Yay or Nay: Fall comedy pilots

It's two weeks into the Networks' pilot season, and the verdict is in for the comedies: they're mostly stinkers. I watched more than my usual share hoping to make some fun discoveries, like when 30 Rock or New Girl or Community came out of nowhere. But I was disappointed on almost every front.

Here's a quick wrap up in an effort to spare you the dull, humorless (and in some cases, slightly offensive) hours I'll never get back.

Category 1: Shame on me for even bothering

- Dads - WTF are Seth Green & Giovanni Ribisi doing?

- Welcome to the Family - After his genuinely tear-inducing performances on Glee, I was hoping Mike O'Malley would get better offers. Guess not. 
- We Are Men - Two Words: already canceled. 

Category 2: Decent potential, poor execution -- aka, legitimately funny stars slumming it

• Mom - Anna Faris and Allison Janney deserve better. 

• Super Fun Night  - Rebel Wilson should know better.

• The Millers - Will Arnett should definitely know better. 

Category 3: Meh, too sitcom-y for my taste but they'll find their audiences -- I just wish they'd taken things up a notch and done something more innovative with all the talent they've assembled

• The Michael J Fox Show - it's MJ Fox, Marie from Breaking Bad and Bunk from The Wire. And it's all very cute and touching and a little schmaltz.

• Trophy Wife - It's the underrated Malin Akerman and Bradley Whitford (Josh!) playing zany with the lovely Marcia Gay Harden as the straight (wo)man. It's all just so...predictable.

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine - Apparently there is such a thing as too much Andy Samberg.

• Sean Saves the World - Sean Hayes and Megan Hilty (the real Marilyn on Smash) are great together, but the one liners and set-ups are dreadful. 

Category 4: Worthy of a second date

• Hello Ladies  (ok it's HBO so not technically a network) - this is the brain child of Stephen Merchant, the lesser known collaborator behind the British version of The Office and most other vehicles Ricky Gervais gets all the credit for. His stand up show of the same name is great, but the series is fairly one note so far.  

• The Crazy Ones - professional crazy person Robin Williams is just the right level of nuts and professional handsome person James Wolk, whom you might know as Bob Benson on Mad Men, is just the right amount of charming cad. Plus the ad industry always makes fun tv. But Sarah Michelle Gellar is annoying, and the plots are dumb. The ad-libbed sexy song about McDonald's with Kelly Clarkson hints at promise. 

Category 5: Already earned a season pass on the DVR

• The Goldbergs - a tad salty and a lot sweet, it's like The Wonder Years meets Malcolm in the Middle. With loads and loads of delicious '80s nostalgia. 

Yay or Nay? Duck Dynasty

I need help on this one. Supposedly it's really funny. I mean, this picture alone should have had me streaming in a hot minute:

But for some reason I just...can't. Yay or nay from the peanut gallery?

What I'm Not Watching: The Newsroom

Love the premise, hate the characters. And the sermonizing. And the hysterical, insecure women. It's everything that's so supremely annoying about Aaron Sorkin without any of charming wit and fresh insight that makes you give him a pass.

In other words, needs more CJ.

What I'm Watching: September 2013

The Tivo has been a little bare of late. Fall premieres can't get here soon enough.

*Project Runway (Lifetime) - This season is pretty entertaining, probably because they gave Tim Gunn a bigger role.

*Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central) - Uneven but worth it. Delightfully raunchy. She's so much funnier and less annoying than Sarah Silverman.

*Drunk History (Comedy Central) - A deft adaptation of the web series. These people are really, really drunk (like vomit, roll on the floor, slurred speech drunk) and that's just comedy gold.

*Breaking Bad (AMC) - I hate when people say they're "obsessed" with things but it's kind of true for me in this case. Best show on tv... ever? (Hmmm, ok, maybe not ever but top 10 for sure)

*Luther (BBC America) - Such fun, especially with Idris (i.e. Stringer Bell) being so British and all.

*Maron (IFC) - Technically aired a few months ago but IFC has been stingy with streaming. For those that like Louie but want more sad sack.

The Queue: Ricky Gervais is Derek

Get excited.

The Queue: TV Picks from the A.V. Club

So what's good? This list of tv shows airing now is pretty damn good, thanks to the always stellar taste of the A.V. Club. I've only seen Orange is the New Black (loved it) and Parenthood (a little schmaltzy for my liking), Shark Tank (so. damn. entertaining.) and Veep (can't recommend highly enough). 

Newly added to my queue are:

*Borgen (Link TV)
*Broadchurch (BBC America)
*Call the Midwife (PBS, from BBC)
*The Fall (Netflix, from BBC Two)
*Moone Boy (Hulu, from Sky1)
*Nathan For You (Comedy Central)
*Please Like Me (Pivot TV)
*Rectify (Sundance, S1 free on Amazon Instant)

Already sitting in the queue but with reaffirmed interest are:
*The Americans (FX)
*The Good Wife (CBS)
*Scandal (ABC)
*Top of the Lake (Netflix)

The Queue: Idris Elba is Luther

If you haven't seen it yet, you're in for a treat. Sexy Idris Elba and soapy British detective series combine perfectly in Luther (BBC America). Season 3 online now. It's a mini-series, with 4-6 eps per season -- so you can totally do each season in a weekend without the proverbial bingeing.

What I'm Watching: Orange is the New Black

Well, technically I already finished it last month but it's worth mentioning because it's so great. Can't remember the last time this many interesting, complex female characters (and actresses - welcome back Natasha Lyonne!) were on one show. Somehow satiric and genuinely touching at the same time. Beware of graphic sex talk & acts if watching with others.

Run don't walk to Netflix for this one.