With the start of every school year comes the premiere of dozens of prime-time shows. From the ones that stick to the ones that flop, it is always interesting to watch a show the first time it airs on TV.
After its premiere on September 11, viewers gave NBC’s Go On, starring Friends’ Matthew Perry, four and a half stars. Perry plays Ryan King, a sportscaster trying to move on after the loss of his wife by joining an extremely unconventional support group. Scott Silveri created the comedy-drama sitcom. Next week’s episode, “Bench-Clearing Bawl,” will air Tuesday night at 9 p.m. after The Voice.
The Office’s Mindy Kaling has created a new comedy for FOX in which she’ll be the lead. Kaling is an Emmy-award nominated writer and producer and New York Times best-selling author. The Mindy Project, premiering Tuesday, September 25 at 9:30 p.m., is about a woman who, despite having a successful career, is unlucky in love and desperately needs to get her personal life back on track before her friends and colleagues are forced to stage an intervention. Kaling plays an OB/GYN—her character supposedly based off of her mother.
FOX premiered another new show this past Monday, The Mob Doctor. Jordana Spiro plays Dr. Grace Devlin, a physician who, in order to save her brother’s life, agreed to work “off the books” with the mob. While working on patients and dealing with the everyday stresses that come with being a physician, Dr. Devlin must also deal with many incoming requests and demands from the Mob. The Mob Doctor is on Mondays at 8 p.m.
From Ryan Murphy, the creator of Glee, comes The New Normal, a show about a gay couple from Los Angeles, who although are happily in love and both have successful careers, feel their life is missing without a child. When they meet a Goldie (Georgia King), a waitress and single mother who has recently moved from the Midwest, they work out a plan for Goldie to become their surrogate, which ensues drama between Goldie and her old-fashioned mother. Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha play the happy couple. The New Normal is on NBC after Go On, Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.
Also coming to NBC this fall is the new show Guys with Kids, from executive producer Jimmy Fallon. The show is about three 30-something dads who spend time trying to hold on to their youth, while at the same time working on parenting. Thankfully, Gary (Anthony Anderson, “Law & Order”), Chris (Jesse Bradford, “The West Wing”) and Nick (Zach Cregger, “Friends with Benefits”) have each other to help navigate the highs and lows of fatherhood – while still trying desperately to remain dudes. Guys with Kids airs Wednesdays at 8:30 p.m.
By Taylor Zimmerman
