On Friday night, we will once again mark the autumnal equinox, officially kicking off the most beautiful season in much of the United States (and the first day of Spring for those of us in the Southern Hemisphere).
Not only does Fall mean changing leaves and a crispness in the air, but it is high tide for Pop Culture. The new season begins on television; prestige movies fill the theaters; the King of American sports eclipses events that would rule any other time of the year; the 2012 election moves into a matter of months; bands try to cash in on the iTunes gift certificate redemption season. Three months of Fall normally hold more goodies than the other three seasons combined.
So this week, we’ll examine the menu and whet our appetite for what’s to come.
Even though it’s lost some importance, the Fall season still produces the bulk of television programming for the year. Whether that includes the bulk of good television isn’t exactly clear. Coming out with a seven-day, three-hour slate of shows with traditional commercial breaks and 24-week schedules seems a bit retarded in this day and age, but the networks still do it.
Let’s take a look at three questions this leaves us with.