My Take On Some Of The Upcoming TV Shows

I recently watched previews for upcoming shows at the major networks. Here’s my take on what I saw, along with links to the previews for each network.

None of the comedies really impress me (although some seem far more likely to make it than others), but I do quite like the prospects of these…

Mind Games: Takes the “person with an amazing brain” and gives it a twist — by being proactive with it, rather than deductive. Plus, it’s got Christian Slater.

Resurrection: Kid returns to his parents after having been missing for decades — but he’s the same age as he was when he disappeared. I saw this trailer a few days ago, and I’ll definitely check out the pilot, at least.

Killer Women: Tricia Helfer of Battlestar Galactica as a BAMF Texas Ranger. What’s not to like?

Mixology: I’m not completely sold on this, but the concept is pretty unique — sounds like the entire season will take place during the course of one night at a singles bar. Of all the comedy pilots above, this is the one that most intrigues me.

The only one of these I’m at all interested in is Intelligence.

The Millers is a Greg Garcia project, but pales by comparison to some of his hit shows.

Mom seems sort of dumb, but I’m torn because I really like Anna Faris.

The Crazy Ones is too crazy for me. Letting Robin Williams “do his thing” was probably a much better idea in the Mork & Mindy days than it is now, especially when he’s devolved into such self-parody.

We Are Men may find an audience, but I think that despite its good cast, this one’s not going to last.

Hostages seems well-made, but I honestly could not care less about it.

Well, let’s run down the FOX trailers, shall we?

Gavin & Stacey Oh, sorry, Us & Them: Another remake of a UK hit show, this didn’t really click for me. The casting seems good, and the writing isn’t bad.  I’m just not interested at all in watching it.

Dads: Uh… okay, like the show above, there’s some decent casting here (like the brilliant Martin Mull), but in this case, the writing is just uninspired and the jokes are lame and tired.

Sleepy Hollow: When I first heard of this modern-day update of the classic tale, I didn’t see how it could possibly work. But watching the trailer proves that it’s at least a quality outing, and I’ll see what the first couple of episodes have to offer, for sure.

Rake: Directed by Sam Raimi and produced by Rescue Me’s Peter Tolan, this story of a lawyer who’s also a loveable S.O.B. could be okay, or really great… but I think maybe the trailer doesn’t do the show justice. I’ll give it a shot.

Almost Human: (The video is no longer available on the page linked above, but you can easily find the trailer on YouTube.) Cop with android sidekick has been done several times before, but this actually looks pretty decent.

Enlisted: Like a modern-day Stripes (without Bill Murray), right down to the sound-alike orchestral theme. But lo and behold, I found the trailer rather funny. Writing seems snappy, good ensemble of (mostly unknown) comedic actors… I have high hopes for this one.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: I think part of what this comes down to is whether or not you’re down with the idea of Andy Samberg headlining his own show. Personally, I can take him in limited doses, but he’s inoffensive enough, I suppose. The real problem here is that he seems like he’s in a different show than everybody else in the cast. It’s an odd dichotomy of styles that didn’t work for me at all.

Okay, NBC — let’s see what you’ve got.

The Blacklist: I shared this trailer already, and I think it’s very cool.  James Spader in a totally unique role for him that also allows him to do that thing that he does so well, that nobody else does — you know, the “James Spader thing”… Appointment television. Hope it lives up to the quality promised by the trailer.

Sean Saves the World: Ugh. Not my brand of comedy. It goes pretty much like this: CATTY VERBAL ABUSE, NON-SEQUITUR, additional CATTINESS, YELLING!, and more YELLING! Pass.

The Michael J. Fox Show: Borrowing heavily, no doubt, from his own personal life, Michael plays a beloved TV personality with Parkinson’s. C’mon, who doesn’t love Michael J. Fox? He’s adorable, and you’ve gotta respect the dignity he’s shown battling that horrible disease. I just wish this trailer looked better. Although there were two good laughs: the rolling chair + the serving dinner bit both proved he’s not afraid to make light of the funny things that happen in the reality of dealing with Parkinson’s on a day-to-day basis. So maybe they’ll pull this off. I honestly wish him the best with the show.

Ironside: Blair Underwood is a very good actor with a good deal of charm, but I think the reason the original Ironside (which ran for 8 years) worked so well was because its star Raymond Burr had a “heft” of presence that rivaled his famous girth. Also, the original version made more sense as it showed that Ironside, stripped of his mobility, had to use his mind to solve cases, whereas Underwood’s Ironside gets down and dirty and right into the action. They could take away the wheelchair, and it likely wouldn’t change this new show much at all. Even on its own merits, it seems “okay”, but I don’t think it’s enough to rise above all the other cop dramas out there.

Welcome to the Family: Hey, look — it’s Carlos from Desperate Housewives. Oh, and hey, it’s Kurt Hummel’s dad from Glee. And Carlos’ son got Mr. Hummel’s daughter pregnant. And one of the mothers may be pregnant, too. Wackiness ensues. So, you probably know enough to know whether you’ll watch this show or not. I suppose it seems well-made enough, for what it is.

Dracula: Again, you pretty much already know if you’ll be watching this period dramatic version of the classic tale. If you like Grimm and Once Upon A Time, this should be right up your alley. It just didn’t really appeal to me.