The fall TV season has officially begun! What's worth watching, and what's not worth your time? The TV.com team has screened the inaugural episodes of nearly every new fall series in an attempt to help you decide—below, you'll find multiple (and sometimes contradictory) opinions of each network newbie. Pilots will be pilots, of course, and lots of shows get better once they've had a chance to settle in. But that's why we'll be back in a few weeks with the TV.com 4-Episode Test, where we'll check back in with these freshman series as they find their footing. For now, first impressions are all that matter. Here's our take on what's looking good, bad, average, and just plain ugly this fall.
"Premieres" with Episode 2 on Wednesday, September 26 at 8pm
Justin Kirk stars as a vet who loves animals but hates their owners. Also there's a monkey in a lab coat.
TIM SURETTE: I'm sorry, am I supposed to NOT like a comedy set in an animal hospital that's a playful knockoff of medical dramas? Because that would be impossible. The pilot was a tad rough, but there's enough potential for the future (and more Tyler Labine) that I'm ready for more.
PRICE PETERSON: Didn't like it. I understood what Animal Practice was going for, but for my tastes it was just way too broad and way too phony. I never believed the hospital was a real place, I never believed that anybody's problems had stakes, I never believed any of the solutions, and I'm only so charmed by monkey humor. I liked the Betsy Sodaro character and the Matt Walsh plotline in the pilot, but for the most part I'm pretty sure this show just isn't for me.
C. KILLIAN: You know, not a lot of people dig this one, and I get it. I guess. But... Justin Kirk! A monkey in a lab coat! Other animals! And jokes! With dry deliveries! While the conflict device between Kirk and his new boss Dorothy is pretty weak, I can't help rooting for this to succeed.
MARYANN SLEASMAN: I'm here for Justin Kirk... and the monkey.
Animal Practice Review: Welcome to the Animal House | Watch the Pilot of Animal Practice
TIM: This got a lot of early hype, but it I found it to be very average with dozens of recycled jokes. The biggest question I had after watching: "What the heck is this about?"
PRICE: It's okay. Ben and Kate suffers by comparison to both New Girl and The Mindy Project in that it's not as sharp or unique as those shows. But it does have a likable cast which includes the thoroughly terrific scene-stealer Lucy Punch as BJ, Kate's British co-worker. Somebody give this lady her own show!
WALTER MORBECK: Harmless, fairly funny show. I like the actress who plays Kate and her British coworker friend. They always like to throw in a Brit for comic relief, right? I'm curious to see a little more of it. I think it's kind of cool that the dude who plays Ben has totally effed-up teeth, you don't often see normal stuff like that in TV actors.
Watch the Pilot of Ben and Kate
Matthew Perry stars as sports talk radio host who joins a support group full of colorful characters after his wife dies.
TIM: As a guy who's always the first to crack a joke in the face of a depressing situation to get the healing started, I really appreciate the positive vibes this show sends out. The cast has a shot at being the next great comedy ensemble, and so far the show is on a very short list of the best new comedies of the season.
PRICE: Liked it. This is one of the weirder sitcoms of the fall season, mostly due to the fact that it has two distinct modes: broad comedy and straight-up tragedy. Oddly enough, it's the tragic moments that really hooked me. The cast is full of weirdos and eccentrics, but I came away liking each and every one of them. I'm not sure how the show will keep up its dual-tone premise, but I will definitely be sticking around to find out.
C. KILLIAN: All I've got to say is: Matthew Perry, the darkness looks good on you. The pilot did a great job of balancing the humorous moments with the sadder stuff, and I'm already in love with pretty much every character. Good on you, NBC.
JEN TROLIO: I really like this one. Matthew Perry's character, Ryan, seems more tolerable than (if somewhat similar to) whoever Perry played on Mr. Sunshine. Plus Brett Gelman is in this! I'll definitely be watching with high hopes.
MARYANN: The comedy/tragedy mash-up is my favorite flavor of humor and there's a really great balance here. The funny parts don't cheapen the sad ones and the sad parts don't overshadow the funny ones or make them feel out of place.
Go On Review: Touchy, Feely, Funny | Watch the Pilot of Go On
Produced by Jimmy Fallon, the title of this one is pretty self-explanatory: There are guys, and they have kids. Hilarity is supposed to ensue.
TIM: This is one smelly diaper.
PRICE: Didn't like it. Men being fathers is considered a strong premise for a sitcom? Sorry, dads, but if a hundred billion people have done it, it probably isn't something I'm going to be interested in watching on TV. The least this show could have done was dress up its non-premise with unique characters, non-contrived sitcom plotting, or, you know, funny jokes. But Guys With Kids is just content to have Anthony Anderson shouting at toddlers or have everyone make tons of tired jokes about how women be crazy. I'll pass.
JEN: So far it's stupid. But I think everyone wants to hate this show because even though it's produced by Jimmy Fallon, it's multi-camera with a laugh track "live studio audience" and the jokes aren't exactly brilliant. While I was watching the pilot I felt like I could hear Fallon's sometimes cheesy but sometimes solid schtick in there somewhere; I'm thinking the show could get better and at the very least become a simple, not-terrible time-waster. Although, as far as flustered-parents comedies go, I'll probably just stick with the not-perfect but enjoyable Up All Night. And I totally don't buy Meadow from The Sopranos as a mom.
Guys With Kids Review: Damn Kids Ruined These Guys' Lives!
TIM: It's unfathomable that comedies like this are still made in the year 2012. I'm pretty sure this was actually a Disney Channel comedy whose lead was changed from young country star to old country star when Reba became available.
Premieres Tuesday, September 25 at 9:30pm
TIM: A lot of people love Mindy Kaling. I'm not one of them. However, this was better than I thought and I have a feeling lots of boyfriends and husbands across the country are going to tolerate it. But one question: Are guys really clawing at each other to get Mindy in the sack?
PRICE: Loved it! Around the time her book came out last year, I began to experience something like Mindy Kaling fatigue. You know? I liked her, but cute shopping anecdotes are only so fascinating. So my expectations for this pilot weren't sky-high, but man did I end up enjoying it. Clever without being show-offy, affecting without being forced. And yeah, very funny. One of the best and strongest pilots of the season.
JEN: Really liked it. I love Mindy Kaling, and I thought the pilot had just the right amount of self-awareness. I think the show could grow into a great companion for New Girl.
WALTER: Confusing setting; I couldn't tell how the offices and hospital were set up. Mindy's character is borderline unlikeable, though I guess that's supposed to be part of the appeal. Good supporting cast, I liked the mean doctor who plays Jane Fonda's son on The Newsroom. All told, Mindy is funny and interesting so I will definitely watch this one again.
Watch the Pilot of The Mindy Project
TIM: What happens when you have a comedy with zero funny people in the cast? The Neighbors! There isn't even a chuckle in the pilot. Nuke it from orbit!
C. KILLIAN: I'm going to give this one a solid "meh." Conceptually it's already a stretch for me. Yes, TV aliens have succeeded before, but what worked about shows like 3rd Rock from the Sun is that the aliens took center stage. Here, we spend far too much time getting to know the straight-laced human family—and frankly, they aren't funny. The alien family is pretty chill, but if the humans keep hogging all the screen time, then I don't see much of a future for this series.
WALTER: It was funnier than I was expecting once it got going, and it's got one of the best casts of all the pilots. I love the alien husband and wife. I'm hooked for now, but my interest and attention span usually diminish over a few episodes when faced with that cutesy cartoony ABC style of comedy. But we'll see, I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt.
"Premiered" with Episode 2 on Tuesday, September 11 at 9:30pm
A gay couple hires a newly single mom to be their surrogate and help them start a family.
TIM: I pretty much want to murder every single stereotypical, paper-thin character on this show... particularly Ellen Barkin's Nana. While Ryan Murphy's message (bigotry sucks) is a good one, he presents it in the worst way possible, with arguments he can't lose, by making the other side absolutely hideous. And then he makes one of the gay guys look forward to a baby like it's a hand bag. A misguided effort.
PRICE: It's okay; I admit I'm exactly the type of viewer who should love this premise, but something about the execution just got on my nerves. Fortunately things picked up in Episode 2 and there's enough potential in the cast and writing for the show to become something special. As it is now though, it could go either way.
WALTER: Typically clunky awkward pilot introduction of the characters and ongoing story, but I liked several of the characters and actors and thought this one had lots of good lines. The great grandmother pulling the gun on the boyfriend was one of the funniest scenes in all the comedy pilots.
MARYANN: I didn't cringe as hard as I thought I would. Actually, it was kind of sweet. Definitely grew on me.
The New Normal Review: Making the Choir Cringe? | Watch the Pilot for The New Normal
PRICE: Didn't like it. It's hard to say what felt more old-fashioned: The three-camera format, the misunderstanding-based farcical humor, or the dated Jewish and/or gay stereotype jokes. This show is definitely for those who miss Will & Grace but not necessarily Debra Messing. OR people who enjoy seeing Brandon Routh in scrubs (which is honestly the best selling point here).
WALTER: Much cuter and far less forced I expecting. It's totally a recycled Will & Grace, down to the creators and director (James Burrows did all of Will & Grace) and some of the jokes and the really ethnically Latin assistant (which also brings to mind 2 Broke Girls). But the actors and dialogue and set-up felt comfortable already. Standard but well-done; if you're going to recycle a comedy with the exact same behind-the-scenes team, it might as well be one that ran eight seasons.
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