Last TV thoughts update before we see how my fall schedule will play out. Click here for ABC, CBS, The CW, and Fox. For NBC, keep reading!
My first thoughts on returning shows… the only shows I was making sure to root for 1,000 times over were The Good Place and Superstore (because This Is Us was obviously going to get renewed) so I’m super happy that NBC has renewed all of my faves. That’s rare haha. No decision has been made on Timeless yet but either way, it was really awesome to have gotten a second season since it was initially cancelled in its first. And then there’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine which Fox cancelled but NBC picked up. Bless you, NBC for saving this show. Bless.
Thoughts On Notable Cancelled Series:
Shades of Blue is about to air its final season this month. As much as I’d love another few seasons, the ratings just aren’t there to justify it. As much as the show is making the concept its own, it’s still tropey and as a result, tired to the general audience (which I can guess is why ratings aren’t great) so I totally respect the decision here to bring it to an end. But the writing was amazing on this show and everyone who didn’t tune in missed out greatly. Great News is criminally underrated and I’m so sad to see this show go but knew this cancellation was coming. I was surprised the show went on as long as it did and cherished every single episode each week it was on the air. Even though this show was short-lived, I still recommend checking it out for a good laugh.
Thoughts On New Series:
First up, dramas! Robert Zemeckis is attached as an executive producer to Manifest, so if anyone had any doubts, there’s no need. We’re in great hands. That said, the concept is right up my alley so I was in for this either way. Could you imagine going on a plane, experiencing turbulence, and when you land, discover the whole manifest was declared missing/dead 5.5 years ago? WOW. Plus, there’s a great cast including Josh Dallas (Once Upon A Time), J.R. Ramirez (Jessica Jones), Athena Karkanis (Zoo), Parveen Kaur (Beyond), and Luna Blaise (Fresh off the Boat) to name a few. I can’t wait for this show! Easily my most anticipated new NBC drama. New Amsterdam is your typical medical drama but with NBC flair. So, I’m actually interested in it because it’s been awhile since we’ve seen a medical drama on NBC with promise. (I say that not having seen Chicago Med as I have no interest). Plus Freema Agyeman is on the show and she’s my favorite Doctor Who companion so I’m on board as long as she’s on the show.
The Village is the type of mosaic storytelling I absolutely love in contemporary stories so I am so down for this! I’m especially excited to see Daren Kagasoff (Red Band Society, The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Michaela McManus (The Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill), and Lorraine Toussaint (Rosewood, Orange is the New Black). Can’t wait to check this one out. I’m honestly surprised this wasn’t scheduled on the same night as This Is Us for fall and is being saved for mid-season. Hopefully, this just gives them more time to make it even more amazing.
The Enemy Within sounds like the spy-thriller version of White Collar and I’m totally okay with that because this cast is going to bring the goods. Jennifer Carpenter, Morris Chestnut, Raza Jaffrey (Lost in Space) and Kelli Garner (Pan Am, My Generation), who I’ve been in love with for years omg she is gorgeous and such a fabulous actress. I don’t know if this will be the show that changes the course of her career but I’m anxiously waiting for that show so the world can know her name, she is absolutely fantastic. The InBetween feels very Ghost Whisperer meets Medium and that’s fine, I’m all for it. It just needs to bring something special to the table to make it worth watching each week. Is it just me or is NBC keeping it super safe this TV season with its shows? They usually take more risks so overall, I’m just disappointed. It’s all too familiar. Even the ones up my alley don’t have that thing that really separates them from the rest. Blegh.
As for comedies..wow Neil Flynn moved on fast from The Middle! He’s on this new NBC comedy, Abby’s which is set in a bar, so fitting for his signature laid back brand. The whole cast is great, including Natalie Morales (Santa Clarita Diet, The Grinder), Nelson Franklin (Black-ish, New Girl), and Jessica Chaffin (Episodes, Veep) to name a few. As for the story itself, it’s pretty standard, there’s nothing particularly unique about it. It’s all too familiar so what will determine whether it’s a longterm addition to the watch list is simply how funny the familiar is here. Time will tell. First up this fall though there’s I Feel Bad which Sarayu Blue (No Tomorrow) leads. I’m excited to see her alongside Paul Adelstein (Scandal) and Johnny Pemberton (Superstore). Again though, there’s nothing particularly special about this comedy, but Amy Poehler is an executive producer so you are guaranteed to laugh. That said, I’m not the audience for this show so I don’t see this being on my watch list long term.
New series are in CAPS.
MONDAY
8-10 The Voice
10-11 MANIFEST
TUESDAY
8-9 The Voice
9-10 This Is Us
10-11 NEW AMSTERDAM
WEDNESDAY
8-9 Chicago Med
9-10 Chicago Fire
10-11 Chicago P.D.
THURSDAY
8-8:30 Superstore
8:30-9 The Good Place
9-9:30 Will & Grace
9:30-10 I FEEL BAD
10-11 Law & Order: SVU
FRIDAY
8-9 Blindspot
9-10 Midnight, Texas
10-11 Dateline NBC
SATURDAY
8-10 Dateline Saturday Night Mystery
10-11 Saturday Night Live (encores)
SUNDAY
7-8:20 Football Night in America
8:20-11 NBC Sunday Night Football
Midseason Comedy: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, ABBY’S
Midseason Drama: THE VILLAGE, THE ENEMY WITHIN, THE INBETWEEN
NEW DRAMAS:
MANIFEST
When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible. From Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke comes an emotionally rich, unexpected journey into a world grounded in hope, heart and destiny.
The cast includes Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise, Jack Messina and Parveen Kaur.
Jeff Rake will write and executive produce. David Frankel will direct and executive produce the pilot. Robert Zemeckis and Jack Rapke also executive produce. “Manifest” is produced by Warner Bros. Television and Compari Entertainment.
NEW AMSTERDAM
Inspired by Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in America, this unique medical drama follows the brilliant and charming Dr. Max Goodwin, the institution’s newest medical director who sets out to tear up the bureaucracy and provide exceptional care. How can he help? Well, the doctors and staff have heard this before. Not taking “no” for an answer, Dr. Goodwin must disrupt the status quo and prove he will stop at nothing to breathe new life into this understaffed, underfunded and underappreciated hospital — the only one in the world capable of treating Ebola patients, prisoners from Rikers and the President of the United States under one roof — and return it to the glory that put it on the map.
The cast includes Ryan Eggold, Freema Agyeman, Janet Montgomery, Jocko Sims, Anupam Kher and Tyler Labine.
David Schulner will write and executive produce. Kate Dennis will direct and executive produce the pilot. Peter Horton also executive produce. Dr. Eric Manheimer will produce. “New Amsterdam” is produced by Universal Television, Pico Creek Productions and Mount Moriah.
THE VILLAGE
Welcome to the Village, an apartment building in Brooklyn that appears like any other from the outside but is quite unique inside. The people who reside here have built a bonded family of friends and neighbors. Sarah’s a nurse and single mom raising a creative teen; Gabe’s a young law student who got a much older and unexpected roommate; Ava must secure the future of her young, U.S.-born son when ICE comes knocking; Nick’s a veteran who’s returned from war; and the heart and soul of the building, Ron and Patricia, have captivating tales all their own. These are the hopeful, heartwarming and challenging stories of life that prove family is everything — even if it’s the one you make with the people around you.
The cast includes Moran Atias, Dominic Chianese, Warren Christie, Frankie Faison, Jerod Haynes, Daren Kagasoff, Michaela McManus, Lorraine Toussaint and Grace Van Dien.
Mike Daniels will write and executive produce. Minkie Spiro will direct and executive produce the pilot. Jessica Rhoades also executive produces. “The Village” is produced by Universal Television and 6107 Productions.
THE ENEMY WITHIN
In this fast-paced, spy-hunting thriller, Erica Shepherd (Jennifer Carpenter) is a brilliant former CIA operative, now known as the most notorious traitor in American history serving life in a Supermax prison. Against every fiber of his being but with nowhere else to turn, FBI Agent Will Keaton (Morris Chestnut) enlists Shepherd to help track down a fiercely dangerous and elusive criminal she knows all too well. For Keaton, it’s not easy to trust the woman who cost him so much. While Shepherd and Keaton have different motivations for bringing the enemy to justice, they both know that to catch a spy… they must think like one.
The cast includes Jennifer Carpenter, Morris Chestnut, Raza Jaffrey and Kelli Garner.
Ken Woodruff will write and executive produce. Mark Pellington will direct and executive produce the pilot. Vernon Sanders also executive produces. “The Enemy Within” is produced by Universal Television.
THE INBETWEEN
Cassie Bishop was born with a gift, though she may call it a curse. She can see and communicate with the dead, helping them with their unresolved problems … whether she likes it or not. When her longtime friend Det. Tom Hackett and his new partner, former FBI Agent Damien Asante, need help solving a darkly puzzling murder, Cassie agrees to use her abilities. Despite her reluctance, she may have found a way to keep her demons at bay, all while solving some of the city’s most challenging cases. From writer/executive producer Moira Kirland (“Castle,” “Madam Secretary”) comes this suspenseful, new character-driven procedural drama.
The cast includes Harriet Dyer, Anne-Marie Johnson, Cindy Luna, Chad James Buchanan and Paul Blackthorne.
Moira Kirland will write and executive produce. Charlotte Sieling will direct and executive produce the pilot. David Heyman and Nancy Cotton also executive produce. “The InBetween” is produced by Universal Television, NBCU International Television Studio and Heyday Television.
NEW COMEDIES:
ABBY’S
From the producers of “The Good Place” comes a hilariously aspirational new comedy about the best bar in San Diego, home to good prices, great company and, of course, Abby. This unlicensed, makeshift bar nestled in her backyard is the opposite of everything annoying about today’s party scene. There are rules at Abby’s: no cell phones (not even to “look something up”), earning a seat at the bar takes time and losing a challenge means drinking a limey, sugary “not-beer” drink. As the oddball cast of regulars will tell you, hanging out at Abby’s is a coveted honor. But once you’re in, you’re family.
The cast includes Natalie Morales, Nelson Franklin, Kimia Behpoornia, Jessica Chaffin, Leonard Ouzts and Neil Flynn.
Josh Malmuth will write and executive produce. Pamela Fryman will direct and executive produce the pilot. Michael Schur and David Miner also executive produce. “Abby’s” is produced by Universal Television, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment.
I FEEL BAD
Emet is the perfect mom, boss, wife, friend and daughter. OK, she’s not perfect. In fact, she’s just figuring it out like the rest of us. Sure, she feels bad when she has a sexy dream about someone other than her husband, or when she pretends not to know her kids when they misbehave in public, or when she uses her staff to help solve personal problems. But that’s OK, right? Nobody can have it all and do it perfectly. From executive producer Amy Poehler comes a modern comedy about being perfectly OK with being imperfect.
The cast includes Sarayu Blue, Paul Adelstein, Aisling Bea, Zach Cherry, Johnny Pemberton and James Buckley.
Aseem Batra will write and executive produce. Julie Anne Robinson will direct and executive produce the pilot. Amy Poehler, Dave Becky and Josh Maurer also executive produce. “I Feel Bad” is produced by Universal Television, Paper Kite Productions, CannyLads Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment.