2014 Fall TV Preview: Mondays

Mondays have increasingly become one of TV’s most popular nights. Each major network offers viewers something different, and the strategies these networks have adopted have been mostly successful. This fall sees the premiere of three new series.

Here are official video previews, series rundowns, time slots, and a little critical analysis on their odds of survival. Bookmark this page if you want to keep track of premiere dates and possible schedule changes, because updates will be posted in the comments section.

7PM CST

Gotham [Fox] vs. The Voice [NBC], Dancing With The Stars [ABC], The Originals [The CW], and 2 Broke Girls and Mom [CBS].

Watch it if you like: Sleepy Hollow, Birds of Prey.

This DC Comics drama focuses on the future Commissioner Gordon (Ben McKenzie) who polices the dark streets of Gotham City. Rounding out the cast are a preteen, pre-Batman Bruce Wayne and a rogue gallery of villains.

With Gotham, one shouldn’t expect a family-friendly, Smallville-style origin series. There’s plenty of gritty violence and suggestive situations, but the series isn’t too moody for its own good. Gotham has a great time slot and is 2014’s most buzzed-about new series, making it one of the year’s best bets. However, only time will tell whether or not audiences will quickly tire of its novel concept, or if its expensive production leads to cancellation.

8PM CST

Scorpion [CBS] vs. The Voice [NBC], Dancing with the Stars [ABC], Sleepy Hollow [FOX}, and Jane the Virgin [The CW].

Watch it if you like: Numb3rs, Leverage.

A government agent (Robert Patrick) recruits a team of geniuses with unique personalities to prevent cyber crimes. Katherine McPhee (in a rare non-singing role) co-stars as a former waitress, who uses her experience as the mother of a child prodigy to act as a sort of social liaison for the group.

It’s an average procedural peppered with technical wizardry, psychological profiling, and NCIS-style cast clowning. Scorpion looks watchable, but it could quickly fade out, just as Intelligence did, because of its competition.

Jane The Virgin [The CW] vs. Scorpion [CBS], The Voice [NBC], Dancing With The Stars [ABC], and Sleepy Hollow [FOX].

Watch it you like: Ugly Betty, Gilmore Girls.

In this telenovela-inspired dramedy, Jane is a “good girl” who works hard, listens to her elders, and loves her boyfriend. But after her doctor makes a big mistake during a routine exam, she finds herself accidentally pregnant with the child of her never-do-well co-worker.

Despite the fact that Jane The Virgin often veers into ridiculous slapstick and stereotypes, there are also some heartfelt moments worth watching. The CW usually has low ratings standards, but this show probably won’t make it to a second season. Perhaps a midseason time slot switch (likely to Friday, following Hart Of Dixie) would help.