Tag / Powerless

by jim

Post Mortem – Powerless

Powerless was too much fun to succeed, and the freshman show, pulled off the air by NBC after only 9 episodes, was officially cancelled on May 11, exactly one year after getting its initial series order.  Set on the fringes of the DC universe, the show focused on a subsidiary of Wayne Enterprises that created products for citizens caught in the crossfire between the world’s heroes and villains.

Starring favorites Ron Funches and Danny Pudi, alongside the surprising (for me, at least) Vanessa Hudgens, the show was a fun way to spend a half hour.  Sadly, the television world does not tend to support fun these days.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday and changes are afoot.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by The Brave, a new drama starring Anne Heche which is sure to do well.  Tuesday has an attempt at a comedy hour, with Superstore and The Good Place sandwiched in-between The Voice and Chicago Fire.  Wednesday has 3 returning dramas, starting with The Blacklist.

The network will try to revitalize the Must See TV brand on Thursday, with the revamped Will & Grace leading off the night and this year’s breakout hit This Is Us, before a dramatized version of the Menendez brothers murders.  Blindspot moves to Fridays, where it will lead off the night.

Midseason will bring comedies A.P. Bio, starring Patton Oswalt, and Champions, from executive producer Mindy Kaling.  On the drama side, there is Good Girls, about suburban moms who decide to start robbing banks, Reverie, starring Sarah Shahi as a hostage negotiator, and Rise, from the people behind Parenthood.  Timeless, which was cancelled last week and then not cancelled, will also return at some point.

Cancelled shows include The Blacklist: Redemption, Chicago Justice, Emerald City, Powerless, Trial & Error, Grimm, and The Celebrity Apprentice.

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Midseason Review – Thursdays

old-tv-set1Time for our look back at Thursday nights, which has traditionally been the busiest night of the week for my television viewing habits.

7:00

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 13th season, with the last 8 episodes of season 12 still sitting on the DVR waiting to be watched.  Since I don’t know how last season ended, I’ve avoided looking at what lies ahead this year.

Surprisingly still watchable here in season 13.

The Big Bang Theory – The show returns to Thursdays in late October, following the midpoint of the NFL season.

The show has focused on personal growth this year, with Sheldon and Amy moving in together and Bernadette and Howard having a baby, opening up new avenues for comedy.

DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow – The grouping of DC’s also-rans returns for its second season, with a promised appearance from the Legion of Doom.

The show is moving to Tuesdays with their revamped team lineup.

7:30

The Great Indoors – Former Community star Joel McHale returns to network TV with this comedy about the new generation gap in the workplace.

Well, I had planned on trying this, thanks to Joel McHale.  Sadly, I never got around to it.

8:00

Pitch – Strangely, I don’t usually enjoy movies or TV shows about baseball despite loving the sport in real life, which means I don’t know if I’ll get in to this tale of the first female professional baseball player.  Having Gregg Olson and Chad Kreuter on board as technical advisers certainly can’t hurt.

The first season has come and gone and it went surprisingly well.  I’m hoping for a second season.

9:00

The Good Place – Kristen Bell stars as a new arrival to the afterlife in this new comedy from the creator of Parks and Rec.

A big swerve at the end of season 1 leaves me wanting a second season.

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by admin

NBC Upfronts

good-place-danson-bellNBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday and, with something different on every night, it will look much different from the spring.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice leading in to the latest from the creators of Supernatural and The Shield, Timeless, about a trio of time travelers trying to save the history of the US.

Tuesday adds This Is Us, a new show staring Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia about ” a unique ensemble whose paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways.”  Blindspot moves from the cushy post-Voice slot to try and lead off Wednesday nights.  The Good Place, a new comedy starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson, arrives on Thursday, with The Blacklist moving back an hour.

Friday and Saturday remain uninspiring, with football remaining on Sundays, at least in the fall.  Mid-season shows include a new vampire series inspired by True Blood author Charlaine Harris’s books, The Blacklist: Redemption, a spin-off starring Famke Janssen, a “reimagining” of The Wizard of Oz with Vincent D’Onofrio as the Wizard, Great News, the latest comedy from Tina Fey and Robert Carlock, Powerless, starring Vanessa Hudgens as an insurance adjuster in a world with superheroes, and Arnold Schwarzenegger in a revival of The Celebrity Apprentice.

Cancelled shows, never to be seen again, include Heroes: Reborn, Mr. Robinson, The Mysteries of Laura, Telenovela, and Undateable.  With only 2 shows returning that I am currently watching, I guess we shall see which, if any, of the new shows stick.