New Fall TV: Week 2

Quick and Dirty, because I have to run.

Outlaw - NBC, Fri 10/9 (special premiere Wed, Sept 15 10/9)

Starring Jimmy Smits ("Dexter" Season 3, "Cane", "NYPD Blue"), "Outlaw" is the ridiculous story of how the "most conservative" member of the Supreme Court quits to become a crusader for righting injustices. Add in the fact that the character is defined completely by his behaviors as a gambler and a serial womanizer and you can see why this train wreck has been relegated to late on Fridays. In theme, I think it will probably run like a bunch of other short-lived law dramas (see "In Justice" as an example), just not as good. I've watched to the first commercial break, and I've seen enough to tell you to stay away. Far away.


Sym-Bionic Titan - Cartoon, Fri 8/7

I can't tell you a whole lot about this one. The two short preview clips I've seen involve giant robots from space fighting each other and terrifying Earth's population. A good sci-fi cartoon could be interesting, but I'm not sure this is it. Wikipedia tells me that it blends "high school drama" with the aforementioned giant robots. Not sure how or if that works, but I think I'll be giving this one a pass.


Boardwalk Empire - HBO, Sun 9/8

HBO's latest, "Boardwalk Empire" is the tale of gamblers and bootleggers in Atlantic City at the dawn of Prohibition. It has an excellent pedigree: created by one of the chief writers of "The Sopranos", the pilot is directed by Martin Scorsese, and it stars Steve Buscemi. If I had HBO, I would certainly be watching this. I'm sure I'll find a way to get a hold of it eventually.