2013 Fall TV Premieres - Week 4

Fall - WEEK 4

Did you survive the onslaught of 38 series premieres last week? Well then, let Week four's 24 additional series step up to bat. The major networks are filling in all those time slots from the special hour long premieres and of course, the long-awaited Sunday-night-TV returns this week. A lot can be told about a TV show based on weekend time slots. Friday=graveyard/don't care. Saturday=non-existant. Sunday=HOT/money. This TV lover is most excited for the return of REVENGE and new premiere of Rebel Wilson's SUPER FUN NIGHT. Also, GRAVITY comes out in theater! EEEEEP! It's a hot week with a few breaks as the schedule takes hold, so go out and have a blast. Your guide to week 4 is below!

Don't have a cable or a TIVO? No problem! Find all of your favorite shows online for streaming one day after airing on project free tv here:

http://www.free-tv-video-online.me/internet/

 *All times are Central Standard Time

The Guide

Sunday, Sept. 29th

The Amazing Race 23 (Returner!) 7pm on CBS

If you've watched the Emmy's in the past decade or so, you've prolly seen this show take the award for Best Reality series 8 out of 10 times. The concept is balls awesome: can a pair of loved ones be the first to complete a race around the world designed to challenge them in every way possible for 1 million dollars? It's a lot of fun, and 23 seasons in, it's still red hot and a staple of TV ROYALTY. The big question is... if you were to go on the race, who would you bring?

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Once Upon a Time (Returner!) 7pm on ABC

It's season 3 for this big budget fantasy epic that finds all of Disney's (ABC's parent corp.) characters reimagined in present day. Last season started shaky but by the end, viewers were up and captivated when the finale left the cast spinning to a new location: Neverland, to face off against an evil Peter Pan. Tune in just for the fun of your childhood heroines in a new light.

RECOMMENDED!

Revenge (Hot Returner!) 8pm on ABC

Uggggggg, sooooo good. When Revenge premiered two years ago, it was the hottest show of it's class as it followed a down-and-out girl whose mission was to ruin the lives of rich Hampton socialites  In season 2, it lost viewers due to high plot complexity but season 3 promises a return to basics and Emily Thorne is back with her red pen crossing off names. I'm so excited that I had to put the promo up :)

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Betrayal (NEW!) 9pm on ABC

Scandal started something over on ABC. Shows trying to capitalize off of others hot success normally don't do too well but soapy shows can always find an audience leaving this new series shaky. It follows two people on opposite sides of a legal battle entering into an adulterous affair. The promo seems sexy enough for me!

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED!

The Good Wife (Returner!) 8pm on CBS

The Good Wife is a critical darling and huge fan favorite. It's won numerous Emmy's and needs no introduction as it enters it's 5th season.

RECOMMENDED!

The Mentalist (Returner!) 9pm on CBS

It's season 6 now for this show following a mentalist who can read people just by being around them. He's smart, cute, and on a mission to catch Red John. Fans know who they are.

RECOMMENDED!

The Simpsons (Returner!) 7pm on FOX

How can you not lot America's longest running sitcom. The Simpson's are an American staple and YES there are still new episodes. It's the whole anchor behind FOX's animation domination Sundays. If you love them, watch.

RECOMMENDED!

Bob's Burgers (Returner!) 7:30pm on FOX

I don't get this show at all. It's 4 seasons in and I know people who are such fans but I can't watch it.

Eh!

Family Guy (Returner!) 8pm on FOX

In my opinion, Family Guy is the animated comedy worth watching. The characters are perfect, its hot stuff, and always entertaining. I never miss it.

RECOMMENDED!

American Dad! (Returner!) 8:30pm on FOX

This is basically Family Guy in an alternate, bad universe. I hate this show. I don't get it. I don't want it on TV anymore.

Bleh!

Homeland (Returner!) 8pm on SHOWTIME

Hot off an Emmy win for Best Actress, Claire Danes heads up the cast of Showtimes critical smash. High octane, high drama, dazzling storytelling=watch it so you can see why it wins all that it does as it enters season 3.

RECOMMENDED!

Masters of Sex (NEW!) 9pm on SHOWTIME

Lizzy Caplan (popularly known as Janis Ian from Mean Girls) stars with Michael Sheen in this saucy and sexy new drama from Showtime about sex researchers in St. Louis. Who doesn't love a good show about sex?

RECOMMENDED!

Eastbound & Down (Returner!) 9pm on HBO

Eh, watch if it's on.

Eh!

Hello Ladies (NEW!) 9:30pm on HBO

This new series from HBO follows a proper Englishman looking for love in modern day L.A. Is culture enough of a difference to make us laugh?

RECOMMENDED!

Monday, Sept. 30th

We Are Men (NEW!) 7:30pm on CBS

After a man is left at the alter he moves in an apartment complex and befriends three other divorced men in this new CBS comedy. Some critics have this series at the tops of their pool for first series to bite the dust. Guess we'll find out.

NOT RECOMMENDED!

iHeart Radio Music Festival, Night 1 (Special!) 7-9pm on The CW

If you haven't noticed, the CW has yet to air any of it's premieres yet. That's because the iHeart Radio Music Festival kicks off their Fall season. Check out all of it's musics hottest artists cut together into two nights of incredible performances and then keep on the lookout for Week 5's edition for the CW series returns.

RECOMMENDED!

Tuesday, Oct. 1st

Take a break from premieres, you deserve it!

iHeart Radio Music Festival, Night 2 (Special!) 7-9pm on The CW

The 2nd night of the CW's special concert event.

RECOMMENDED!

Wednesday, Oct. 2nd

Super Fun Night (NEW!) 8:30pm on ABC

The hottest female comedian right now may be Rebel Wilson. Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect rocketed this girl to crazy popularity and she hopes that the public also loves this new sitcom about a group of girls who make a pact to get together one day a week to have as much fun as possible in the midst of life's stresses. I'm super excited and you should be too.

HIHGLY RECOMMENDED!

Ironside (NEW!) 9pm on NBC

TV is full of crime serials. It's also full of drama... What does it not have? A crime drama whose series lead is in a wheelchair. The mix-up could make thing a little fresh, but this category is sooo over-saturated and usually own by CBS. NBC is going to have a hard time with this one.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED!

Top Chef (Returner!) 9pm on BRAVO

Sure it's on Bravo, but hey, who doesn't love a good cooking competition?

Watch if you must!

Thursday, Oct. 3rd

The Vampire Diaries (Returner!) 7pm on The CW

Some people may say that The Hunger Games inherited the Twi-hards, but they are wrong. The Vampire Diaries owns the vampire kingdom now. Ian Somerhaulder is the vamp of choice and the CW's smash hit has one of TV's biggest fan followings. It's so popular that it spawned a spin-off this year airing right after it. My sister swears by it, I even watched a full season, and if you miss True Blood, than hop on.

RECOMMENDED!

The Originals (NEW!) 8pm on The CW

If you love The Vampire Diaries, check out it's spicy spin-off!

RECOMMENDED!

The Millers (NEW!) 8:30pm on CBS

Will Arnett was displaced after last seasons awful implosion and disappearance of "Up All Night." Now he's back in yet another new series (this is like 4 in the last 4 years now?) about a man living with his parents. Normally, i'd call "been there, done that!" but I happen to think WIll Arnett is a genius and so cute that he can star in anything and make me happy.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Welcome to the Family (NEW!) 7:30pm on NBC

This new comedy is all about in-laws, getting along with them that is. Kurt's dad from Glee stars and buzz has been low, but we are willing to give it a change as NBC tries to rebuild it's comedy Thursday.

RECOMMENDED!

Sean Saves the World (NEW!) 8pm on NBC

The only sad thing about the promo for this show is that Karen doesn't pop out with a bottle of vodka... :( Sean Hayes plays a single gay dad trying to raise his teenage daughter. I'm a sucker for gay lifestyles on TV and everyone is always excited to see how they tackle hot button social issues. Good luck!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Scandal (Hot Returner!) 9pm on ABC

Entering it's 3rd season, Scandal swept the small screen by storm last season and became the hottest drama. Kerry Washington even garnered an Emmy nom and near win on a soap! That's crazy! It's red hot right now, and if you haven't caught up, it's recommended so you can follow Olivia Pope and her hot scandalous affair.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Friday, Oct. 4th

No premieres tonight (which is good because you should be watching Shark Tank anyways)

Saturday, Oct. 5th

 

House of Versace (Special!) 7pm on LIFETIME

Yes it's Lifetime, but everyone is extremely excited for this big-budget movie about the fashion giant. You shouldn't be disappointed.

RECOMMENDED!

Saturday Night Live (Special!) 10:30pm on NBC

Tina Fey brought SNL back last week with a gusto. The new cast members shined in skits on e-meth and GIRLS promo, and Cecily Strong rocked the Weekend Update and her return as the ex-porn star. The 2nd week will be hosted by Miley Cyrus. After her wildly outrageous MTV Video Awards performance, this episode is a can't miss to see what antics Miley will parody AND whether she has the balls to parody *gasp* herself.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

MOVIE MADNESS

DVD's Available (starting Tuesday Oct. 1st)

Credits: http://www.joblo.com/blu-rays-dvds/release-dates/?month=October&year=2013

Movies Opening in Theaters (starting Friday Oct. 4th)

"Gravity" Trailer

"Runner Runner" Trailer

Credits: http://www.imdb.com/movies-coming-soon/?ref_=nb_mv_5_cs

That's it for Week 4, Happy Watching!

Don't forget to comment, follow us, like us, or repost us!

Reporting by: Chad Morgan

Reviews: Modern Family

Introducing our new team member:

Joey Ziemniak

Joey is new to DePaul but not new to media reviews! He runs his own film and gaming blog (check it out in our links section) and Keepin' it Reel is excited to start a partnership with him!

Reviewing:

"Modern Family"

Modern Family Season 5 premiered tonight, hot off the heels of yet another Best Comedy Emmy. Many people, myself included, think Modern Family is running out of steam. It's writing hasn't been as good as the first two seasons, and the storylines just aren't cutting it anymore, despite some still stellar acting. Season 4, for me, was the low point. I'm happy to say that Modern Family seems to be redeeming itself. These first two episodes, aired back-to-back, reminded me of why I love Modern Family.

The first episode saw the families on the day of the legalization of gay marriage in California. Mitchell and Cameron, understandably, are ecstatic, and are both trying to plan an awesome engagement for the other with the help of Gloria and Claire. Seeing them each try to make the moment special really brought out their relationship. Sometimes I get tired of Cameron, but seeing him be so dear about making this moment matter for Mitchell was enjoyable and heartfelt. This led up to some great final moments, with Phil, Claire, Jay, and Gloria reminiscing on their engagements, and a great final scene with Mitch and Cam.

Meanwhile, Manny is on is way to Colombia to visit Gloria's family. This brings about an awkwardly hilarious moment when Manny and Jay visit the town hall to get Manny's birth certificate to travel, all while gay couples are lining up to receive their marriage licenses. Obviously some strange looks followed. At the Dunphy's, Phil and Claire are trying to line up the kids' many summer activities so they can have a week for themselves. This calls to mind any parent's summer days, and it even brought out Claire's selfish side.

In the second episode, the kids are all going back to school. Luke and Manny are both starting high school, and both Phil and Gloria are feeling left out when they drop them off. They go for coffee afterwards, and stumble upon the filming of a commercial in the cafe. They are then enlisted as extras in the background, leading to some funny moments as they over exaggerate and distract from the stars of the commercial. This plot felt kind of random and out of place. Instead, Phil and Gloria should have just sat down and talked about their first days of high school or something. There were a few funny moments, but one wonders why this commercial plot was even necessary.

Claire is also going back to work at Jay's office. It's hilarious to see her fit in to the office lifestyle, with all of the cringe-filled moments of anyone's first day at work. After Lily gets hurt on her first day of school, she tags along with Mitchell at his job. One of his clients becomes interested in Haley after she comes by to pick up Lily. This leads to some uncomfortable flirting between the two. This was awkward for everyone involved, considering that he is at least twice her age. This kind of behavior is not unexpected of Haley, but it was still kind of weird and a bit distressing. Lastly, Cameron is called in as a substitute teacher for Alex's AP history course. He comes in with the full George Washington outfit and everything, despite not knowing a thing about history. The end of the episode opens up a new opportunity for Cameron, and this was a welcome surprise.

As always, the strength in Modern Family lies within its characters and its writing. Despite some weird and out-of-place storylines here and there, both of these episodes were solid reintroductions into the lives of the Pritchetts. They effectively balanced the funny and emotional scenes, and most of the situations were very relatable.

Modern Family is always best at straddling the serious with the funny, the heartfelt with the laugh-out-loud. These two episodes were perfect examples of why Modern Family deserves all the praise it gets. All of the characters had some interesting plots, and they were all adapting to change of some sort. I'm excited to see where this season goes, after a less-than-stellar last season.

Reporting by: Joey Ziemniak

If you loved what you read then tell Joey and check out his blog at http://joeyreviews.wordpress.com!

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Reviews: Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Introducing our newest team member:

Megan Daley

Megan is a self-descibed TV addict who believes that television is a heavenly gift. As a queen of sass in the form of truths, you can always rely on Megan to Keep it Reel.

Reviewing:

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine"

FOX's new comedy by the creator of "Parks and Recreation" puts a spin on the typical buddy-cop crime show with star Andy Samberg in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine." With an impressive cast and creative set-up, the show brings the comedic heat, hitting it out of the park in its pilot.

Andy Samberg plays the role of Jake Peralta, a young, promising detective, well on his way to becoming the top detective in his precinct. His partner, Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) is obsessed with becoming Captain one day, currently on the lookout for a new "Rabbi" to help her get ahead. The police station is filled with misfits and with a new straight-laced Captain coming in, Ray Holy (Andre Braugher), the officers must prove themselves to be competent or be forced to watch the action from the sidelines.

The description of the show makes it sound super serious, when it's really anything but. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" has similarities with its sister show "Parks and Recreation" as influenced by the shows creators Michael Schur and Daniel J. Goor. Like "Parks and Recreation" the show focuses on the characters and the relationships they have with each other, rather than where the show actually takes place. The show could take place at a Burger King and it would still be hilarious.

The characters are so clearly defined in the pilot, each having their place within the world created by the show. And although Andy Samberg is the "star" the scene doesn't need to revolve around him to make it comedic. Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) and Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) play well off each other and their love/hate relationship, he loves while she hates. I especially liked the scene when the two are talking about what movie they should go see on their date. While he suggests Citizen Kane, she immediately shoots it down, telling him to pick a different movie. It will be interesting (and funny, obviously) to see how this relationship between the two will develop. Gina (Chelsea Peretti), the secretary, has a quick, dry wit, making her the ultimate scene stealer, along with Sgt. Jeffords (Terry Crews), the only cop I've ever seen on television who wants to stay as far away from a crime as possible. The flashbacks to him screaming while shooting up a manakin he thought was a criminal, is the funniest thing I've seen in a long time.

The mistake some pilots make is not having strong, well-defined characters with a purpose. In this pilot, the characters are well drawn and have such unique personalities, just as the characters of "Parks and Recreation" do. What makes the pilot ultimately work is that it's not supposed to be a crime show, and it plays to the parody perfectly.

"Brooklyn Nine-Nine will do well in the ratings not just because Andy Samberg is in it, but because he is surrounded by other talented comedians who give the comedy an even stronger funny bone. I'm excited to see what more this new show has to offer, and I'll definitely be tuning in at 7:30 p.m. exactly, not a minute before. Because well "Dads" is...really, really bad...Guess you can't win em all, FOX.

Reporting by: Megan Daley

If you loved what you read then tell Megan!

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