ABC) 8:00 pm
Pilot – Her Embarrassed of Caveman(new series!) – We’ve all seen the Geico commercials. I’m still amazed that this show got greenlit but I’m going to reserve judgment until it airs. In the first episode, the three cavemen try to adjust to suburban living.
Carpoolers (CW) 8:30 pm
Pilot(new series!) – Four guys carpool together and form a bond despite being very different from one another.
Reaper (CW) 9:00 pm
Charged(new!) – I really enjoyed the pilot episode and think this show could turn out to be a must-watch each week! For Sam’s next mission, he has to use a remote control monster truck to capture an escaped soul that feeds off power-lines for strength.
Pushing Daisies (ABC) 8:00 pm
Pilot (New Series!) – I’m really excited about this new series. It centers on a guy who can bring people back from the dead just by touching them. He uses his power to question murder victims in order to collect reward money for tracking down the killer. From the promo, the show looks like a romantic-comedy/drama/fairytale.
Kid NationCBS) 8:00 pm
Deal With It (New!) – Greg doesn’t handle the whole not-winning-the-gold-star thing well. A dust storm hits bonanza. Does anyone else agree that there needs to be more Jared in every episode of this show?
Bionic Woman(NBC) 9:00 pm
Paradise Lost (new!) – Skip Private Practice and check out the second episode of the all-new Bionic Woman!. Isaiah Washington’s character is introduced in this episode and Jaime goes on her first mission.
Life (NBC) 10:00 pm
Tear Asunder (new!) – This is another show that surprised me. It centers in a detective who did time in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. He spent his days getting the crap beat out of him and reading up on the Zen philosophy. After being exonerated he returns to his job with a new outlook on life. In this episode, Crews and Reese investigate the murder of a bride who was killed on her wedding night.
My Name Is Earl (NBC) 8:00 pm
The Gangs of Camden County (New!) – The prison warden asks Earl to help diffuse the rising gang situation in the prison. Meanwhile, Randy tries to reunite with his brother.
30 Rock (NBC) 8:30 pm
SeinfeldVision (Season Premiere!) – Jerry Seinfeld guest stars! Everyone returns from the summer hiatus and Liz and Jack are already butting heads. Jack wants to insert clips from old Seinfeld episodes into the show.
Ugly Betty (ABC) 8:00 pm
Family/Affar (New!) – Henry returns to Mode! Wilhelmina tempts Betty with an offer that puts her loyalty to Daniel in jeopardy. Meanwhile, Marc makes the best of Justin interning at Mode and Hilda continues to cope with the loss of Santos.
The Office (NBC) 9:00 pm
Dunder-Mifflin Infinity (New!) Ryan comes back to Scranton to help the branch upgrade into the digital age. Michael is resistant to the change – as usual. I cant wait to see how Kelly handles Ryan’s visit.
Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) 9:00 pm
Love/Addiction (New!) The doctors treat victims from an apartment-building explosion while Alex investigates the cause of the explosion. Lexie tries to get close with Meredith (good luck with that!) an Burke’s momma returns to collect his things.
Friday Night Lights(NBC) 9:00 p.m.
Last Days of Summer (Season Premiere!) Tami goes in to labor, which results in Coach Taylor returning to town. Tyra makes Landry her protector.
Moonlight (CBS) 9:00 p.m.
Out of the Past (New!) An imprisoned murderer gets out of prison after 25 years of being incarcerated. He knows that Mick is a vampire and Mick knows that this guy is seriously dangerous. It’s on.
Blood Diamond (HBO) 9:00 p.m.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Dijmon Hounsou star in this movie set in the 90’s that centers on a South African mercenary and a fisherman who try to fine a priceless diamond amid a civil war. I haven’t seen it but I’ve heard good things!
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