Intimidated by the list of nearly 50 new shows coming out in the fall? Never fear, I have done the hard work for you of watching the trailers for all the network offerings (and believe me, it wasn’t all fun and games — there are some true stinkers out there).
But why dwell on the bad stuff (which no one is forcing us to watch anyway?). Here are 11 shows that might be worth our time in the 2011-12 TV season. If you want to search for more, I recommend Zap2It’s guide.
1. “Napoleon Dynamite” (Fox, midseason)
Why it’ll be good: This is a TV show I didn’t realize I was subconsciously dying to see ever since the 2004 movie. The original cast provides the voices, and scenarios such as a shirtless Napoleon suggesting that Kip is jealous of his “sweet bod” proves that the writers still have material.
Reasons to worry: But the trailer also revisits the scene from the movie with the martial arts instructor (I still laughed, though). And “Nacho Libre” showed that this type of humor didn’t work a second time on the big screen.
How long it’ll last: Four episodes. But hopefully they will have put together a full season of episodes so they can release a flippin’ sweet DVD.
2. “New Girl” (Fox)
Why it’ll be good: It’s often been said that movies are an actors’ medium and TV is a writers’ medium, where mediocre writing can’t be punched up by great acting. “New Girl” proves otherwise: Zooey Deschanel is so completely adorable as the bungling 20-something who moves in with four guys that she takes the sitcommy gags to another level. It’s exactly the same plot as “About a Girl,” which aired a couple years ago on The-N, yet so much better due to Zooey.
Reasons to worry: Well, Zooey is great in the trailer anyway. But over the course of the series, I might long for less-shallow writing and more characterization.
How long it’ll last: One season. It’ll be that critical darling/cult favorite that gets mistreated by the network.
3. “Terra Nova” (Fox)
Why it’ll be good: It looks like “Jurassic Park” meets “Avatar” meets your living room. If that’s not enough said, the trailer speaks for itself as it suggests that extra year of getting this series up and running has paid off. Even though the trailer doesn’t show many dinosaurs, it still has a palpable vibe of wonder and suspense reminiscent of the early days of “Lost.”
Reasons to worry: OK, the setup of going back in time and starting a new civilization is cool, but we don’t know if the week-to-week conflicts will hold our attention.
How long it’ll last: The hype behind this show will push it to one full season, but the high cost of making it will get it canceled.
4. “Pan Am” (ABC)
Why it’ll be good: I love shows that recapture the spirit of the recent past, and “Pan Am” appears to do that with the 1960s, through the lens of the burgeoning field of flight stewarding. Also, the always-great-but-recently-scarce Christina Ricci is in it.
Reasons to worry: The style might trump the substance, or it might just be too darn slow-moving, like “Mad Men.”
How long it’ll last: Seven seasons, although everyone will stop caring after three.
5. “Ringer” (The CW)
Why it’ll be good: Sarah Michelle Gellar in the lead role of a TV series? It worked out pretty good the last time. Hopefully, “Ringer” will show her range beyond Buffy Summers, as she portrays a drug addict who gets a new lease on life by assuming the identity of her dead (murdered?) twin sister.
Reasons to worry: The trailer and the preview clips are really slow. And kind of boring, to be honest. I can only hope this is one of those shows that can’t be captured in small bites.
How long it’ll last: Two seasons.
6. “The River” (ABC, midseason)
Why it’ll be good: I have a soft spot for things called “The River,” whether it’s a Bruce Springsteen song or a “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” comic-book arc. This show about a naturalist who goes missing in the Amazon comes from the folks behind “Paranormal Activity,” and some handheld footage in the trailer provides that horror vibe. The ambitious setting also has great visual appeal.
Reasons to worry: Horror has never played as well on TV as it does in the movies, so “The River” will have to be much more than that.
How long it’ll last: One season, then its bubble will burst, just barely.
7. “Hart of Dixie” (The CW)
Why it’ll be good: As with the aforementioned Deschanel, Ricci and Gellar, “Hart of Dixie” serves up a talented actress who we usually have to buy movie tickets to see, in the form of Rachel Bilson. The actress who broke out on “The O.C.” gets the displaced-young-doctor role in what might be dubbed “Southern Exposure” due to its similarity to the Alaska-based classic. The supporting cast includes Scott Porter (early “Friday Night Lights”) and Cress Williams (recent “Friday Night Lights”), and it does look like more of a character drama than a medical drama.
Reasons to worry: Still, there’s always the fear that it could turn into a “patient of the week” serial.
How long it’ll last: Six seasons.
8. “Are You There Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea” (NBC, midseason)
Why it’ll be good: The series appears to be closely based on Chelsea Handler’s autobiographical tomes, and I’m interested to get into that material since I’ve gotten hints of it on “Chelsea Lately” but haven’t bothered to seek out the books. And Laura Prepon is the perfect choice to play the sitcom Chelsea — acerbic, but with a softer side than Handler herself conveys.
Reasons to worry: It uses a laugh track. Honestly, that already ruins the show for me.
How long it’ll last: Nine episodes, with four bonus episodes online.
9. “Revenge” (ABC)
Why it’ll be good: It’s going for that “guilty pleasure” thing, but it’s much more slickly made than most of the genre, and it stars an amazing-looking Emily Van Camp (“Everwood”). The vibe reminds me a bit of “Glory Days” (which also starred Van Camp) and “Hidden Palms” (and, indeed, this show feels like it belongs on The CW).
Reasons to worry: However, there doesn’t appear to be a “whodunit” mystery element here. It seems to be a case of Van Camp picking off people who were involved in her kidnapping when she was a child, which isn’t as immediately compelling.
How long it’ll last: Three episodes.
10. “Alcatraz” (Fox, midseason)
Why it’ll be good: It has Sam Neill giving a voiceover about how the titular prison island closed 50 years ago, but “that’s not what really happened.” It’s a rule: A Sam Neill voiceover makes everything 10 times better than it deserves to be.
Reasons to worry: “What really happened” appears to be that the prisoners have returned, unaged, and are killing people. That’s a decent X-File, sure, but I don’t know if it’ll work as a series.
How long it’ll last: Four seasons.
11. “Prime Suspect” (NBC)
Why it’ll be good: I could go for another juicy serial mystery, especially since AMC’s “The Killing” has hooked me. There’s no arguing with the pedigree of “Prime Suspect,” which is spun off from the highly respected British series of the same name. I loved Kirk Acevedo as a meat-and-potatoes FBI agent in the first season of “Fringe,” and it’s good to see him again here.
Reasons to worry: Stylistically, this isn’t on par with “The Killing.” And I could do without the tired cliché of the female cop (Maria Bello) struggling to fit in to the old boys’ club at the precinct, which is the thread that dominates the trailer.
How long it’ll last: 10 seasons.
What new shows are you most looking forward to? Share your thoughts below.