IMDb TV critic previews the 2011 Fall television season

ABC’s Pan Am follows the flight attendants who worked for the world-famous Pan Am Airline in the 1960’s.

Are you searching for a new television show to watch this fall?

IMDb television critic Melanie McFarland joined the Ross & Burbank Show on 97.3 KIRO FM this week to analyze the best and worst new television options for the upcoming season.

From “Terra Nova” to “Up All Night”, the programming options this Fall should appeal to a wide variety of different audiences.

“Terra Nova” (FOX)

Premieres September 26

Plot: The show begins in the year 2149, when all life on planet Earth is threatened by extinction. In an effort to save the human race, scientists developed a time machine allowing people to travel 85 million years back in time. The show follows a family of five who join the settlers of Terra Nova, where they live amognst a colony of carnivorous dinosaurs.

McFarland: “It’s genre-flavored. You have several writers who are really versed in sci-fi, who are writing a show that is executive produced by Steven Spielberg. There are dinosaurs in it…When you’re watching it, it is somewhere in between Jurassic Park and Land of the Lost. I recommend that you check out the first two hours.”

“Pan Am” (ABC)

Premieres September 25

Plot: The series centers around the Pan American World Airways airline during the 1960’s. The series focuses on the pilots and flight attendants who worked for the world-famous airline in 1963.

McFarland: “When you look at this series, it’s more about the romance of travel. It’s one of those things that you forget that there was a time when travel was this thing that was very kind of romantic and available to the privleged few…The more I watched it, the more I liked it. I really do think that it’s a show people should check out.”

NBC’s “Playboy Club” is high on style, but low on substance, according to a critic. (AP image)

Premieres September 19

Plot: Set in 1963, the series centers around the employees (Bunnies) of the first Playboy Club in Chicago. The genre is “historical fiction”, and a younger version of Playboy founder Hugh Hefner will appear in the series but only be seen from the back.

McFarland: “I think that it’s one of those, because of the Playboy brand, that a lot of people will check it out…I don’t see a lot here that’s really worth watching. It’s just not that smart. It’s very high style, very low substance.”

“Up All Night” (NBC)

Premiered on September 14

Plot: The show centers around a couple who struggle to balance their home lives and their work lives. Christina Applegate and Will Arnett play two parents who are trying to adjust having a baby in their lives, despite their urge to continue their youthful, partying ways.

McFarland: “It’s the kind of show that I think would be worth giving some time to develop…I like the chemistry between Christina Applegate and Maya Rudolph, and Will Arnett is wonderful in this and, for once, he’s not that over-the-top character you’re used to seeing. I think it has a lot of potential.”

“New Girl” (FOX)

Premieres September 20

Plot: The show revolves around Jessica Day, a well-liked, adorable woman in her late 20’s who is trying to get over her surprising breakup with her boyfriend. She eventually finds a new place to stay when she moves in with three single guys, who all try to help Jess learn about love and life.

McFarland: “I happen to love New Girl because I think that [Jessica Day] represents the kind of female character you’re not used to seeing on TV, particularly in a lead role, and that’s a dorky girl. She’s not completely clueless in life, but she kind of has this very fun and shiny point of view on life that blows up in her face. She’s kind of this big, broken-hearted geek, and I love that we’re seeing something like that on TV.”

“Person of Interest” (CBS

Premieres September 22

Plot: The series stars Jim Caviezel (John Reese) and Michael Emerson (Mr. Finch, as they try and stop organized crime before the incident takes place. Mr. Finch, a mysterious billionaire, developed a computer program that predicts the identity of people connected to violent crimes that take place in the future. Mr. Finch hires John Reese, a former CIA agent, to stop the crimes from taking place.

McFarland: “I think that we will know for sure whether it’s going to live or die by the second episode…I enjoyed the pilot as the kind of B-level action movie that it is. That said, I can’t say that it will be a slam dunk for CBS for this season.”

What new television show are you looking forward to the most? There are plenty of options!

By Michael Simeona
MyNorthwest.com editor