The CW hit a
successful stretch of programming, which makes it unnecessary for Mark Pedowitz
to debut 3-4 shows in the fall. The Flash and Jane the Virgin had great first
seasons. The Flash was the network’s most watched show in history. The CW
debuts one show in the fall to pair with Jane the Virgin.
CBS is still the
most watched network. Nina Tassler told critics at CBS’ TCA day about how the
network profits in an increasingly competitive market and named their savvy
international licensing strategy that keeps shows going despite meager ratings
in America. Stephen Colbert’s late night show premieres in September. As for
their fall offerings, it’s procedurals (one with Supergirl), sitcoms to replace
the ones that concluded in the last two seasons, but, as I’ve maintained for
awhile now, the network could air hour long dramas in which specks of dust move
about a room for 22 weeks and 9 million would watch.
The CW
CRAZY EX-GIRLFRIEND
Created By Alina Brosh McKenna &
Rachel Bloom
Premiere Date: Monday, October 13 at 9PM
Premise: (from The CW's press release, May 2015) Rebecca Bunch
(Rachel Bloom) is a successful, driven, and possibly crazy young woman who
impulsively gives up everything - her partnership at a prestigious law firm and
her upscale apartment in Manhattan - in a desperate attempt to find love and
happiness in that exotic hotbed of romance and adventure: suburban West Covina,
Calif. (it's only two hours from the beach! Four in traffic).
Thoughts: No, not for me. The series will find an
audience. Jane the Virgin will give it a nice boost as the lead-in. It fits The
CW’s quirky Monday nights. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend includes musical numbers, a woman
moving across the country for a guy, the woman finding comfort, friendship, and
romance with another guy, which will remind one of Felicity (except for the
musical numbers). Rebecca is a stalker, but she sings! Josh, the character she
moved across country for, seems incredibly bland from the few scenes of him.
He’s the CW model type with the flawless jaw, chiseled body, and an acting
ability slightly more competent than Tara Reid’s date in American Pie 2.
CBS
LIFE IN PIECES
Created By Justin Adler
Premiere Date: Monday, September 21 at 8:30PM
Premise: (from CBS's press release, May 2015) LIFE IN PIECES is a
single-camera comedy about one big happy family and their sometimes awkward,
often hilarious and ultimately beautiful milestone moments as told by its
various members. As the family's lives unfold in four short stories each week,
they try to savor these little pieces of time that flash by but stay with you
forever, because these moments add up to what life's all about.
Thoughts: Four short stories in a week? An A, B,
C, and D story fitted into a condensed timeframe. Writers struggle to tell
three engaging stories in 20-minute episode. Can Justin Adler do it? Life In
Pieces owes a debt to Modern Family and Parenthood. The show’s a combination of
the two. The Life in Pieces family have the multi-generational thing of
Parenthood and the quirk (but less so) of the Modern Family...family. The
writers can span the generations for stories. There’s a precocious 8 year old,
an awkward college freshman, newly married folk, and baby nonsense. So,
everything you’ve seen in family dramas for the last thirty years in TV or film
will be represented. The trailer packs in every important beat from the first
episode, making it yet another series the viewer won’t need to watch until
episode two. I’m glad to see Dianne Wiest as a series regular.
LIMITLESS
Created By Craig Sweeny
Premiere Date: Tuesday, September 22 at 10PM
Premise: (from CBS's press release, May 2015) LIMITLESS, based on
the feature film, is a fast-paced drama about Brian Finch (Jake McDorman), who
discovers the brain-boosting power of the mysterious drug NZT and is coerced by
the FBI into using his extraordinary cognitive abilities to solve complex cases
for them. Fueled now with a steady supply of NZT that enables him to use 100%
of his brain capacity, Brian is more effective than all of the FBI agents
combined, making him a criminal's worst nightmare and the greatest asset the
Bureau has ever possessed.
Thoughts: Bradley Cooper appears in the first
episode. If anyone wants to watch his shiny blue eyes, svelte beard, on
primetime Tuesday night TV in late September, tune into Limitless. Tune in if
you wanted more Limitless after leaving the theater in 2011. Brian Finch won’t
discover how to use the pill correctly until near the end when, assumedly,
Bradley Cooper explains to him and to the audience how the pill works and how
the series will transition to weekly episodic fares--with a couple serialized
episodes mixed into the season.
CODE BLACK
Created By Michael Seitzman
Premiere Date: Wednesday, September 30 at 10PM
Premise: (from CBS's press release, May 2015) CODE BLACK, based on
the award-winning documentary by Ryan McGarry, is a heart-pounding medical
drama that takes place in the busiest, most notorious ER in the nation, where
the staggering influx of patients can outweigh the limited resources available
to the extraordinary doctors and nurses whose job is to treat them all -
creating a condition known as Code Black. These heroic doctors and nurses
operate with speed and skill within an overwhelmed system to treat the crowds
of people who are often there for one of two reasons: to die or to receive a
life-saving miracle.
Thoughts: A New ER. Types populate Code Black:
the tough love veteran doctor, the resident that doesn’t have confidence, the
resident that does, the resident with a tragic back story, the nice veteran
doctor, the doctors that don’t want to lose their spots, and, also, many sick
folk. The doctors save three people in the trailer. I don’t like medical
procedurals. Code Black looks as bland as fluorescent hospital lighting.
Superstar TV director David Semel directed it. I like his style, but I still
won’t bother watching the series. The ensemble residents all have personal
reasons for becoming doctors, I think, or I may’ve misheard a writer’s
interview. I inappropriately laughed twice during the trailer.
SUPERGIRL
Created By Ali Adler & Andrew
Kreisburg & Greg Berlanti
Premiere Date: Monday, October 26 at 8PM
Premise: (from CBS's press release, May 2015) SUPERGIRL is an
action-adventure drama based on the DC Comics character Kara Zor-El (Melissa
Benoist), Superman's (Kal-El) cousin who, after 12 years of keeping her powers
a secret on Earth, decides to finally embrace her superhuman abilities and be
the hero she was always meant to be. Twelve-year-old Kara escaped the doomed
planet Krypton with her parents' help at the same time as the infant Kal-El.
Protected and raised on Earth by her foster family, the Danvers, Kara grew up
in the shadow of her foster sister, Alex (Chyler Leigh), and learned to conceal
the phenomenal powers she shares with her famous cousin in order to keep her
identity a secret. Years later at 24, Kara lives in National City assisting
media mogul and fierce taskmaster Cat Grant (Golden Globe Award winner Calista
Flockhart), who just hired the Daily Planet's former photographer, James Olsen
(Mehcad Brooks), as her new art director. However, Kara's days of keeping her
talents a secret are over when Hank Henshaw (David Harewood), head of a
super-secret agency where her sister also works, enlists her to help them
protect the citizens of National City from sinister threats. Though Kara will need
to find a way to manage her newfound empowerment with her very human
relationships, her heart soars as she takes to the skies as Supergirl to fight
crime.
Thoughts: The Arrow creative team is spread thin.
The Flash continues, DC Legends of Tomorrow premieres in early 2016, Arrow’s
headed to season four, and now Supergirl takes flight on America’s Most Watched
Network. One or more of the shows will suffer because of the existence of the
other. Supergirl should be okay. It’s new. The trailer focuses on the evolution
of Kara into Supergirl, her acceptance that the world will know her as
Supergirl. Also, Kara tells someone about her desire to do more than work as an
assistant, which one may read as a not-so-subtle line about becoming more
important and more heroic than her cousin Superman (only referred to as “him”
in the series). One may also read the assistant line as feminist, i.e. women
will no longer assist the supermen in saving the world. Jimmy Olsen’s still the
assistant, and Kara’s the hero.
The writers shot
past Kara coming to grips with her super powers as well as maintaining her
secret identity. She’s known since childhood, and the city knows her after she
makes a dramatic save one night. Soon, she’s a brand. I’d like a superhero show
that tells heroic stories while also modernizing how American culture would
brand the superhero. Maybe, around mid-season, the city and the nation turn
against her because people always will crucify their saviors.
TV’s last
excellent female superhero was Buffy Summers. The Berlanti/Kreisburg creative
team produced good superhero shows. No Ordinary Family was Berlanti’s and
Guggenheim’s mulligan. Ali Adler’s a co-creator, formerly a writer of NBC’s
beloved spy show Chuck, and she also must’ve learned what not to do after the
NOF disaster. The creative team’s strong, the network’s strong, the lead’s
great, and millions of people continue watching every super hero movie or drama
released. I think Supergirl succeeds.
ANGEL FROM HELL
Created By Tad Quill
Premiere Date: Thursday, November 5 at 9:30pm
Premise: (from CBS's press release, May 2015) ANGEL FROM HELL stars
Golden Globe and multiple Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch in a single-camera
comedy about Amy (Lynch), a colorful, brassy woman who insinuates herself into
Allison's (Maggie Lawson) organized and seemingly perfect life, claiming to be
her "guardian angel." Allison is an intense, driven doctor who is
sure that Amy is just an inebriated, outspoken nut, until every one of her
warnings proves true. As Allison tries to push Amy away, Amy makes her final
pitch: her sole mission is to provide Allison with helpful guidance that nudges
her in the right direction in life - and it's her final chance to prove herself
as an angel. With that, Allison agrees to this unlikely relationship because
maybe a weird friend is exactly what she needs... and what if Amy really is her
"guardian angel"?
Thoughts: I liked the 5 plus minute trailer CBS
released. Allison ambles along in her life by dating a disappointing dude and
throwing herself into her work because she hasn’t dealt with a tragedy in her
life. Allison doesn’t deal with things. She pushes down and settles for what
she has. Amy, her guardian angel, will help her look at her life, improve it,
and cut out what she doesn’t need. First off, she doesn’t need a bad friend or
a bad boyfriend. She has her life together, but not quite together—but her
guardian angel will help her. Maggie Lawson’s great in the little I saw, and
Jane Lynch usually delivers. All sitcoms essentially tell a central story about
a person or a group of people trying to do better. Angel From Hell won’t be the
last of these sitcoms. I think I’ll give it a look.
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