All this week, now one month into the Fall TV season, BuddyTV takes a hard look at the new shows to determine which ones we were right about, and which ones have surprised us the most, both positively and negatively.

The minute I heard about ABC's new comedy Samantha Who?, I was intrigued.  I became a fan of Christine Applegate post-Married With Children.  I may be one of the few who remember her late 90s sitcom, Jesse, but I loved it.  She impressed in recent years holding her own opposite Will Ferrell in Anchorman and even braving Broadway in a revival of Sweet Charity.  I didn't need to know much more than she was the star of a new sitcom to get me on board.  After two episodes, has the show lived up to my expectations?  Let's explore.

Before the fall season kicked off, the writers got together and ranked their most anticipated shows.  Mine were:

1. Samantha Who?
2. Private Practice
3. Kid Nation
4. Big Shots
5. Bionic Woman

Okay, so it wasn't the most perfect list.  I did take a lot of heat for putting Kid Nation so high but who's laughing now?  It's got a decent following!  Big Shots and Bionic Woman have captured my interest enough to even sit through an entire episode.  Samantha Who? sat atop my number one spot and I may still have to keep it there, purely for not having enough time to investigate all the new shows.

I watched the premiere episode and found it to be very charming.  Samantha wakes up from her coma after being hit by a car and can't remember a thing about herself.  That's probably a good thing since her old self wasn't exactly likable.  The show switches back and forth between Samantha now and "Bad Samantha" pre-accident.  With strong performances by Jean Smart and Kevin Dunn as her parents, I felt the family storyline could be enough to carry the show. 

My least favorite character is Andrea, played by Jennifer Esposito.  I totally get that she's not supposed to be liked but the portrayal doesn't do it for me either.  It's very fake, very forced, very unbelievable.  I don't know a single person who acts that way.  According to other writers on the staff, the same could be said for Melissa McCarthy's character, Dena, but she was actually the only person who made me laugh in the second episode.

While the first episode had me smiling most of the time, the same cannot be said for the second episode.  It dealt with Samantha's job and her indecision over a boob job.  Barry Watson, who plays her ex, was used more as a prop than an actual person and didn't bring much to the storyline though that's not his fault.  All in all, Samantha Who is quickly becoming the show I really WANT to be my favorite, but I'm not sure it will be.  I'm going to stick with it because I have faith in the show.  Here's hoping Samantha Who does right by me after ranking it first on my BuddyTV Fall Preview.


- Gina Scarpa, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of ABC)