Ripping Good Yarns: Sunday TV Lineup Fall 2013

It's back!  Beginning my nightly review of Fall TV!  A very crowded night, particularly when you throw in offerings from cable.  As usual, since Ripping Good Yarns focuses on fictional storytelling, I will have comment, good or bad, about the reality programs on Sunday.

On prime time broadcast TV, the three series watched most faithfully at our house are Once Upon A Time, in it's third season, The Mentalist, in it's sixth fall season and Revenge in it's sophomore season.  Once Upon A time has been great fun, and is almost Lost-like in it's back and forth structure.  It ended with great changes to Storyville, and some characters being separated.  Where it will go this season is any body's guess.  The show could get a lot better or a lot worse.  We shall see.  The Mentalist has two major things going for it; one is the Red John story-line  which helps increase it's status as a Ripping good Yarn, and the character Cho, whose stoic understatements makes him one of my favorite characters on TV.  In a bizarre way, he reminds me of Mr. Spock.  The Red John storyline promises to wrap up with the season premiere. so that might reduce the appeal of the program after that.  Revenge is a show we picked up through streaming and are now caught up.  It is at its best when it maximizes it's intrigue and unpredictability. It is at its worst when it emphasizes its soap opera elements or secondary love interests.  I question Revenge's potential quality this year, as they have changed showrunners this year and have promised to be "less complicated".  Sorry, Charlie, Rippers don't pick up shows because they are "less complicated'.

The only new show on Sunday is Betrayal, a show centered on two married people who are cheating on each other, and whom you presumably will be cheering for.  This show will get a pass at the Strait household. 

I do not believe there are any other new shows on Sunday.

Returning are The Good Wife in it's fifth fall season (is the premise that she's married to a Senator or something?)  There are the four animated comedies on Fox; The Simpsons (24th season!), Bob's Burgers (2nd season), Family Guy (9th season) and American Dad (9th season). The animated characters age slower and have fewer salary demands.

But then we get to the cable shows.  Showtime's Homeland, which won the Emmy for best series.  Don't get me started on the difference between short-form and long-form series.  On HBO there is Boardwalk Empire,  an outstanding shows that I watch.  But the biggest treat is AMC's The Walking Dead  Don't let the title fool you.  This is the best show on basic cable.  It is character driven, with great stories and writing.