With fresh television premieres just around the corner, here are five key questions to consider when looking at this season’s lineups.

Stumper 1: What is ‘The Event?’

Trying to follow the success of past shows with cryptic plotlines, NBC’s ‘The Event’ possesses more potential than any other new show on TV this fall. With a fantastic viral advertising campaign, it certainly raises the question as to what ‘event’ would give the show its namesake. Viewers need something to take the place of ‘Lost,’ and this show wants to slip into the place vacated by the memorable sci-fi drama. To truly fill the boots of ‘Lost,’ ‘The Event’ needs to borrow from what made the first season of ‘Lost’ great: combining a plot that answers questions as often as it raises them, while also displaying competent acting.

Stumper 2: Can ‘Glee’ find second-season success?

‘Glee’ operates as a one-trick pony: snappy writing combined with good musical performances. Despite the show’s loyal fan base, so many factors could spell an end to this show. Perhaps a few episodes will feature poor music choices. It would be surprising if this show makes it past a third season, which the cast signed on for back in May. But most importantly, a writer could walk away from the program, which would hurt the overall quality: ‘Glee’ revolves around its writing, not the acting.

Stumper 3: Will ‘American Idol’ find judges?

Ciao, Simon. See ya, Ellen. Peace out, Kara. These days, the former titan of reality TV has fallen on hard times. The show lost three judges since it ended its ninth season, leaving only one original judge, Randy Jackson, for Season 10. Fox needs to announce its finalized replacements sooner rather than later, so it can build a convincing campaign for its newest season. Best bets: J.C. Chasez, Faith Hill and Kanye West. Faith Hill would bring country flair to the show, and the other two are prominent music industry players.

Stumper 4: Will any new cop show stand out?

Nearly every network plans to welcome some sort of cop drama to its lineup this year. Granted, cop shows take advantage of the natural drama between good and evil, police vs. criminals. But networks seem to think this easy-to-turn-to drama formula will automatically equal good programs. Wrong. These shows need to prove they will bring something more than just standard fodder — they need to make themselves stand out. They will fail if they try to borrow too much from the past. The producers need to push the boundaries. Think ‘NYPD Blue,’ not ‘L.A. Heat.’

Stumper 5: Which American Movie Channel drama will finish stronger?

AMC is hot. After some early season stagnation, ‘Mad Men’ continues to pick up the pace as it comes down to the end of its fourth season. The past two episodes are still some of the best ever, even as it becomes increasingly difficult to watch Don Draper’s (Jon Hamm) liquor-induced downfall.  AMC’s newest hit, ‘Rubicon,’ blends its elements well, mixing good acting performances with a unique take on the spy-conspiracy drama. On Halloween, AMC will debut another drama, ‘The Walking Dead,’ based on a well-known graphic novel. ‘Mad Men’ will probably finish the strongest on this list, but ‘Rubicon’ and ‘The Walking Dead’ seem to be fine additions to this stellar network.

adbrow03@syr.edu

 

Published on September 12, 2010 at 12:00 pm