Doug Strassler's Spring TV Season Preview

Networks Give One Last Push for the Season By Doug Strassler The hits ? and misses ? just keep on coming: can you believe there are still more programs still set to debut this spring? Below is a look at a few of the ones vying for eleventh-hour glory. Bent: Type-A lawyer Alex (Amanda Peet) hires womanizing, gambling-addicted contractor Pete (Dave Walton) to renovate her kitchen after divorcing her husband. Both try to move forward with her lives and date new people. Could a love match be about to strike? Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development) co-stars. Why it might work: The formula struck gold on Who's the Boss? Why it won't: I'm not sure that Alex and Pete are the next Angela and Tony. But if you're looking for actors playing characters with their own names? ?Best Friends Forever: Following her divorce, Jessica (Jessica St. Clair, The United States of Tara) moves in with bestie Lennon (Lennon Parham, Accidentally on Purpose), upsetting the balance with Lennon's boyfriend, Joe (Luka Jones)who's just moved in. Why it might work: Both Parham and St. Clair are terrific comedic actresses; this might be the breakout they deserve. Why it won't: It might get lost in a sea of new girlfriend-themed shows, including? ?Don't Trust the B in Apt 23: Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) and Dreama Walker (The Good Wife) star as twentysomethings who become unlikely roommates. James "Dawson Leery" Van Der Beek co-stars. Why it might work: Having the post-Modern Family time slot worked for Happy Endings this season. Why it won't: After Are You There, Chelsea? and Whitney, do we need another PG-13 look at girls being naughty? Especially with? ?Girls: Lena Dunham (Tiny Furniture) created and stars in this look at twentysomething women in Manhattan in hyper-aware, post-Carrie Bradshaw world. caption id="attachment_38695" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Lena Dunham in HBO's s Girls."][/caption] Why it might work: The show claims hit-meister Judd Apatow as an executive producer, and screened well at SXSW. Why it won't: The show aims to be more realistic than laugh-out-loud funny. Can its tone strike the right notes? Magic City: This latest Starz show focuses on a group of Miami mobsters in the 1950s. Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey's Anatomy) and Danny Huston (You Don't Know Jack). Why it might work: Mobsters do well, and people love period shows. Why it won't: Aside from shows set in ancient Rome, Starz doesn't tend to be very loyal. [ Scandal: Kerry Washington is an inside-the-beltway fixer who opens her own crisis management firm. Her character is loosely based on Judy Smith, George H. W. Bush's press aide. Why it might work: It's got Grey's Anatomy's Shonda Rhimes onboard, and she knows how to push an audience's buttons. Why it won't: Buzz has been veeeeeeeeeeeewwy quiet on this show. Which shows do you think you guys are going to watch?