New shows coming soon

Hi neighbors. Time shuffles on. Although Solomon stated that there is nothing new under the sun, every September television producers try to change that truth. The new fall season starts on television!

Actually, a few things have already started. Zombies are a big draw again this year -- at least the producers hope to keep the dead half alive another season. The biggest gun in the fight is "Walking Dead" and it will return for it's seventh or eighth season. With so many shows doing split seasons I lose track. Lots of fans complained about the "who shot J.R." scenario in the last show of last season. The cliffhanger left us all wondering who did Negan (the new official bad guy) beat to death with his barbed wire wrapped baseball bat. I wonder if whomever he killed will remain on the show as a 'walker.' Cool way to stay on paycheck. Although the makeup hours would be a detriment, there would be no lines to memorize.

"Walking Dead's" first spin-off will start it's third season, or second, depending on if the last batch of shows was part B to the first season or a second season. "Fear the Walking Dead" sells itself as a prequel to the time period "Walking Dead" is now touring. The show itself is rated a "B" by me; but the characters grow on you with time. Kind of like a soap opera where the plot is always the same decade after decade, but you watch hoping new actors will deal with the plot a bit better. Next time, just check for new writers. If the same writers are doing the show, the same show will just recycle.

The zombie, tongue-in-cheek syfy, horror, whatever show, "Z-Nation," has managed to garner a third season and that starts mid-September. As far as characters, this show beats the others hands down. All of the characters have their own hook, and are easy to identify and remember.

I admit to being amazed when they all survived massive nuclear bombings. The fragile plot hinge is getting the guy with the cure to someone trustworthy who will distribute the cure instead of just experimenting on it. So far that's not happened. And the walking cure -- Murphy -- has mutated since being dead center of an A-bomb landing.

If you don't take your zombie mythology too much to heart and if you don't mind facing the apocalypse on the B team, you will like "Z-Nation." At least, you'll enjoy the road trip.

NCIS's loss will be Perry Mason's gain as "the cute guy" finally leaves the Navy and goes into private practice as "Bull." The rich playboy will become the stoic lawyer who, from what I've read, does on-the-fly psych evals on all the jury members to best gage the way to ply his case. I like psychological game play on mysteries, so let's hope this is not all hype and some real profiling techniques are used.

By the way, "NCIS" was a spin off of "Jag" and it seems "Jag" will be returning with new shows this fall as well. Let's hope it's not simply a handing over of the baton. Both shows should be popular and there is surely room for both.

This year ended with an overflow of veterinary shows on TV. I like puppies, kittens and the occasional pygmy pig, and watching them get their shots and wag their tails and head out the door back home is the extent of my interest. I don't enjoy watching surgery on animals too small to even see the surgeon's fingers, much less what they are doing. That doesn't interest me.

What we've been lacking recently on the major networks, are shows about human doctors, hospitals and clinics. When these return, I'm sure they will come in threes.

I would like to see a medical show about day-to-day hospital business. We all know hospitals are there to take care of the sick. I'd like to see how that is paid for; what departments do what and how much it costs to do it.

With all the new medical insurances, Medicare and public insurances, private insurances and people with no insurance at all, I think it would be interesting to see just how hospitals from different areas of the country are financed and how, and if, they will be able to continue.

Until the next time friends, remember, every fall offers an option to change our viewing habits, or to keep seeing favorites from years past. Choose wisely, and don't spend all day in front of the brain-blender.