Fall 2011 TV Preview: I'm So Excited!

Hi, Freaks! Fall TV is almost here, aren't you positively panting with excitement?

Oh, just me?

Fine then, I know you still want to know what you should program into your DVR in a few weeks. Next week I will have a full day-by-day breakdown of all the new (and some returning) shows, but for a little appetizer, here's the five new fall shows I'm most excited about:

Ringer (CW, Tesdays, 9:00/8:00)

Buffy is back! The long-lost Sarah Michelle Gellar returns from trying to pretend to be a movie star (um, Grudge 2?) to bring us this twisty noir-inspired thriller. Gellar stars as twins Bridgett and Siobhan, one of whom, while being on the run from the mob, pretends to be the other one, who faked her own death and ran off to Paris. See, twisty! Ringer also stars Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) and Nestor "Mr. Eyeliner" Carbonell, and promises to be one hell of a drama-filled ride.

Also, apparently, uncomfortable sexual tension in the wrong place.

Up All Night (NBC, Wednesdays, 8:00/7:00)

Will Arnet. Christina Applegate. Maya Rudolph. This new show has one hell of a comedy pedigree, and I'm really excited that someone is taking the "parenting" sitcom to a more modern and, I think, interesting level. The show focuses on Reagan (Applegate) and Chris (Arnet), who have become new parents later in life, and what that transition means for them. I'm really excited to see Arnet get the chance to play a more normal character, and that Applegate has another shot after her fantastic Samantha Who? got shafted by the network. Um, and Maya Rudolph is basically doing an Oprah parody, so you know that shit is going to be amazing.

These are actually the actor's reactions to hearing that they were going to make fun of Oprah.

The Playboy Club (NBC, Mondays, 10:00/9:00)

I can't put my finger on it, but I'm much more intrigued by this show than fall's other "network answer to Mad Men" Pan Am on ABC. Maybe it's Eddie Cibrian's dimples. (That seems possible.) Maybe it's just that I like a good hiding-a-murder-from-the-mob plot to go with my pretty girls in lingerie. Maybe it's just the soft spot I have in my heart for David Krumholtz. Whatever the reason, I'm eagerly awaiting this shiny, glossy look at the swinging 60's. (I'll watch Pan Am when this gets cancelled after three weeks.)

Oh, you are sooooo cancelled.

The Secret Circle (CW, Thursdays, 9:00/8:00)

Look, let's just lay this out here. Kevin Williamson knows how to do fantastic guilty pleasure teen dramas. From Dawson's Creek to The Vampire Diaries, these are shows full of pretty people having messy lives, and we absolutely eat it up. You know you will love this show, about the orphaned Cassie (Britt Robertson), who returns to the mysterious town where her witch parents were mysteriously killed, making mysterious witchy friends along the way. So much mystery! And when I tell you that Gale Harold is bringing back the delicious devil attitude as one witchy parent, you'll love it even more.

God, please come be a jackass on my TV!

New Girl (FOX, Tuesdays, 9:00/8:00)

To be fair, this is not the most buzzed about new female-led sitcom of the fall (that honor goes to CBS's Two Broke Girls) but it's the one I'm most excited about, and it boils down to one thing: Zooey Deschanel is freaking adorable. I am so excited to watch her adorable, quirky, weirdo self on TV every week I can barely stand it. Deschanel stars as Jess, a recently dumped mess who (through sitcom logic) moves in with three guys who will try to teach her to be less of one. In less capable hands, this has cliche written all over it, but I'm buying what this girl is selling, and I'll be tuned in to hope she doesn't let me down.

It's like her face is made out of kittens.

So that's it for today, Freaks, but stay tuned this week and all next week for more Fall TV Preview, and of course, lots more snark!


Can't get enough? Like me on Facebook (TV Freak) or follow me on Twitter (@theTVfreak).