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Ten American TV shows to watch out for

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Mad Men is over and Game of Thrones isn’t back for ages; neither is Orange is the New Black or House of Cards. 

Thankfully, though, we’re not too far away from the beginning of the 2015 US fall (autumn) TV season, which brings with it a torrent of new shows. While there’s not a whole lot that looks ground-breaking from the commercial networks this year, there are some shows which look promising (even just as guilty pleasures).

There are, at least, quite a few comedies that look like they’ll deliver easy laughs and a drama or two with enough twists to keep you tuning in. So here are 10 to look out for (even if there are next to no details available yet regarding Australian broadcast).

The Muppets

Jim Henson’s fabulous felt comedic creations The Muppets have had a bit of a renaissance in recent years, with two successful films following Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo and Fozzie Bear on new adventures. ABC has given them a new series which will be shot in the mockumentary style popularised on TV by The Office. We’ll soon be able to see if their zaniness fits within that formula when the show premieres in late September.

Supergirl

I know you think you’ve already seen more superhero series on the small screen than you ever need to (and you are probably right), but CBS’s Supergirl  could be a hell of a lot of fun. The trailer promises some decent comedy when the everyday life of Supergirl (aka Kara) collides with her super powers (even if you’ve already seen that plot played time and again).

Angel from Hell

The main attraction for this new CBS comedy is the brilliant Jane Lynch as Amy, an eclectic and unusual woman who also happens to be a guardian angel. Maggie Lawson stars alongside Lynch as Allison Fuller, a dermatologist who desperately (even if she refuses to acknowledge it) needs Amy’s help.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Following the early success of Glee (a show that went off track almost unbelievably quickly), many producers have tried their hand at musical TV series, with varying degrees of success. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, about two former lovers reunited after 10 years apart, might just have found the right balance to make the musical elements work. Judging from the trailer, it looks sweet and gently offbeat enough to cut-through to middle America, and with the producer of 500 Days of Summer on board, this could be the indie-inspired rom-com hit TV has been missing.

The Grinder

Rob Lowe continues down the comedic road in this legal comedy with a promising presence. Lowe plays a vain actor who, after eight years playing a hard-as-nails lawyer, decides to follow his brother’s footsteps and actually enter the legal profession.

Scream Queens

Even if this teen horror-comedy from Ryan Murphy (of Glee and American Horror Story) is an absolute disaster, it should be still be the kind of camp fun sorely missing from network TV. Centred around a sorority house and with an all-star cast including Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele and Abigail Breslin, it seems pretty clear this will be a big ratings winner.

Blood and Oil

This high-tension soap opera, which follows a young couple who move to North Dakota to make a fortune from oil mining, could just be the Dynasty of our age. The series stars Chace Crawford, who is best known for his work on Gossip Girl.

Life in Pieces

Many people have already noted the similarities between Modern Family and the new CBS comedy Life in Pieces (which has been given the lucrative post-Big Bang Theory time slot on the network), but there’s certainly a slightly different, darker tone to the trailer. The cast is led by Dianne Wiest and James Brolin.

Blindspot

Now here’s a series with an absolutely ridiculous premise: a mysterious woman is discovered in Times Square covered in tattoos. The FBI soon discovers that each of the tattoos is a clue for a crime they need to solve… but it still looks sort of fun.

Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris

We’ve seen more than enough of America’s unlikely sweetheart Neil Patrick Harris in recent years, but we’re intrigued by his upcoming variety series, based on the UK series Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Variety shows often seem like a relic of an earlier TV age, but with a host with as many followers as NPH, fresh life could be injected into the genre. NBC is promising: “Comedy sketches, musical numbers, mini game shows, hidden camera pranks on celebrities and appearances by A-list stars.” Perfect for middle America.

This article was first published on The Daily Review.

 

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