By Matt Schoenman
This is a huge week for television. Almost every network is tossing up their fall premieres at the same time, and needless to say, the fight for numbers is going to get pretty competitive. Here’s a list of all the shows that you should check out this week:
Modern Family
ABC’s hit series “Modern Family” returns for season two with a best-comedy Emmy under its belt on Wednesday night (that’s tonight!) at 9 PM. It’s about time that ABC pumped out a winner to compete with Fox and NBC, who have totally dominated the sitcom market for the past few years. While those other networks still have the upper-hand in terms of the number of hit shows they premiere this week, neither can say that they took home that coveted award this year.
Community
“Community” also returns for it’s second season on NBC this Thursday at 8 PM. Though I’ve personally never seen the show, I am a fan of Joel McHale of “The Soup” fame. In the first episode, Betty White plays a kooky professor. She’s really making a crazy comeback for a 200-year old woman. So maybe I’ll check it out, if only because it comes right before the highlight of the night, in my opinion.
30 Rock
Which brings me to my personal favorite: Season five of “30 Rock” premieres in a new time slot at 8:30 PM on NBC this Thursday night. If you saw the end of last season then you know that everyone’s favorite page Kenneth was terminated from his position, and Liz Lemon began a beautiful relationship with pilot (or as I prefer: “Doorman to the Sky”) Carol, played by Matt Damon. So what could possibly happen this time around in the ridiculous word of TGS with Tracy Jordan? You’ll just have to watch to find out.
S#*! My Dad Says
I’m very curious to see how this next show pans out. “S#*! My Dad Says” is a sitcom based upon the popular twitter of Justin Halpern (http://twitter.com/stuffmydadsays). If you’ve never heard of it, then here’s a quick description: This kid’s dad (played by William Shatner on the show) says the most ridiculous stuff about everything under the sun. But I’m not exactly sure how well that’s going to translate to network television seeing as most, if not all, of the tweets are way too inappropriate to repeat. Hell, even the title of the show is censored. But if you’re willing to give it the benefit of the doubt then check it out on CBS this Thursday at 8:30 PM. Wait…it’s in the same time slot as “30 Rock”? Looks like I’m not going to be able to catch it, sorry Billy Shats.
The Office
If it’s premiere season on NBC, that must mean there’s yet another season of “The Office.” The seventh to be exact. A lot of people are excited to see the continued antics of Michael Scott and his employees. You might hate me for this, but I’m not excited. Call me heretic, blasphemer, crazy, whatever…but for some unexplainable reason I don’t find “The Office” funny. Never have, and probably never will. I also feel like seven seasons is overkill for this show when its British counterpart (created by and starring Ricky Gervais) only went for two seasons and never got the opportunity to go stale. But if you love this show like the majority of people do, I hold nothing against you, and in fact encourage you to watch the new episode this Thursday at 9 PM.
Outsourced
And, if you stick around long enough after “The Office,” try to catch the series premiere of “Outsourced” at 9:30 PM on NBC. A basic synopsis: An American gets sent to India by his employer to run a call center and must teach his employees about American culture in order to give them the know-how to sell the novelty products that the company produces. I’m on the fence about this one. With Diedrich Bader on board (you know, the neighbor from Office Space), it has the potential to be funny, but at the same time it seems like yet another exploitation of “The Office’s” popularity. Check it out and decide for yourself.
