The new TV shows of 2009 debuting as midseason replacements.

[Aragorn]

Usually rookie midseason replacements come and go with little fanfare (Blind Justice, In Justice, The D.A., Cashmere Mafia or Chicago Sons anyone?).

Sometimes they do decent enough to survive and become The Unit, Numbers, Nash Bridges or Medium. Sometimes they do well enough to come back but have the shortest of leashes for getting the ax like Eli Stone and Lipstick Jungle.

Occasionally they'll be a home run out of the ballpark like Grey's Anatomy and The Practice.

So do you think any of these shows have a shot in hell at coming back for another season?

ABC

CASTLE
(Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic)
Monday, March 9 at 10 p.m.
Richard Castle, a successful mystery writer, has just killed off his main character--but now a real murderer is mimicking the crimes detailed in Castle's books, and the writer must help the NYPD trail and trap the killer.

CUPID
Tuesday, March 24 at 10 p.m.
Get ready for the resurrection of Cupid, Rob Thomas' failed 1998 series about a man who believes he is Cupid himself, sent to Earth with the task of matching 100 happy couples without the aid of magic.

THE UNUSUALS
(Harold Perrineau, Adam Goldberg, Amber Tamblyn)
Wednesday, April 8 at 10 p.m.
This new "comedic procedural" follows Casey Schrager, an undercover vice detective whose devotion to honesty lands her a spot on the homicide squad.


CBS

HARPER'S ISLAND
(Katie Cassidy, Gina Holden, Harry Hamlin, Richard Burgi)
Thursday, April 15 at 10 p.m.
Described as a "13-episode mystery event," Harper's Island will tell the story of a group of family and friends who arrive on an isolated island to celebrate a wedding--and wind up being murdered one by one. Everyone's in danger, everyone's a suspect, and things can only get stranger once the season begins.


NBC

KINGS
(Ian McShane, Susanna Thompson, Wes Studi)
Thursday, March 19 at 10 p.m.
Deadwood's own Ian McShane stars as King Silas in this modern-day reimagining of the biblical dale of King David.

SOUTHLAND
(Tom Everett Scott, Regina King, Michael Cudlitz)
Thursday, April 9 at 10 p.m.
This promising NBC drama project puts the spotlight on the lives of police officers living and working in Los Angeles. Southland is produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.


FOX

LIE TO ME
(Tim Roth, Kelli Williams)
Wednesday, January 21 at 9 p.m.
Catch the series premiere of this new drama, which stars Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman, the world's leading expert on deception detection. Watch as Lightman and his team dig deeply into the criminal world with an unwavering mission to uncover the truth, whatever it may be.

DOLLHOUSE
(Eliza Dushku, Amy Acker, Reed Diamond, Tahmoh Penikett, Olivia Williams)
Friday, February 13 at 9 p.m.
YES--Joss Whedon's latest series is finally here, complete with a starring role for Buffy alum Eliza Dushku. Penetrate the strange world of the Dollhouse, a top-secret organization that rents out human beings whose minds have been wiped clean and imprinted with whatever information their clients desire.

[Hugo Rune]

I always look at new shows soley based on who the creators/writers are.

So...

CASTLE
(Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic)
Monday, March 9 at 10 p.m.
Richard Castle, a successful mystery writer, has just killed off his main character--but now a real murderer is mimicking the crimes detailed in Castle's books, and the writer must help the NYPD trail and trap the killer.

Created by Andrew W. Marlowe, writer of the films Air Force One, End of Days, Hollow Man. Doesn't fill me with confidence, but I have a little man-crush on Nathan Fillion, so the pilot will be watched regardless.

Hugo Prediction: 5 episodes aired and the rest shelved

CUPID
Tuesday, March 24 at 10 p.m.
Get ready for the resurrection of Cupid, Rob Thomas' failed 1998 series about a man who believes he is Cupid himself, sent to Earth with the task of matching 100 happy couples without the aid of magic.

Big fan of Rob Thomas' dialogue writing on Veronica Mars, so will tune in here even if I generally veer well away from anything cute or romantic...

Hugo Prediction: full mid-season run, left on the bubble, with fans sending in thousands of plastic toy arrows to the network.

THE UNUSUALS
(Harold Perrineau, Adam Goldberg, Amber Tamblyn)
Wednesday, April 8 at 10 p.m.
This new "comedic procedural" follows Casey Schrager, an undercover vice detective whose devotion to honesty lands her a spot on the homicide squad.

Produced by Noah Hawley (Bones)and Merrill H Karpf (recently Ed, and a whole bunch of TV movies), but more importantly also Dennis Leary and Pete Tolan (Rescue Me and The Job) - not sure if they're the writers, but they might be bringing a more quirky element to something which sound a little daft. And Amber Tamblyn as a Detective - not buying THAT upfront.

Hugo Prediction: Full midseason, but cancellation

HARPER'S ISLAND
(Katie Cassidy, Gina Holden, Harry Hamlin, Richard Burgi)
Thursday, April 15 at 10 p.m.
Described as a "13-episode mystery event," Harper's Island will tell the story of a group of family and friends who arrive on an isolated island to celebrate a wedding--and wind up being murdered one by one. Everyone's in danger, everyone's a suspect, and things can only get stranger once the season begins.

From Dan Shotz (Writer/Producer of Jericho) and almost unknown Ari Schlossberg (writer of Robert Deniro's teribble vehicle Hide & Seek) this is an almost unknown quantity. I didn't watch a whole lot of Jericho, but Shotz was a major producer of the second season which seemed to get a lot of love around here, so with the 13-episode (initial) format this might be intriguing... Give it a go.

Hugo Prediction: Full mid-season 13 episode run on initial broadcast and then fan outcry when the netowrk orders more even though they're sure the format can't withstand it.

KINGS
(Ian McShane, Susanna Thompson, Wes Studi)
Thursday, March 19 at 10 p.m.
Deadwood's own Ian McShane stars as King Silas in this modern-day reimagining of the biblical dale of King David.

Written by Michael King who wrote 3 episodes of Heroes (two of which were pretty good), some Everwood, and season 1/2 Smallville. Take that as you will, yet I'll watch any pilot with Ian McShane in, but I think the premise wrapped around a typical soap-show might flounder.

Hugo Prediction: Stops airing after three episodes, never to see the light of day outside a Torrent.

SOUTHLAND
(Tom Everett Scott, Regina King, Michael Cudlitz)
Thursday, April 9 at 10 p.m.
This promising NBC drama project puts the spotlight on the lives of police officers living and working in Los Angeles. Southland is produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Well, John Wells needs a replacement for the likes of ER and Third Watch I guess. I've no interest in his story-telling style so will be giving it a pass, but it's Wells and Chulack so it'll run.

Hugo Prediction: 3 alumni of ER to get high profile guest starring roles in the first 10 episodes.

LIE TO ME
(Tim Roth, Kelli Williams)
Wednesday, January 21 at 9 p.m.
Catch the series premiere of this new drama, which stars Tim Roth as Dr. Cal Lightman, the world's leading expert on deception detection. Watch as Lightman and his team dig deeply into the criminal world with an unwavering mission to uncover the truth, whatever it may be.

Already running, but from an unproven source (Samuel Baumm, who brought us the wholly underwhelming The Evidence in 2006 and, err, Young MacGuyver), but it piloted well with ratings nearly equalling Lost: Season 5 premiere. Given Fox's need for an actual NEW hit this might do well for a run, but personally human polygraph machines doesn't do it for me.

Hugo Prediction: Out of the gate well, little stumble after the 5-6 episode hurdle but will make run the final length well to the Fall 2009 season.

DOLLHOUSE
(Eliza Dushku, Amy Acker, Reed Diamond, Tahmoh Penikett, Olivia Williams)
Friday, February 13 at 9 p.m.
YES--Joss Whedon's latest series is finally here, complete with a starring role for Buffy alum Eliza Dushku. Penetrate the strange world of the Dollhouse, a top-secret organization that rents out human beings whose minds have been wiped clean and imprinted with whatever information their clients desire.

It's doomed. Just doomed. I think Joss will be trying to push his envelope here somewhat and will end up confusing regular audiences and NOT delivering the style of is previous shows which he's loved for by his devoted fans (Hugo included). I'm sure it will be interesting and am eagerly waiting to be proved wrong, but I think both camps wil be disappointed here and Fox will not be too kind.

Hugo Prediction: Well reviewed and pilot which will boggle the main audience and leave just the Whedon-ites hanging on constantly posting "It's just finding it's feet, it's different, unusual, a grower...", but will be axed after 8 episodes.


Hugo - as accurate as a Magic 8-Ball

[gh4chiefs]

Aragorn wrote:

---

CBS

HARPER'S ISLAND
(Katie Cassidy, Gina Holden, Harry Hamlin, Richard Burgi)
Thursday, April 15 at 10 p.m.
Described as a "13-episode mystery event," Harper's Island will tell the story of a group of family and friends who arrive on an isolated island to celebrate a wedding--and wind up being murdered one by one. Everyone's in danger, everyone's a suspect, and things can only get stranger once the season begins.

This one may be a good show, it might end up doing okay in the ratings, I don't know. But it's definitely a pass for me. Blame LOST for forever ruining arc shows for me.

[JayTheTrekkie]

Only midseason show I'm going to check out is Dollhouse...looks interesting to watch though.

[Starbreaker]

I think the Unusuals might stand a chance. The rest is probably going to be cancelled though. Especially Castle. I give that one about 3 episodes.

[Warp Coil]

I liked "Veronica Mars" but I don't think I'm going to check out Rob Thomas's re-do of "Cupid". The only show I want to see is "Dollhouse".

[Spot's Meow]

Normally mid-season shows, and new fall shows for that matter, don't appeal to me at all and look like absolute crap. Most of the shows I watch now have been on for at least 3 years. But all of these, with the exception of Cupid, Lie to Me, and Southland, actually look appealing. I will check them out.

[HIj'Qa]

CASTLE
(Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic)
Monday, March 9 at 10 p.m.
Richard Castle, a successful mystery writer, has just killed off his main character--but now a real murderer is mimicking the crimes detailed in Castle's books, and the writer must help the NYPD trail and trap the killer.

Interest in Nathan will have me recording this. I'm not a big fan of mysteries so if he's not on camera alot the show won't hold me.

KINGS
(Ian McShane, Susanna Thompson, Wes Studi)
Thursday, March 19 at 10 p.m.
Deadwood's own Ian McShane stars as King Silas in this modern-day reimagining of the biblical dale of King David.

WES STUDI?!?!?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!
I know too much history to usually like re-imaginings [Tudors, Rome, Troy].
But I like Wes Studi. I'm going to check Kings out to see if I can stand the messing about with real drama and how big a role Studi gets.



PS - Buffy and The Simpsons were mid-season shows that went on to do rather well. Also, Voyager and Deep Space Nine.

[Temis the Vorta]

ABC

CUPID - possibly too cutesy for my tastes but if it can mimic the kind of comic anarchy that makes Reaper so fun, who knows?

CBS

HARPER'S ISLAND - this one could be mainstream enough in that CBS way to be successful yet off-kilter enough to be worth watching.

NBC

KINGS - Wes Studi? Seriously? Put him and Ian McShane onscreen and forget the rest.

But, to get real: This is the real wild card of the season. I think it is just too flat-out weird to make it. A lot will depend on how well they cast the young male lead (the "David" character).

FOX

DOLLHOUSE - My prediction: initial sizable audience, followed by crash 'n burn, Bionic Woman style.

The ones I ignored will probably survive. My tastes correspond to the Kiss of Death for TV shows.

[Technobuilder]

Hmm...

The only ones I find interesting at all are listed below:

-Castle: (Nathan Fillion = I'll check this out, but unless there's a twisty plot hook, I don't see the premise going anywhere.)

-Cupid: (I loved Jeremy Piven in the role originally, so there's a lingering attachment forcing me to check this out. Despite that, I'm hoping they don't try to do it the same way twice.)

-The Unusuals: (Amber Tamblyn is a cutie, but unless the dynamic plays counter to every other buddy cop show on TV, I'll say goodbye early.)

-Dollhouse: (Joss Whedon has a great track record with me, but despite my love of all his stuff that's come before, he has to earn it. If this show sucks, I'm not going to watch it. Hopefully Eliza brings her A-Game and has grown into a leading Actress. (I never got into Tru Calling, so this could also be a factor.)

[Aragorn]

One more new show, on ABC, that unless the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice/Ugly Betty/Desperate Housewives crowd picks up on, I'm going to say is seriously toast.

BETTER OFF TED
Wednesday, March 18 at 8:30 p.m.
(Jay Harrington, Portia de Rossi, Andrea Anders)
Ted Crisp loves his job. He works for the team at Veridian Technologies, where nothing is too far-fetched, or out of the ordinary. An average day for Ted could easily involve creating a suicidal turkey, for instance. The only problem is, Ted is ethical and the company is not.

[Skywalker]

I'll check out Castle because of Nathan Fillion, and because Stana Katic is super-hot, but I have a feeling it won't last. Oh, and of course I'll check out Dollhouse, but I usually work late on Fridays and I don't have TiVo or a DVR, so I'll probably have to watch it online at Fox's website.

[Kaijufan]

I'll be checking out Castle (because of Nathan Fillion), Kings (seems like it could be interesting), and Dollhouse (Joss Whedon, looking forward to Terminator, Dollhouse and Battlestar 3 hour Sci-Fi block).

[JayTheTrekkie]

There is also 3 other new comedy shows along with Better off Ted.

ABC:

IN THE MOTHERHOOD
Premieres on March 26th, 2009...Thursday at 8pm eastern
Details: The series will focus on Rosemary, Jane and Emily, three women who represent mothers we all know, loosely inspired by real-life everday moms.


SURVIVING SUBURBIA
Premieres on April 9th on Monday at 9:30pm eastern
Details: A half-hour comedy dubbed as a male Roseanne, Surviving Suburbia focuses on a father named Keith Stever, his wife Anne, and their two children, Henry and Courtney. Everything seems normal for the Stevers until their new next-door neighbors cause several problems, turning their suburban lifestyle upside-down.


NBC:

PARKS AND RECREATION
Premieres on April 9th on Thursday at 8:30pm eastern
Details: The series follows Leslie Knope, the head of the Parks and Recreation department in Pawnee, Indiana.[2] Knope takes on a project from a nurse named Ann to turn a construction pit into a park, while trying to mentor a bored college-aged intern.

NOTE: Its not a spin off of The Office after all.

And of course there is the 3 animated comedy shows: The Goode Family on ABC, Sit Down, Shut Up and The Cleveland Show on Fox.

[Mistral]

I would bet on Castle as a hit-it'll suck in the Bones/Monk type crowd. I'm hoping for Kings to make it but the premise is kinda out there...

The rest look like crash-n-burn projects, although the hype over Dollhouse may give it legs. Southland has a chance-if they shake up the cast a little. From what I've seen on the commercials its a little to Hollywood generic in the casting-no standout faces/personalities to catch the public eye.