New Series Reviews: Aliens In America, Big Shots, Carpoolers, Caveman, Dirty Sexy Money, Life, Moonlight, Pushing Daisies

ALIENS IN AMERICA (Sitcom-The CW)
STARS: Dan Byrd, Adhir Kalyan, Lindsey Shaw. Amy Pietz, Scott Patterson
PREMISE: Kalyan plays Raja, a Pakistiani exchange student who moves in with the Tolchuck family in Wisconsin. Raja, an outsider looking in, is mistaken for a terrorist (post 9/11 humor), but beccomes a friend to teenager Justin, who's also on the outs among his high school peers. Shaw is his sister; Pietz and Patterson are the parents.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: It's not a half-bad sitcom at all--very reminiscent of the now-departed "Malcolm In The Middle" (outlandish mom, fish out of water character, narriation). Get past the stupid terrorist jokes, and there's a pretty funny comedy here. Pietz is especially effective as the manic mom; Byrd and Kalyan have a nice chemistry that will serve them well. There's no way any sitcom on The CW will land in the top 20, but following the well-done and underappreciated "Everybody Hates Chris" on Monday nights, "Aliens" is a nice fit and a welcome entry in the sitcom race.

BIG SHOTS (Comedy/Drama-ABC)
STARS: Michael Vartan, Christopher Titus, Joshua Malina, Dylan McDermott, Paige Turco, Jessica Collins, Amy Sloan, Nia Long
PREMISE: "Oversexed Men In The City": Four well-to-do friends have their own personal problems. James (Vartan) is trying to climb the corporate ladder; divorced perfume maker Duncan (McDermott) still has a flame for his ex; married pharmacutical CEO Karl (Malina) has a mistress out for revenge; and poor Brody is henpecked--I mean, whipped--by his unseen and demanding wife (think Maris on "Frasier," and you get the idea).
WHAT MIKE THINKS: It's not really a bad show, but "Big Shots" makes the men the heroes and the women enemies. "Women are the new men," muses one of the characters, and it's hard to feel sympathetic for any of them. That's what keeps me from recommending "Big Shots"--despite good acting and plausable but exaggerated situations. Its "Grey's Anatomy" lead-in should protect it from CBS' formidable "Without A Trace" on Thursday nights (NBC's long-running "ER" has sprung a ratings leak this season, which may well be its last). At least, maybe it will be enough time for ABC to work out the bugs and make these "Big Shots" a bit bigger.

CARPOOLERS (Sitcom-ABC)
STARS: Fred Goss, Faith Ford, Jerry O'Connell, Jerry Minor, Tim Peper, Allison Munn, TJ Miller
PREMISE: A group of guys who share a ride to work every day, along with their spouses who have their own problems/hangups.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: Breakdown. "Carpoolers" is neither funny nor the least bit original. Its only saving graces are Faith Ford (who's perky and funny as always) and the fact that this sitcom is smack dab against CBS' "NCIS," which is fighting for the same male audience. I'm rooting for Mark Harmon and the "NCIS" gang to give "Carpoolers" a flat by the end of the year.

CAVEMEN (Sitcom-ABC)
STARS: Bill English, Sam Huntington, Nick Kroll, Kaitlin Doubleday, Stephanie Lemelin, Julie White
PREMISE: The first sitcom I can think of based on a television commercial. In this case, the "Caveman" premise was spun off from ads by the auto insurance company GEICO (the tag line: "So easy a caveman can do it"). The show puts three cavemen in a San Diego apartment and gives them women troubles. From what I understand, ABC retooled the pilot several times after complaints the "Cavemen" were stereotyped. (How do you stereotype a caveman?) Disclosure here: I insure my car with GEICO, and if my premiums are paying to help support this show, I'm very sorry.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: I don't know who thought the idea of taking a 15 or 30 second commercial and stretching it into a half-hour comedy was a good idea. But for all the comotion and outcries, the finished product is nothing more than a live action version of "The Flintstones"--and frankly, Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble were funnier. I suspect the novelty will wear off, and "Cavemen" will be a distant memory by the end of the year--like its partner in unfunny crime, "Carpoolers" (see review above).

DIRTY SEXY MONEY (Drama-ABC)
STARS: Peter Krause, Donald Sutherland, William Baldwin, Natalie Zea, Glenn Fitzgerald, Samaire Armstrong, Seth Gabel, Zoe McLellan, Jill Clayburgh
PREMISE: From uberproducer Greg Berlanti ("Brothers & Sisters, et al). Krause plays Nick George, an attorney whose late father took care of the very rich and famous Darling clan, at the expense of his family. When Nick's father dies in a mysterious helicopter accident, Darling family patriarch Tripp (Sutherland) makes Nick his dad's replacement, with a very cushy salary and ten million dollars a year to give to charities. Now, Nick has to clean up the messes of the dysfunctional clan, even though some of them hate his guts.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: You have to like the title; it gives you an idea of what you're walking into. It's actually pretty good. Krause, Sutherland, Baldwin and the entire cast is sharp; the pilot is jam-packed with conflict, and there's a strong premise underneath it all. I have to say "DSM" is one of the better new dramas out right now, and only time will tell if viewers will stick around. It has a chance against CBS' "CSI: New York" (the weakest ratings-wise of the "CSI" shows) and NBC's new crime drama "Life" (see review below).

LIFE (Police Drama-NBC)
STARS: Damian Lewis, Sarah Shahi, Adam Arkin, Robin Weigert, Brooke Langton
PREMISE: Lewis stars as Charlie Crews, a detective who was wrongly sent to prison for a triple murder. Once new evidence clears him of the conviction, Crews wins a large but undisclosed settlement from the Los Angeles Police Department--and a return to his old job. But of course, he's not welcomed back with open arms--not by his new partner (Shahi) or by his boss (Weigert).
WHAT MIKE THINKS: One thing going for "Life" is its premise; it sets the show apart from other police procedurals. Lewis' performance is impressive--a zen-like character who finds inner peace after prison, and seemingly can talk to the victims. But there seems to be a darker side to Charlie Crews, and if "Life" can hold on for several more months--a hard assignment against "CSI: New York" and the new "Dirty Sexy Money" (see review above)--this may be one cop show worth keeping.

MOONLIGHT (Fantasy Drama-CBS)
STARS: Alex O'Loughlin, Sophia Myles, Jason Dohring, Shannyn Sossamon
PREMISE: Australian actor O'Loughlin plays Mick St. John, a detective who was turned into a detective by his ex-wife 60 years ago. Enter a reporter (Myles) who teams up with St. John to solve crimes, and open up the secrets of the vampire community.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: "Moonlight" is boring bloodsucking. O'Loughlin is a fine premise and the first few minutes (a mock interview) sets viewers up for an interesting premise. But the rest of the show can't match the first five minutes; it's a dreary police procedural with fangs. CBS is promoting "Moonlight" and several other new shows as the future of the network. More like "blast from the past," in this show's case. "Moonlight" will face some competition from ABC's upcoming "Women's Murder Club" and NBC's critically-acclaimed but low-rated "Friday Night Lights."

PUSHING DAISIES (Comedy-Drama-ABC)
STARS: Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Kristin Chenoweth
PREMISE: Pace is pie maker named Ned who discovered as a child he could bring back the dead with just a touch. (But touch them twice, and they die--for good). Ned later revives his childhood sweetheart "Chuck" (Friel), but he can't touch her again or she will be gone forever. McBride is the police detective who uses Ned to revive murder victims to find out who killed them. Chenoweth is Ned's waitress-assistant at his pie shop.
WHAT MIKE THINKS: This is, hands down, the most imaginative new television series of the fall. A great cast, a magical premise, and a distinctive look and feel not unlike the first year of "Desperate Housewives." But this is NOT Wisteria Lane, and "Daisies" is more of a fantasy wrapped up in a detective series. The nice thing about the show is that the lead couple will NEVER end up in bed together, thanks to the built-in limitations. Another nice thing: Up against relatively soft competition on the other networks, ABC may actually have a budding hit here. I hope "Pushing Daisies" doesn't live up to its name.

Until next time, happy viewing!