From the looks of the schedule, the broadcast networks have simply conceded defeat to cable on Sunday nights, which is probably the right thing to do because three of the best dramas on television air on cable Sunday nights, so why even try. All that plus HBO tries to remind us that it's the network that gave us The Sopranos, Deadwood, and The Wire instead of True Blood and Carnivale, after the jump...
If you haven't realized it by now, grids are courtesy of The Futon Critic: http://www.thefutoncritic.com/guide/
8p
Nothing, because cable nets don't waste their good shit at 8p
9p
Rubicon - AMC
Boardwalk Empire - HBO
Dexter - Showtime
So everybody who's anybody in quality drama is throwing down the gauntlet at 9p on Sundays. The biggest hit is likely to be Boardwalk Empire, which I think requires at two parts of an EGOT to work their craft services table. Showrunner Terrance Winter was behind some of the best Sopranos efforts, Steve Buscemi is one of the great character actors of all time, and Martin Scorsese doesn't need me to pimp his credentials. On top of all this HBO backed up a truckload of money to recreate the 1920s, so the production quality is bound to be top notch. Early reviews have been through the roof, so I'm pretty excited about this one, and HBO is too, as they're looking to get back to dominating the high end drama market after becoming the True Blood network for the past few years. Plus: Prohibition-era Omar! Indeed!
Dexter will keep doing fine for Showtime, and after a couple of lackluster seasons, I've got some hope in the new, Rita-less premise. The writers seemed to have figured out that Dexter vs. Another Serial Killer is played out, so hopefully they'll take Dexter and the kids and everyone but LaGuerta down a fresher path that doesn't involve . Rubicon is still on the bubble for a second season, but after a slow start has become another top-tier AMC production, nearly on par with Mad Men and Breaking Bad, so I hope these other two shows popping up in its timeslot don't seal its doom.
10p
Mad Men - AMC
Walking Dead - AMC (premieres after Mad Men finale)
Luther - BBC America
Mad Men's about 1/2way through season 4 right now, and it might be its best ever, so that takes precedence for me here at 10p. Just a fantastic show. Luckily it won't conflict with Walking Dead, which takes over its timeslot come Halloween. I'm not the biggest fan of zombie movies (or horror flicks in general), but the extended trailer that's making the rounds looks pretty amazing, and the comic it's being adapted from is well regarded, so I've got high hopes. Luther is last on the list, and its there solely because of good reviews and the fact that it stars Idris Elba. The premise of "brilliant but broken" cop solving crimes is pretty played out, but Stringer Bell in his native accent is worth a look at least.
I'll post updates on what I stick with and what I drop a few months into the season, and probably try to do this same sort of thing come midseason. What's everybody else watching on Sunday nights?
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