Every year I look at what new shows are hitting the airwaves and give my opinion as to what is worthy and what needs to be thrown in the waste pit of sucky shows. This year I have ranked the shows in order of preference. I have not seen any of these shows I have only seen their trailers and have read about them. As I see them this list will change but here are my first impressions:
- The Good Place – NBC – Sept 19 – 9pm (central) – Stars Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars); I love Kristen Bell. Bad person goes to heaven. From the creators of Parks and Rec.
- Designated Survivor – ABC – Sept 21 – 9pm (central) – Stars Keifer Sutherland (24); Jack Bauer..oh wait that’s a different show. Keifer plays Tom Kirkman who is the chosen cabinet member to not attend the State of the Union and the worst possible happens. Keifer is now president. I’m a big fan of White House dramas and a bigger fan of the whispering Sutherland.
- Pure Genius – CBS – Oct 27 – 9pm (central) – Stars Dermot Mulroney and Augustus Prew. A Hospital dramas that centers on technology as a cure for what ails. I’m a technophile, so this show should be in my wheelhouse.
- Westworld – HBO – Oct 2 – 8pm (central) – A cool new version of the Star Trek holodeck. I always loved those episodes and now a show just about the holodeck..I hope Star Trek is getting some credit for this show.
- The Get Down – NETFLIX – Aug 12 – Brought to you by Baz Luhrmann(Moulin Rouge). This is a musical drama about the rise of Hip Hop. Reminds me a little of Vinyl on HBO but it’s got to better with Baz in charge.
- Marvel’s Luke Cage – NETFLIX – Sept 30 – Luke Cage from Jessica Jones gets his own show. I’ll binge this as soon as it comes out. Netflix is all about the quality content!
- Pitch – FOX – Sept 22 -8pm (central) – Stars Ginny Baker (Under the Dome) as the first female to break into the major leagues of baseball. This will inspire many people to pick up a ball and glove. I think Fox has a “hit” here.
- Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency – BBCA- Oct 22 – TIME TBA – Stars Elijah Wood (Frodo); A Douglas Adams book to the small screen that looks like it can be the next Dr. Who of the modern BBC. A show for those who can’t read or don’t want to.
- The Crown – NETFLIX – Nov 4 – Claire Foy, Matt Smith, John Lithgow, Victoria Hamilton, Jared Harris, Vanessa Kirby, and Eileen Atkins star is the story of the early life of Queen Elizabeth II. Wow what a cast.
- Crisis in Six Scenes – AMAZON – Sept 30 – From the mind of Woody Allen. His take on society is always very interesting.
- Incorporated – SYFY – Nov 30 – 9pm (central) – From producers Matt Damon and Ben Affleck along with Jennifer Todd; a drama about corporations having all the power and insiders using it to get ahead. Futuristic and cutting edge..looking forward to it.
- People of Earth – TBS – Oct 31 – 8pm (central) – Produced by Conan O’Brien and starring Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show) is about a reporter who looks into the unorthodox lives of those who have had terrestrial encounters. Looks funny and doesn’t take self too seriously.
- One Mississippi – AMAZON – Sept 9 – Tig Notarro stars in a not so normal family drama produced by Loius CK. Notarro’s take on death and family is great in her comedy so this is going to be special.
- Son of Zorn – FOX – Sept 25 – 7:30pm (central) – Stars Jason Sudeikis (SNL); Everything about this show is stupid…everything about this show is brilliant. I want to hate this show so much but it is so absurd that I think it will work. Cartoon Hemanish character in a live action world. Complete with outdated stereotypes and violence as a catchall problem solution.
- Startup – CRACKLE – Sept 6 – Stars Martin Freeman (Sherlock, Fargo); What happens when brilliant technology comes from the wrong side of the tracks? Interesting that this is coming from the network that brings you Comedians in Cars getting Coffee.
- Graves – EPIX – Oct 16 – Stars Nick Nolte as a former two term president. In an election year, political shows are always fun and I do enjoy Nolte.
- Goliath – Amazon – Oct 14 – Stars Billy Bob Thorton; washed up lawyer takes on a big case. Love Billy Bob so it should be pretty good.
- Search Party – TBS -Nov 21 – 10pm (central) – Stars Alia Shawkat (Arrested Development); She has no skills but has a keen interest in finding an aquantance who has gone missing in this hipster series.
- Insecure – HBO – Oct 9 – 9:30pm (central) – Centers on the lives of two black women, one of which is a teacher. Looks like it may be pretty funny.
- The Great Indoors – CBS – Oct 27 – 7:30pm (central) – Stars Joel McHale (Community); An adventure reporter must adapt to the office environment filled with entitled millennials. Give a good reason for McHales branded sarcasm. Not sure though I can believe McHale is rugged.
- Speechless – ABC – Sept 21 – 8:30pm (central) – Stars Minnie Driver (The Riches); Single mom with a special needs kid among others does what it takes to keep her family together. Love Minnie…hopefully better than About a Boy.
- Divorce – HBO – Oct 9 – 9pm (central) – Stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Thomas Hayden Church. Two good actors with three names each equals a pretty good looking show about divorce. Not a great subject, but one half the country can relate to.
- This is Us – NBC – Sept 20 – 9pm (central) – Ensemble family dramas; Not sure how all characters are connected but the trailer has a feeling like Parenthood which is in my all time top 10. Sometimes you just need a tear jerking good cry show.
- Conviction – ABC – Oct 3 – 9pm (central) – Stars Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter); Former president’s daughter with authority issues is given a take it or jail offer to work with Conviction Integrity Group for the NY district attorney. Crime drama with a female house like character. I’ll be watching this one.
- Undercover – BBCA – Nov 17 – Sophie Okonedo and Adrian Lester are set to star in Peter Moffat’s original political thriller. Husband spies on wife for 20 years. Neat premise.
- Berlin Station – EPIX – Oct 16 – New CIA agent sent to the Berlin Station. That’s all I know, but I love CIA shows so just the premise rates high for me.
- Notorious – ABC – Sept 22 – 8pm (central) – What happens when a lawyer and a cable news producer are in cahoots…and secretly in love? Hopefully good television. From the creators of the Blacklist, so it will probably get convoluted and hard to follow if you miss an episode.
- American Housewife – ABC – Oct 11 – 7:30pm (central) Stars Katie Otto (Mike and Molly); Stereotype vs. Stereotype is this comedy about an overweight mom in town full of modern stepford wives.
- Better Things – FX -Sept 8 – 9pm (central) – Stars Pamela Adlon (Louis); Produced by Louis CK. Single Mom with a more real comedic take.
- Chance – HULU – Oct 19 – Starring Hugh Laurie (House); Based on the Ken Nunn novel about a San Francisco forensic neuropsychiatrist. Don’t know much about this one, but will watch simply because of Laurie.
- Timeless – NBC – Oct 3 – 9pm (central) – If you could go back on time and save someone you loved, would you even if it meant altering history as we know it? This would be a better movie than TV show I think, but we can give it a shot.
- Good Behavior – TNT – Nov 15 – 8pm (central) – Michelle Dockery (Downton Abbey) as a con artist. I love con artist dramas, hopefully this one is one that is better than what’s being said.
- Van Helsing – SYFY – Sept 23 – A woman is given the cursed gift of locating vampires. Interesting to see a modern take on this gothic story.
- Man with a Plan – CBS – Oct 24 – 7:30pm (central) – Stars Matt LeBlanc (Friends, Episodes); Wife goes to work and husband stays at home with the kids. Where have I heard she this one before? Might not watch because it hits to close to home or may watch for that same reason.
- Stan Against Evil – IFC – Nov 2 – 9pm (central) – Comedy about the horror genre. Reminds me a little of the Scream movies. Could get old pretty fast.
- Queen Sugar – OWN – Sept 6 – 9pm (central) – Oprah Winfrey produced drama about a Louisiana family. Looks very interesting. I know I will learn a lot from this show and I hope others do too.
- Bull – CBS – Sept 20 – 8pm (central) – A court procedural with a new take from the perspective of a jury analyst. Interesting take but how long can this stay interesting?
- The Exorcist – FOX – Sept 23 – 8pm (central) -Stars Henry Rance (Ferris Buellers Day Off) and Geena Davis (Commander and Chief); Not a big fan of the horror genre, but this show look pretty good. I will keep an eye on it….or maybe it will keep an eye on me.
- Frequency – CW – Oct 5 – 8pm (central) – A voice from the past calls out from a Ham radio. The movie worked because of the cast. Not sure if this cast can pull off this show week to week and keep it interesting.
- Lethal Weapon – FOX – Sept 21 – 7pm (central) – Stars Damon Wayans; 80’s Movie to the little screen. This may make a good cop procedural, but the movie is so iconic. Has enough time passed to make this work? Several movies to TV shows from last year are already cancelled, Limitless and Minority Report.
- Atlanta – FX – Sept 6 – 9pm (central) – Stars Donald Glover (Community); He’s getting to rap and act. Looks interesting.
- Fleabag – AMAZON – An adaptation of the Waller-Bridge play about a woman trying to adapt to modern life in London. Not that interested.
- Versailles – OVATION – Oct 1 – 9pm (central) – Historical drama; not sure if it is interesting enough to keep our attention for a series. Could make a good miniseries though. If you’re going to have a network called Ovation you should really have content that will actually cause that.
- No Tomorrow – CW – Oct 4 – 8pm (central) – Another apocalypse TV show. The last one didn’t last and neither will this one. How can a show about the end of the world last more than the 8 months it gives? I predict this world to end much sooner.
- Haters Back Off – NETFLIX – Oct 14 – Not the worst thing out there, but damn near to it. Who finds this funny?
- MacGyver – CBS – Sept 23 – 7pm (central) – Does anyone have a hammer? So I can throw it at my TV. This show looks like an awful reboot of the original. I will be surprised if it lasts long, however CBS does keep shows on longer than they should.
- Kevin Can Wait – CBS – Sept 19 – 7:30pm (central) – Stars Kevin James (King of Queens); Same show different younger wife. Kevin retires from the police force daughter comes home from college early. James’ character look too young to retire, especially from a government job.
- Legends of Chamberlain Heights – CC – Sept 14 – 9:30pm (central) – I Don’t get it.