Image Credit: Ray Mickshaw/FX
A few weeks into the new TV season, we’ve already seen a few new shows fall victim to low ratings and overall stink. (Sorry, Free Agents.) But on the glass half-full side, we’re also slowly learning which shows have a strong pulse, and subsequently — if you’re one of those who waits to get invested — which ones we should be jumping on board.
Admittedly, that’s still a crap load of shows to sift through. Personally, three have floated to the top of my must-watch list (at least, this is the standing until Once Upon a Time premieres in two weeks): American Horror Story, 2 Broke Girls, and Hart of Dixie. My most controversial pick is easily Dixie — and not because Rachel Bilson’s microscopic shorts are basically illegal in Alabama. But it’s not a critically adored new show and hasn’t garnered huge ratings. (It has, however, gotten a full season pick up. WOO!) Whatever. I like it. And that’s the attitude we all have to adopt when talking about our new faves. Hold the torch even when it seems like there’s no one else who likes it. Spoiler: There’s always someone else.
That’s my official pep talk. Now, ‘fess up. What are your three favorite shows of the season, readers? (Take our poll below and tell us in the comments!) And while you’re at it, tell me some of your least favorites. Count me among the non-fans of Whitney, in part because it was simply not amusing enough to compete with the second half-hour of Grey’s Anatomy in my book.
Still need encouragement? Here are some picks from the EW family. This is a safe place.
Kristen Baldwin
Revenge, Homeland, American Horror Story
Ken Tucker
Homeland, Prime Suspect, Enlightened
Melissa Maerz
Homeland, American Horror Story, Revenge
Martin Schwartz
Enlightened, The X Factor, Suburgatory
Lanford Beard
American Horror Story, Up All Night, New Girl
Henry Goldblatt
Revenge, Homeland, Suburgatory
Kate Ward
Up All Night, 2 Broke Girls
Ben Wood
Revenge, Prime Suspect, American Horror Story
Erin Strecker
Revenge, 2 Broke Girls, New Girl
Tim Stack
Revenge, Homeland, American Horror Story
Jessica Shaw
Revenge, 2 Broke Girls, Hart of Dixie
For the results and some scoop on your new favorite shows, check out an upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly!
Follow Sandra on Twitter: @EWSandraG
Never thought I’d be into Revenge, but it’s a great show! I’m totally hooked!
The only new show I’ve watched more than once is THE ROSIE SHOW (despite the fact that ew.com is ignoring it or snubbing it or whatever – 14 articles a day about Ashton Kutcher and NOT A WORD about a talk show legend coming back to TV?!?)
I think you need to rethink your definition of “legend”.
FIVE consecutive Emmys for Best Daytime Talk Show Host kinda says….LEGEND, baby!
American Horror Story, New Girl, Terra Nova, with 2 Broke Girls in a close 4th.BTW,I wanna share a good news to you.My best friend ,she just has announced her wedding with a millionaire man who is a celebrity !they met via Millionaireloving.C óM ..it is the largest and best club for celebrity and their admirers to chat online.You do not have to be rich or famous. ,but you can meet one , It’s worthy a try,Maybe you wanna check it out or tell your friends!
@Joe – Jon Cryer has an Emmy too. So does Montel Williams.
Wow, I didn’t even notice that EW snubbed Rosie. You’re right.
I actually wish Rosie would’ve come back to a basic cable channel…
I would love to watch her show, but I don’t have OWN on my extended cable.
…….and Tyra Banks, so there goes that theory out the window.
Only because Oprah took her name out of contention.
HAHAHHAHAHA!!!!! Rosie O’DOnnel is the single most annoying woman in the world. Did you ever see that episode of the Simpsons where they were sending annoying celebs into the sun to die? She was one of them.
Best show – Prime Suspect. Worst show – Charlies Angels. Rosie O’Donnell, a legend? Like, the Tom Cruise Legend (1985) with the big red demon, the last unicorn, and a fairy princess? That kinda describes Rosie…
Joe, I completely agree! Rosie’s show rocks and it’s great she’s back onTV. Maybe CBS is paying to put Ashton’s face up for cheap publicity of a show that’s going down fast. Whatever the case, I agree with you and had to say!
I totally agree with you Joe – they didn’t even review Rosie. And you can’t talk about Talk Shows in the 90′s without her. Plus she was what helped re-energize The View.
actually, the fact that all u nobodys know who rosie odonnell is proves that shes a legend, for good or for bad.
Actually my favorite was cancelled “The Playboy Club”..would go with “American Horror Story” and “The New Girl’..worst is “Whitney” hate hate hate hate HATE HER!
Can’t watch New Girl. I find Zoey’s monotone voice to much to take. I tried to like her but I can’t.
Love “New Girl”!! For sure my favorite. Then would come Suburgatory, and X factor.
I like The Ringer!!! Can’t explain why, but I’m hooked. I liked the pilot of Up All Night, but it tanked after that. American Horror Story is good, but kind of slow. Can’t watch Revenge – there is something about the lead that makes me unable to look at her….looks like she’s always about to yawn, or swallow, or cough, or something like that, but can never quite commit to it. New Girl is unwatchable, as is Suburgatory, or Idol 2.0 (x-factor). Good singers, but it’s been done. It’s like American Idol, and The Voice having a baby…that baby is X-Factor. It’s just an overdone concept.
I had to remove The New Girl from my DVR! Zooey annoys the crap out of me…there’s no way I can believe people leave her alone with their children. There’s quirky, and then there’s “omg i’m soooo quirky and awkward and i talk in a baby voice and jump when I dribble a basketball everybody pay attention to meeee,” which is what I get when I watch this show. I like the guys though – they should have a show! Without Zooey! I miss Elf-Zooey.
Whitney! Yea, I said it.
for best or worst?
Loving me some Whitney! Not even a guilty pleasure, I’m just really liking it in a female version of 2 and a half men kind of way. I loved her stand up comedy though so that might mean I’m kind of biased.
LOL loves crap
Whitney is a bit annoying but I like the boyfriend and the rest of the cast. She writes the show and the jokes are funny….
So funny you need background laughter to tell you it’s funny. Pass.
They actually don’t use background laughter..common misconception. Google it.
@Melissa just because they say “Filmed in front of a live studio audience” does not mean that said audience is not prompted to laugh, and it also does not mean that that said laughter is not sweetened later by a prerecorded laugh track!..common misconception…I know this for a fact after working on “The Wayans Bros.” series for three seasons back in the 90′s….plus your comment made no sense even if it was live, the laughter would still be in the background otherwise you would not hear the lines!
@Melissa He did not say laugh track, he said background laughter..what a idiot you are!
I’m surprised so many picked Revenge, I may have to give it a shot!
I started watching 3 new shows this fall – Ringer, New Girl and Terra Nova. I decided to stop Terra Nova this week due to bad writing and the fact that it definitely wasn’t using its full potential. Ringer, although the characters aren’t too captivating, has an awesome fast-paced plot. And New Girl is simply awesome- I wasn’t originally planning to watch it, but I’m glad I did!
Revenge is good, in a soapy way!
I agree with the shock that I like Revenge. I actually made fun of the show after seeing promo after promo. The promos really made the show seem ridiculous but I love how fast paced it is. Someone else falls each episode. Only gripe is they need to make the main girl a lil more likeable. I understand she went through a lot but please make her somewhat relatable or likeable.
After seeing what that horrible shrink did to Emily as a child, I’m not surprised she is the way she is. Plus, she shows flashes of gentleness and sweetness whenever she’s around the cute bartender and his adorable dog. She’s not completely cold.
Revenge is defiantly my favorite of the new season. It is just pain addictive. It’s the show that I can’t wait for.
American Horror Story, Revenge and Homeland. Hopefully Once Upon a Time will pop in there once it airs.
I just noticed 3 of the EW writers agree.
Wish I had Showtime to check out Homeland, I hear its great!
I like it too but I wonder how they’ll sustain it over the long term. Eventually she’ll run out of people. I’d also like to see an act of revenge that actually runs longer than a single episode and one where maybe she tries to get revenge and fails, just to keep it a little more interesting.
My thoughts exactly! Love this show but she needs to falter a bit here and there…and not having a storyline wrapped up in one episode would be nice too!!
I think at some point it’s going to be less about all the people she wants revenge on, and will become a cat and mouse game between Emily and Queen Victoria, with Emily trying to cover her tracks. That’s definitely the most intriguing aspect of the show (kind of like the cat and mouse game between Dexter and Sgt. Doakes on Dexter). I have to agree, Revenge was a definite surprise for me too. I had no desire to watch this show, but caught up on demand last weekend and now I’m hooked. The scenery is so beautiful it’s breathtaking, and I love how sneaky and determined Emily is. I mean, she spent an entire YEAR in fake therapy with a shrink in order to get her revenge, that’s commitment!
RINGER, REVENGE, and THE SECRET CIRCLE are my three fave pics.
Terra Nova is good mainly because of Jason O’Mara’s magnificent torso! Otherwise, I like Prime Suspect, Ringer, Revenge, and American Horror Story.
My least favorites are Up all Night, Whitney and the already cancelled How to be a Gentleman – sorry Johnny Drama, hope your show Johnny Banana’s (or is it Johnny’s Banana?) does better in fake TV land.
Revenge, New Girl and Ringer…in that order. Glad to hear that they all are picked up for full season runs!!!
OMG me too! I absolutely LOVE revenge. I hope it stays on so we can see how it plays out. Otherwise, I would be severely disappointed.
Wow.. I guess I’m alone in my affection for Unforgettable
Hard to pick just 3! Here are the shows that have made it to my dvr on a weekly basis.
1. Revenge: Great fun!
2. Ringer: Total train wreck, but in a good way
3. Pan Am: A subsitute till Mad Men comes back.
4. Up all Night: Reminds me when my kids were little
5. Heart of Dixie: Come on…It’s the OC meets Everwood.
6. Person of Interest: I would watch Ben Linus read the phone book.
Am looking forward to Once Upon a Time and I wish I got Showtime because Homeland seems awesome.
Though you know Ben Linus wishes he was back in Hawaii about now!
1. Person of Interest (Michael Emerson!)
2. Homeland
3. Ringer (I agree with the great trainwreck.)
Honestly I think the only reason why I watch it is to watch Michel Emerson be a fussy little man and loving every moment of it. Needs a good bad guy for that series tho
My disappointed with goes to
Terra Nova (Terra Nova is just too cliche for me.)
Pan Am (meh)
Prime Suspect (it’s not bad.. I just don’t feel attached to it)
The good bad guy on point of interest is named Elias. He has already been referred to but not seen yet. I think he is going to be the batman equivalent of the joker,riddler ect. A foe for Mr.Reese.
I’m two of three with you. Move Person of Interest to #3 and we have a match.
PRIME SUSPECT IS THE BEST NEW SHOW!!! and Person of Interest. Shows with good acting and stories.
Prime Suspect is excellent!
I hate the hat.
Prime Suspect is the only new show that I’ve made any effort to watch again. I like all the interactions between the cops. Plus Charlie from Fringe is on it, so there’s that. And don’t worry about the hat, she’s going to have to switch to a stocking cap soon anyway.
Best:
Homeland, Pan Am, Revenge (Enlightened could be a contender but there’s only been one)
Worst:
Charlie’s Angels, Playboy Club, Suburgatory (I’m sure Unforgettable belongs here but I didn’t even give in an hour of my time)
I’m not sure how I forgot Whitney in worst. Suburgatory isn’t THAT bad but I hate how outdated and stuck in 2004 it is. It’s learning satire from better satires before it and not actually skewering anything moderately current
Prime Suspect, Up All Night, New Girl and a few of the CW shows are all worth watching but only Homeland is truly great yet.
American Horror Story is a prime candidate for worst.
That may be why I like suburgatory, reminds me of high school when I was there…. can it really have changed that much isnce then?
Best = New Girl, Suburgatory, American Horror Story
Worst = Pan Am, Whitney, Charlie’s Angels
Pan Am is so incredibly boring, and I love Christina Ricci usually!
Pan Am and Prime Suspect would be 4 and 5 for me. I wanted to like Suburgatory but it is hard to enjoy when I keep thinking they are a married couple — she looks 25 and he looks 30. For a fun series about real kids in real suburbs, catch up on episodes of Awkward.
Can’t they have let us pick an extra one?
Ringer, Pan Am, 2 Broke Girls, and Terra Nova are easily the best new shows, IMO.
Oh and American Horror Story and New Girl is actually decent, too.
Best:
1. New Girl
2. Pan Am
3. X Factor
Worst: Pretty much everything else (with some exceptions)
see as soon as you put X Factor in you lost ANY credibility… Really the BEST new show REALLY!
1. 2 Broke Girls
2. Last Man Standing
3. The New Girl
No real solid Dramas this year but I do like Person of Interest, Heart of Dixie and Terra Nova.
WHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEYWHITNEY
both best and worst
Worst and worst.
And worst!!
Whitney is terribly annoying! New Girl is way better!
Yes, but Whitney is way hotter!
Why isn’t American Horror Story included in the poll? It’s stupid for them to use a picture from the show but not include it in the poll. Anyways, I said American Horror Story, Ringer, and New Girl. I legit only tune in for American Horror Story, and I only saw the first episodes of New Girl and Ringer, but what I saw was really good. I just don’t have all the time to watch a bunch of new shows, and adding that on top of the new ones I already watch would consume so much time hahaha.
I’ve added it! Thank you! (KNEW I’d forget one!)
Homeland-gripping, exciting, and superb acting
Revenge-okay Emily Van Camp isn’t winning any Emmys but it’s a much better show than I thought it would be.
Ringer-yes it’s flawed but it’s campy and improbable, over-the-top ridiculous fun….
totally agree with your picks…love that bilson character in heart of dixie is basically summer roberts redux and she even says “ew” and there is def a star’s hollow vibe to the cute town (southern style tho)…american horror story is just so demented…ryan murphy must have crazy dreams in real life…and 2 broke girls is pretty stupid but very watchable…i was watching an old bette davis movie and for some reason the actress playing max reminds me of her a little bit and sort of a dark scarlett johanson too…and the skinny, buck-toothed blonde is pretty funny too…great chemistry between them..i gave up on whitney after about 5 minutes of 1st ep and also new girl – just too annoying and trying way to hard…
Yeah I was watching Hart of Dixie with my friend the other day and she turned to me and said “Wow, Rachel Bilson has really limited range.” She’s great at playing Summer, that’s about it, which is why her character is basically Summer Roberts with a medical degree.
Prime Suspect
New Girl
Suburgatory
Revenge
And since I don’t have cable I have to wait till they’re on DVD but something tells me I’d like them: American Horror Story and Homeland
Worst:
Last Man Standing, X Factor, and Whitney.
and I’m curios as to Grimm and Once upon a time, still have to wait a few more weeks for them though.
American Horror Story, New Girl, Terra Nova, with 2 Broke Girls in a close 4th.
My three favorites this year are Suburgatory, Whitney, and Up All Night. All three have been consistently good so far, they all have the potential though to get old really fast. I can see why some wouldn’t like Whitney, but I think they should try it. Every episode is actually getting better and better each week.
I like New Girl, but I am really dissapointed in it. I expected it to be really good, but it’s just alright. The writing isn’t special, and sometimes they have Zoey doing things just to be quirky but in the end its just stupid. The episodes are a little repetitive, but I’m hoping the show gets better.
any thing you dad to say when up in flames when you added the worst sitcom of the past ten years in your best!
Whitney has to be one of the worst sitcoms ever!! The laugh track makes it even more obnoxious particularly because the laughing is at jokes that aren’t even funny. Just being crass doesn’t make it funny… you have to actually be funny!! I cannot believe it got picked up for a full season. Worst show ever!!!