LITTLE ROCK — Good luck, fellow TV lovers. Today and Wednesday are the two most hectic days for new and returning shows in the entire new fall season.
There are three freshmen series premiering today, with three more Wednesday. Four veterans shows return today and five more Wednesday.
To make matters more complicated, two of the new comedies - Ben and Kate and The Mindy Project - are among the fall’s best new shows vying for your attention along with your old favorites.
On top of all that, TV’s No. 1 drama, NCIS, debuts at 7 p.m. today on CBS with the aftermath of last season’s jaw dropping cliffhanger that had a bomb blast ripping through headquarters and fan favorite medical examiner Ducky (David McCallum) collapsing of a heart attack on a beach when he got the news on the phone.
You should have seen my e-mails.
“Nooooooo!!! Is Ducky dead?!”
“Did Abby die in the bomb???!!! No. Don’t tell me.”
“What about McGee??!”
An impressive 18.7 million viewers sat spellbound as the credits rolled. Most of those fans are nervous because they know that NCIS has been known to knock off a major character or two when the time comes to clean house.
Tune in tonight to find out who lived and who died.
New Girl. The delightful Zooey Deschanel and gang return for their second season at 7 p.m. today on Fox.
Ben and Kate. 7:30 p.m. today on Fox. Give this lighthearted comedy a try. It’s getting warm reviews thanks mostly to the refreshing Dakota Johnson (daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson) as a young single mom coping with life when her slacker brother (Nat Faxon) moves in to help her take care of her daughter.
NCIS: Los Angeles. 8 p.m. today on CBS. Season 4. Hard to believe it has been that long.
The Mindy Project. 8:30 p.m. today on Fox. The first version I saw of this new comedy was disjointed and forgettable. Fortunately, large chunks were retooled and reshot and what we have now is quite promising.
If you like Mindy Kaling.
The comedy was created by (and stars) Kaling, late of The Office. Kaling played customer service rep Kelly Kapoor. In her new show, Kaling plays Mindy Lahiri, a young doctor struggling to get her personal and professional lives together.
No comedy wheels are reinvented here, but if you liked her on The Office, you’ll like her in this sitcom.
Private Practice. 9 p.m. today on ABC. The end is in sight for this series and Season 6 will likely be truncated.
Vegas. 9 p.m. today on CBS. This new drama set in 1960s Las Vegas features Dennis Quaid as sheriff Ralph Lamb and Michael Chiklis as mobster Vincent Savino come to town to open his own casino.
If you like retro TV and Westerns and gangsters and good guys vs. bad guys, then here’s your show.
The Middle. 7 p.m. Wednesday on ABC. An hour special kicks off Season 4 for the folks of Orson, Ind.
Guys With Kids. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday on NBC. Jimmy Fallon is producing this fairly lackluster comedy about three thirty something new fathers who are clueless about being dads. I don’t see this one lasting very long.
Modern Family. 8 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
TV’s funniest comedy returns for Season 4. In last season’s thrilling cliffhanger, Gloria (Sofia Vergara) informed the audience she was pregnant.
Oddly, I got no panicked e-mails over that bombshell.
Criminal Minds. 8 p.m. Wednesday on CBS. The veteran crime drama just keeps ticking with Season 8. There’s a crime; it gets solved.
Law & Order: SVU. 8 p.m. Wednesday on NBC. Talk about longevity, this will be Season 14 for the venerable series. There’s a crime; it gets solved.
The Neighbors. 9 p.m. Wednesday on ABC. Jamie Gertz and Lenny Venito move to a gated community where all the neighbors are space aliens. The new sitcom is silly - too silly for my tastes.
It’s also gross. When the aliens cry, they ooze green goo from their ears.
CSI. 9 p.m. Wednesday on CSI. TV’s former No. 1 show soldiers on with Season 13. There’s a crime; it gets solved.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. E-mail:
Style, Pages 28 on 09/25/2012