FOX Upfronts

For the second straight year, FOX has shifted their game plan, abandoning their single camera comedies and, instead, moving closer ideologically with its sister news network.  The end result is a fall schedule with only one show that interests me, and even that 9 unwatched episodes from this season still sitting on my DVR.

Monday has two returning shows, The Resident and 9-1-1, which didn’t pull me in last year.  The Gifted, based on Marvel’s X-Men characters, moves to Tuesdays, followed by a revamped Lethal Weapon.  Wednesday’s lineup remains consistent, with Empire followed by Star.

Thursdays get turned over to the NFL, as the much-reviled game moves over from CBS.  Friday has the revival of Tim Allen’s Last Man Standing and The Cool Kids, about a group of friends in a retirement community, followed by Hell’s Kitchen.  Sunday’s animated block remains mostly the same, with a new comedy, REL, closing off the night.

The second season of The Orville will return to Thursday after the NFL season.  Gotham will also appear at some point for its final season.  Also on tap for mid-season are The Passage, a post-apocalyptic thriller starring Mark-Paul Gosselar, Proven Innocent, a legal drama from Danny Strong, and the return of Cosmos.

Gone and mostly forgotten are Brooklyn Nine-Nine (which was saved by NBC), The ExorcistGhostedKicking & ScreamingThe Last Man On EarthLA To VegasLuciferThe MickNew Girl, Superhuman, Wayward Pines, and The X-Files.

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 14th season, which is astounding considering the number of remaining original cast members.  After the hospital blew up at the end of last season, some changes are bound to be afoot.

Things just keep chugging along at Grey Sloan Memorial.

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

The dynamics have been a little off due to Melissa Rauch’s maternity leave, so hopefully it gets back on track when she’s back full time.

Gotham – I haven’t watched the show since the middle of season 2, so who knows if I’ll even come back to it.

Yeah, I think I’m done.

7:30

The Good Place – After the shocking reveal at the end of last season, Ted Danson and Kristen Bell return to heaven.  Or hell.

I have strong feelings for this show.

Young Sheldon – Is too much Sheldon a bad thing?  CBS hopes not, as this spinoff of The Big Bang Theory goes back to Sheldon’s childhood in Texas.  Will it work?  Only time will tell.

I watched the first episode and saw no reason to return for more.

8:00

Arrow – The team goes through another shakeup after the events of last season.

The strains are starting to show for the original of the CW DC superhero shows.

9:00

S.W.A.T. – Shemar Moore returns to CBS with this update of the 70s show (and 2003 film).

Yeah, I didn’t even bother checking in on this one. Continue reading →

2017 New Fall Season – Thursdays

old-tv-set1Thursday night is traditionally the busiest night of the week for my television viewing habits. Here’s what’s on the slate for this season.

7:00

Grey’s Anatomy – The medical drama enters its 14th season, which is astounding considering the number of remaining original cast members.  After the hospital blew up at the end of last season, some changes are bound to be afoot.

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

Gotham – I haven’t watched the show since the middle of season 2, so who knows if I’ll even come back to it.

7:30

The Good Place – After the shocking reveal at the end of last season, Ted Danson and Kristen Bell return to heaven.  Or hell.

Young Sheldon – Is too much Sheldon a bad thing?  CBS hopes not, as this spinoff of The Big Bang Theory goes back to Sheldon’s childhood in Texas.  Will it work?  Only time will tell.

8:00

Arrow – The team goes through another shakeup after the events of last season.

9:00

S.W.A.T. – Shemar Moore returns to CBS with this update of the 70s show (and 2003 film). Continue reading →

FOX Upfronts

A year after banking their season on the return of old favorites, FOX has gone a different route this year.  Gotham loses its longtime home on Monday nights, replaced by The Gifted, based on Marvel’s X-Men characters, which will follow Lucifer.  Tuesdays will lead off with the second season of Lethal Weapon, followed by The Mick and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.  Wednesday takes a musical cue, with Empire followed by Star.

Gotham lands on Thursdays, followed by Seth MacFarlane’s first live-action show, The Orville.  Friday remains the same, with Hell’s Kitchen followed by The Exorcist.  A new comedy, Ghosted, moves in between The Simpsons and Family Guy on Sundays.

The final season of New Girl will appear at some point.  Also on tap for mid-season are The Resident, a groundbreaking medical drama starring, amongst others, Matt Czuchry and Emily VanCamp, and LA to Vegas, a comedy about a flight crew going back and forth between LA and Vegas.

Gone and mostly forgotten are APB, Making History, Pitch, Prison Break (which may return again in the future), Son of Zorn, 24: Legacy (again, may return in the future), Bones, Rosewood, Scream Queens, and Sleepy Hollow.

Midseason Review – Mondays

old-tv-set1Day 2 of our look back at my thoughts on the new fall television season and what is new for the winter and spring..

7:00

The Big Bang Theory – Once again, The Big Bang Theory moves back to Mondays until late October to accommodate the NFL.  The show continues to be a ratings powerhouse, so I assume the move won’t shake things up too much.

I’ll save my comments for Thursday.

Supergirl – Despite a successful first season, CBS jettisoned the show and now the second season will air on The CW.

Moving to The CW seems to be working out for Supergirl.  So far we’ve seen appearances from Superman, Maggie Sawyer, and the Flash.

Gotham – I still have the last 9 episodes of season 2 sitting on the DVR, so things don’t look that great for my continued interest in Gotham this year.  But, you never know.

The backlog has grown to include those 9 season 2 episodes and all of season 3 to date.  I need to make a decision soon as to whether or not to cut bait.

7:30

Man With A Plan – Matt LeBlanc returns to network television in this comedy about a contractor who takes more responsibility at home after his wife returns to work.  It should be worth at least a shot.

One episode of this piece of garbage was more than enough.

8:00

Jane The Virgin – At this time last year, I was worried that this show would be a one-season wonder and that I would tire of the telenovela aspect of the show.  Those worries turned out to be unfounded, as the show continued to be a solid, entertaining watch.  I’m expecting more of the same this year.

My expectations have been met, as I continue to enjoy the now mistitled show.

2 Broke Girls – A 6th season for this crass show that has never been as good as it should be, given the talents of the leads.

This year has been more of the same.  It’s a shame to waste the talents of the two likeable leads on such a mess of a show.

9:00 Continue reading →

2016 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

Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Similar to Gotham, I still have the final 4 episodes from last season sitting on the DVR waiting to be watched.  Unlike Gotham, I am looking forward to doing so.

The Flash – The end of season 2 seemingly rewrote the entire timeline of the first two years of the show, so who knows what we will get as season 3 kicks off.

7:30

New Girl – The quirky comedy returns for its 6th season, with some changes in the relationship statuses amongst the roommates causing issues.

9:00

This Is Us – To be honest, I’m not entirely sure what this show is about.  But, I’ve seen some good things online and it has a few stars I like, so I might give it a chance.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – Season 4 moves back an hour and, following the events of Captain America: Civil War, has yet another new status quo.  Oh, and Ghost Rider is slated to show up.

2016 New Fall Season – Mondays

old-tv-set1It is time once again to dive in to the new fall lineups for the television season that kicks into gear tonight. We start this year, thanks to last night’s Emmy Awards, with Monday night’s offerings, which features some returning favorites and a few new potentials.

7:00

The Big Bang Theory – Once again, The Big Bang Theory moves back to Mondays until late October to accommodate the NFL.  The show continues to be a ratings powerhouse, so I assume the move won’t shake things up too much.

Supergirl – Despite a successful first season, CBS jettisoned the show and now the second season will air on The CW.

Gotham – I still have the last 9 episodes of season 2 sitting on the DVR, so things don’t look that great for my continued interest in Gotham this year.  But, you never know.

7:30

Man With A Plan – Matt LeBlanc returns to network television in this comedy about a contractor who takes more responsibility at home after his wife returns to work.  It should be worth at least a shot.

8:00

Jane The Virgin – At this time last year, I was worried that this show would be a one-season wonder and that I would tire of the telenovela aspect of the show.  Those worries turned out to be unfounded, as the show continued to be a solid, entertaining watch.  I’m expecting more of the same this year.

2 Broke Girls – A 6th season for this crass show that has never been as good as it should be, given the talents of the leads.

9:00 Continue reading →

FOX Upfronts

24LegacyEverything old is new again at FOX, as their upfront presentation included new versions of 24, Lethal Weapon, The Exorcist, and Prison Break.  As is their norm, FOX announced multiple schedules, one for the fall and another for mid-season.

In the fall, Mondays remain the same, with Gotham followed by Lucifer.  24: Legacy, starring Corey Hawkins, premieres following the Super Bowl in February before settling in on Mondays.  Tuesdays comedy block gets reduced to Brooklyn Nine-Nine followed by New Girl, followed by the returning Scream Queens.

Wednesday is the home of the Lethal Weapon reboot, starring Damon Wayans in the Danny Glover role of Murtaugh.  The final season of Bones moves back an hour on Thursday in the fall, before giving way to the return of Prison Break in the spring.  Friday brings the adaptation of The Exorcist, which sounds like a horrible idea.

Gone, but not forgotten, are Bordertown, Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life, Grandfathered, The Grinder, Knock Knock Live, Minority Report, and Second Chance.

Midseason Review – Mondays

old-tv-set1Day 2 of our look back at my thoughts on the new fall television season and what is new for the winter and spring.

7:00

The Big Bang Theory – For the second year in a row, The Big Bang Theory moves back to Mondays until late October to accommodate the NFL.  The show continues to be a ratings powerhouse, so I assume the move won’t shake things up too much.

With the NFL season having come to an end, The Big Bang Theory did indeed move back to Thursdays.  I’ll share more thoughts later this week.

SupergirlOnce The Big Bang Theory returns to its Thursday perch, the latest DC superhero show, from the fine folks who brought us Arrow and The Flash,  takes over, bringing Superman’s cousin to the small screen.  The early presentations that I saw look interesting, so I’m going to give this a shot.

The show has been trying to find its footing, balancing its use of Superman’s name while trying to stand on its own.  So far, I think there have been more hits than misses.

Gotham – After a slow start, the first season kicked into a higher gear as the police and mob of Gotham faced off against one another.  I’m hoping for more improvement in season 2.

More often than not, I feel more like I have to watch this show rather than enjoying watching this show.  Hopefully, things will pick up again this spring.

7:30

Life In Pieces – I’m not sure about this show, but the cast has a few people worth checking out, so I’ll give it a shot.

I watched the first few episodes, but then dropped off for no discernible reason.  In the meantime, the show has moved to Thursdays.

8:00

Jane The Virgin – One of the surprise hits of last season, I’m a little concerned about how they will continue the story now that the baby has arrived.  Similar to Ugly Betty, I fear that I will quickly tire of the show in its second season.

Well, so far my fears have been unfounded, as the quality has remained consistent.

9:00 Continue reading →

2015 New Fall Season – Mondays

old-tv-set1It is time once again to dive in to the new fall lineups for the television season that kicks into gear tonight. We start this year, thanks to last night’s Emmy Awards, with Monday night’s offerings, which features some returning favorites and a few new potentials.

7:00

The Big Bang Theory – For the second year in a row, The Big Bang Theory moves back to Mondays until late October to accommodate the NFL.  The show continues to be a ratings powerhouse, so I assume the move won’t shake things up too much.

SupergirlOnce The Big Bang Theory returns to its Thursday perch, the latest DC superhero show, from the fine folks who brought us Arrow and The Flash,  takes over, bringing Superman’s cousin to the small screen.  The early presentations that I saw look interesting, so I’m going to give this a shot.

Gotham – After a slow start, the first season kicked into a higher gear as the police and mob of Gotham faced off against one another.  I’m hoping for more improvement in season 2.

7:30

Life In Pieces – I’m not sure about this show, but the cast has a few people worth checking out, so I’ll give it a shot.

8:00

Jane The Virgin – One of the surprise hits of last season, I’m a little concerned about how they will continue the story now that the baby has arrived.  Similar to Ugly Betty, I fear that I will quickly tire of the show in its second season.

9:00 Continue reading →