Upfronts Week is here! I’ve talked about NBC and Fox so far. For ABC, keep reading!
My first thoughts on freshman shows returning… I’m especially excited about the renewal of American Housewife which really found its rhythm and has managed to become one of my favorite new ABC comedies this season. The first half of season one is message heavy but by the second half of the season, it really finds itself and digs in deep to all that there is to tell here with these characters in this world. The world is bigger than the main character and her weight issues so it’s great to see that the show was able to not pigeon hole itself.
I’m also happy to see that Designated Survivor has been renewed even though the show has lost a bit of steam for me. I can’t say that I’m going to watch season two in its entirety but I’ll certainly tune in for the first handful of episodes.
I am highly anticipating the seventh and final season of Scandal. This is the first time a long-running Shonda show will come to an end and it’s a big deal.
Thoughts On Notable Cancelled Series:
I am heartbroken that American Crime has been cancelled. This is one of the most relevant, creative, thoughtful, and captivating television shows ever so for it to only last three seasons is a real shame but I’m so glad this brilliant show made it past one season let alone three.
Time After Time received terrible marketing and I wasn’t even going to watch the show because it looked so ridiculous. I’m glad that I decided to check it out one day because it actually is good. Tropey here and there but that aside, I would have watched more of this easily. So it’s too bad ABC did a terrible job packaging this show because it could have found its audience if things were done differently.
Thoughts On New Series:
As far as the dramas go…The Crossing shows the most intrigue and promise of the dramas for me, personally. Aside from Marvel’s Inhumans, obviously. And can we just take a second to acknowledge Natalie Martinez’s hustle? I’ve been following her career since Under the Dome and I am super impressed with her. Girl’s got game. And whoever manages her is on point. Anyway, For the People is from Shondaland but aside from that, I have no interest in this show. I just don’t need another legal drama in my life. Obviously there’s going to be more to it since it is from Shondaland so, I’ll watch and then decide if I’m in it for the long haul but unlike other shows, my expectations will be higher here. I’m more interested in the untitled Grey’s Anatomy firefighter spin-off set for midseason. The Gospel of Kevin is interesting because I don’t like the casting (even though I like the cast in other things) and at times, the show seems a little too corny (and this is just based on the 15 second teaser), so I’m hoping I’m wrong about all of the above but as of now, this seems like something we’ll hear about getting cancelled well before next May if the Pilot isn’t any good (and the packaging/marketing push is weak).
The Good Doctor is not going to work for me and here’s why. Freddie Highmore has moved on from Bates Motel quickly but I have not and I still see Freddie as Norman Bates and Norman Bates as the main character of a show called “The Good Doctor” is an oxymoron and my brain cannot handle it so it’s a pass for me on this show. Sorry, Freddie. I know you’re more than Norman Bates but it’s going to take more than a few months for my brain to accept that. Deception follows a magician who helps the FBI so I am totally in for this. It looks fun. I worry that it won’t get enough viewers if this isn’t marketed right but aside from that, I’m excited for this one (note my bias since I love anything with magic). Ten Days in the Valley is nothing new but it’s still compelling and captivating, plus Kyra Sedgwick is the star so, yeah, I’m watching.
As for the comedies… The Mayor is executive produced by Tony winner Daveed Diggs (Hamilton), therefore it automatically has the most promise out of all of the new comedies coming to ABC. The promo looks good and I am excited. Alex, Inc. is inspired by the Start Up Podcast, which I haven’t listened to but just might check out now. The show is brought to us by Zach Braff who stars, directs, and executive produces this. So if you know his work, you know what kind of tone to expect here. I’m looking forward to it. Splitting Up Together is nothing new but it stars Jenna Fischer so it’s an automatic watch for me for as long as I can possibly hold on.
Finally, on the reality front, there’s American Idol switching networks from Fox to ABC. As much as I want to roll my eyes here, American Idol IS the only music competition series to actually deliver on its “prize” end and create stars (legit household names) not to mention, finalists who don’t even win become stars too so this show is to be appreciated on that front. That said, my goodness, will this show never end?! But if the show were to move to any network, ABC is the perfect match so I will be tuning into ABC’s first season to see how they present it. There are two other new reality competition shows but since I’m not big on reality/reality competition to begin with, they’re not worth mentioning here.
New series are in CAPS.
Sunday
7-8pm America’s Funniest Home Videos
8-9pm To Tell the Truth
9-10pm Shark Tank
10-11pm TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY
Monday
8-10pm Dancing with the Stars
10-11pm THE GOOD DOCTOR
Tuesday
8-8:30pm The Middle
8:30-9pm Fresh Off the Boat
9-9:30pm black-ish
9:30-10pm THE MAYOR
10-11pm THE GOSPEL OF KEVIN
Wednesday
8-8:30pm The Goldbergs
8:30-9pm Speechless
9-9:30pm Modern Family
9:30-10pm American Housewife
10-11pm Designated Survivor
Thursday
8-9pm Grey’s Anatomy
9-10pm Scandal
10-11pm How to Get Away with Murder
Friday
8-9pm Once Upon A Time
9-10pm MARVEL’S INHUMANS / Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10-11pm 20/20
Saturday
8pm Saturday Night Football
Midseason Drama: For the People, The Crossing, Deception, Untitled Grey’s Anatomy Firefighter Spinoff
Midseason Comedies: Alex Inc., Splitting Up Together, Roseanne (8 Episode Reboot)
Midseason Reality: American Idol, Dancing With the Stars Junior, The Bachelor Winter Games
Live Special: The Wonderful World of Disney: The Little Mermaid Live! (October 3), Rolling Stone 50 (February 7, 2018)
NEW DRAMAS:
“Marvel’s Inhumans” explores the never-before-told epic adventure of the royal family including Black Bolt, the enigmatic, commanding King of the Inhumans, with a voice so powerful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. After the Royal Family of Inhumans is splintered by a military coup, they barely escape to Hawaii where their surprising interactions with the lush world and humanity around them may prove to not only save them, but Earth itself. The legendary comic book series will be brought to life in a way that has never been done before, as a version of the first two episodes will be shown globally in IMAX theaters for a two-week period beginning September 1, 2017. ABC will then air the entirety of the series on the network, with additional exclusive content that can only been seen on ABC.
“Marvel’s Inhumans” stars Anson Mount as Black Bolt, Iwan Rheon as Maximus, Serinda Swan as Medusa, Eme Ikwuakor as Gorgon, Isabelle Cornish as Crystal, Ken Leung as Karnak, Ellen Woglom as an undisclosed character, Sonya Balmores as Auran and Mike Moh as Triton.
The series is executive produced by Scott Buck, along with Marvel’s Jeph Loeb and Jim Chory with Buck serving as showrunner. Roel Reiné will direct the first two episodes. This series is a Marvel and IMAX project and is co-produced by Marvel Television and ABC Studios.
Set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, aka “The Mother Court,” this new Shondaland drama follows brand-new lawyers working for both the defense and the prosecution handling the most high-profile and high-stakes federal cases in the country – all as their lives intersect in and out of the courtroom. The series is created by Shondaland’s Paul William Davies and is executive produced by Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers.
The series, from ABC Studios, stars Ben Rappaport as Seth Oliver, Susannah Flood as Kate Littlejohn, Wesam Keesh as Jay Simmons, Regé-Jean Page as Leonard Knox, Ben Shenkman as Roger Gunn, Hope Davis as Jill Carlan, Vondie Curtis-Hall as Judge Nicholas Byrne and Anna Deavere Smith as Tina Krissman.
Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter, “Parenthood”), a cluelessly self-serving person, is on a dangerous path to despair. In a downward spiral, Kevin returns home to stay with his widowed twin sister (JoAnna Garcia Swisher, “Once Upon a Time”) and niece. On his first night there, an unlikely celestial being named Yvette appears to him and presents him with a mission – to save the world. A light drama from executive producers Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters (“Marvel’s Agent Carter,” “Resurrection,” “Reaper”).
“The Gospel of Kevin” stars Jason Ritter as Kevin Finn, JoAnna Garcia Swisher as Amy, J. August Richards as Nate, Chloe East as Reese, Dustin Ybarra as Tyler and India de Beaufort as Kristin.
The pilot is directed by Paul McGuigan. The series is from ABC Studios.
Refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town, only the country these people are from is America – and the war they are fleeing hasn’t happened yet. As the government tries to uncover the truth behind this mysterious migration only one thing is certain: The lives of the people here — both the townspeople and these newcomers — will never be the same. Writers Dan Dworkin & Jay Beattie executive produce with Jason Reed.
“The Crossing” stars Steve Zahn as Jude Miller, Natalie Martinez as Reece, Sandrine Holt as Emma Ren, Rick Gomez as Nestor, Jay Karnes as Craig Lindauer, Marcuis Harris as Caleb, Simone Kessel as Rebecca, Kelly Missal as Hannah, Rob Campbell as Paul, Grant Harvey as Roy, Bailey Skodje as Leah, Jon D’Leo as Will, Luc Roderique as Bryce and Tommy Bastow as Marshall.
The pilot is directed by Rob Bowman. The series is from ABC Studios.
“Ten Days in the Valley” stars Kyra Sedgwick as Jane Sadler, an overworked television producer and single mother in the middle of a separation whose life is turned upside down when her young daughter goes missing in the middle of the night. Just like her controversial police TV show, everything is a mystery, everyone has a secret, and no one can be trusted. “Ten Days in The Valley,” a thrilling mystery, debuts this fall on The ABC Television Network.
After her award-winning documentary brings down the San Diego Police Department, Jane takes her storytelling talents to the fictional world with a television cop drama. But the pressures and stress of balancing her career with being a devoted mom start to take their toll on Jane. When her daughter, Lake (Abigail Pniowsky), goes missing, and the Los Angeles Police Department starts to investigate, Jane’s world only gets more difficult.
Everyone in Jane’s life suddenly becomes suspicious. Pete (Kick Gurry), Jane’s ex, is the number one suspect at the start of the case. He is a charismatic, unpredictable music producer and a recovering heroin addict seeking joint custody of Lake. Ali (Erika Christensen), Jane’s younger sister, is a capable and pragmatic rock of stability and support during Jane’s ongoing ordeal, who can’t help but question many of Jane’s choices. Ali and her husband, Tom (Josh Radall), are trying to conceive their own, but her priorities take a back seat when Lake goes missing. Tom is a decisively tough yet warm partner to Ali, an ambitious journalist who sees it all. On Jane’s television series, her right-hand man is Matt. Matt is a strong-headed writer and co-executive producer, but he is desperate to have his own series one day and can never seem to meet Jane’s expectations.
Outside of Jane’s family are the police officers from the LAPD. Detective Bird (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), Robbery Homicide Division, takes on Jane’s case. A strategically non-judgmental maverick investigator, Bird serves as the lead detective investigating the disappearance of Jane’s daughter. Bird answers to Commander Gomez (Felix Solas), who presides over the important LAPD Detective Bureau with the decisiveness and confidence of an oligarch. Gomez’s overall goal is to clean up the image of the LAPD, and he is struggling to make that happen with all the cop dramas on TV, including Jane’s. And there is also the source of Jane’s stories – Gus (Francois Battiste). Gus is a narcotics detective who serves as Jane’s confidante and secret source for her show.
The series also features Emily Kinney as Casey, Jane’s upbeat young assistant who looks up to her boss as a role model; Currie Graham as Henry Vega, the charismatic yet demanding director at the helm of Jane’s new series; Nelson Lee as Sheldon, the laid-back yet unpredictable drug supplier who launders his drug money through a popular taco truck; Ali Stroker as Tamara, a writer and crack researcher in Jane’s internal writers’ room; Ella Thomas as Isobel, the complicated, charming and fiercely intelligent star of Jane’s show; Beth Triffon as Mackenzie, script coordinator for Jane’s series and an earnest aspiring writer herself; and Mark L. Young as PJ, the friendly and street-smart neighborhood drug supplier who dreams of becoming a writer.
“Ten Days in the Valley” is from Skydance Television. It is created and written by Tassie Cameron. Executive producers are Tassie Cameron, Kyra Sedgwick, Jill Littman, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison and Marcy Ross.
Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, “Bates Motel”), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital’s surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues. The series is from David Shore (“House”), and “Lost” and “Hawaii Five-O” star Daniel Dae Kim.
The series stars Freddie Highmore as Dr. Shaun Murphy, Antonia Thomas as Dr. Claire Brown, Nicholas Gonzalez as Dr. Neal Melendez, Chuku Modu as Dr. Jared Kalu, Beau Garrett as Jessica Preston, Hill Harper as Dr. Marcus Andrews and Richard Schiff as Dr. Aaron Glassman.
The series is from Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios. David Shore is writer and executive producer. Daniel Dae Kim, David Kim and Sebastian Lee are also executive producers. Seth Gordon directed the pilot and is also an executive producer.
When his career is ruined by scandal, superstar magician Cameron Black has only one place to turn to practice his art of deception, influence and illusion — the FBI. Using every trick in the book and inventing new ones, he will help the government catch the world’s most elusive criminals while staging the biggest illusions of his career. The series is from writer/executive producer Chris Fedak (“Chuck”) and executive producers Greg Berlanti, Martin Gero and Sarah Schechter. Illusionist David Kwong (“Now You See Me”) will co-produce.
“Deception” stars Jack Cutmore-Scott as Cameron Black/Jonathan Black, Ilfenesh Hadera as Kay Daniels, Lenora Crichlow as Dina Clark, Amaury Nolasco as Mike Alvarez, Justin Chon as Jordan Kwon, Laila Robins as Special Agent Deakins and Vinnie Jones as Gunter Gustafsen
The series is from Berlanti Productions and Quinn’s House in association with Warner Bros. Television. “Deception” is directed by David Nutter, who is also executive producer.
NEW COMEDIES:
Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) needs his big break. For years he’s toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for opportunity, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century – running for mayor of his hometown in California to generate buzz for his music career. Unfortunately for Courtney, his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: an election victory. With the help of his mother (Yvette Nicole Brown, “Community”) and friends, including Valentina (“Glee’s” Lea Michele), Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves.
The series stars Brandon Micheal Hall as Courtney Rose, Lea Michele as Valentina, Bernard David Jones as Jermaine Hardaway, Marcel Spears as TK and Yvette Nicole Brown as Dina.
From executive producer Daveed Diggs (Tony winner for Broadway’s “Hamilton”), writer/executive producer Jeremy Bronson (“Speechless,” “The Mindy Project,” “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon”) and executive producer Jamie Tarses (“Happy Endings”), the series is from ABC Studios. The pilot is directed by executive producer James Griffiths (“black-ish”).
Based on the Danish series, “Splitting Up Together” is the story of a couple (Jenna Fischer, “The Office,” Oliver Hudson, “Scream Queens”) whose marriage is reignited by their divorce. Emily Kapnek (“Suburgatory”) writes and serves as executive producer of this new comedy, along with Ellen DeGeneres.
The series stars Jenna Fischer as Lena, Oliver Hudson as Martin, Bobby Lee as Arthur, Diane Farr as Maya, Lindsay Price as Camille, Olivia Keville as Mae, Van Crosby as Mason and Sander Thomas as Milo.
Jeff Kleeman, Mette Heeno, Mie Andreasen and Hella Joof are also executive producers of “Splitting Up Together,” which is based on the original series created by Heeno. It is produced by A Very Good Production and Piece of Pie Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. Dean Holland directed the pilot.
ALEX, INC.
Based on the podcast StartUp, Alex Schuman (Zach Braff, “Scrubs”) is a brilliant radio journalist, husband and father of two who is about to do something crazy – quit his job and start his own company. He quickly discovers it’s going to be a lot harder than he thought. Zach Braff stars, directs and is executive producer with Matt Tarses (“Scrubs”) and Davis Entertainment (“Dr. Ken,” “Blacklist”). Matt Tarses is writer and executive producer. Zach Braff is director and executive producer. John Davis and John Fox are executive producers of the series, from Davis Entertainment, as are Alex Blumberg, Chris Gilberti and Matt Lieber (Gimlet Media) in association with Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.