Fall TV Trends: Fairy Tales, Comedy and Women (Analysis)

With "Prime Suspect," "Alcatraz," "Pan Am" and "Charlie's Angels" on tap, THR looks at the themes of the upcoming TV season.
While it's far too early to know which new shows will be hits or flops -- though we can assure you many more will fall into the latter category -- we can shed light on the larger themes running through this year's development.
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Sold on the Pre-Sold: Between Charlie's Angels (ABC), Pan Am (ABC), Prime Suspect (NBC), The Firm (NBC), The Playboy Club (NBC), Are You There Vodka?, It's Me Chelsea (NBC) and Bones' back-door pilot The Finder (FOX), the networks are relying on brands that viewers are already familiar with, giving them a leg up as they prep their costly marketing campaigns designed to cut through in an increasingly crowded landscape. While fairytale drama Once Upon a Time (ABC) is a new name, its characters, including Snow White, are similarly marketable.
Girls Rule: With few exceptions (see Fox's Awake, CBS' Person of Interest, Fox's The Finder), women tend to dominate the new crop of network shows. The bulk of these freshman offerings not only cater to female-skewing audiences, but also have women inhabiting their lead roles. There are the ensemble dramas, including Playboy, Pan Am, NBC's Smash and ABC's Good Christian Belles, as well as the female-led comedies, including Fox's The New Girl, NBC's Whitney, Up All Night and Are You There Vodka?. Still other dramas, including Prime Suspect and ABC's Scandal, revolve around female stars.
Laughing all the Way to the Bank: After several seasons where the network comedy was declared dying -- if not, dead -- the genre led by ABC hit Modern Family has come roaring back. That return is evident in this year's pick-ups, with NBC leading the charge with 5 half-hour additions, including Amanda Peet's Bent and Hank Azaria's Free Agents. CBS already has two nights of comedy, with NBC announcing Sunday it was prepared to do the same, moving Up All Night and Agents to Wednesday. ABC is expected to the same, with Tim Allen's Last Man Standing poised to launch a Tuesday comedy block.