If you’re like me, every fall brings with it a bit of a sense of panic: “How am I possibly going to find the time to try out every new show?” After all, I already have a long list of shows that I watch. That, combined with my general desire to see a show through to the end (or just a general inability to say enough is enough?), means I don’t have time to sample 40+ broadcast pilots. Not to mention all the cable shows. But, if you’re like me, even having more shows than you can manage does not mean you are content to stick with what you have and not see if any of the new crop is for you. That’s why TV networks’ greatest gift to people like me is advanced releases of their new shows. Over the course of summer there are small scraps of time, an occasional day or week where nothing new is on. Those are the perfect times to try out early releases and decide in advance if this is a show worth my time.
Thus far I have been lucky enough to see 5 new shows in advance and have been surprised to find virtually none of my expectations fulfilled.
Forever (ABC)–
My expectations of this show, based on the trailer and summary, were extremely low. It simply felt like a run of the mill procedural series with a gimmick that would be little better than that of Tru Calling. (No offense, Eliza Dushku, but perhaps you should have pursued the Faith the Vampire Slayer idea instead.) However, I was pleasantly surprised to find it incredibly enjoyable. Dr. Henry Morgan is a medical examiner with an unusual story—whenever he dies, he reawakens in a nearby pool of water, completely unscathed. But what the show offers up immediately is not only likable leads (Henry is sort of a Sherlock Holmes-type without the anti-social awkwardness and Detective Jo Martinez, the police detective he works with, has just that bit of quirkiness that allows her to be incredibly smart and capable while not being intimidating) but also a bigger mythology, which for me has always had a large impact on my enjoyment of a show. Someone knows Henry’s secret, and may be just like him, but is this person out to torture him, reveal him, or connect with him?
Verdict: Not 100% sold, but I will be back for episode 2.
The Flash (CW)–
To me, this was a no-brainer. A superhero show, a spinoff from Arrow, the extremely likable and already introduced Grant Gustin as Barry Allen…but I found this pilot extremely wanting. It was tonally inconsistent, it did a poor job of introducing the cast around our titular character, and it mostly just felt like it offered nothing new or unique. Considering that the CW has done well by superheroes thus far, I am not ready to write the show off by any means. I am hoping that it simply means the show will need another episode to find its footing (genre shows pilots are always particularly troublesome since they have so much set up to take care of and not enough time to do it). I also hope people who have not already met Barry Allen on his visit to Starling City do not judge by this single episode.
Verdict: Willing to give it a second chance, but the pilot was disappointing.
Constantine (NBC)–
Unlike with The Flash, the allure of this comic book-based show was completely missing because I am not particularly familiar with the Hellblazer comics. Also, it sort of seemed exactly like Supernatural—guy tracks down and kills demons who are also responsible for a haunting loss in his past. He is more anti-hero like Dr. Gregory House than hero like Buffy Summers. The pilot was nothing special. I was excited about Lucy Griffiths because I enjoyed her in True Blood, but in addition to her absurd haircut (it looked so old-fashioned), she was given little to work with. The producers have decided to completely replace her character, so it is difficult to say how this will impact the series at large. Perhaps a more equal partner (a woman who can hold her own rather than a just-learning-the-ropes-damsel-in-distress) will give this show some new life.
Verdict: I’m willing to see who replaces Lucy Griffiths, but my expectations are not high.
A to Z (NBC)–
Both leads in this show, Ben Feldman (sorely missed on Drop Dead Diva) and Cristin Milioti (beloved and lost too soon Mother in How I Met Your Mother), are extremely likable and are really the only reason I had even a remote interest in this series. The plot itself is essentially 500 Days of Summer (though it is less definitive that the couple break up in the end). The pilot was no more and no less than standard romantic comedy fare—the meet cute, the will-they-or-won’t-they, the obstacles—but I found myself laughing throughout, which I cannot say about many comedies overall. Maybe liking Milioti and Feldman made me more open to liking the show
Verdict: I’m hopeful that the show can sustain this funny tone, but I’m unclear about the longevity of the series. (The narrator gives a very specific timeline for their relationship, and I don’t think viewers will be happy with that stretching out too long.)
Selfie (ABC)–
I love Karen Gillan (Doctor Who). This show pretty much looked awful and obnoxious and loud (and that’s ignoring the fact that the word “selfie” is up there at the top of my list of words that should crawl under a rock and die). But I love Karen Gillan. (Primarily because she was Amy Pond, but she also did a fantastic job as Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy and I am hopeful that we have not seen the last of her portrayal of Thanos’s adoptive daughter.) The pilot was exactly as awful and obnoxious and loud as I expected it to be, yet still I found myself enjoying it. It’s nice to see John Cho finally in a leading role rather than as the supportive friend and he and Gillan had surprising chemistry. Gillan plays a completely unlikable character, but that is something of the point. By the end she’s slightly more bearable and I expect that she’ll continue to become more so as the series continues.
Verdict: Well…Karen Gillan’s starring so I’ll at least watch a couple more episodes. Then we’ll see.
So far none of the new shows have blown me away, but they have given me some things to look forward to.
Have you seen any of the upcoming shows?
What do you think is the most promising?
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