Each fall season comes brimming with a medley of new and returning TV shows. That is why the Scene is here to help viewers navigate the turbulent waters and pick the pearls of the small screen.
“Doctor Who”
“Doctor Who” is probably one of the most strangely endearing shows ever to grace TV screens.
The show, which debuted in 1963, is about a 900-year-old time-traveling humanoid alien called the Doctor, who picks up human companions and goes on wild adventures in time and space. No, it is not a synopsis for some forgotten B-movie; it is the basis for one of the most beloved British shows of all time.
The novelty of the show is that its sci-fi nature allows the Doctor to be played by a rotating lineup of actors, with the current incarnation played by Matt Smith. However, “Doctor Who” only recently gained popularity worldwide with the recent 2005 incarnation, currently helmed by showrunner Steven Moffat.
Balancing the perfect amount of camp, science fiction and emotional punch, “Doctor Who” has developed a cult following and a special place in the hearts of nerds all over the U.S.
“Doctor Who” premieres on BBC America Sept. 1 at 9 p.m.
Hoai-Tran Bui/EAGLE STAFF WRITER
“Dexter”
If you do not already have Showtime, make sure you get it by Sept. 30: “Dexter” is coming for what could be its last season.
After a shocking season finale, the show is back for its seventh season, which is expected to be one of the most riveting yet. The audience will follow Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) and his adoptive sister Deb (Jennifer Carpenter) after she discovers his biggest secret.
By the looks of Showtime’s previews, it will be anything but boring. Season seven will test the relationship between Dexter and Deb in a way audiences have not yet seen, as the brother-sister duo clash on what is right, what is moral and what is just.
“Dexter” airs on Showtime Sept. 30 at 9 p.m.
Kendall Breitman/EAGLE STAFF WRITER
“American Horror Story: Asylum”
Last year, FX struck TV gold with the slow-burning, plot-twist machine otherwise known as “American Horror Story.” The show, somewhat surprisingly created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk (the minds behind “Glee”), focused on a family in search of a new beginning. Naturally, they end up buying a home more famous for all the murders that occurred there than its architecture.
What follows is the twisted story of a family being wrenched apart by outside temptations and torture. Murphy and Falchuk have created a deliriously brilliant show that is as addicting as it is gory. Newcomers to the show need not worry about being a season behind: the second season will follow a mostly new cast and storyline, which will undoubtedly be as full of violent turns and troubled characters as the last one.
“American Horror Story” will air on Oct. 17 on FX at an unannounced time.
Yohana Desta/EAGLE STAFF WRITER
“Louie”
“Louie” is a “reality show” in the truest sense of the phrase. After “comedian’s comedian” Louis C.K. tried and failed to translate his cruelly funny sense of humor into his HBO sitcom “Lucky Louie” (the show was cancelled after one season), C.K. chose a different format for his current scripted series, with each episode serving as half hour short films depicting C.K.’s life in NYC. “Louie” strings together these vignettes with scenes of him performing stand-up, which swings between the raunchy and profoundly sad.
But the scenes in between, when the comedian is offstage and forced to interact with the real world, are what set the show apart from anything else on television. While other shows leave out the ugliness of daily life under the guise of providing entertainment, “Louie” is a show made of brief and brutal slices of humanity as viewed through the eyes of one of television’s wisest protagonists.
“Louie” airs Thursdays at 10:30 p.m. on FX.
Maeve McDermott/EAGLE STAFF WRITER
