Fall TV is slowly returning from its winter hiatus and in addition to new episodes of series that we already love, we’re getting a sweet dose of completely new series. Here are my top five new winter shows that I would recommend to absolutely anyone!
Superstore – Airs Mondays at 8/7c on NBC
I love the all too relatable story lines and sharp attention to the things that matter to people who work jobs like these. I love the ridiculousness of each character and their circumstances and perspectives of the world. This show is beyond hilarious and I feel like I have no one to talk to about this show which is a shame because every single episode has been A+ so please watch because this show is an absolute gem.
America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”) and Ben Feldman (“Mad Men,” “A to Z”) star in the hilarious workplace comedy “Superstore” (from the producer of “The Office”) about a unique family of employees at a super-sized megastore. “Superstore” centers around Amy (Ferrera), the store’s most stalwart employee as well as the glue holding the place together, and newly hired Jonah (Feldman), a naive dreamer determined to prove work doesn’t have to be boring. Their fellow associates include the sardonic Garrett (Colton Dunn, “Key and Peele”) the ambitious Mateo (Nico Santos, “Mulaney”) and the sweet pregnant teenager, Cheyenne (Nichole Bloom, “Shameless”). Overseeing them all are Glenn (Mark McKinney, “Kids in the Hall”) the store’s affable, clueless store manager, and Dina (Lauren Ash, “Super Fun Night”), the aggressive assistant manager who lives by a very specific code — namely the store’s employee handbook.
From the bright-eyed newbies and the seen-it-all veterans to the clueless summer hires and the in-it-for-life managers, together they hilariously tackle the day-to-day grind of rabid bargain hunters, riot-causing sales and nap-worthy training sessions.
“Superstore” was created and written by Justin Spitzer (“The Office”), who also serves as an executive producer with director Ruben Fleischer (“Gangster Squad”), David Bernad (“Enlightened”) and Gabe Miller & Jonathan Green (“The Office”). “Superstore” is produced by Universal Television, Angry Stickman Productions and The District.
Angie Tribeca – Airs Mondays at 9/8c on TBS
Episode 103 “The Famous Ventriloquist Did It”
“Mrs. Parsons, as I’m sure you’re aware, 82% of murders are committed by someone close to the victim.” – Angie (Rashida Jones)
“Well, wouldn’t they have to be close them in order to murder them?” – Mrs. Parsons (Sarah Chalke)
It takes a special kind of person to appreciate the comedy of Angie Tribeca. My kind of person. If you love Angie Tribeca as much as I do, you already get me on a level that so many people don’t. If The Office and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia had children, this would be the middle child. From the creative minds of Steve Carrell and his lovely wife and the comedic talent to make every line soar just as high as it should, comes one of the most laugh out loud comedies and most under-appreciated comedies in a long time.
I love how this show plays on the silly phrases and actions that we humans have. I love the puns, the gags, I love the comedic plays. This show knows it’s absolutely ridiculous and it plays on that at the absolute highest level possible. This show is smart. It’s silly. The board game interrogation (HA!) especially sticks out. Truly, every single episode I laughed aloud. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from this show and was actually prepared to write it off even knowing that I love the talent behind the show…simply because TBS had yet to win me over. But now. Now it has. And I hope it finally wins you over too.
I am a fan of Jlo the singer but I am an even bigger fan of Jennifer Lopez, the actor. She is fierce and I love it. She embodies her roles 100% and this role of hers here is no different. She’s compelling on screen and picks really meaningful work and this, this story is intriguing on its own so to have her attached along with Ray Liotta and so many talented others, it’s just so beautiful to see. I love this drama. Shades of Blue is intense. It gets more and more thrilling as each episode goes on as rooting for good over evil quickly becomes rooting for the lesser of two evils. Definitely watch this show if you aren’t already!
Harlee Santos (Jennifer Lopez) is a charismatic single mother and resourceful detective at the heart of a tight-knit crew of Brooklyn detectives, led by enigmatic Lt. Matt Wozniak (Ray Liotta, “Goodfellas,” “Field of Dreams”) who often leads the team to step outside the limitations of the law in order to effectively protect their precinct and their own.
As a big illegal job looms on the horizon, the FBI catches Harlee in the act and pits her against her own unit. As a newly turned informant, Harlee struggles to safeguard her on-the-job family and avoid arrest in order to stay with her daughter. Harlee engages in a perilous dance with her FBI handler, Special Agent Stahl (Warren Kole), who develops an unhealthy obsession with her. Meanwhile, Wozniak, acting as the unit’s patriarch, begins an all-consuming hunt for the informant. Pressure mounts as the crew struggles to perform their brand of street justice under FBI watch.
The cast includes Drea de Matteo (“Sopranos,” “Sons of Anarchy”), Dayo Okeniyi (“Terminator: Genisys,” “Hunger Games”), Vincent Laresca (“The Aviator,” “Fast and Furious Tokyo Drift”), Hampton Fluker (“Aquarius,” “The Blind Side”) and Sarah Jeffery (“Rogue,” “Wayward Pines”). Santino Fontana (“Frozen,” “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) is a recurring guest star.
Creator and writer Adi Hasak (“Generation Kill,” “3 Days to Kill”) serves as executive producer along with Jack Orman (“Men of a Certain Age,” “ER,” “Pan Am”), Jennifer Lopez (“The Boy Next Door,” “The Fosters”), Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas (“Extant,” “The Fosters”), Benny Medina (“The Boy Next Door,” “The Fosters”), Ryan Seacrest (“Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” “Shahs of Sunset”) and Nina Wass (“Mixology,” “Golden Girls”). Barry Levinson (“Rain Man,” “And Justice for All”) directed episodes 101 and 102.
If you’ve read the book of the same titled for which this series is based, you will be in love. If you haven’t, you will be compelled to buy the book and dive into reading it as soon as possible. It’s just that good. This world, these characters, so intriguing, so captivating, so elevating. This show gives me so much life, I can’t even begin to tell you. Yes to The Magicians. If you’re looking for your weekly dose of magic, here it is in all its glory. Here it is, friends.
Based on Lev Grossman’s New York Times best-selling fantasy trilogy, “The Magicians” centers on Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant grad student chosen to attend Brakebills University for Magical Pedagogy, a secret upstate New York university specializing in magic. He and his 20-something friends soon discover that the magical fantasy world they read about as children is all too real – and poses grave danger to humanity.
The cast includes Jason Ralph (“Aquarius,” “Madam Secretary”), Stella Maeve (“Chicago PD,” “Golden Boy”), Olivia Taylor Dudley (“The Vatican Tapes,” “Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension”), Hale Appleman (“Teeth,” “Smash”), Arjun Gupta (“Nurse Jackie,” “How to Get Away with Murder”) and Summer Bishil (“Lucky 7,” “90210”).
Writers Sera Gamble (“Supernatural,” “Aquarius”) and John McNamara (“Aquarius,” “Trumbo”) serve as executive producers, along with Michael London (“Milk,” “The Illusionist”), Janice Williams (“Trumbo,” “The Astronaut Wives Club”), Henry Alonso Myers (“Covert Affairs,” “Ugly Betty”) and Scott Smith (“Signed, Sealed, Delivered,” “The Gourmet Detective”). Mike Cahill (“I Origins,” “Another Earth”) directed the pilot episode.
Before you go into this show, be prepared to not have all of the answers for awhile and being okay with that. After all, this is a Carlton Cuse (Lost) show so there is an underlying theme of mystery and intrigue in all that he does. It continues here. I love the conflicts we see on this show and seeing how Will and Kate are dealing with surviving in an occupied Los Angeles in their own very different ways.
The secrets we hold, the sacrifices we make, the choices we make in a world like this one. The planning that’s involved in moving forward with those decisions. Not truly being able to turn back. Very powerful stuff here. Quiet powerful because I feel like not a lot of people are talking about this one. If you are, what do you think?
From executive producers Carlton Cuse (“Lost”) and Ryan Condal (“Hercules”) comes USA’s newest, highly-anticipated drama “Colony.” Set in the very near future, “Colony” centers on one family’s struggle to survive and bring liberty back to the people of an occupied Los Angeles.
SAG winner Josh Holloway (“Lost”) stars as former FBI agent Will Bowman and Satellite Award winner Sarah Wayne Callies (“The Walking Dead”) stars as his wife, Katie, in the series which takes place in a dangerous world of divided ideologies. While some choose to collaborate with the occupation and benefit from the new order, others rebel and suffer the consequences. After being separated from their son during the invasion, Will and Katie are willing to do whatever is necessary to be reunited with him. Thus, when the powerful Proxy Snyder (Peter Jacobson, “House”) offers Will a chance to get his son back if he will collaborate with the occupational government, Will and Katie find themselves faced with the toughest decision of their lives. They will have to go beyond whatever they thought possible, risking their lives and their relationship to protect their family.
Pam is back! Okay, not Pam. Jenna Fischer. Is back on TV with a one hour dramedy that has already won me over in its series premiere. Sure, Rob Lowe is the big face here but I’m actually equally entertained by the whole cast here and their wild backstories that somehow converge at the end of the earth. I can’t wait to see what becomes of this show, especially if it makes it past the first season!
“You, Me and the Apocalypse” is a bold adrenaline-fueled hourlong comedic drama about the last days of mankind. When the news is announced that a comet is on an unavoidable collision course with Earth, the most hilarious and unexpected chain of events imaginable is set in motion. Against a backdrop of apocalyptic chaos, an eclectic group of seemingly unconnected characters around the world begin to intersect in the most unexpected ways, resulting in a nonstop mix of action, romance and wit.
The story follows an unusual assortment of mismatched characters, each coping with the impending end of the world in his or her own bizarre way. Perhaps the most complex is Father Jude (Rob Lowe, “Parks and Recreation”), a rebellious and foul-mouthed priest who is tasked with being the “devil’s advocate” with the aid of his new timid assistant, Sister Celine Leonti (Gaia Scodellaro, “Cugino e Cugino”). Rhonda (Jenna Fischer, “The Office”), a mild-mannered librarian, finds herself dangerously out of her depth when she is sent to a maximum security prison for a crime she did not commit. She unwillingly befriends Leanne (Megan Mullally, “Will & Grace”), an unhinged white supremacist who takes a deeply reluctant Rhonda under her wing. Morally dubious, but intensely loyal, Leanne is a woman uniquely suited to surviving the end times and will prove herself to be exactly the sidekick Rhonda needs.
Then there is Jamie (Mathew Baynton “Yonderland”), the humble bank manager from Slough who is hopelessly stuck in a rut and still in mourning over the mysterious disappearance of his wife seven years ago. Spurred into action as a result of the impending apocalypse, he embarks on a perilous quest to find his loved one.
There are 34 days until the comet collides with Earth and some of these misfits are destined to make it to a bunker deep beneath the English suburbs of Slough. As a result, they will become the incredibly unlikely, and totally unsuitable, future of mankind. Wouldn’t that be a disaster!
The cast also includes Joel Fry, Paterson Joseph, Pauline Quirke and Kyle Stoller.
“You, Me and the Apocalypse” is written and executive produced by Iain Hollands. Juliette Howell, Lynn Horsford, Tim Bevan (“The Theory of Everything”), Eric Fellner (“Fargo”), JoAnn Alfano, Cameron Roach, Lizzie Gray and Andrew Conrad also serve as executive producers.
What new series are you loving this winter?