Once Upon A Time (ABC)
Guys, it's Lost with fairy tales! There's no swooshing sound between flashbacks and present, but some similarities are evident since Adam Horowitz, Lost guru, created, writes and produces the series. While the characters are not trapped on an uncharted island, the plot does veer into the land of Jack and Kate. All of our most beloved fairy tale characters are banished into a world with no happy endings -- our world. Only the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming can save the inhabitants of Storybrooke, Maine. Now, I know the premise is a bit cheesy, but it's the cast that makes this show my new favorite. Ginnifer Goodwin is earnest and endearing as Snow White/Mary Margaret, the elementary school teacher, and Jennifer Morrison is totally believable as the kick-butt bounty hunter/savior Emma. Jared Gilmore is a scene-stealing as Henry, Emma's son whom she gave up for adoption when he was born. In the first episode Henry finds Emma, explains his plight and brings her to Storybrooke to fix things.
Once Upon A Time is not your run-of-the-mill princess show. The problems that the characters faced in their old lives follow them to the real world and become much worse. Emma is the only one who can help, and without her, all of our old friends are stuck in unfulfilled lives in purgatory. I can't help but tune in every Sunday to see what the next chapter brings to the characters I grew up with.
Revenge (ABC)
Don't hate me for loving this melodramatic prime time soap; it's my new guilty pleasure. Who doesn't love seeing people get what they deserve? Now bear with me, because this tale's a doozy: our protagonist Emily Thorne is really Amanda Clarke, whose father was set up as the scapegoat for a devastating terrorist attack. Amanda spent her life in juvy and now has taken on a new identity to exact vengeance on those who ruined her life and her father's. She moves to the Hamptons, mixing and mingling with the people who hurt her. Murder, computer hacking and cocktails parties are just a few items on Emily's itinerary, and each storyline has enough twists and turns to be a pretzel.
This show is deliciously campy and salacious. The plot is reaching most of the time, but Revenge owns it and takes things to the next level with each episode. However, for an hour I escape to the Hamptons and watch WASPy women stab each other in the back while sporting $1500 shoes. Who doesn't love the drama of the rich and deadly?
New Girl (Fox)
I wrote an ode to the quirky gal last week, but here's a quick rundown of why Zooey Deschanel's show is so fantastic. It's goofy, good-natured fun with a cast that seems to be enjoying every moment of their work. New Girl isn't trying to pull any punches; the plots are a sweet love letter to friendship and being around people who make you happy. Accepting a friend's eccentricities, neuroses and, yes, quirks is a part of a relationship, and New Girl turns up the volume and shows us how to let our freak flags fly.
2 Broke Girls (CBS)
Smart and sassy are two adjectives that come to mind when thinking about this new standout. Recession TV is at its finest in the comedy centered on a broke Brooklyn waitress and a recently impoverished Madoff-esque socialite who become friends. The strapped ladies spend each episode trying to make ends meet and start a cupcake business.
Highs and lows are the name of the game on 2 Broke Girls, but I think that the show's message is a sweet one: stay true to yourself and work your butt off. In these rough economic times, while it's nice to have escapist TV, seeing the silver lining in the proverbial storm cloud can keep us all on the sunnier side of life.
So, set your DVRs for these great new shows. They provide 30-60 minutes of mindless fun, and, to be honest, who doesn't need a bit of that every now and then.
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