Pilot jones: New shows to watch out for

Welcome to TV Pilot Thunderdome! Dozens of new comedies, dramas, and reality shows duke it out to win you over this September. From the already-annoying-even-without seeing-it sitcom Dads, to yet another JJ Abrams sci-fi show, Almost Human, it’s a television battle royale where many are cancelled and only a few become the next Modern Family. We scrolled through the whole gallery of upcoming shows and picked the ones we think/hope/pray will be great, just so you won’t have to hear them from that classmate/officemate you really hate.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)

From the people behind today’s best sitcom, Parks & Recreation, comes a cop show that’s more Police Academy than NCIS — that alone should put a smile on your face. Creators Dan Goor and Michael Schur bring their comedic talents away from Pawnee and right in the middle of BKN. Aside from the creative credentials, we’re pretty excited about the show’s cast, with people from the new school of comedy to intense dramas. For fans of SNL and The Lonely Island, Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s main star is Andy Samberg (settle down, ladies). And for those who are still crying over the cancellation of submarine drama Last Resort, you’ll be happy to find Captain Marcus Chaplain (Andre Braugher) tearing Samberg a new one.

Hello, Ladies (HBO)

Remember when Girls premiered and became the show for hipsters, artists, and rich girls everywhere? Well, now HBO hopes to do the same for the sexless, loveless, and the hopeless romantics. Hello, Ladies is a new sitcom from Ricky Gervais’ better half, Stephen Merchant. The British comedian who starred in the original The Office and Extras finally goes solo. It’ll be interesting and hopefully entertaining to see Merchant in his first true starring role. And from the premise of the show, his fish-out-of-water shtick seems like the perfect fit for a story about dating in L.A.

Masters of Sex (Showtime)

No, this isn’t a new horrible reality TV show and before you think P-O-R-N, allow us to talk about the cast of this new show. First, we have one of today’s best British actors, Michael Sheen, who played show-stealing roles in Frost/Nixon, The Queen, and even Twilight, taking the lead role in this period drama. His career has shown his range as an actor so we have no doubt he’ll bring forth a nuanced and rich portrayal of famed — we want to say “sexpert” — William Masters. In the role of Virginia Johnson, Lizzy Caplan, aka the better and more talented Zooey Deschanel, finally gets her moment in the sun. The strength of these two actors can make us watch almost anything and the fact that it’s set in the early days of the Sexual Revolution is just icing on the cake.

Believe (NBC)

JJ Abrams gets top billing but we’re really cheering for the show’s other executive producer and creator, Alfonso Cuarón. The director of one our favorite sci-fi films of the last 10 years, Children of Men, gives us his take on superpowers. Believe centers on a little girl with an arsenal of superpowers and runs into the care of an ex-con. NBC has had both hits (Heroes) and misses (The Cape) when it comes to superheroes, so we hope their latest one goes the way of Hiro Nakamura and allows Cuarón to do what he wants to do. Because if you’ve seen the trailer of Gravity, Cuarón does not mess around!

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)

On a scale of one to 10 how excited are we for this show? You’d have to wait because we just broke that scale you mentioned just now. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is the show we thought we’d never get to see—a true comic book show headed by the master himself, Joss Whedon. The show just screams “Can’t Miss Television” as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. focuses on the world peacekeeping task force that fought alongside the Avengers as seen in the Marvel blockbuster. While we are beyond ecstatic, we’re still praying that Whedon’s return to TV land is more Firefly than Dollhouse. But we’ll tell you right now, hit or miss; we will support Whedon till the very end. Oh Captain, My Captain!

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What new shows are you most excited for? Are you going to watch the inevitable train wreck that is Dads? Send us an e-mail over at jiggyandjonty@gmail.com and let us know!