With the two weeks of fall TV having kicked off here are my suggestions for the crazy, funny, and dramatic shows that you should be paying attention to this TV season.
Scream Queens:
If Glee and American Horror Story had a baby that would be Scream Queens the funny, campy, gruesome new show from Ryan Murphy. It’s no surprise that he took elements from his two biggest hits and combined them to create this insane show. Emma Roberts stars as Chanel the president of a sorority who is trying to maintain her popularity and keep her minions in line while dealing with a serial killer loose on campus. In comes Grace, Skyler Samuels, a freshman intent on pledging the best sorority and getting that typical college experience she undoubtedly saw in a thousand movies. In typical fashion events don’t turn out like they are supposed to and the girls are soon dealing with a serial killer, a dean with a mysterious past and a queen bee intent on making their lives hell. That doesn’t sound like a winning combination for a show but it has the self-awareness to know that this is not a serious show at all. Even though the show doesn’t take itself too seriously the underlying mystery of this serial killer is intriguing enough to sustain itself for the three episodes that have already aired and with each week that questions are answered at least two more are asked. For people like me who have never enjoyed scary movies this is like a watered down version of all the great slasher films. In the first episode there are at least a dozen references to those classic horror movies that make a fun built in game for horror enthusiasts. Fashion seems to be the least important thing in horror movies but the amount of fantastic outfits in each episode is enough to focus on when you’re covering your eyes at the gruesome murder that just occurred. In typical Ryan Murphy fashion this show has a little bit of everything, murder, mystery, Miu Miu and moments that will make you pick your jaw up off the floor.
You’re the Worst:
This isn’t technically a new show this fall but it may be new to most people and I think that is a crime to ignore one of the most honest and funny shows on TV. Gretchen and Jimmy are terrible people: they steal gifts from weddings and ignore the basic courtesies that make people tolerable to be around, but in some twisted way they are perfect for each other. In this funny and totally honest portrayal of a couple of people who do not have their lives figures out, You’re the Worst is the exact opposite of the idealized comedies that permeate primetime. There is no grand love story where the two leads look into each other’s eyes and know they have found their soul mate. Instead there is a night of drug-fueled sex that leads them to the conclusion that they are both terrible people but they may be the terrible people for each other. It’s funny how two totally unlikeable characters have built a show that has fast become one of my favorites but there is a certain appeal to watching two people who have no concern for others try to make their way through life. With episodes that center around a Sunday brunch extravaganza and the struggles to figure out what you’re doing with your life, this show is one of the most honest and real shows about modern dating. Add in a cast of awesome supporting characters and you get a huge mess of a show that is so wonderfully crazy and funny and ready to be binged.
Quantico:
If you have ever watched How to Get A
way with Murder and thought to your self “I know what this needs: terrorism” then Quantico is the perfect show for you. In keeping with the non-linear time line that made How to Get Away with Murder so much fun watch this show tells the story of a group of FBI recruits who are trying to make it through the toughest training camp they have ever faced. If you’re unfamiliar with the steps to getting in the FBI, which I suspect you are, Quantico is the school that all recruits have to pass through in order to get that badge with the three letters. We watch as recruits from all over the country eave their homes to travel to this Petri dish of emotion and hormones to try and make it as an FBI agent. While the story of these recruits and their struggles to set themselves part from the group are told in flash back there is also a present day story that adds to the intrigue of the show. Our main character Alex, Priyanka Chopra, wakes up amid the rubble and ash of a collapsed building and finds that she is unknowingly in the middle of a terrorist attack. In present time she is quickly whisked away from the crime scene and made to remember every detail she can about the people she spent months training with. The audience soon learns that one of the people we have just been introduced to is a terrorist who orchestrated a terrorist attack while working to make it in the FBI. The stories are told concurrently so as we are gathering information about each of our main characters we have to keep in mind the fact that one of them may be a terrorist. The trend of making audiences work for their reward seems to apply here as the central mystery of this show is al about piecing together the seemingly inconsequential details to figure out which one of our characters is the bad guy. With a mystery that can sustain itself over a season and a cast that seems to be capable of handling the material thrown at them Quantico is a fresh new show that is worth a watch.