The new fall season is finally underway and boy, am I tired! Trying to watch and review every new show is quite a challenge but I¹m doing my best. This week's column features "mini-reviews" of four new series which debuted last week.
Before I start, however, I need to qualify something. Reviewing pilot episodes is a tricky business. Since no show ever finds its footing right away you are basically reviewing the potential of a new series when you are reviewing a pilot. Some come out of the gate with great potential and fade fast. Still others look like they are going nowhere fast and end up becoming a television classic.
Keeping these things in mind, here is my rating scale:
A = Outstanding potential, great writing, good cast chemistry
B = Above average debut with the hope of moving into the A category.
C = Average series with some potential seen for becoming something better
D = Terrible. Barring a miracle, this show has little hope of getting better.
F = Don¹t bother, a terrible waste of time
HYPERION BAY (WB Network) Grade of pilot episode: C+
This drama series centers around the friends and family of a former high school computer geek who comes back home a much different person than when he left. His mission is to build a computer factory that will provide jobs and save his dying town. The former geek is played by former child star Mark Paul-Gosselaar (SAVED BY THE BELL).
His troubles include a resentful brother who is on the verge of getting a divorce; a father who loves him very much but, so far, can¹t relate to his son¹s world; and a former high school cheerleader who never paid him any attention in school. Now, however, it is a different story.
The premise of this series isn¹t quite clear to me yet. I can¹t figure out if Mark Paul-Gosselaar¹s character is coming back home to try and save his home town because he really cares or because he wants to show up everyone who made fun of him in high school. The cast is pleasant enough and the beautiful mountain scenery provides the small town atmosphere. This isn¹t a series I¹d rush home to see, however.
THE HUGHLEYS (ABC) Grade of the pilot episode: B
This comedy stars stand-up comic D.L. Hughley as a successful businessman who moves his family from the city to the suburbs. The comic situations stem from the fact that the Hughley family is black and have moved in to a predominantly white neighborhood.
