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With the Emmy Awards over and the Fall season upon us, it’s that time of year for all the shows who walked away with shiny golden hardware to remind us of why they deserve all those accolades. It’s also the time of the year when a new crop of shows try to convince us why they should be on next year’s Emmy ballots!

 

And for our money, there are plenty of rookie shows on the prime time schedule right now that we think deserve some love from both viewers and critics!

 

 

“The New Normal” (Tuesdays, NBC)

Ryan Murphy, AKA the busiest man in TV right now, gives us a great companion piece to his smash hit “Glee”, taking many of the issues he explores in his FOX high school musical and giving them a more grown-up upgrade. Young single mom Goldie (Georgia King) decides she wants to do some good in the world to set an example for her daughter, so she agrees to be the surrogate mom for gay couple (Andrew Rannells and Justin Bartha) who want to start a family. But not everyone is so accepting of this “new normal”, like Goldie’s unabashedly bigoted mom, Jane (Ellen Barkin), who seems to be an exaggerated example of those in our society who still resist progressive ideas. Yes, she’s over-the-top, but she forces the characters around her to confront narrow-minded views head-on and learn to process and react to them in the best possibly way that they can. It can get uncomfortable at times, but the truth sometimes is uncomfortable, right? P.S. The show just got picked up for a full season, so they must be doing something right!

 

 

 

 

“Go On” (Tuesdays, NBC)

Matthew Perry is back! After struggling to find the best niche following the massive success of “Friends”, it looks like Perry has found himself a new, though very different, circle of friends – namely, the other folks in his grief therapy classes! Matthew plays a radio sports jockey who tragically loses his wife and is forced to go to therapy to deal with his issues when they start to affect his work. Here he encounters a motley group of fellow troubled folks who make perfect foils for his signature sarcasm! It’s a show with a lot of heart, and I for one would love to see Matthew Perry get recognized for his work in this at next year’s Emmys!

 

 

 

 

"Partners" (Mondays, CBS)

This one has flown a bit more under the radar, but that will hopefully change very soon as word gets out about this hilarious show which follows the lives of four friends and three different relationships within that circle – but don’t get the wrong idea! The central relationship is Louis (Michael Urie) and Joe (David Krumholtz), business partners at an architect firm. Joe dates Ali (Sophia Bush), while Louis is with Wyatt (Brandon Routh). Unlike the other shows mentioned here, this is a multi-camera show taped in front of a live audience, which is definitely an endangered species these days, but it works for the show’s old-school charm.

 

 

 

 

"Arrow" (Wednesdays, The CW)

The only show that has yet to debut, but there’s plenty of buzz to be had! Many people have assumed that this is a spin-off of “Smallville”, since the same character was a regular on that long-running series on the same network. But it’s actually a completely fresh spin on this superhero, better known as The Green Arrow, with a new location and a new cast that includes Stephen Amell as the title character. This could definitely be the next great superhero series and should surely fill that void left by “Smallville” for The CW!

 

 

 

 

What new shows are YOU loving this Fall?