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 Privileged
Airs: Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on the CW
While many of you obsessing about the new sci-fi cult show Fringe or checking out the remake of the new 90210, my favorite new show of the season is Privileged. It’s the one new show I can’t wait to watch each week.
Privileged tells the story of a Yale-educated journalism major who leaves her job at a tabloid to become a live-in tutor for two spoiled daughters of a Palm Beach cosmetics tycoon. The show is a glamorous peek into the life of pampered princesses. It’s a fun ride you don’t want to miss.
The show reminds me a little of one of my favorite movies, Sabrina. It has the same contrast of opulence versus the everyman, complete with the helpful staff that gives Megan advice to help her navigate the rocky waters of the Privileged.
Joanna Garcia is a delight as tutor Megan Smith. She is a dead ringer for Amy Adams in Enchanted, with her perpetual perkiness and likeability. But, Smith is not the only reason to watch. Each character is just as fantastic as the next.
The two spoiled rich girls, Sage and Rose, are cast perfectly with Ashley Newbrough and Lucy Hale. Newbrough nails the part of spoiled rich girl, yet audiences can’t help but love her. Hale grabs viewers, too, as the softer sister with a good heart. Also noteworthy are Marco, the gay chef (actor Allan Louis,) who steals every scene, and Megan’s best friend and potential love interest, Charlie (actor Michael Cassidy,) who audiences will recognize from his roles on The O.C. and Smallville. Then, there’s the hot neighbor guy, Will, who had me from the moment he walked into Marco’s kitchen to grab a bagel, (actor Brian Hallisay.) Rounding out the embarrassment of talent is Anne Archer, as the girls’ grandmother, Laurel, and Kristina Apgar, as Megan’s sister, Lily.
If you haven’t discovered this gem of a show, please put it on your calendar. I promise it will make you smile. It’s lighthearted, funny, and a great way to spend an evening. Frankly, with all the doom and gloom on the tube this season, I’m thrilled that the CW gave us something different than the typical teen drama or bloodbath. It’s a privilege to have Privileged on my TV lineup.
The Mentalist
Premiere Date: September 23, 2008
Airs: Tuesdays at 9:o0 p.m. on CBS
 by Jennifer Squires Biller I’m a sucker for fake psychics (hence my devotion to the Psych boys), but especially when they look and captivate like Simon Baker.
The Mentalist is a procedural crime drama that features Baker as a slick-but-tortured hero, Patrick Jane. He helps the police department solve crimes with his keen sense of observation, while injecting his dry sense of humor and charm. It’s a winning combination.
Those of you who like procedural crime dramas, this one is a gem. I’m not a fan of the genre myself, but even I’m tuning in to watch Baker work his magic. In one hilarious scene, his character beats a guy at every turn of Rock, Paper, Scissors. Whether he does it by using his deductive reasoning, acute awareness, or his grafter skills, it makes no difference. You’ll be mesmerized.
Make no mistake: it’s Baker that sells this show. Without him, it would be just another ordinary run-of-the-mill procedural. It’s a shame, though, that he isn’t allowed to use his real Australian accent for the role. As delicious as his cool-as-a whisper voice is, it’s even better when he speaks in his native tongue.
The Mentalist has been incorrectly labeled online as being a Psych rip-off. Don’t believe what you read. The two shows couldn’t be more diverse in tone and character. Psych is practically a comedy, with its razor-sharp pop-culture references, witty fast-paced dialogue, and light-hearted storylines, while The Mentalist is a procedural crime drama — keyword drama — with dark elements and some light humor sprinkled throughout.
Jane’s character is on the hunt for a serial killer, Red John, who killed his family. In the same way we root for Monk to get justice for the death of his wife, we’ll be rooting for Jane, too, to track down his family’s killer. I’ve added The Mentalist to my DVR season pass; that’s how much I enjoyed the first two episodes.
The Mentalist faces tough timeslot competition, but it should prove a winner for CBS. If you’re a fan of procedural crime dramas, this is the one new show this season you shouldn’t miss. It doesn’t have the character depth yet of NYPD Blue or Monk, but it’s early, so give it time. I think audiences will be rooting for Patrick Jane, before they know it. I already am.
Do Not Disturb
Premiere Date: September 10, 2008
Airs: Wednesdays at 9:30 p.m. on FOX
 by Jennifer Squires Biller Each season, I fear the traditional sitcom is growing closer to extinction. If Do Not Disturb is the best FOX has, then my fear is coming true. It makes last season’s decent Back to You look like a work of Mensa, by comparison.
The show has a talented cast headed by Jerry O’Connell and Niecy Nash, but the pilot barely held my attention. It’s a workplace comedy set in one of New York’s City’s top hotels, where predictable workplace hijinks ensue. I’ve only seen one episode, but that was enough to tell me that this show isn’t for me, especially with such a crowded TV schedule this year.
If you’re a fan of Nash and O’Connell you may want to watch for them, but little else is memorable. I doubt Do Not Disturb will last long. It’s this season’s Cavemen.
Fringe Premiere Date: September 9, 2008 Airs: Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on FOX
 by Jennifer Squires BillerSci-fi seekers, the new fall show Fringe may be the one show you’ll want to catch this season. It’s a little bit X-Files, but with the trademark J.J. Abrams stamp planted firmly all over it. Fringe offers suspense, drama, and mystery, with plenty of unanswered questions, reminiscent of Alias and Lost. I didn’t fall in love with Fringe immediately after watching the pilot, like I did other Abrams' shows Felicity and Lost. But, Fringe is definitely worth investing in for a second look. The cast alone packs a mighty punch. The show stars Joshua Jackson as a genius and a civilian consultant for the FBI. Jackson plays the son of a brilliant mad scientist (actor John Noble) whose experiments may unlock the mystery of strange phenomena occurring all over the world. Anna Torv is brilliant as the tough FBI agent. As happy as I am to see Jackson back on television, I’m equally thrilled that Mark Valley is front and center in this drama as an FBI agent, too. He was woefully underused on Boston Legal and has been deserving of airtime on a quality show for years. Fringe starts slow, but has so many twists and turns that you’ll probably be hitting the rewind button a couple times. Check it out, especially if you like sci-fi with a healthy dose of mystery.
90210 Premiere Date: September 2, 2008 Airs: Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW  by Jennifer Squires Biller
There sideburns are gone and so is the brooding antihero. But, the typical teen crises facing a bevy of beautiful people in the infamous zip code remains. Cheating at school, silly jock pranks, and dating are still central themes in the do-over 90210 version of the beloved ‘90s TV show. If you like soapy teen dramas, then this is the new fall show for you.
It doesn’t have the slick dialogue and fast-witted humor reminiscent of The O.C.’s Seth , Gossip Girl’s entire cast, or Veronica Mars, but what it lacks in intelligence, it makes up for with nostalgia and simple story telling that should resonate with teens and young adults.
The show debuted with record ratings for the CW, and it’s likely it will continue to attract eyeballs, if the plots remain strong and the show execs rely on the former 90210 veterans for a significant portion of story. For me, one of the most compelling parts of the pilot was the mystery of Kelly’s son’s paternity. Is it Dylan, Brandon or Steve? I don’t think I’m alone in my sentiment for the vets, if the amount of press Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty have been getting is any indication. (Seriously, they look better now than ever.) And seeing Nat still toiling away at the Peach Pit, albeit a modernized version with a fancy cappuccino machine, warmed my heart.
I also loved Lori Loughlin and Rob Estes as the modern-day Cindy and Jim Walsh. I hope we see plenty of plots for these TV vets, too. (The O.C. didn’t relegate the adults to backburner status and it made that show all the richer.)
In this version of 90210, the Wilson family moves from Kansas to Beverly Hills, and just as the Walsh siblings did, Annie and Dixon work to fit in. It doesn’t take long, as Dixon finds his niche in the sports world and Annie befriends the popular girls. It doesn’t hurt that their father is the new principal at West Beverly.
Garth still shines as Kelly Taylor, but it’s Jessica Walter who steals the show, as Tabitha, the alcoholic grandmother of the Wilson kids. (And Linda Gray was a stroke of casting genius as Tabitha’s pal.)
Sure, the show had its unbelievable moments. Annie scoring a date with a guy who looks like Superman (Tom Welling), who flew her to a different city for dinner comes to mind. But, all in all, 90210 was a fun ride. It offers new life to the zip code and is a treat for those of us who grew up addicted to the original. Now, if we can just get Steve Sanders back, it would be almost perfect.
Eli Stone
Airs: Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET on ABC
 by Jennifer Squires Biller
I’ve got a new TV addiction. His name is Eli Stone, and he’s stolen my heart.
I wish I’d taken time to write about this show before the night of its season finale, but real life lately has seriously interfered with my blogging time. (More on that later.) To ABC and to Eli, my sincerest apologies. You deserve better.
The fact is, I have a stack of screeners of mid-season shows that I have no inclination to watch (mostly reality TV) and a stack that I wanted to watch, but just never found the time (New Amsterdam and Canterbury’s Law.)
Then, there’s Eli Stone. I’ve watched the show from the very beginning, and each episode entertains more than the last. From the first time Eli had a vision of George Michael singing “Faith,” I was hooked.
For those of you who haven’t found Eli Stone, here’s what you need to know and how you can get caught up. Eli has an inoperable brain aneurysm that causes him to have hallucinations. These visions have caused Eli trouble at his elite law firm, especially when he dives under tables during staff meetings or when he sings and dances in the lobby at what he thinks is a George Michael concert. Those scenes are as funny and delightful as they sound, followed by a heart-tugging sadness that envelopes Eli as he slowly begins to accept his fate.
As Eli’s visions have continued, he’s turned him from a cutthroat corporate lawyer to the guy who takes cases to help the little guy. He also seems to have a knack for predicting the future, based on his visions. He recently became the laughing stock of his San Francisco firm when he warned them of a deadly earthquake. It turned out, he was correct.
The cast of the Eli Stone is solid. Johnny Lee Miller is charming and earnest, and despite his good looks is very believable as the Everyman. The other cast members are a delight, too, from Victor Garber to Natasha Henstridge to Sam Jaeger and Loretta Devine. They’re all employees at Eli’s firm, who from time to time, break out in song in one of Eli’s hallucinations.
Eli Stone is a funny, solid piece of storytelling, one of the best I’ve seen this year that never fails to entertain. Please join him tonight at 10 p.m. on ABC, as he struggles with his new role as a modern-day prophet and has to decide whether to have his aneurysm removed.
Those of you who’ve missed the past episodes, you can watch them at ABC. com for free. And don’t worry if you’ve missed a couple episodes. This isn’t Lost. You can easily catch up, even if you’ve missed a few episodes.
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