30 Rock, Season 5
NBC, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m.
Season set-up: Liz pursues a long-distance relationship with her pilot boyfriend, Carol (Damon), while Jack and Avery (Banks) prepare for WASP-y parenthood. Kenneth, who lost his job at the end of season 4, embarks on a soul-searching quest to become a page again.
Freshness: The show’s media satire and word-nerd humor are consistent with what we’ve seen for the last five years, but NBC covers it up by rolling out the cameos. So far we’ve seen Matt Damon, Elizabeth Banks, “”Cash Cab”” host Ben Bailey and Paul Giamatti as a chubby chief editor with slave owner sympathies.
Fan Satisfaction: The first few episodes have done a good job cleaning up last season’s lagging plot arcs without compromising the cast’s quirkiness. Tracy Jordan is at peak randomness, even when he has to pretend to be a responsible dad, and Pete Hornberger’s hate for his family is taking a turn for the violent and depraved. These are good things.
— Brandon Specktor
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Season 6
FX, Thursdays at 10 p.m.
Freshness: Besides a shameless spike in Coors ads and Sweet Dee’s less-birdlike appearance, the Gang hasn’t changed much. In the season’s fist three episodes, they’ve already destroyed two marriages, sunk a yacht and “”made it rain”” at the local strip joint. None of this is surprising.
Season set-up: Frank, Charlie and Dennis all tied the knot in “”Mac Fights Gay Marriage,”” but broke it off in “”Dennis Gets Divorced,”” and things are back to regular, inconsequential mayhem. Kaitlin Olsen became pregnant during filming, so expect a grotesquely amoral excuse for why Dee has a bun in the oven.
Fan satisfaction: Continuity abounds as this season brings back The Tranny (Mac’s old fling), The Lawyer (Charlie’s old rival), and The Dick Towel (the Gang’s old penis-based pub merch). It’s only a matter of time before Green Man hits the streets again.
— Brandon Specktor
Mad Men, Season 4
AMC, Sundays at 10 p.m.
Season set-up: Mad Men’s fourth season started off big, with Don’s psyche taking a larger role in the show’s plot, in the aftermath of his life-changing divorce and move to an apartment in the city. From the premiere, it seems like season four will focus more on changing times, with a two-piece swimsuit ad one of the main features of episode one.
Freshness: With crisp writing, exceptional set design, costumes and an ever changing plot, this show is definitely one of the biggest on TV, and shows it — from the show itself, to commercial breaks designed to mimic the show, viewers feel as if they’re participating in something big.
Loyal fan satisfaction: With so much drama last season, this first episode seemed a little blasé. This season premiere was slightly slow, but with a purpose — it seems like AMC has a few tricks up its sleeve with this season, they’re just ordering their cards with episode one.
— Kellie Mejdrich
Dexter, Season 5
Showtime, Sundays 9 p.m.
Freshness: Dexter’s insanity is consistently fascinating to watch. You sympathize with a serial killer. And this season, there’s more attention given to his struggle to cope with emotions, which he never seemed to have before.
Season setup: The season opened with the after-effects of the murder of Dexter’s wife. The rest of the season will focus on his strained relationship with his stepchildren, his desire to kill and the police investigation into the murder of his wife’s killer.
Fan satisfaction: In a rare moment, fans were able to see humanity burst through the cool exterior of this blood-obsessed serial killer. Fans should be looking forward to the rest of the season and watching the interior struggle between man and murderer.
— Michelle A. Monroe
