thePeanutBloggery

Thanks to the writers strike, most of the freshman series (minus a few notable exceptions) have wrapped for the season. We thought this would be a good time to look back at the results of our Fall Premiere Challenge and see how the winners fared.

Pushing Daisies (ABC) – Ratings were consistently good for this high-concept dramedy, and, as a result, it received an early fall renewal. They produced only nine episodes, but all of them managed to live up to the promise of the first three, and those who doubted the show could maintain the Burton-esque style without becoming annoying ate their words. We give ourselves a hearty pat on the back for selecting this one.

Reaper (CW) – Ratings for this supernatural dramedy have been neither great nor terrible by the CW standards. Still, the network has yet to renew it. Consistently clever and entertaining, this series may end up in the company of short-lived cult classics like “Firefly” and “Dead Like Me”. Whether the powers-that-be realize what they have and give it another shot, or whether it winds up on “Brilliant But Cancelled”, we stand by our selection of this Ghost Busters tribute, and look forward to three new episodes starting tomorrow night.

Big Shots (ABC) – Okay, we truly liked the first two episodes of this male answer to “Sex in the City”, but each week it got progressively worse (and boring – they beat the tranny hooker and the crazy mistress storylines to death), until we couldn’t force ourselves to watch the final few episodes before its cancellation. We humbly admit we were dead wrong about this mercifully defunct snoozer.

Dirty Sexy Money (ABC) – The ratings were consistently good for this urban “Dynasty”, so it too received an early fall renewal. While we have some concerns – the Peter Krause character and his “normal” family are wearing on us – we love the wacky Darlings and their high society naughtiness, especially Brian Darling, the angry and foul mouthed reverend. Overall, this soapy drama makes for a good time, and we congratulate ourselves on a good pick.

Gossip Girl (CW) – Due to its consistently good ratings, this teen drama received the CW’s first fall renewal. While the series of books on which the show is based appeals to kids only, this East Coast “O.C.” is addictive for adults as well. Blair Waldorf is the Erica Kane of primetime. Do we love her? Do we hate her? Or do we love her, because we hate her? Either way, don’t hate us, because we were so right about “Gossip Girl”. Happily, the final four episodes start tonight.

Life (NBC) – Ratings for this crime drama were mediocre, but that didn’t prevent the network from granting it a fall renewal. We love how they gave us just enough information about the underlying mystery to keep us from getting frustrated, while withholding enough to keep us interested, guaranteeing we’ll tune in after the nine month hiatus. Once again, go us.

Okay, so we were mostly right about the winners, but what about the shows that didn’t make the cut – did we miss anything good? We certainly did. First, “The Big Bang Theory” is hysterical. “Back to You” may have been an attempt to fill the void left by “Frasier’s” cancellation four years ago, but this nerd-based sitcom does the job without feeling stale. Second, we gave “Chuck” a hard time in the beginning, and while we’re still not sold on the “Intersect” business, we’re hooked on the romantic arc and think the folks at Buy More are a riot. Thankfully, both of these shows have been renewed for the fall even though we failed to pick them in the Fall Premiere Challenge.

Finally, who would have won had we had a Spring Premiere Challenge? Easy – “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Who knew the Terminator universe was so much better without Arnold? There’s still no word whether FOX is bringing it back in the fall, so let’s keep our fingers crossed. [note: as of Tuesday morning, Sarah Connor has been renewed for 13 episodes.]

Oh, and one more thing, what do the three images above have in common?