Wednesdays This Fall: Your 2013 TV Preview

The new TV season is almost upon us: be prepared.

If you’re the type of network TV watcher who just can’t bear sitting through those annoying preview specials, or doesn’t feel like searching all over YouTube, you’re going to love this article. With our descriptions, premiere dates, ratings predictions, suggestions, and video previews, you can quickly learn everything you need to know about the new fall TV season.

Wednesday nights are particularly interesting to TV ratings watchers. There are many major league shows that have recently taken a dip in ratings (CSI, Modern Family) and newer series that are starting to pick up momentum (Arrow, Revolution). Yet there’s still plenty of room for new competition. ABC is adding some new comedies to its sitcom line-up, the CW is hoping for another superpowered teen drama smash, and NBC tries to get hip with its Ironside remake.

7:30pm ABC Back In The Game

Premieres September 25th

When a recently divorced mother (Maggie Lawson) moves in with her cranky, former major league baseball player father (James Caan), they team up to coach a little league team of misfits.

This premise seems more suited for a two-hour movie than a TV series, but it’s watchable. It should do pretty well in this timeslot, given that its only competition is vastly different dramas and reality shows.

The Competition: NBC’s Revolution, CBS’ Survivor, FOX’s The X Factor, and The CW’s Arrow.

Watch it if you liked The Trouble With the Curve or The Bad News Bears.

8pm The CW The Tomorrow People

Premieres October 9th

A teenager (Robbie Amell) discovers that he’s part of a unique group of people who have “evolved” into having superpowers. These powers make him wanted by a sinister organization, whose leader just happens to be his long-lost uncle (Mark Pellegrino).

This concept can get pretty old really fast, but at least its premiere looks interesting. It’s tough to guess how long it can last, because the CW relies more heavily on downloads, DVDs, and future syndication than traditional ratings. If it premieres high, they will give it one full season to see if it’s worth keeping.

The Competition: CBS’ Criminal Minds, ABC’s Modern Family and Super Fun Night, NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, and FOX’s The X Factor.

Watch it if you liked: Nikita or Mutant X.

8:30pm ABC Super Fun Night

Premiered October 2nd

A raunchy sitcom in which three “dorky” friends (Rebel Wilson, Lauren Ash, and Liza Lapira) decide to stop their weekly slumber parties in favor of wild nights out on the town.

It seems as if this show wants us to laugh at its stars instead of with them. The script forces this likable yet misguided trio into so many humiliating, unfortunate situations that I seriously wonder what we’re supposed to find funny. For example, a major point of the trailer is Kimmie‘s ill-fitting outfit bursting apart and revealing her tacky, light-up underwear set.

Super Fun Night isn’t a good fit for its network, timeslot, or viewers in general. Expect to see it quickly canceled.

The Competition: CBS’ Criminal Minds, NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, FOX’s The X Factor, and The CW’s The Tomorrow People.

Watch it if you liked: Whitney or Kristin.

9pm NBC Ironside

Premiered October 2nd

A clever police detective (Blair Underwood) leads a special group of officers who solve difficult cases in this hip remake of the 1967 series.

Just as CBS’ Hawaii 5-0 has little in common with its ’70s counterpart, expect Ironside to be a vastly different detective than Raymond Burr played. Underwood joked about the busy love life of his character on a recent episode of Access Hollywood, so be aware that the show will take advantage of its later timeslot. Because it is up against a sudsy soap whose popularity is on the rise and one of the most successful crime procedurals of all time, this show might not make it.

The Competition: CBS’ CSI and ABC’s Nashville.

Watch it if you liked: CSI: Miami or NYPD Blue.