The Daily Star - Stay Tuned
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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, August 31, 2012 2 coverstory By Kyla Brewer TV Media T here's no denying it's that time of year again. Familiar faces return to prime time this fall as millions of TV fans prepare to sit back, relax and enjoy everything the new television season has to offer. A bounty of new faces This season's comedies and dramas boast fresh faces But while there's no short- age of famous faces hitting the airwaves, the season's slate is also chock-full of fresh faces on every major network. Although many of these performers have appeared on television before, they have yet to break through the fame barrier. Now that they've paid their dues in supporting roles and on the guest-starring cir- cuit, they are poised to make their mark and become stars in their own right. Sitting at the top of the rat- ings heap, Fox and CBS seem content to debut just a few new series this fall, but NBC has lined up an aggressive new slate with several new comedies and dramas featur- ing lots of up-and-comers. They lead the charge with a thinly veiled attempt to capi- talize on the popularity of "The Hunger Games" (2012), as a strong-willed young her- oine treks across the country- side with a crossbow in "Rev- olution." Young Canadian ac- tress Tracy Spiridakos stars as said heroine in the new J.J. Abrams drama. She's ap- peared in such shows as "Su- pernatural," "Hellcats" and "Psych," as well as the tween Canadian series "Majority Rules!" Scheduled to pre- miere Monday, Sept. 17, "Revolution" takes a look at an apocalyptic world in which every piece of technology has mysteriously blacked out. As for comedies, one of the peacock network's most promising new offerings fea- Lenny Venito steps into a leading role in ABC's "The Neighbors" tures homegrown talent. "Guys with Kids," premiering Wednesday, Sept. 26, follows three thirtysomething new dads grasping at their youth while taking on the new re- sponsibilities of parenthood. Jimmy Fallon serves as execu- tive producer, but the success or failure of the series rests on the shoulders of its stars. All three "dads" have been seen on NBC before. Anthony An- derson is perhaps the best known of the three, having joined the cast of "Law & Or- der" in 2008. Jesse Bradford appeared as a White House intern in "The West Wing," while Zach Cregger was more recently seen in NBC's "Friends With Benefits." Over on ABC, the lineup is filled with programs featuring a mix of rising American stars and international talent. While lots of viewers might recog- nize '80s star Jami Gertz as Debbie Weaver in ABC's new comedy "The Neighbors," few likely know leading man Len- ny Venito. Although he's made appearances in such hits as HBO's "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the native New Yorker hasn't found prime-time fame. That may change as he takes the helm of "The Neighbors" (pre- miering Wednesday, Sept. 26) as Marty Weaver, a man who packs up his wife and kids and moves them to the gated community of Hidden Hills, only to discover their new neighborhood is populated by aliens from the planet Zabv- ron. mon Templeman has made his mark in the theater world across the pond, and he's now poised to make an im- pression on TV audiences as the alien leader in "The Neighbors." Nigerian Toks Olagundoye may be relatively new to Los Angeles, but she's already guest starred in CBS's "CSI: NY" and NBC's "Law & Order." Teen actress Clara Mamet, who plays daughter Amber Weaver, is the daugh- ter of famed playwright David Mamet. Young actors Tim Jo, Ian Patrick, Max Charles and Isabella Cramp round out the cast. Shakespearean actor Si- American TV icon Kyle Ma- cLachlan has a prominent role as firm founder Donovan Stark, but Janet Montgomery is the show's breakout star. The English actress started out as a child performer in the British children's show "Short Change" and later appeared in the teen drama "Skins" be- fore landing a role in the hor- ror flick "The Hills Run Red" (2009). North Americans may remember her as Madeline in "Black Swan" (2010) or as Ames on Fox's short lived "Human Target." Speaking of Fox, the net- work is playing it safe with only a couple of new offering this season, one of which is the Monday night drama "The Mob Doctor," premier- ing Sept. 17. It stars New Yorker Jordana Spiro as a Chi- cago doctor torn between two worlds as she strives to save the lives of her patients while also secretly working to pay off her brother's gam- bling debt to the mob. Por- traying the conflict between the two worlds is a tall order, and Fox has placed its faith in Spiro, who previously starred in the TBS comedy series "My Boys." working-class roots whose street smarts come in handy at a prestigious Manhattan law firm. Meanwhile, CBS gets seri- ous with the new Friday night law drama "Made in Jersey," premiering Sept. 28. The show centers on a lawyer with All in all, there are plenty of rising stars hitting the air- waves this fall. Only time will tell which ones will shine bright, and which ones will fade away. Chirstopher's Coins 2 x 2 hollywoodQ&A By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Who played the mom on "Everybody Hates Chris?" A: Chris's authoritarian, sharp-witted mother was played by sitcom familiar-face Tichina Arnold. She's familiar nowadays for her new job on TV Land's "Happily Divorced," playing main character Fran's best friend. That show has proven to be an early hit for the net- work, which is slowly getting into the sitcom-making game. Indeed, Arnold has built a career out of making hits for fledgling networks. "Everybody Hates Chris" aired its first season on UPN, but by its second, the UPN and WB networks had merged to become CW, and so the already-popular show was among the new network's first big draws. Prior to "Everybody Hates Chris," she was a supporting star on another UPN sitcom, "One on One," which ran from 2001 to 2005. Arnold first came to TV fame via the hit sitcom "Martin," which aired on Fox from 1992 to 1997. Though Fox may not count as "fledgling" these days, it did in 1992 -- the net- work launched in 1987 and didn't really become a major network player until the mid-'90s, thanks in part to "Mar- tin's" ratings success. While she's devoted most of her time to television, she's dabbled in film as well, including 2000's "Big Momma's House" and 2007's "Wild Hogs." Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. A/Krazy Tom's 2 x 3