Mysterical-E

Mysterical-Eye

Looking Forward

Starting with this issue, Mysterical-E is going to a twice-yearly schedule, so here's a preview of the new crime TV shows of Summer and Fall 2012.

USA Network's COMMON LAW premiered Friday, May 11 at 10:00 P.M. When their personal problems begin to interfere with their partnership, longtime police detectives Travis Marks and Wes Mitchell (Michael Ealy, THE GOOD WIFE and Warren Cole, THE CHICAGO CODE) are sent to couples counseling. The show tries to balance personal exploration and a LETHAL WEAPON-style case of the week, quite a challenge.

A&E's LONGMIRE, based on Craig Johnson's books about Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire, premieres Sunday, June 3 at 10:00 P.M. with Australian actor Robert Taylor in the lead and the strong supporting cast of Lou Diamond Phillips, Katee Sackhoff (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA), and Cassidy Freeman (SMALLVILLE).

TNT's THE CLOSER airs the final episodes of its final season starting Monday, July 9 at 9:00 P.M. If you're a fan of this series, you'll get to see its supporting players (Mary McDonnell, G.W. Bailey, Tony Dennison, Michael Paul Chan, Raymond Cruz, Phillip P. Keene) move right into the spinoff MAJOR CRIMES August 13 at 9:00 P.M.

TNT introduces PERCEPTION July 9 at 10:00 P.M. Eric McCormack (WILL & GRACE) stars as Daniel Pierce, an eccentric neuroscience professor called in by his former student-turned-FBI agent Kate Moretti (Rachael Leigh Cook).

As I write this column, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and The CW have just announced their lineups for Fall 2012. Here are the promising new crime shows night-by-night:

With the cancellation of HOUSE this season, FOX's new Monday night will start with the eighth season of BONES at 8:00 P.M., followed by THE MOB DOCTOR, starring Jordana Spiro (MY BOYS) as a surgeon forced to moonlight for the mob.

CBS will replace canceled first-year drama UNFORGETTABLE Tuesdays at 10:00 P.M. with VEGAS, a period drama based on real-life cowboy-turned-sheriff Ralph Lamb. Co-written by novelist Nicholas Pileggi, and starring Dennis Quaid, Michael Chiklis, and Carrie-Anne Moss, the series will definitely have people watching out of the gate.

Coming off its first season without a superhero-based show, The CW will go back to the well with ARROW Wednesdays at 8:00 P.M. leading into the eighth season of SUPERNATURAL. Developed by Greg Berlanti, ARROW is a grittier take on comic book billionaire-turned-avenging archer Oliver Queen. Unlike SMALLVILLE, ARROW does not focus on a legendary character's youth. I'll be watching because it won't have to conform itself to a future everyone has already seen.

NBC's most-anticipated new series may be the Dick Wolf-produced CHICAGO FIRE, an ensemble firehouse procedural starring Jesse Spencer (HOUSE), Lauren German (HAWAII FIVE-0), and Monica Raymund (LIE TO ME). It will air Wednesdays at 10:00 P.M.

Thursdays at 9:00 P.M., ABC will air the high-octane drama LAST RESORT, starring Andre Braugher as the commander of a U.S. nuclear submarine who questions orders to launch against Pakistan. His submarine is then targeted by the U.S., and he and the crew are forced to declare their independence on a small island. My only question: Can the show maintain its intensity for multiple seasons?

Thursdays at 10:00 P.M., CBS is trying ELEMENTARY, a modern take on Sherlock Holmes that sees the brilliant British detective (Jonny Lee Miller, ELI STONE) working in New York assisted by female surgeon Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). I'm open-minded about adaptations as always, and curious if this one will catch on.

Fridays at 9:00 P.M., CBS will have MADE IN JERSEY, about a street-smart young lawyer (Janet Montgomery, HUMAN TARGET) looking to make her mark on a prestigious New York firm. Kyle MacLachlan co-stars.

Finally, Sundays at 10:00 P.M., ABC will air the gothic urban drama 666 PARK AVENUE, about a young couple who move in and manage an apartment building possessed by demonic forces. Terry O'Quinn (LOST) stars and may lend gravitas to the premise.

And a bonus bit of movie news: Deadline.com reported May 17 that Liam Neeson is slated to star as Lawerence Block's unlicensed P.I. Matt Scudder in A WALK AMONG THE TOMBSTONES. Scott Frank (GET SHORTY) will write and direct the movie scheduled to begin shooting in New York in February 2013.