Alienhits Fall TV Guide: The Four Shows you Should Be Watching

I like to dip my toes in the TV land once and awhile on this blog. I'm a huge fan of TV and, unfortunately, almost every show I grow to love gets a premature cancellation. We'll see if this year is any different. It's been a great fall season so far and these are my four standouts, separated into categories.

The Drama: Pushing Daisies

More of a dramedy, I guess. I've been completely devoted to show creator Brian Fuller's work in the past (Dead Like Me and Wonderfalls were two of the best shows ever, especially the former) and Pushing Daisies definitely keeps up the winning streak. And, for once, one of Fuller's shows actually got pretty good ratings. So, this one might stay around for a while.

People say this show is Tim Burton-esque, but it's far better than anything Burton's done in the past decade or so. The show is framed like a fairy tale, following the adventures of a piemaker (the fantastic Lee Pace, from Wonderfalls) who can both kill and bring back to life living things just by touching them. It's an odd premise, as Fuller's shows always are, but the writing is razor sharp and the world the show's created is populated with fascinatingly bizarre characters and circumstances. A must.

The Comedy: Alien's In America

In tone, this show reminds me of another one of my favorite, prematurely cancelled series: Freaks & Geeks. The story follows a high school nerd/outcast/weirdo/whateveryouwannacallhim that gets bullied too often at school so his parents decide to sign up to bring a foreign exchange student into their house so that their son will be pretty much guaranteed a friend. They think they're gonna get some gorgeous, popular Swedish kid, yet there's a mix up and they end up getting a young Pakistani boy. The premise sounds like it could be mildly offensive, but the show is much too smart for that. In fact, it's an incredibly heartwarming, laugh out loud comedy without a laugh track. Those are incredibly rare these days. Unfortunately, ratings haven't been amazing for the first episode (not surprising... it's on the lackluster CW network), so fans have got to mobilize some support for this wonderful show.

The Reality Show: Kid Nation

I was not concerned at all about all the controversy surrounding this show before its premiere. I just thought the whole thing was a fascinating concept. And now, three episodes in, I haven't been entirely disproved of that. The kids are all quite charming (some in the love-to-hate-them kind of way - I'm talking about you Greg and Taylor) and, as an elementary/middle school teacher the child psychology is right up my alley.

The Import: The Sarah Jane Adventures

This show is a spin-off of Doctor Who (which I am only a bit familiar with, so don't worry... you don't need to know all the mythology of that series to enjoy this one). It's technically a kid's show, but it's definitely more of an all-ages series. I loved the premiere episode earlier this year and, so far, the rest of the series hasn't disappointed. The writing and actors (especially the kids, who are all naturals) are fantastic. I can't remember the last time when I've had so much fun watching a show. I love the crazy aliens and all of the fun gadgets and bizarre characters. It's like a comic book come to life.