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Issue Date: September 14, 2008
Fall TV: Who's got buzz?
E!'s TV expert gets top bloggers to reveal which shows fans are talking about most.
By Kristin Dos Santos
COULD IT BE "30 Rock?" Maybe "Prison Break"? To find out which shows will have the biggest online buzz this fall, we went straight to the source -- the elusive "blogosphere." We assembled our first-ever panel of TV bloggers, who weighed in on their returning TV favorites.
TV bloggers -- who write on the Internet about their favorite shows and stars -- are fast becoming known as some of the industry's most valuable tastemakers. They are passionate TV fans (and in many cases, knowledgeable insiders) who write specifically for other TV fans, and their ability to stir up word-of-mouth hype can be surprisingly powerful.
Our panelists -- Kathie Skerry of "Give Me My Remote," Kimra McPherson of "BuzzSugar" and Jace (who goes by a single pen name to protect his anonymity) of the award-winning "Televisionary" -- submitted their picks for the top five series they will be buzzing about this fall. Those picks were used to generate the short list on this page.
Surprisingly, our panelists were nearly unanimous in their pick for fall's most buzzworthy show: ABC's "Pushing Daisies," the whimsical dramedy that aired for only nine episodes before the writers' strike cut its first season short last winter.
McPherson calls "Daisies" a "candy-colored confection disguised as a TV show." (Doesn't that make you want to take a nibble?) And Skerry compares watching "Pushing Daisies" to "getting lost in the best kind of book" and goes so far as to say the series has "quickly climbed to the top of my list of favorite shows of all time."
Of all time? We know what you're thinking. Not "The Sopranos?" Or "The West Wing?" Or "Law & Order?" But keep in mind, while seasoned TV critics tend to lend coverage and praise to well-established series with veteran casts, awards and accolades, bloggers can't help but buzz about the shows that make them feel something (and feel it strongly).
It was just such an emotion -- laughing until you cry -- that landed two NBC comedies on our bloggers' list: "The Office" and "30 Rock." "There is nothing on television that makes me laugh like 'The Office,'" Skerry says. McPherson admits she has gotten completely sucked into the show's core romance: "How could I not be excited when I know Jim is walking around with a sparkly rock burning a hole in his pocket, just waiting for the perfect moment to propose to Pam?"
Jace prefers that other rock. "30 Rock is still the brightest, shiniest spot on my television-viewing week," he explains, "offering more belly laughs, throwaway lines and blink-and-you'll-miss-it jokes in one episode than most typical seasons of other network comedies."
McPherson and Skerry are making a big push for their third pick, NBC's heart-tugging but ratings-challenged "Friday Night Lights." The series has a new deal with DirecTV (it will debut on DirecTV and then move to NBC in the winter) that these bloggers desperately hope will bring in more viewers. "It's one of the best shows on TV, but we need more people to appreciate this series before it's too late," Skerry says.
Last but certainly far from least is NBC's action thriller about a computer geek turned secret agent, Chuck, which gets plenty of blog love from all our panelists. Citing amped-up story lines and guest stars such as Tony Hale, John Larroquette and Jordana Brewster, Jace says, "The second season promises to be even more thrilling, hysterical and, well, awesome."
So will all this buzz translate into ratings? That's up to the ones who truly have the power: you.
 Tell us why your favorite show should be on the list
Kristin Dos Santos is the resident TV expert for E! Online and E! Entertainment Television. Catch her every Wednesday at 7 p.m. on E! News, or go to eonline.com to read her "Watch with Kristin" column.
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