The 10 Most Promising New TV Shows of Fall 2010

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6. “Running Wilde”
Network: FOX
Premieres: Tuesday, September 21st, 8:30pm CST

A lovable but immature playboy (Will Arnett, C) tries desperately to win (or buy) the heart of his childhood sweetheart (Keri Russell, L).
Photo credit: Brian Bowen Smith/FOX

With the cast and creator pedigree of “Running Wilde,” it had to be a pre-game favorite for the top of this list. Reuniting the hilarious Will Arnett with “Arrested Development” creator Mitchell Hurwitz and adding the charming Keri Russell to the mix should be comedy gold and I believe that someday it will be. From what I’ve read, the pilot I’ve seen has been radically revised and that gives me hope because this one stumbles out of the starting gate. It’s wildly inconsistent, only building into something interesting in the final scenes. But, this list is not a straight-up pilot ranking. It’s about potential. And “Running Wilde” clearly has the most of any FOX program. Arnett has perfect comic timing and his off-the-wall antics should make for an interesting counter-balance to Russell’s more genuine approach to character-building. I don’t love what I’ve seen of “Running Wilde” but I love Arnett, Russell, and Hurwitz enough to give it a second chance. And a third. And a probably a fourth.

5. “Nikita”
Network: The CW
Premieres: Thursday, September 9th, 8pm CST

Maggie Q as Nikita.
Photo credit: Jan Thijs/The CW

Nothing will be guiltier than the pleasure you’ll get from The CW’s reboot of the franchise that started with Luc Besson’s “La Femme Nikita.” Who could have possibly imagined that the great original film would be followed by a remake (“Point of No Return”), basic cable series (“La Femme Nikita”), and now a network reboot? The ridiculously sexy Maggie Q stars as the title character and this time she’s escaped from her former employers and is planning to bring down the infamous network of assassins in whatever way possible. TV veterans Shane West (“Once and Again”), Xander Berkeley (“24”), Lyndsey Fonseca (“How I Met Your Mother”), and Ashton Holmes (“The Pacific”) make the more ridiculously cheesy moments easier to take but the fact is that this is pure popcorn entertainment. The dialogue is often cringe-worthy but who cares when the pacing is so breakneck, the cast is so easy on the eyes, and the action is so well-done? The point is that no one should check out “Nikita” for the character development or witty repartee. For every other reason you want to be entertained on a Thursday night? You could do a lot worse.

4. “No Ordinary Family”
Network: ABC
Premieres: Tuesday, September 28th, 7pm CST

Julie Benz, Michael Chiklis.
Photo credit: Eric McCandless/ABC

If it wasn’t for the recent failure of “Heroes,” this would be number one. And if we’re judging purely on the pilot and not the potential of the premise than it would also hold the top of the list. We’ll get into it with a full review later when it’s been finalized but the premiere of “No Ordinary Family” is great. Two of the best TV actors of the last decade — Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) and Julie Benz (“Dexter”) — star as the drifting patriarch and matriarch of a family that tries to reunite by taking a trip that ends with a plane crash. The family survives but they come home to slowly discover that they have super powers. Don’t worry. There’s no comic-book aesthetic or great conspiracy like on “Heroes.” Do you remember the early days of that show when the characters still felt genuine? When it was about everyday people stuck in fascinating situations? “No Ordinary Family” finds a way to ground the lunacy of its concept with people who feel real (thanks mostly to Chiklis, Benz, and Romany Malco). Similar shows have fallen flat in recent years but I truly hope that “No Ordinary Family” is as good as its pilot for an entire season. If so, it will be one of the best shows on television.

3. “Hawaii Five-0”
Network: CBS
Premieres: Monday, September 20th, 9pm CST

Scott Caan plays Detective Danny “Danno” Williams, Daniel Dae Kim portrays Chin Ho Kelly, Alex O’Loughlin plays Detective Steve McGarrett, and Grace Park plays Kono.
Photo credit: Mario Perez/CBS

In terms of ratings, I expect that “Hawaii Five-0” will rule over all other new programs this year. Not only is it being handed the cushy timeslot that turned “C.S.I.: Miami” into a monster hit but it is cut from exactly the same cloth that turned “NCIS: Los Angeles” into a smash success last year. With incredible production values, very charismatic leads, gorgeous locations, and fast-paced action, “Hawaii Five-0” is shockingly entertaining. It helps to have an amazingly likable cast headed by Alex O’Loughlin (who has finally found the right role after “Moonlight” and “Three Rivers”), the best role of Scott Caan’s (“Entourage”) career, the shockingly sexy Grace Park (“Battlestar Galactica”), and the always-fantastic Daniel Dae Kim (“Lost”). The snob in me who wants all TV to be like “Mad Men” or “The Pacific” feels somewhat obligated to point out that this is nothing more than well-done escapism but, you know, sometimes that’s what you need on a Monday night. It’s a trip I expect millions of viewers will enjoy taking.

2. “Undercovers”
Network: NBC
Premieres: Wednesday, September 22nd, 7pm CST

Boris Kadjoe as Steven Bloom, Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Samantha Bloom.
Photo credit: Frank Ockenfels/NBC

The odd pairing of high-concept expert J.J. Abrams (“Lost,” “Star Trek”) and the typically-more-grounded writer Josh Reims (“Brothers and Sisters,” “What About Brian”) results in an expertly produced, paced, and performed spy-show that should easily rise to the top of this suddenly-trendy genre (“Covert Affairs,” “Nikita,” “Burn Notice”). The gorgeous pairing of Boris Kadjoe and Gugu Mbatha-Raw as 2010’s version of “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” is matched in a pilot that sends them around the world to breathtakingly beautiful settings. In the premiere, Steven (Kodjoe) and Samantha Bloom are living happy “normal” lives having put their spy work behind them but the disappearance of a former friend in the business (Carter MacIntyre) forces them into action and reinstatement under a liaison expertly played by TV veteran Gerald McRaney. This is the “fastest” new hour of the season — a show that zips by with Abrams’ remarkable sense of pacing, very likable lead and supporting performances, clever dialogue, and theatrical-quality production values. Kodjoe and Mbatha-Raw could be the breakout stars of the season.

1. “The Event”
Network: NBC
Premieres: Monday, September 20th, 8pm CST

Laura Innes as Sophia Gavras, Ian Anthony Dale as Simon Lee, Jason Ritter as Sean Walker, Bill Smitrovich as Winston Jarvis, Blair Underwood as President Martinez, Lisa Vidal as Christina Martinez, Zeljko Ivanek as Blake Sterling.
Photo credit: Joseph Viles/NBC

The concept behind this list is potential. “The Event” could go either way. Is it the next “24”? The next “Lost”? That level of potential is there and so it has to top a list of the most promising shows of the season. Of course, as when any project swings for the fences like this unusual show, it has just as much potential to strike out as it does to hit a grand slam. Only time will tell for sure. But the ultimate test of a pilot is whether or not you’ll tune in again to see what happens next. The premiere of “The Event” isn’t perfect but it hints at what could be a remarkably addictive show where you simply have to keep watching to see how the writers plan to unravel their plot threads. The first episode jumps back and forth in time, introducing us to several characters, before ending on such a bizarre and unusual note that it’s going to have people talking the next day. The cast is uniformly strong, including TV veterans Blair Underwood, Laura Innes, and Zeljko Ivanek, but the main reason “The Event” is the most promising new show of 2010 is simple — with a freshmen class full of programs that feel cut from the same cloth, this is one of the few that stands apart. It may not connect the way I think it will but there certainly won’t be anything else like it in 2010.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com