Poet Rainer Maria Rilke described fresh starts best when he said, “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been.” 2014 ushers in a number of exciting events: the winter Olympics, the birth of William and Kate’s second child and the legalization of marijuana in numerous states. However, these events pale in comparison to this year’s new television shows. Although one can assume Rilke was not referring to TV shows, in today’s society there is no better canvas for his immortal words. 2014 promises to introduce new characters and new reasons to stay in on Thursday nights with a bowl of popcorn and the remote control.
“The 100” — Post-apocalyptic shows such as “The Walking Dead” have taken television by storm, and “The 100” (pronounced “The Hundred”) follows suit. After a nuclear Armageddon destroys Earth, the only survivors are the 400 inhabitants of international space stations orbiting the earth at the time. After nearly a century of living in space, a group of juvenile teenagers is sent to reassess the damage on Earth, which has now become a wasteland of poisonous radiation. In order to test the younger generation’s abilities to rebuild society on Earth, the adults remain on the spacecraft. This is sort of like the Jimmy Neutron movie, but with more special effects. It premieres on the CW on March 19.
Jimmy Fallon as host of “The Tonight Show” and Seth Myers as host of “Late Night” — This year, Jay Leno relinquishes his duties as the comedy king to Fallon, and Fallon passes his baton to “Saturday Night Live” veteran Myers. The comedy train’s progress promises to be a beneficial change. Fallon’s first night on “The Tonight Show” boasts guests Will Smith and U2 on Feb. 17, and Myers sticks to his roots with his first guest, Amy Poehler, on Feb. 24. Both shows premier on NBC.
“Growing Up Fisher” — Starring J.K. Simmons, Jenna Elfman and Jason Bateman “Growing Up Fisher” is your run-of-the-mill dysfunctional family sitcom with a twist: dad is blind. Eleven-year-old Henry has centered his life on being his father’s vision, but a seeing-eye dog steals his role as his father’s only sight after his parents’ divorce. Though the plot may seem far-fetched, the show is based on series creator DJ Nash’s childhood. “Growing Up Fisher” premieres Feb. 23 on NBC.
“Private Lives of Nashville Wives” — Unscripted and unedited, “Private Lives of Nashville Wives” promises to be a complete train wreck. This TNT reality series follows the drama-laden lives of six Nashville women, all of whom search for love or fame in the Music City. The show follows in the same vein of reality shows like “The Real Housewives of Orange County” and draws on the heightened emotions that breed when opinionated, outspoken women are placed in tension-laced situations. The drama begins Feb. 24.
“Bitten” — Although the first “Twilight” film was released in 2008, the bloody vampire/werewolf trend flows on in 2014. “Bitten” draws on the werewolf facet of the franchise and tells the story of Elena Michaels, the single female werewolf, trying to lead a quiet life apart from her pack. However, the call of the wild proves too great for her to ignore, and she must abandon her “normal” life to rejoin her pack. “Bitten” stars Laura Vandervoort, a “Smallville” veteran, and premiered Jan. 11 on SyFy.
