View Tubes Rockers review fall TV’s most intriguing pilots
Reaper

THE C W, TUESDAYS AT 9 P.M.

Viva Laughlin CBS, SUNDAYS AT 8 P.M.

Chuck NBC, MONDAYS AT 8 P. M.

Back to You FOX, WEDNESDAYS AT 8 P. M.

THE CRI TICS
Pinback’s Rob Crow
Nellie McKay
Say Anything’s Max Bemis
The Donnas’ Brett Anderson
THE PREMISE

This kid turns 21 and finds out his parents sold his soul to the Devil—to be collected on that very day. Instead of taking him, Satan gives him the task of collecting fugitives who’ve escaped from hell.

This is a musical-style series about two men who both want to build a casino. A murder takes place, and the killer could be either man, a closely involved woman, or pretty much anyone.

It’s the new one from Josh Schwartz, who created The OC. Chuck is a down-on-his-luck tech-support nerd who’s thrust into the spy game. And it’s a comedy.

Kelsey Grammer plays a big newscaster who has a freak-out that gets broadcast on You Tube. He loses his job and has to go back to a small-town show, so now he’s a big fish in a small pond.

THE GOOD

It’s a mishmash of Dead Like Me, Ghostbusters, and Clerks [Kevin Smith directed the pilot]. Fortunately, I like all those things. I’ll end up buying the DVD set.

It’s fun escapist trash. The actors are all dynamite, and there’s enough flair, charisma, and élan to wallpaper the Waldorf-Astoria.

It’s sort of cheesy, but it’s good cheesy. I watched the whole thing without getting disgusted, so that’s good. I probably wouldn’t follow it, but if it was on, I’d watch it.

Fred Willard plays a wacky sportscaster, and he’s great in everything. I’d love to be able to TiVo just the Willard parts.

THE BAD

There are a lot of scenes of slackers trying not to be impressed by some big CGI monster, which gets a little tired.

It’s got the usual Madonna/whore stereotypes in a teenage character who’s controlled by her father. I’m a little tired of shows about rich-white-male angst. Minorities and women are angsty, too!

The agents speak in the most hackneyed fake CIA phrases. It’s just guys being intense and saying shit like “This blood is not going to be on my hands.”

There’s a laugh track, which always sounds wrong. Plus, it seems like they might have used all their jokes in the first episode.

WILL IT
LAST?

If Deadwood can be replaced by a show about a surfing Jesus, then I guess anything can happen.

I’ve given up on guessing the whims of the public. Or in this case, of broadcast executives.

The OC was the cheesiest shit in the universe, but it was superwatch-able, so it was a hit. There’s hope.

It’s got a great cast, but I wouldn’t guarantee it.

IF I
SCORED IT

Anything from our new album, Autumn of the Seraphs, because my son’s gotta eat!

“Zombie” would make an excellent backdrop to the scenes of slot machines—it’s perfect for people robotically dropping coin after coin into them.

We’ve got this new song called “Baby Girl, I’m a Blur” that’d be great for a crazy action sequence. Or a montage. You’ve gotta have a montage!

“When the Show Is Over” could be about Kelsey Grammer’s character. Can you make that happen? K YLE ANDERSON

Buzzcatcher

UNDER THE RADAR AND BLASTING FROM OUR OFFICES

Basskniv3s

WHO: Rising from the ashes of ’90s Brit-punk almost-weres 3 Colours Red, the trio treat each three-minute avalanche of bombast as though the earth will swallow them if they stop playing. And it’s catchy, too. LATEST: Come on You Motherfuckers EP (Mighty Atom) FOR FANS OF: Motörhead, Ash

Grayskul

WHO: MCs JFK and Onry Ozzborn take all the boundary-pushingest hip-hop subgenres (horrorcore, coke rap, et al.) and match them with a barrage of pithy putdowns, like “You’ll find me in a barn at dawn with Spike Lee / Before you catch me wearing a long white tee.” LATEST: Bloody Radio (Rhymesayers) FOR FANS OF: EPMD, Clipse

The Forms

WHO: Recorded—not produced!—by Steve Albini, the Forms take the purist’s noisy, claustrophobic sensibilities and slather on layers of towering melody and a touch of psychedelia. Post-rock without all that mathed-up wankery. LATEST: The Forms ( Threespheres) FOR FANS OF: The National, Slint

³⁴ OCTOBER ²⁰⁰⁷ WWW. SPIN.COM

< Ha Ha Tonka

WHO: The four men who make up Ha Ha Tonka (named after a state park in Missouri) know a few fundamental facts. First, the Midwest can be a harsh and boring place. Second, it’s also rich with personal stories and people eager to pound the floorboards to crunchy, sun-soaked roots rock. Third, the second fact has everything to do with the first. LATEST: Buckle in the Bible Belt (Bloodshot) FOR FANS OF: Drive-By Truckers, Kings of Leon