Fall TV - PART FIVE - fX

fX has become a network that is starting to bring out more substantial shows as of late. In its early years, they brought us FOX repeats such as Married...with Children and other FOX staples. In the mid-2000s, the network changed its m.o. and has become a force almost as strong with original programming as AMC bringing us Nip/Tuck, The Shield, and Rescue Me.

With the release of American Horror Story and Wilfred last year, as well as a string of solid current hits like Sons of Anarchy, the network is becoming a powerhouse in the drama department but in the twisted comedy department as well.

At the time of this writing, fX has not released its upcoming Fall premiere dates.

Sons of Anarchy – Tuesdays, 9pm CST

Coming into its fifth season this year, this show is now the biggest thing in the FX lineup. How can you go wrong with a show that follows a hardcore motorcycle gang? It was picked up for a sixth season before they even started production on the fifth. There is a sign for you.

Last season ended with Jax declaring his presidency and introducing some new players into the field. The upcoming season has cast Harold Perrineau (LOST, Oz) as Damon Pope, the most powerful gangster in Oakland and Jimmy Smits (LA Law, Dexter) as a Latino gang leader that will mentor Jax.

With the additions to the cast, I can’t see how this show can’t go on for another few seasons.

American Horror Story – Wednesdays, 9pm CST

Where do I begin with this show?! I can’t get enough of it and actually found myself squealing at the appearance of some of the guest stars. Yeah, I’m a dork. I have accepted and embraced this fact.

For AHS’s pilot episode, we were introduced to the series by way of a wife catching her husband screwing a student of his, the wife having a stillborn prior to the cheating incident, and a weirdo in a gimp suit. All this happens during the episode after the opening sequence that includes a pre-pubescent boy getting his throat slit. Wait…what??? Yes, welcome to the edge. What a freaking ride.

If you didn’t catch the series last year, you missed Jessica Lange in one of her best performances of her life. That is saying a lot. It also was the biggest new cable series of the year. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

For the second season, the show is going to do something that I believe has never been done before on a TV series. They will be changing the characters and the setting completely, which makes it more of an anthology of sorts rather than a series. While Jessica Lange will be back for season two, she will not be playing Constance. This time around she will be the head of an asylum for the criminally insane, where the show will be set.

While there has been no word on specifics, I can’t imagine this show going limp on us. It shocked the hell out of a lot of viewers and critics with its debut season. It can only get stranger from here. That, my friends, is good television. I can only hope Denis O’Hare will be making an appearance again.