From Fine to Frustrating: Fall’s Newest TV Shows

premiere_redbandBy Zach Stubblefield ‘15


1. Gotham

Gotham without Batman?! That’s certainly an interesting twist. Instead of focusing on the nation’s favorite bat-crazed vigilante, FOX is focusing on a much simpler time. A time when Commissioner Gordon, Gotham’s hotshot detective, is calling the shots instead of the batman.

It’s a novel idea to use the richness of a comic book city as the setting for a crime thriller. The pilot came chock-full of references to the whole Batman cast. We get to see a young Catwoman, a recently orphaned Bruce Wayne, and a young Harvey Dent among others. I’m sure I didn’t catch all of the references, but it definitely has enough to please even the most hardcore Batman fan. With nearly 60 years of Batman mythos to pull from, it is hard to see this show as being anything but a success.

2. Red Band Society

I cannot watch NBC for more than ten minutes without seeing some sort of ad or pop-up for this show. Sadly, no matter how hard the network pushes the show, the premise is still awful. Watching a bunch of ill children is not a fun pastime. No matter how many hijinks they pull, you cannot help but remember that these kids are sick, really sick. One has a heart problem, another has cancer, and the other is in a coma. That makes it hard to establish a fun, go-lucky attitude that “Red Band Society” pushes hard on its viewers. Too often it feels like this show should be in a high school instead of a hospital. This show has a case of an identity crisis.

3. Black-ish

I went into this show thinking it would be like a black “Modern Family.” Was I wrong? “Black-ish” depicts a rich black man deciding that his family needs to reconnect with their black roots. He has this epiphany when he finds out that his son wants to play field hockey instead of basketball, and when his wife bakes chicken instead of frying it. He sees this as meaning that his family is not black enough anymore. So, he decides that he must urbanize them by making them follow stereotypes, like wearing a tracksuit everywhere. This show lacks the charm that successful sitcoms like “Modern Family” have; instead it just comes off as racist and offensive with a few laughs in between.

4. Utopia

Reality TV shows do not get much better than this. Think “Real World” meets “Survivor.” They plop 15 people on the island and instead of telling them to compete against each other, they are just told to survive. And of course, everyone does not get along. The show is rife with conflict as contestants vie to make their version of a perfect civilization. Surprisingly, there is not even any prize money to win! They are just there to try and build their own society.

The best thing is that the show is happening in real time. People can watch live streams of contestants at any hour of the day. This lends a certain level of authenticity to the show. Coupled with the fact that FOX shows two episodes per week, it almost feels like you’re living with the contestants.