Fire up your DVRs

The 10 most promising new TV shows to check out this Fall season

Mindy Kaling has a new show with her name on it even: The Mindy Project.
Ryan Murphy's new controversial series on NBC, The New Normal.
Matthew Perry leads an impressive ensemble on Go On, this fall on NBC.
NBC is trying to recreate the success they had with Heroes with their newpost-Apocalyptic drama, Revolution.
Lucy Liu and Jonny Lee Miller star in Elementary, the updated Sherlock Holmesseries this fall on CBS.
Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere star as country music rivals on ABC's newseries, Nashville.
Stephen Amell brings the grittiness of comic books back to the small screen inThe CW's Arrow.

It’s that time of year again. With the end of summer fast approaching, the five broadcast networks are shifting their focus from Summer to Fall television in hopes of being able to say, “Hey, we're (maybe) just as good as the shows on cable TV you all seem to be watching!”

While I was going through the schedule of new shows that premiere this month, I came to the realization that we have all been considerably spoiled by cable TV. Highly produced, beautifully written, and ridiculously well-cast shows like Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Game of Thrones and Girls really leave these new shows looking a little lackluster.

But it also isn’t fair to dismiss these shows solely because they’re on network TV. There are plenty of shows that rise above the stigma. Community, Parks & Recreation and The Good Wife are just some of the critically acclaimed shows that still appear on network TV. So it's not all bad.

To make things easier for all of you, here are our recommendations for 10 network shows worth checking out this season; many of which are already available online. (Let’s see if this list will fare better than last year’s, where only five out of the 10 suggestions got renewed for a second season...)

COMEDIES

The New Normal – Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on NBC – Premiere date: September 10, 2012

Ryan Murphy (Glee, Nip/Tuck) is joyfully stamping his name on every network these days, and NBC is the latest network to jump on the diversity train with The New Normal. A gay couple, portrayed by The Hangover’s Justin Bartha and Broadway star Andrew Rannells, realizes that what’s missing in their lives is the addition of a baby. They befriend Goldie (Georgina King) who becomes their surrogate, and hilarity (hopefully) ensues.

The series has already been a bit controversial — surprise! there's a gay couple wanting to adopt! — with the most recent headline coming from Salt Lake City where the NBC affiliate announced they would not be airing the show this fall. Hooray for progress and scandal on network TV!

Go On – Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. on NBC – Premiere date: September 10, 2012

NBC is really trying to make Matthew Perry’s Go On be a thing. The series will air its pilot for the third time within the span of a month in hopes to capture the attention of American audiences. Perry has unsuccessfully returned to primetime before with Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip in 2006 and Mr. Sunshine last year. Perhaps the third time will indeed be the charm for the perpetual sarcsm machine.

Perry stars as sportscaster Ryan King who, after losing his wife, has to attend mandatory group therapy sessions. Here, he befriends a unique collection of characters helping one another get over their bizarre personal tragedies. The show had a nice sampling during the Olympics earlier this summer, and fans of Chandler Bing and John Cho (Harold of Harold & Kumar fame) will be happy to see their old friends each week.

Ben & Kate – Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. on FOX – Premiere date: September 25, 2012

Ben & Kate is a series about family. After raising her daughter as a single mom for a couple of years, Kate (Dakota Johnson) tries her luck on the dating scene once again. Problem is, her older brother Ben (Nat Faxon) is a bit of a wildcard and starts wrecking his well-intentioned havoc on her life.

While Ben seems a little too much like a cartoon character at times, I’m a sucker for shows about close siblings and Faxon and Johnson have a nice familial chemistry going on that makes watching them feel comforting.

The Mindy Project – Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on FOX – Premiere date: September 25, 2012

It was just a matter of time before Mindy Kaling headlined her own TV show. She’s been a successful writer and actress on The Office and last year released her own comedic memoir. Now in The Mindy Project, Kaling portrays an OB/GYN who, as a hopeless romantic, is on the quest to find the perfect man. The show is basically a half-hour installment of a self-reflexive romantic comedy, but the pilot gives hints that there's much more to come.

While the show tries to find its footing, Kaling shines as the star. It’s no wonder why critics are calling this one of fall’s best comedies of the season. I'm just hoping the show doesn’t drag on the impending “will they or won’t they” storyline between Kaling and one of her co-workers because that’s where the show seems to be heading.

DRAMAS

Revolution – Mondays at 9 p.m. on NBC – Premiere date: September 17, 2012

Revolution comes from sci-fi masterminds, J.J. Abrams (Lost) and Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and is this season’s latest high-concept mythology show. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, 15 years after all forms of energy and power mysteriously go out. It focuses on a family that holds the key to finding out what might have happened and a possible way to restore power once again.

NBC has been trying every year to fulfill the sci-fi/action vacuum that was left behind by Heroes, and Revolution may just do it thanks to the heavy dose of promotion it got during the Olympics. The creative team alone is reason for you to at least give this show a shot. Oh, and Breaking Bad’s scene-stealing Giancarlo Esposito is also on the show, again playing a militia boss with a noble purpose.

Last Resort – Thursdays at 7 p.m. on ABC – Premiere date: September 27, 2012

Submarines, government conspiracy, and “this year’s best new drama” are the three tidbits we've seen about ABC’s action/thriller that has convinced us to give this show a shot. The series follows the crew of a U.S. Navy ballistic missile submarine that defies an order to launch nuclear missiles towards Pakistan without any explanation. After getting attacked and left for dead, the crew settles on a nearby island. There, they declare themselves a sovereign nation with nuclear capability while they try to figure out who set them up and how to prove their innocence.

The series comes from Shawn Ryan (The Shield, The Unit), so you know it has the potential to achieve an amazing level of compelling, high-stakes drama.

Elementary – Thursdays at 8 p.m. on CBS – Premiere date: September 27, 2012

Sherlock Holmes in New York with a female Watson: that’s Elementary in a nutshell, and it’s causing a bit of a stir. See, there’s this popular BBC show called Sherlock that airs here on PBS and has quite a rabid fan base, and those fans are afraid Elementary will tarnish the work that Sherlock has accomplished. Considering how successful Sherlock is for the BBC, it will be interesting to see if CBS can strike gold with this series. It has a very Mentalist feel and fits in well with every other procedural on TV, so odds are we’ll be seeing this show come next year.

Plus, Lucy Liu stars as the female Watson, so there’s a win already.

666 Park Avenue – Sundays at 9 p.m. on ABC – Premiere date: September 30, 2012

~~John Locke~~ Terry O’Quinn returns in his first leading role since Lost in this supernatural soap on ABC alongside costars Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), Dave Annable (Brothers & Sisters) and Rachael Taylor (Grey’s Anatomy). While O’Quinn’s character will be a major player in the series, it’s Annable & Taylor we will follow as they encounter things that go bump in the night in the Manhattan high-rise they just moved into.

The mystery surrounding the building, the tenants and its upscale owners (O’Quinn & Williams) will move the story along each week, and hopefully provide a nice balance of “mystery of the week,” and “season-long mystery arc.”

Arrow – Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on CW – Premiere date: October 10, 2012

Looking to cover up the giant superhero hole left by Smallville, the CW is enlisting the help of Green Arrow. Comic book fans will rejoice (or groan) that another one of their heroes is coming to life in a live-action television series, which takes some liberties regarding the canon comic book story of the bow-toting billionaire set out to stop crime. In this day and age, turning a comic book into a live action series is always an easy selling point, and it will absolutely stand out against the teen soaps that the CW typically broadcasts.

The character of Green Arrow was previously introduced to TV audiences on Smallville as portrayed by Justin Hartley. In this series however, newcomer Stephen Amell will be portraying Oliver Queen. What other ties might it have with the man of steel? Longtime Smallville director David Nutter directed the pilot for the series.

Nashville – Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC – Premiere date: October 10, 2012

Tami Taylor is back, y’all, and thankfully, she’s not having any more sex with the creepy rubber-suited man. This time around, Connie Britton will be portraying Rayna James, a 40-year-old country superstar that starts losing her star power as a new country act begins stealing the spotlight. Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) co-stars as Juliette Barnes, the aforementioned “new country act.”

The show’s biggest appeal is seeing the universally loved Connie Britton getting back to that Southern charm and attitude that you can’t help but love. For Whose Line is it Anyways? fans, Chip Esten will also co-star in the series as well. Nashville is expected to be well received in the same way that Revenge was last fall. The series will also feature original music from the actors and actresses of the show that will be available on iTunes after an episode airs.

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road trip with a rock star

Grace Potter's SXSW Audience Award-winning film gets nationwide release

Photo courtesy of Grace Potter

Grace Potter executive produced a film about finding family through music that's premiering at SXSW in 2024.

At South by Southwest in 2024, the music documentary Resynator won the Audience Award, a contest based on audience votes right after the film is shown.

It was a stamp of approval for the film's merit beyond its star power; some people may have been drawn in knowing it was produced by musician Grace Potter or that it featured lots of her famous peers, but they ended up loving the work as a whole.

The Resynator team has now announced that people all over the country will be able to watch the film, which chronicles an early synthesizer invention and family fallout, starting December 13. Anyone can rent or buy it via AppleTV, Prime Video, Google Play, and Fandango At Home, and select theaters will play a live screening. (Unfortunately, none of them are in Austin.)

To introduce the work to new audiences, below is CultureMap's original coverage from February 9, 2024 — about a month before the film's premiere.

Grace Potter has always wanted to be someone specific and perhaps surprising: "a woman who drove an old truck and had a laundromat in Austin, Texas."

Well, we suppose there's still time for that. Before that dream is realized, she'll be a woman who plays Austin City Limits Live on February 16, then one who has executive produced a documentary premiering at South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 10, 2024. And that's nothing to scoff at.

Since the early aughts, Potter has become known as a real-deal rock musician — one who stands up to the old ideals of classic rock while embracing a more contemporary, versatile aesthetic. She's known for songs like "Paris (Ooh La La)" with her band, the Nocturnals, and "Something That I Want" as a solo project featured on the Tangled soundtrack.

Grace Potter is known for her vintage rock style.Photo courtesy of Adrien Broom

Both of her most popular songs are overtly feminine on opposite sides of the spectrum — from gritty and rebellious to hopeful and bubbly — but neither trips over the benevolently limiting tropes strewn around for women musicians. She doesn't need a schtick; she's gained rock credence from her own artistic vision as well as projects with the Grateful Dead, the Rolling Stones, the Allman Brothers Band, Willie Nelson, and Neil Young.

"I think that coked-up white dudes from the '70s have been celebrated a lot," says Potter from her tour bus in Macon, Georgia (of course). "And I've been a part of a lot of that celebration... The entire generation of people that made music at that time seem to just touch on a blend of musicality in an era where music from all different corners of the earth started to gel together. I think there's a real ubermusical moment there."

Resynator
Her SXSW project, Resynator, continues following the impactful-men-from-the-'70s thread through another feminine lens.

Director Alison Tavel, Potter's best friend and tour manager at the start of the film, has been collecting information for a decade about her musician father, Don Tavel, who died when she was only 10 weeks old. Don developed a synthesizer called The Resynator, which he himself called "the precursor to MIDI," but this particular synthesizer fell out of use, and it became his daughter's goal to revive it.

Money Mark and Alison TavelStill from Resynator

The film offers a tour through some of the music industry's greatest innovators and entertainers: Peter Gabriel, Fred Armisen, Gotye, Jon Anderson, Mike Gordon, and Potter's husband, producer Eric Valentine, among others. But between the star power and the electronic tinkering are more emotional, personal scenes with family. Alison's mother represents a level of complication in Don's image that was invisible to his daughter; Don's mother represents an origin for this complexity.

Potter, who appears briefly a few times, holds space for pivotal moments: the inception of the idea, the shift from fact-finding to traveling with The Resynator, and eventually, the posthumous resolution between father and daughter. Although she must have been a useful collaborator in parlaying with all these famous musicians, she is also one of the women forming the emotional core of the film.

"There were moments all along the way where [Alison] wanted to quit," says Potter. "Basically my job as EP was to get her in front of as many musicians as possible, [and to] create as many opportunities as possible for her to continue pushing through her vision and of course the occasional mental breakdown."

Family and nostalgia as art engines
A mother herself, Potter doesn't know why exactly she gravitates toward stories about family and images of nostalgia. She seems good at the common creative advice, write what you know.

She remembers as a child trying to dismantle the "female singers" section of her mother's record collection, yet now realizes its existence steered her to a strong appreciation of Stevie Nicks, Christine McVie, and Nina Simone. She doesn't seek out family projects, but her latest album, Mother Road, is a direct result of returning to her hometown with her husband and son, grieving a miscarriage, and becoming obsessed with long rental car drives.

"[The nostalgia is] very much always there. It's not something at the forefront of my mind," says Potter. "It's such an amazing thing to wake up ... and to feel like I was born into the wrong time, but I love this. And [we] have the shepherds of our family to bring us to influences and inspiration that allow our creativity to flow."

She continues, referring to the familial questions that drove Resynator, "It really brought in so much gratitude for me that I had the ability to come up in a world where I didn't have to ask those questions. But it also made me [think about] my kid — Sagan, he's 6 now — what kind of table am I setting for him to sit down at?"

Texas and South by Southwest
Whatever tables she sets, the nostalgia clearly inspires some wanderlust in Potter. Although the singer is from Vermont, she grew up spending the winters with her grandparents in Albuquerque. She often uses images of the Southwest, especially in Mother Road, and has plenty of admiration for Texas as part of it.

"I just remember it being so foreign at first, the terrain and the way that the hills roll, especially as you get through New Mexico and and start entering into Texas," she says. "There's that big-sky, wide-open-range, horizon-for-days experience. I was so cosseted in Vermont. I mean, every mountain around me felt like a hug. And as I grew up, I think that curiosity and that sort of headlong-into-the-howling-wind feeling ... was urgent, like on a cellular level. And it is the epitome, I think, [of] Texas."

Grace Potter desert landscape The artsy thrifted aesthetic works for Potter wherever she goes.Photo courtesy of Grace Potter

In a much more urban sense, South by Southwest represents a similar unknown in its potential for making creative encounters. (If you see her this year, ask her about Dr. Dog, Jack Antonoff, Phoenix, Robert Plant, and her hotel room party.) She's been going in various capacities since 2005, and always leaves room in her schedule for impromptu collaborations.

"There's so many things about the film industry and the music industry that I've always enjoyed, that cross over," Potter says. "And South by Southwest is one of the rare places where you can really actively see it happening. You can see and meet filmmakers who are inherently inspired by [music] — sometimes even their whole story starts with a song."

"It's been many years of me wanting to find my footing in both the film and music worlds ... and make some kind of a Trojan horse out of the whole thing," she concludes. "And it's finally starting to come together. It only took me 20 years."

music film movies sxsw texas live music