If you’ve never watched “Hart of Dixie” or “Suburgatory,” then you’re missing out on two delightful shows that’ll definitely cure your winter TV blues. These gems give fresh, young, and funny takes on the classic fish out of water storyline. “Hart of Dixie,” which airs Mondays on the CW at 9 PM ET/8 PM CT, stars “O.C.” alum Rachel Bilson as Dr. Zoe Hart. After being rejected for an esteemed medical fellowship, the New York doctor accepts a position at Dr. Harley Wilkes’ medical practice in Bluebell, Alabama. Dr. Hart’s adjustment to southern life gives the show its obvious jokes, but that’s not why I rave about “Hart.” Viewers go along with Dr. Hart on her self-discovery journey as she gradually lets go of her prejudices and reveals her vulnerabilities. And as she begins to care about her patients, we begin to care about the young doctor. The show is charming with its right amount of humor, and its inevitable medical emergencies show audiences why Dr. Hart graduated at the top of her class. I would recommend this show for anyone who loved the small time warmth and general kookiness of the CW’s “Gilmore Girls.” And like that juggernaut, The Hollywood Reporter’s Tim Goodman says “Hart of Dixie” is “surprisingly touching” and gives audiences “sentimental lesson-learning.”
Goodman similarly likes “Suburgatory,” another program that showcases the struggles of New York transplants. This show also surprised the critic in that it delivers the right amount of “nuance, snark, and sweetness…,” from the perspective of sixteen-year-old Tessa Altman, played perfectly dead-on by newcomer Jane Levy. After finding a pack of condoms in Tessa’s drawer, her single father George (Jeremy Sisto) decides to move the two from Manhattan to the suburb of Chatswin, New York. What separates “Suburgatory” from “Hart of Dixie” is that on “Suburgatory” we see Chatswin and its inhabitants through the eyes of Tessa. Although the teen is cynical, most people will be drawn to the show because they know what it’s like to be an outsider at that age. The show’s clever writing brings out the sharp wit in Tessa’s observations about her fellow suburbanites, and we cheer and cringe as she struggles to stay true to her New York self in a land of plastic girls and their disturbingly happy PTA moms. “Suburgatory” airs Wednesdays on ABC at 830PM ET/730PM CT. Fire up your DVRs and enjoy!
http://www.cwtv.com/shows/hart-of-dixie/episodes/101
http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/suburgatory
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/hart-dixie-tv-review-239994
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/suburgatory-tv-review-240705