Where Do We Go From Here?: FOX Drama Premieres Reboot Series

August 29, 11:21 AM

With exploding cyborgs, cannibal-affiliated co-workers, deceased cutthroats and Panamanian prison-breaking, FOX's dramas left a lot of plot details up in the air.

Jumping the gun on the official Nielsen-recommended mid-September fall start, FOX will begin rolling out its returning favorites this Monday (Sept. 1). Since FOX has been kind enough to send out screeners for many of its returning shows, I thought I'd take a look at the network's dramas, where they left off and how well the shows have rebooted themselves for the new season.

[Obviously this is going to include spoilers, both of last season's finales and of this season's premieres, though only slight spoilers for the premieres. You've been warned.]

PRISON BREAK
Returns Monday, Sept. 1

Where They Left Things: Having made it out of Sona, Michael (Wentworth Miller) was vowing revenge on Gretchen (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) and Whistler (Chris Vance) and The Company for killing Sara (Sarah Wayne Callies). After a disorganized and strike-shortened season that strained to bring the core characters together, suddenly Sucre (Amaury Nolasco) was the only former Fox River inmate behind bars and everybody else was doing their own disorganized thing. Seriously, even after rewatching last season's finale, I didn't remember how anything really came together last year.

Where They Pick Up: Prison Break returns with two episodes dedicated to regrouping, consolidating and tying up loose ends. It isn't necessarily pretty. Within the first 45 minutes, at least three regular or recurring characters are seemingly killed off and two former regular characters are just abandoned entirely. And, as has been so endlessly reported that it won't surprise a soul, Sara returns from the dead with a reintroduction so matter-of-fact that it doesn't have any emotional impact.

With the help of Michael Rapaport's newly introduced government agent, most of the show's main characters are brought back together as a sort of Injustice League and given a MacGuffin of a goal to help bring down The Company. While Michael's particular skill set is well-established, I find it pretty ridiculous that this could be the best possible team to crush an all-powerful government cabal, but Prison Break fans have been suspending disbelief for three seasons. What's another?

Does the reboot work? I don't know about y'all, but I like Prison Break most when it's actually about breaking out of prisons. The new Los Angeles locations keep things simple and the premiere episodes bring up a lot of things -- Michael's stripper wife, EuropeanGoldFinch.net, the tattoos -- that will probably make fans happy. Plus, T-Bag (the brilliant Robert Knepper) does some very bad things. As always with Prison Break, the challenge isn't how well the writers start the season, it's how deep into the season their ideas go.

BONES
Returns Wednesday, Sept. 3

Where They Left Things: Wait. Zack (Eric Millegan) was Gormogon's assistant, not Sweets? Really? Huh. That's kind of sad. And Hodgins (T.J. Thyne) and Angela (Michaela Conlin) still aren't married because of her missing first husband? That got swept under the rug a bit in the strike-shortened season, didn't it?

Where They Pick Up: As much as I love Bones, the show's shoddy LA-for-DC location (or "faux-cation") shooting has often been a drawback. The Bones/Booth half of the two-hour premiere was filmed in London and, as a result, the season starts with what is probably the series' best-looking episode to date, featuring all manner of effective location work. The flirting and jokes about tea and driving on the wrong side of the road fly so fast most viewers won't care that Zack is barely mentioned at all.

Since Bones is a character-driven procedural more than a serialized drama, don't expect the Zack-blowback to be major, but the series will have some fun with his absence, using a revolving cast of interns including characters played by Carla Gallo, Joel David Moore, Michael Badalucco and, in the premiere, Eugene Byrd returning as Clark. It will be a fine distraction.

Meanwhile, viewers will get much more serialized satisfaction out of the first appearance by Angela's hubby, who brings out an unexpectedly jealous side of Hodgins and putting the show's most successful consummated relationship under new strain.

TERMINATOR: THE SARAH CONNOR CHRONICLES
Returns Monday, Sept 8

Where They Left Things: OMG... Did Cameron (Summer Glau) just blow up?

Where They Pick Up: So what are the odds that a second-year series with ratings issues would kill off its most popular character? I'd say low. Don't worry, then. Summer Glau is back, but did the explosion mess with her circuitry a little? You'd better believe it.

Because the finale of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles came at an unexpected point due to the strike, the show left fewer game-changing cliffhangers than several of FOX's other dramas. Sarah (Lena Headey) and John (Thomas Dekker) are still on the run from Cromartie (Garret Dillahunt), while Agent Ellison (Richard T. Jones) is having a crisis of faith wondering why the Terminator let him live in the midst of last season's Johnny Cash montage.

The biggest change in the new season is the introduction of Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson's Catherine Weaver, whose interest in advanced robotic technology is slightly shady. The character has some pretty big secrets, but don't we all?

HOUSE
Returns Tuesday, Sept. 16

Where They Left Things: Even though House (Hugh Laurie) had his head drilled out to try helping her, Amber (Anne Dudek) died, spinning poor Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) off into a grief spiral. Meanwhile, Thirteen (Olivia Wilde) got her Huntington's diagnosis and Chase (Jesse Spencer) and Cameron (Jennifer Morrison) continued to wonder why they were still on the show.

Where They Pick Up: Wilson returns after a leave of absence and gives serious consideration to leaving the hospital. Does he blame House for Amber's death? Does House blame himself for Amber's death? And if Wilson leaves, who will pay for his lunches and help him have diagnostic epiphanies?

Actually, the series had a bigger reboot with last year's job search, which yielded regular roles for Wilde, Kal Pen and Peter Jacobson and left Morrison and Spencer wandering the hospital lost for several months. House's search for a new best friend, while funny, doesn't do much to shake up the paradigm of the show. It's mostly business-as-usual in the season's first two episodes and for House fans, that's a good thing.

In the second episode, though, viewers should watch out for the introduction of the private investigator played by Michael Weston's. The character is tremendously fun and David Shore is considering using him as the centerpiece for a semi-spin-off series.

Check in after the premieres and let us know how you think the shows are headed...

in Bones , House , Prison Break , Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

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Comments (24)

Comments

It's Gormogon. Did you watch Bones at all last season? It's not like they didn't name the guy several dozen times. Or are you a lazy writer who doesn't bother proofreading? Either way, if you're going to write about TV shows, make an attempt to be accurate. I realize this isn't the Wall Street Journal, but still...

Lilith Says Hi | Aug 29, 2008 12:18:29 PM | #

Lilith Say Hi - You are correct. I've fixed the typo. Thank you for pointing out the typo in your own unique and gracious fashion.

-Daniel

Daniel | Aug 29, 2008 12:33:53 PM | #

Daniel -

Regarding Bones: does the reference to Zack's absence mean you expect him back on the show at some point this season? Or does "absence" means he's completely gone? I'd love to see Zack back - I found him a great character, especially in that mix of people. Losing him is a little like losing Nathan on Eureka.

Michelle

Michelle | Aug 29, 2008 1:39:16 PM | #

So, how do you come back from the dead when your head's been cut off? Inquiring minds want to know!

Zic | Aug 29, 2008 1:47:23 PM | #

Michelle -- I wouldn't want to spoil anything, but lemme just say there's more than a strong possibility you'll see Zack again on "Bones."

Zic -- You'll have your answer within five minutes of the start of the premiere. You may not be HAPPY with the answer, but you'll have it...

-Daniel

Daniel | Aug 29, 2008 1:56:06 PM | #

I'm looking forward to most of these shows. See how they come back from the writer's strike.

fyi, you've spelled Garret Dillahunt's name wrong. Only one "T" in Garret.

mimi | Aug 29, 2008 2:09:36 PM | #

Daniel,

I've never actually watched Prison Break. And a lame Bobby Ewing gimmick isn't the way to get me to start!

Zic | Aug 29, 2008 2:26:49 PM | #

Lilith Says Hi said: Or are you a lazy writer who doesn't bother proofreading?
---------
You're new to reading these news items, aren't you. I know this because if you regularly read them, it would be painfully obvious that 90% of them are written by people that neither proof-read nor use spell-check. Typo's are the least of the mistakes made. It's quite common to see sentences that make no sense at all, sentences terminated prematurely (such as "Susan went to. Next, we have...") and sentences where the first 5 words are suddenly repeated. It's best that you simply ignore the mistakes, like I do. Otherwise, you'll spend the better part of your day writing comments complaining about and correcting the errors.

Rick | Aug 29, 2008 2:39:56 PM | #

Really? You seriously freak out about a typo like that? Like you said, this isn't the Wall Street Journal - it's an Internet blog. I'd say Daniel is allowed to make a single mistake, being a human being and all.

On another note though...nothing really juicy in the spoiler section. And it's well known already that Zack will be back - he'll be in a mental asylum or something along those lines.

Brian | Aug 29, 2008 7:21:16 PM | #

Zack is to great a charcter to kill off, but next time we see him, he'll be in a looney bin with crippeled hands.

Alex | Aug 30, 2008 5:29:29 AM | #

Bones was definitely one of those shows that suffered from the writers strike. You could tell they had a full season planned and then had to scramble to wrap it up. I actually liked that zack was the apprentice, but it was 'revealed' WAY to hastily!! I feel they should have just ended last season without any major spoilers and let everything spill into this season. Then the zack reveal would have seemed more natural.

Rome | Aug 30, 2008 11:07:30 AM | #

Thank you for your review of Season 4 House premiere Daniel. I'm glad that you acknowledged Cameron and Chase's unjustified absence for every other episode of House last season. The original team working with House made the differentials more enjoyable than the three robots that were hired last season. Four seasons of pushing Wilson and House's friendship to the limits for a thousand times, Cuddy enabling House's childish behavior and drooling after him, Foreman reduced to wallpaper, Cameron and Chase MIA, three new boring characters, and a mannequin named Thirteen pushed down our throats made me stopped watching House. But I must say it was good for two seasons and a half.

| Aug 30, 2008 12:27:44 PM | #

Rick -

I've noticed that, too. It used to bother me a lot but now I mostly ignore it. I like the fact that I can get recaps the next day even if they are full of typos. :)

Does anyone know if the people who write for this site get paid? I'm just curious.

Anna | Aug 30, 2008 3:33:22 PM | #

totally unrelated note, but I hope "best bets is coming back soon"...I miss it greatly

me | Aug 30, 2008 4:41:14 PM | #

like someone else said, i pretty much stopped watching after season two. it was the same old thing all the time. wilson/house conflict, cuddy's boobs, whiny cameron, the growing stupid persona of chase's character, anal foreman... the characters never seemed to grow in a good way. i peaked in recently and realized i didn't make a mistake by dumping the show.

i don’t know about bones–it'll be odd without zack. i’ll be glad to give the next season a chance, though.

everyone bitched when sara died, every bitches when sara comes back... prison break is a show that i’m on the fence with. it never seems to get to the damn point in a way i expected it to. i’ll probably check out the next season, though, for a few episodes.

tl;dr: i’ll be checking them all out, except house.

washington | Aug 30, 2008 4:48:31 PM | #

Thanks for the review of House. I don't know whether I should be looking forward to this new season because if Cameron and Chase get the same amount of screentime they did last season and they continue to give screen-hogging 13 more storylines, I will surely not watch anymore.

I really enjoyed and loved the dynamic that Cameron, Chase and Foreman created with House. Without them, the show seems really empty on both an emotional and physical level. The new team do absolutely nothing to stimulate House or the audience in my opinion.

They are just plain wallpaper who take up space and rattle off medical jargon in a very unconvincing manner. I'm supposed to believe that a doctor who doesn't want to reveal her name, stabs her boss without remorse and killed a patient is capable of being a doctor?! Please. 13 has got to the worst character created and written.

Tammy | Aug 31, 2008 6:25:13 AM | #

I agree with the sentiments expressed by others about Chase and Cameron and the new team. The underuse of Chase and Cameron along with the overuse of the new characters, especially 13 the worst character and actress in House's history, have ruined House. I read your story earlier where the showrunner said there would be more Chase and Cameron this season, but I can't help but wonder if that's just a lie to draw in unhappy former fans.

Suffice to say, I'm looking most forward to the return of Bones. The less I enjoyed House, the more I enjoyed Bones last season. At least they know how to use their cast members effectively.

I'm also interested in some of the new shows being advertized. The Mentalist looks pretty good and I think that'll be on opposite House. It would have to be better than the further adventurs of 13 and Kumar.

Used to be a House Fan | Aug 31, 2008 8:05:09 AM | #

True, the wording of my original post could have been a bit more diplomatic, but I guess when you come from my background, where perfection is not only encouraged, it's demanded, I get a little perturbed. And no, Rick, this is nowhere near my first time on a site like this, lol. I've traveled down this road many a time before. I'd like to think that the destination is going to be a five-star hotel and a fabulous dinner at Tavern On the Green, but most of the time it's a sleeping bag under a bridge and a pecan log from Stuckey's, to overuse a metaphor. :P

Anyway, no harm, no foul. I'm just glad the new season is starting, hopefully with no strikes in the future and with fully-developed storylines. I've missed Pushing Daisies, but I'm afraid the re-launch isn't going to have the same magic of the first season. Bones will be, of course, Bones. Even if the Gargonzola/Gormogon/GoWestYoungMan plot line is more-or-less completed, I've been looking forward to the new season for some weeks now. If only they'd pick a night for it and keep it there.

Lilith Says Hi | Aug 31, 2008 12:22:22 PM | #

I have to agree about season 4 of House too. In my opinion, it was the worst of the series. I can't believe that in one season, a seriously fabulous and intelligent show turned into a show full of bland medical mysteries and even worse characters. Where did the actual witty House go? Not this one that would blatantly say vulgar things without it being funny.

I miss the show that had a great supporting cast i.e the ORIGINAL supporting cast. I think Cameron, Chase and Foreman were doing incredibly excellent jobs in terms of interaction with House and bringing the whole show together. Now, we have this new team who are so boring and so uninteresting that I've lost the reason why I started watching this show.

I also agree about 13. She has got to be the worst character that has ever hit the screens of TV. Adding to a badly written character and overall try-hard appeal to the audience to get them to like her, is the even worse portrayal by Olivia Wilde who does absolutely nothing to add to the show. That role was severely miscast in my opinion.

Taylor | Aug 31, 2008 6:08:58 PM | #

Maybe Zack can be featured in a recurring role as an in-house Hannibal Lecter. He may be wack but he's still a genius. Just put him in one of those shocker-belts I've heard being used in courtrooms.

Gill Avila | Sep 1, 2008 12:27:43 AM | #

prison break i was really excited about until i re-watched last season's finale last week and realized how awful the show was this time last year. i'll still be watch, i can't quite bring myself to ditch a show i spent the better part of 3 years watching and liking for the most part...but que lastimas!

ditto House---last season wasn't bad exactly, but yeah the producers really really changed the chemistry there didn't they? i still like it though, but here's hoping that it gets at least 10 percent better. (yeah right)

bones is fine.
terminator is also fine---i'm more eager for that one then the other 3 if only because its still newish. whoo hoo for new tv!!!
what?
no til death spoilers??? they keep renewing it...i can't be the only person in america who watches it now and again or can i??

mbs | Sep 1, 2008 3:46:10 AM | #

Can't wait for HOUSE!!!
The two-part season finale was amazing and I can't wait for more House/Wilson.

HATE 13!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DON'T WANT TO SEE HER AT ALL.

FINGERS CROSSED FOR HUGH TO WIN THE EMMY....FINALLY!!!

WE LOVE YOU, HUGH!!!

Lisa | Sep 3, 2008 12:12:54 AM | #

So basically, Prison Break is morphing into the final season of The A-Team (do these jobs and we'll pardon you)? Look! Is that a shark I see?

Lianne | Sep 3, 2008 7:19:15 AM | #

Hate the new team in House! Hate 13 even more! Talk about a character and actress who doesn't deserve to be on what used to be such a great show. This whole new direction of the show has totally ruined it.

| Sep 5, 2008 4:08:51 AM | #