2011 Fall TV Preview - Episode Seven

ASHLEY'S PICK FOR NEW SHOW
New Girl (Premieres Sept 20 @ 9pm – FOX)
Starring: Zooey Deschenel

Jess Day is an offbeat and adorable girl in her late 20s who, after a bad breakup, moves in with three single guys. Goofy, positive, vulnerable and honest to a fault, Jess has faith in people, even when she shouldn't. Although she's dorky and awkward, she's comfortable in her own skin. More prone to friendships with women, she's not used to hanging with the boys - especially at home. As their relationships progress, they come to realize they need each other more than they ever thought they would and end up forming a charmingly dysfunctional family.

Why I’m watching: Okay, so I have a weakness for quirky or strong female leads. Sue me. Zooey Deschenel has charmed me with her doe-eyed pixie magic in the majority of her film roles (other than The Happening, but let’s forget that piece of garbage ever happened). While the premise of the show seems to exploit the trend of dorky, awkward people being the new cool and I don’t have much faith in its original comedic or general plot lines, I’m curious to see what the crew of weathered producers can do with it.

VERONICA'S PICK FOR RETURNING SHOW
The Walking Dead (Premieres October 16 @ 9pm - AMC)

Looking back on season 1, I realized that I was rather underwhelmed by the direction it took. It didn’t follow the comic all that closely and took a couple of turns that I’m not sure I really liked. Season 2 will continue where we were left last fall with the band of survivors of the zombie apocalypse, led by Rick (Andrew Lincoln), look for a safe place to call home. I’m hoping with the 13 episode order this time around, we can expect bigger things. And hopefully better things. If you’ve never read the graphic novel, I highly recommend that you do. It will fill in a lot of the lingering questions you may have from season 1.

Why I keep watching: I pretty much watch anything that has even the faintest whiff of the reanimated dead. And any time a graphic novel is turned into a movie or show, I’ll watch. I’m a nerd at heart.