This upcoming TV season is one of the most promising in recent years, especially in the realm of comedy. Some heavy-hitters are making triumphant returns (we hope) — “The Mindy Project” is back for its second season and “How I Met Your Mother” for its final.
We did have to say some hard goodbyes last season to shows that didn’t get much of a chance (lookin’ at you, “Happy Endings”); but more of the passings were seemingly due to old age, as was the case with “30 Rock” and “Gossip Girl.” So long, old friends.
It’s time to clear our heads and our hearts to make way for some new comedies. But which ones? Loving a good TV show, after all, is like joining an awesome club where you don’t have to pay dues or talk to any of the other members — but few have time to join every club. Here’s a quiz to help you pick which new fall comedy you ought to join in on early:
1. It’s time to clean the dorm room/apartment/neighbor’s house. What do you crank up to keep you company?
a. The TV – you usually settle on E! or VH1
b. A Beyoncé playlist you made of all her albums, to be played on repeat forever
c. The design and comedy podcasts you need to catch up on
d. NPR on your clock radio
2. What time is your earliest class?
a. 11:15 a.m.
b. 9:45 a.m.
c. 8:15 a.m.
d. 4 p.m.
3. What’s your favorite snack to make after a long day of school and play?
a. Honey BBQ Fritos, and not just because you like the Mitch Hedberg joke
b. Triscuits and pepper jack cheese
c. A homemade smoothie with banana, strawberries, yogurt and raw spinach you swear you won’t be able to taste
d. Carrot chips. They’re just like chips!
4. What’s your web browser?
a. Mozilla Firefox
b. Opera
c. Google Chrome
d. Safari
5. Give us a brief description of your last breakup.
a. A three-hour Skype sesh
b. Fancy restaurant, pizza sauce in hair
c. Still don’t know what happened
d. Sent text, literally so easy
Tally up your points:
1. a: 4, b: 2, c: 1, d: 3
2. a: 4, b: 2, c: 3, d: 1
3. a: 1, b: 3, c: 2, d: 4
4. a: 3, b: 1, c: 4, d: 2
5. a: 3, b: 4, c: 2, d: 1
If you got 5-8 points: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
Premieres Sept. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
Tuesdays on FOX, 7:30 p.m.
An ensemble comedy in the same vein as all your favorites (“The Office,” “Parks and Recreation”), “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” takes the “we’re-all-in-this-together” approach to the streets of Brooklyn, where detectives Andy Samberg (“SNL”) and Andre Braugher (“City of Angels,” “Men of a Certain Age”) fight crime. You’ll like this show for its goofy sensibilities and you’ll love it for its supporting actors, who are hilarious on their own: Chelsea Peretti, Joe Lo Truglio and Stephanie Beatriz co-star.
If you got 9-12 points: “Mom”
Premieres Sept. 23, 8:30 p.m.
Mondays on CBS, 8:30 p.m.
You’re the kind of person who would describe yourself as “real,” and for good reason: That’s what you are. Catch a show that deals with all the real issues while still being hilarious. Allison Janney (“The West Wing,” “The Way, Way Back”), one of the funniest actresses of our time, plays a mom who passed her hard-partying ways onto her daughter, Anna Faris (“The House Bunny,” the “Scary Movie” series). Faris’s character has a daughter, too, so it’s three generations of women dealing with sobriety, recovery and the sitcom hilarity of the everyday.
If you got 14-16 points: “The Michael J. Fox Show”
Premieres Sept. 26 at 8 p.m.
Thursdays on NBC, 8:30 p.m.
This show is perfect for you because you like a sure thing. You’ve always liked sure things. And sure, this show may have a laugh track, but we can bet on veteran Michael J. Fox (“Family Ties,” “Back to the Future”) to deliver the laughs. The heart will come in spades, too — the show’s protagonist, Mike Henry, is a newscaster who got diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the same disease Fox himself lives with.
If you got 17+ points or more: “Trophy Wife”
Premieres Sept. 24 at 8:30 p.m.
A creature of convenience, you’ll appreciate that this show is already streaming on Hulu. Malin Akerman (“Childrens Hospital,” “Wanderlust”) stars as the new wife of a very rich guy who’s had two wives before her. So she’s got two of his exes to deal with, plus his three kids. Sounds like a lot for someone whose lifestyle was previously livin’ it up in karaoke bars with her best friend Meg (Natalie Morales.) On the surface, this show doesn’t look like it’s in it for the long haul. But smart money says that the judgmental ex-wives (Marcia Gay Harden and Michaela Watkins) and the charming Akerman will pull it through.
