Post Mortem – Dr. Ken

Coming off of the Hangover films and Community, I had high hopes for Ken Jeong in Dr. Ken.  But, it wasn’t particularly good and, if it weren’t for the good feelings built up from his previous work, I would have bailed right away.  Instead, I trudged through the first season, with the expectation that would be the end of it.

Somehow, the show got renewed for a second season, but a third wasn’t in the cards.  Which is probably for the best, since the finale of season 2, a fictionalized version of Jeong’s real life story, ended up with his character being cast in a fake version of Community.

ABC Upfronts

ABC is shaking up their lineup this fall, with changes on every night save Thursday.  The week gets off to a familiar start with Dancing With The Stars, followed by The Good Doctor, a new medical drama about an autistic country doctor who moves to the big city.  Seriously.  The Tuesday night comedies get switched around somewhat, with black-ish moving over from Wednesdays, followed by The Mayor, about a young wrapper looking for his big break.  The night ends with The Gospel of Kevin, starring Jason Ritter, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, and J. August Richards.

Wednesday stays mostly the same, with American Housewife moving over from Tuesdays to take black-ish‘s place.  Thursdays stay exactly the same, with the three Shondaland shows remaining in place.  A revamped Friday kicks off with Once Upon A Time, which will be losing most of its main cast, followed by Marvel’s Inhumans, the most recent attempt to make the Inhumans happen.  Sunday goes mostly reality, with To Tell The Truth and Shark Tank moving over.  The night ends with Ten Days In The Valley, a new drama about a producer whose daughter goes missing.

Agents of SHIELD will take over for The Inhumans on Fridays after 8 weeks and Quantico will return at some point for an abbreviated 3rd season.  Also on the bench for mid-season are The Crossing, a drama about war refugees from America, Deception, about a magician who turns to the FBI which is in no way similar to The Mentalist, and For The People, about a set of new lawyers trying to find their way.  Comedies include Alex Inc, based on a podcast, and Splitting Up Together, starring Jenna Fischer.

Cancelled shows never to be seen again are The Real O’Neals, Imaginary Mary, The Catch, Dr. Ken, Last Man Standing, American Crime, Secrets and Lies, Time After Time, Notorious, and Conviction.

Midseason Review – Fridays

old-tv-set1We finish up our look back at the fall season with Friday’s amazing slate of shows.

7:30

Dr. Ken – Ken Jeong returns for season 2 of his show that, while not great, is watchable, especially with nothing of note on against it.

Eh, this is not a great show.  If it was on any other night, I would have dropped it by now.

8:00

Hawaii Five-0 – A seventh season of the show that doesn’t really impress, but doesn’t really disappoint, adds Claire Forlani to the cast.

Claire Forlani didn’t last long.

The Exorcist – FOX’s reboot of the movie franchise may be worth a look.

This was surprisingly good.

9:00

Blue Bloods – The first family of the NYPD returns for a seventh season.

Like the Energizer bunny, it keeps going and going.

2016 New Fall Season – Fridays

old-tv-set1Our penultimate look at the new fall season gives us Friday’s amazing slate of shows.

7:30

Dr. Ken – Ken Jeong returns for season 2 of his show that, while not great, is watchable, especially with nothing of note on against it.

8:00

Hawaii Five-0 – A seventh season of the show that doesn’t really impress, but doesn’t really disappoint, adds Claire Forlani to the cast.

The Exorcist – FOX’s reboot of the movie franchise may be worth a look.

9:00

Blue Bloods – The first family of the NYPD returns for a seventh season.

Midseason Review – Fridays

old-tv-set1We finish our look back at the new fall season with the bonanza that is Friday’s amazing slate of shows.

7:30

Dr. Ken – Ken Jeong goes out on his own in this new comedy that plays off his time as a doctor.

Honestly, I’m surprised this is still on the air.  And that I’m still watching it.

8:00

Hawaii Five-0 – A sixth season of the show that doesn’t really impress, but doesn’t really disappoint.

A mainstay of Friday nights that would have failed by now if it were on any other night of the week.

9:00

Blue Bloods – The first family of the NYPD returns for a sixth season.

A mainstay of Friday nights that would have failed by now if it were on any other night of the week.

2015 New Fall Season – Fridays

old-tv-set1Our penultimate look at the new fall season gives us Friday’s amazing slate of shows.

7:30

Dr. Ken – Ken Jeong goes out on his own in this new comedy that plays off his time as a doctor.

8:00

Hawaii Five-0 – A sixth season of the show that doesn’t really impress, but doesn’t really disappoint.

9:00

Blue Bloods – The first family of the NYPD returns for a sixth season.

ABC Upfronts

agentcarterThe biggest surprise about ABC’s schedule for this fall’s television season is how stable it is from this spring.  4 out of the 7 nights remain untouched, and only one returning show is moving to a new time slot.  In case you are wondering, this is relatively unheard of here in the 20th century.

Monday remains the same as it has been for years, with Castle following the latest installment of Dancing With The Stars.  Tuesdays start off with the return of the Muppets starring in The Muppets.  Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD returns at its current time slot, followed by the new FBI drama Quantico.

Wednesday nights also remain unchanged, with Modern Family continuing to anchor the night.  Thursdays will continue to belong to Shonda Rhimes, thanks to Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How To Get Away With Murder.  Former Community and The Hangover star Ken Jeong gets his own sitcom, Dr. Ken, which will air on Fridays.  Sundays will air 2 new dramas following the returning Once Upon A Time.

Agent Carter will return at mid-season, once again filling in for her present day SHIELD contemporaries.

Obviously, The Muppets are the most exciting of the new shows.  I’m also likely to give Dr. Ken a shot.  Beyond that, nothing here seems too spectacular.