Tag / This Is Us

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NBC Upfronts

Comedy makes a return to the one-time home of Must See TV, as a single hour-long comedy block comes to Friday.  NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday that contained a single comedy and only two new shows making the cut.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by a reboot of Quantum Leap, where a new team looks to follow up on the mysteries of the original.  Tuesday leads off with more of The Voice, followed by a second season of La Brea and the fifth and final season of New Amsterdam.

Wednesday and Thursday continue to be dominated by Dick Wolf franchises, with his three Chicago series running back-to-back-to-back on Wednesday and three entries in his Law & Order franchise the following night.  The Capital One College Bowl kicks things off on Friday until November, when it will be replaced by the new George Lopez comedy Lopez vs. Lopez, Young Rock.  Both will be followed by two hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

The Blacklist moves to midseason for its tenth go-around, though it is still producing a full 22-episode season.  Comedies waiting for midseason include a Night Court reboot, starring John Laroquette and Melissa Rouch, and the returning American Auto and Grand Crew.  Several drama pilots were not ready for consideration but may see life as midseason replacements.

Shows gone from our sets include This Is Us, The Thing About Pam, Ordinary Joe, The Endgame, Mr. Mayor, Keenan, and the never-aired Hungry.

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NBC Upfronts

In a sad state of affairs for the one-time home of the Must See TV comedy block that dominated the ratings and multiple nights of programming, NBC announced a fall schedule yesterday that contained nary a single comedy and only 3 new shows making the cut.  The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Ordinary Joe, a new heartfelt, life-affirming drama telling parallel stories about a recent college grad and the different paths he could take based on a single decision.  Tuesday leads off with more of The Voice, followed by La Brea, an epic adventure that begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths, and, finally, the new season of New Amsterdam.

Wednesday and Thursday have both been turned over completely to Dick Wolf, with his 3 Chicago series running back to back to back on Wednesday.  Thursday has been handed over to his Law & Order franchise, with the new L&O: For The Defense leading off the night, followed by the returning SVU and Organized Crime.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

The comedy lineup won’t be back until midseason, with new shows American Auto, a workplace comedy that takes the wheels off the automobile industry, and Grand Crew, a new comedy from the the Brooklyn Nine-Nine team that proves that life is better with your crew, joining the returning Kenan, Mr. Mayor, and Young Rock.  This Is Us will also return at midseason for a sixth and final season.  The fate of a number of other shows, including Debris, Ellen’s Game of Games, Good Girls, Manifest, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, are still up in the air.

Cancelled shows include Connecting and Superstore.

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NBC Upfronts

Earlier this month, NBC presented their upfront presentation in the guise of a 30 Rock reunion episode.  Jack McBrayer’s Kenneth, who had been put in charge of NBC in the series finale, continues in that role in the special, putting together the fall lineup for the real NBC that will air… sometime.  The week will get off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by another season of Manifest.  Tuesday stays static, leading off with more of The Voice, followed by This Is Us and New Amsterdam.

Wednesday also stays the same, with Dick Wolf’s 3 Chicago series running back to back to back.  Thursday starts with a small comedy block, with Superstore followed by Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Law & Order: SVU moves up an hour for its 22nd season, followed by a new spin-off series, Law & Order: Organized Crime, bringing Christopher Meloni back to the L&O fold.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

New shows on tap for midseason include The Keenan Show, a family comedy starring Kenan Thompson, Mr. Mayor, a comedy starring Ted Danson as a wealthy businessman who runs for mayor of Los Angeles for all the wrong reasons, and Young Rock, inspired by and starring Dwayne Johnson.

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Midseason Review – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look back at my thoughts on the new fall season, with the offerings that I found myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Conners – After a season of nostalgia and a season of curiosity, can the show finally stand on its own two feet? Time will tell.

To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about this show.  I mean, it’s comfortable, like an old robe, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s any good or well worth my time.

The Flash – The gang returns for their sixth season, with Heroes alum Sendhil Ramamurthy onboard as the big bad.

Now that the Flash has survived the Crisis that had been foretold since the earliest days of the series, we’ll see how things change.

7:30

Bless This Mess – After a short run in the spring, Dax Shepard and Lake Bell return for season two, hoping to keep the momentum up for a full season.

I can pretty much take or leave this one, so I guess the decision on whether or not I continue to watch falls on ABC.

8:00

Mixed-ish – Another spinoff of Black-ish, this time focusing on Bow’s adolescence growing up with a white father and a black mother.

Well, I’ve stuck with this longer than I did Grown-ish, but that’s not particularly saying anything.  I think there’s a pretty good show in there somewhere, but I’m not sure anyone, including me, knows how to get it out.

Arrow – The show returns for a short, 10 episode final season, without Emily Bett Rickards.

The Crisis on Infinite Earths is over and, while the multi-verse is safe, Oliver Queen is dead.  If I’m counting right, the show will be wrapping up its run tonight.

This Is Us – The emotionally manipulative hit is back for a fourth season, assuming I ever go back and finish the previous two.

I still haven’t watched since midway through season two.  At what point do I admit that I don’t watch the show and free up some space on the DVR?

8:30

Black-ish – While it is putting spinoffs on the air, I don’t know if moving back to the half hour timeslot is a good sign for a sitcom heading into season 6.

Some weeks, the show still seems like it’s firing on all cylinders.  Others, it seems so tired that you can see all the seams.

Now, let’s see what interesting tidbits are coming this spring:

DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow –  Coming in at the tail end of the Crisis, there will be some additional turnover this year as Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford will be leaving the show this season.

 

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2019 New Fall Season – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look at the new fall season, here are the offerings that I may find myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Conners – After a season of nostalgia and a season of curiosity, can the show finally stand on its own two feet? Time will tell.

The Flash – The gang returns for their sixth season, with Heroes alum Sendhil Ramamurthy onboard as the big bad.

7:30

Bless This Mess – After a short run in the spring, Dax Shepard and Lake Bell return for season two, hoping to keep the momentum up for a full season.

8:00

Mixed-ish – Another spinoff of Black-ish, this time focusing on Bow’s adolescence growing up with a white father and a black mother.

Arrow – The show returns for a short, 10 episode final season, without Emily Bett Rickards.

This Is Us – The emotionally manipulative hit is back for a fourth season, assuming I ever go back and finish the previous two.

8:30

Black-ish – While it is putting spinoffs on the air, I don’t know if moving back to the half hour timeslot is a good sign for a sitcom heading into season 6.

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NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday and very few changes are afoot, with only 3 new shows making the cut. The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Bluff City Law, a new drama about a Memphis family’s law firm and family nonsense.  Tuesday stays static, leading off with more of The Voice, followed by This Is Us and New Amsterdam.

Wednesday is turned over to Dick Wolf, with his 3 Chicago series running back to back to back.  Comedy still reigns supreme on Thursday, with Superstore, followed by Perfect Harmony, a new Bradley Whitford comedy.  The Good Place returns for its fourth season, followed by Sunnyside, a new comedy from Michael Schur.  Law & Order: SVU finishes the night in its 21st season.  The Blacklist returns on Friday, followed by 2 hours of Dateline NBC.  Sunday remains filled with the NFL.

Will & Grace and Manifest will return at midseason, along with Blindspot, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Good Girls.  New shows waiting for spots on the air include Indebted, about a young couple who have to deal with their broke parents, The Keenan Show, a family comedy starring Kenan Thompson, Council of Dads, a drama about a man who overreacts to a health scare, Lincoln, a small screen adaptation of The Bone Collector, and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, about a computer coder who starts to hear the innermost wants and desires of the people around her through songs.

The network has yet to make decisions on the future of Abby’s, The Enemy Within, and The Village.

Cancelled shows include A.P. Bio, I Feel Bad, Marlon, Mignight, Texas, and Trial And Error.

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Midseason Review – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Today we hit the midway point in our look back at the offerings for the new fall season.

7:00

The Conners – Following last spring’s Twitter meltdown by Roseanne Barr and the cancellation of the reboot of Roseanne, the show moves on without her.  Will it be worth watching?  I’m honestly not sure.

You know, if this were a new show debuting in the here and now, I’m not sure I’d be watching.

The Flash – The gang returns for the fifth season.

Bringing Jessica Kennedy Parker onboard has given Barry and Iris a child without the problems that usually entails.

The Gifted – The series about Marvel’s mutants returns for a second season.  I still need to finish the first.

Yeah, I don’t know if or when I’ll get back to this.

8:00

Black-ish – For its fifth season, the show moves on without creator Kenya Barris.

The show is hanging on, but is starting to show signs of wear.

FBI – Missy Peregrym and Jeremy Sisto are FBI agents trying to keep New York safe.

I made it through a couple of episodes, but I didn’t see anything special here.

This Is Us – The emotionally manipulative hit is back for a third season, assuming I ever go back and finish the previous one.

I still need to catch up on this one.

Black Lightning – The Pierce family returns for their second season, which I will be happy to watch once I get done with season one.

This one too

8:30

Splitting Up Together – After a successful run last spring, the show, starring Oliver Hudson and Jenna Fischer, returns for another go-around.

It is amusing, mostly due to Fischer, but nothing particularly special.

9:00

The Rookie – Castle alum Nathan Fillion re-teams with his former EP for this tale about the oldest rookie police officer in the LAPD.

I haven’t gotten around to watching this yet, but the episodes are piling up on the DVR.

Now for some new entries coming this spring:

Roswell, New Mexico – The CW brings back another reboot of a WB show, making Liz and the aliens adults this time around.  I watched the first episode and didn’t see much of a need to continue.

by admin

2018 New Fall Season – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look at the new fall season, here are the offerings that I may find myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Conners – Following last spring’s Twitter meltdown by Roseanne Barr and the cancellation of the reboot of Roseanne, the show moves on without her.  Will it be worth watching?  I’m honestly not sure.

The Flash – The gang returns for the fifth season.

The Gifted – The series about Marvel’s mutants returns for a second season.  I still need to finish the first.

8:00

Black-ish – For its fifth season, the show moves on without creator Kenya Barris.

FBI – Missy Peregrym and Jeremy Sisto are FBI agents trying to keep New York safe.

This Is Us – The emotionally manipulative hit is back for a third season, assuming I ever go back and finish the previous one.

Black Lightning – The Pierce family returns for their second season, which I will be happy to watch once I get done with season one.

8:30

Splitting Up Together – After a successful run last spring, the show, starring Oliver Hudson and Jenna Fischer, returns for another go-around.

9:00

The Rookie – Castle alum Nathan Fillion re-teams with his former EP for this tale about the oldest rookie police officer in the LAPD.

by admin

NBC Upfronts

NBC announced their new fall schedule yesterday and very few changes are afoot, with only 3 new shows making the cut. The week gets off to a familiar start with The Voice returning for another round on Mondays, followed by Manifest, a new drama about a missing plane that returns 5 years in the future. Tuesday leads off with more of The Voice, followed by This Is Us and New Amsterdam, a new medical drama that stars some old favorites.

Wednesday is turned over to Dick Wolf, with his 3 Chicago series running back to back to back.  Comedy still reigns supreme on Thursday, with Superstore, The Good Place, and Will & Grace joined by I Feel Bad, from executive producer Amy Poehler.  Law & Order: SVU moves to Thursday for its 20th season.  Blindspot remains on Fridays, where it will continue to lead off the night.

The Blacklist returns at mid-season, debuting on Fridays after Blindspot.  Also returning are A.P. Bio, Good Girls, and, after a pick-up from Fox, Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Four new shows also wait for spots on the air, including Abby’s, starring Natalie Morales as a woman who runs a bar in her backyard, The Enemy Within, a spy thriller starring Jennifer Carpenter, The Inbetween, which sounds fairly ludicrous, and The Village, about the inhabitants of a Brooklyn building.  Similar to last year, the fate of Timeless is still up in the air.

Cancelled shows include The Brave, The Carmichael Show, and Great News.

by admin

Midseason Review – Tuesdays

old-tv-set1Continuing our look back at my thoughts on the new fall season, with the offerings that I found myself interested in for Tuesdays.

7:00

The Flash – Barry returns from the speed force a changed man for the fourth season of the show.

The supporting cast has been pared down a bit, leading to easier-to-follow subplots.

8:00

Black-ish – For its fourth season, the show moves out from Modern Family‘s shadow and gets to lead off its own hour.

With Yara Shahidi moving on to Grown-ish and a new baby to take her place, the show has a slightly different tone, but still brings the funny more often than not.

This Is Us – The one breakout hit from last season returns to emotionally manipulate us once again.

The emotional manipulation continues, but the show seems to overestimate the audience’s attachment to the mystery of how Jess Mariano died.

DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow – With time shattered at the end of last season, the team has to put things right.

Somehow, I missed recording the second episode of the season, and it isn’t streaming anywhere at the moment, so I’ve only watched the season premier and the crossover episode.

8:30

The Mayor – A rapper runs for mayor to gain publicity for his mixtape and accidentally wins.  With Yvette Nicole Brown on board, I’ll give it a shot.

This was a fun little show, but has already been pulled from the schedule and isn’t likely to ever return.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Season 5 starts with Jake and Rosa in prison, framed for crimes they didn’t commit.

More of the same from the gang at the Nine-Nine.

9:00

Kevin (Probably) Saves The World – Jason Ritter returns to television in this show about a layabout who learns its up to him to save the world.

I caught up on the show over my Christmas vacation and, while not challenging in any way, it is somewhat enjoyable.

Now let’s look at the new shows premiering in the spring on Tuesdays:

Black Lightning – The latest foray in to the DC universe from the CW brings one of the few black heroes to television.

Another Period – The Comedy Central show about the Kardashians of the early 20th century returns for its 3rd season.

Roseanne – 21 years after its final episode, the former #1 hit returns as the latest revival.  Who knows if it will be any good, but it is certainly worth a look.