Midway through the soft-open week of the new season, tonight we get the premiere of two of the fall’s most hyped shows: The CW’s Josh Schwartz-helmed teen-soap Gossip Girl and FOX’s juggernaut of middle-aged star power, Back to You. Reviews of both pilots can still be read here and here.
My thoughts on Gossip Girl (9PM, CW) haven’t really changed since I watched it earlier in the summer – mostly because I haven’t thought about it again. If you’re at all inclined to watch a show like this, you’re not going to be disappointed by what you get. You’re also not going to be surprised, which is a shame.
As for Back to You (8PM, FOX), watching the first episode is much like finding yourself on a blind date with someone who is both unattractive and obnoxious. You stare at them blankly, waiting to be let in on the joke, but the punchline never comes. You were duped into wasting precious moments of your interesting life on a terrible mistake, and when it’s over, you’re angry and confused. Though I couldn’t care less about the two TV dynasties that stars Grammar and Heaton come from, I still can’t believe no effort went into making this show remotely dynamic. It’s total bunk.
If you’re going to take a chance on a new series tonight, you should probably avoid the aforementioned completely. Instead, check out the premiere of CBS’s scandal-soaked Kid Nation (8PM) – a show that puts 40 children in a ghost town and forces them to fend for themselves for a month and a half! I’ve only seen the ten minute promo that ran during the upfronts – so I can’t say that it’s actually any good – but it certainly could be the greatest thing to ever happen to reality television. CBS certainly thinks so. They’re already casting the second season. Find out if it’s worth it tonight, and come back tomorrow for my reaction.