Episode 718: Fall Premieres

So network TV's fall scheduling kicks off early with two new offerings from The CW. Hellcats was a bit of a yawn, and it's already being blasted for being Glee-via-cheerleading. Just not as good. I really wanted to like the show, but it's not a good sign if you honestly don't care about the lead character's fortunes by the end of the pilot. Ratings for Hellcats were apparently decent though, doing marginally better than America's Next Top Model, which was its lead-in. Still, I don't see this one lasting beyond one season unless it picks up the pace really soon. I mean, the reboot of Melrose Place and the ill-fated The Beautiful Life had more drama, and look where they ended up. The other new kid on the block is actually anything but. Nikita is a reboot of last decade's La Femme Nikita, which itself draws from Luc Besson's 1990 French film, Nikita, and its 1993 American remake, Point Of No Return. The new TV series seems pretty decent, setting up enough potential drama in the pilot to give this series a shot at finding a foothold among all the other new stuff coming out this year. (Plus the showrunners are clearly not afraid to exploit Maggie Q's attractiveness.) Whether this series can become the new Alias remains to be seen, even if I do think that position has already been taken by the brilliant Covert Affairs. Also, returning this year is The Vampire Diaries, arguably The CW's runaway success of last year. The season premiere totally proves why, enough said.