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Show SpecialFeatures Page 14 Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2011 Tube time warp I Networks nostalgic for tried-and-true formulas for the fall lineup BY CHARLIE TOFT, FILM COM "THE X FACTOR" (premiere 8 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Sept. 21, FOX) No one in any network's lineup of new shows is wearing a bigger bullseye than Cowell, who announced he would be bringing his British smash "The X Factor" to Fox way back in January 2010, at the same time he confirmed he would be leaving "American Idol." To the surprise of many, "Idol" didn't seem to miss Cowell that much; its ratings held up remarkably well, and the cheerfulness of the new judges struck many as a welcome contrast to the sour Brit in the tight T-shirts. To make matters worse, NBC premiered "The Voice," a show even more similar to "The X Factor" than "Idol" is, to soaring ratings last spring. It may have been a no-brainer for Fox to commit to a new Cowell series, but the network now has to be wondering if anyone really misses him, not to mention the ever-loopy Abdul, who will assume one of the show's mentoring roles. "LAST MAN STANDING" (premiere 8 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Oct. 11, ABC) Allen made one of the smoothest transitions ever from stand-up to sitcom when "Home Improvement" became one of ABC's biggest hits of the '90s. That series dealt with male culture and foibles from the perspective of a successful traditional male and his sons, but "Last Man Standing" depicts Allen as a lone man surrounded by a wife and daughters, and vocally nervous about asserting his masculinity. It plays as old-fashioned, but sitcoms like that have been the bread and butter of ABC, a network which has seen several more ambitious shows die in recent years. "CHARLIE'S ANGELS" (premiere 8 p.m. ET, Thursday, Sept. 22, ABC) "Charlie's Angels" was one of 16. o you were hoping that after Hollywood's Summer of Sequels, the fall television season might introduce you to hot new concepts and young shining stars? Sorry to disappoint. Sure, the major networks have a few novel ideas to trot out, such as the Fox adventure "Terra Nova" (premieres 8 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 26). But after several years where almost everyone (except CBS, where procedurals reign supreme) has tried and failed to launch a complex, serialized, vaguely sci-fi answer to the phenomenon of "Lost," network programmers are sticking with what they've seen work before, even when that "before" goes back several decades. Out are non-events like "The Event" and anti-hero dramas like "Lone Star;" in are ABC's updating of "Charlie's Angels," a show whose original version ended in 1981, and Tim Allen starring in a family comedy. Ted Danson has returned to CBS after his critically praised foray into cable. Sarah Michelle Gellar is back on an underdog network (the CW), and Simon Cowell will again be headlining a music competition show on Fox, with an assist from Paula Abdul. There's even original scripted programming on Saturday night, something we haven't seen in several years. Here's a few flashbacks from the fall lineup: TRENDING THIS FALL MUSIC TELEVISION: "American Idol" has prospered in large part because Fox has resisted the temptation to produce a fall version, and competing networks had failed at launching a copycat. But now with "The X Factor" and NBC's "The Sing-Off' both running in the fall, and "The Voice" competing more directly with "Idol" in February, the longtime champ might begin to look less special. ABC's "Pan Am" CSI" (season premiere 10 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Sept. 21, CBS) Ted Danson looked like a network sitcom lifer based on his long runs on "Cheers" and "Becker," but his recent television work has come in the eccentric HBO comedy "Bored to Death" and in the noir legal drama "Damages." Now he's back on CBS as the lead investigator on "CSI," a series weakened so much of late that it has been moved off its decade-long timeslot of 9 p.m. Thursdays. Danson could be the right man for "CSI" at this stage, as he ought to be able to give the role a wry spin, something William Petersen excelled at, but Laurence Fishburne could never master. " the signature shows from ABC's glory years, a slice of '70s-aged cheese. The original recipe gave us the term "jiggle TV," but our times are more enlightened, and it's important that we know our new Angels (Minka Kelly, Annie Ilonzeh and Rachael Taylor) aren't just haircuts — they can get tough when they need to, and all three are overcoming problematic pasts. A little "Alias" DNA infused into the old "Charlie's Angels" formula might be a very good thing indeed. "UP ALL NIGHT" (series preview 10 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Sept. 14, NBC) Christina Applegate is one of the most likable actors on the tube, but both her attempts to carry her own sitcom as a lead ("Samantha Who?" and "Jesse") fizzled after decent starts. She is trying again with "Up All Night," in which she co-stars with Will Arnett (himself no stranger to failed comedies) as a partying pair adjusting to the responsibilities of parenthood. "RINGER" (premiere 9 p.m. ET, Tuesday, Sept. 13, CW) Sarah Michelle Gellar has been largely missing from the television landscape since the hit "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Visit FILM.COM for movie reviews, TV notions, celebrity snaps, behind-the-scenes interviews and more. ended in 2003. But Buffy fans will be happy to see her back in her new series "Ringer." Fans of "Veronica Mars" and "Lost" will also be happy to see Jason Dohring, who played Veronica's on-again, off-again boyfriend Logan Echolls, and Nestor Carbonell, who played the ageless Island protector Richard. "TWO AND A HALF MEN" (season premiere 9 p.m. ET, Monday, Sept. 19, CBS) You might have heard a little something about the project Ashton Kutcher has joined. His TV efforts since "That '70s Show" have all been on the production end, but he's been coaxed back to the other side of the camera by the prospect of filling Charlie Sheen's pornographic shoes on "Two and a Half Men." It's hard to know if Kutcher will be able to keep the series strong in its ninth season, but he's a proven quantity in comedy, and can walk the tightrope of innocence and naughtiness that Sheen long since fell off. LONG LIVE THE '60S: Network television rarely revisits the past, but NBC's "The Playboy Club" and ABC's "Pan Am" are both set in the 1960s — that is to say, the '60s that existed outside the counterculture, such as what we've seen on "Mad Men." NBC and ABC would love to imitate the prestige of the Emmy-winning AMC drama without matching its low ratings. DEPARTING HOUSEWIVES: ABC has announced that the coming eighth season will be the last for "Desperate Housewives," which has lost almost all its buzz of late. With its other longtime hit, "Grey's Anatomy," likewise showing its age and facing the specter of major cast changes, ABC needs new hourlong hits in the worst way. Fox's "House" HEADING FOR THE EXITS ... MAYBE: The most successful live action series ever on Fox, "House," might fall victim to falling ratings, budget cutting, and the desire of stars Hugh Laurie and Olivia Wilde to do other things. And Alec Baldwin continues to say that he will likely leave "30 Rock" in 2012. MEN OVERBOARD: A thread running through several new sitcoms is the alleged inability of the American male to deal with societal changes. CBS's "How to Be a Gentleman" and the ABC trio of "Last Man Standing," "Man Up!," and "Work It" all concern men trying to hang on to their virility in the workplace and elsewhere. The flipside of this trend is, of course, "The Playboy Club." |