A look at new pilots

As I mentioned on Thursday, today I'm going to give you my grades for the new pilots I've seen. Next Saturday, I'll pick up any additional pilots I've seen as well as second episode grades for any I decided to check out more than once. Instead of using the star system — which I use for movies — these pilots will be getting letter grades. A+ is the best, F- is the worst. There are none of either...

I'll arrange the shows by the day of the week they air.

Sundays:

Boardwalk Empire (A-) — This show, which airs on HBO, is about gangsters in the 1920s. According to critics I've heard, the show only gets better after the pilot episode. The pilot set the tone and introduced the characters, but there were some stylistic choices (probably because it's on HBO) that made me a little uncomfortable. Still, it was a good pilot and I have hope it will be a good series.

Mondays:

Lone Star (C) — This show, which airs on FOX, might be the first show cancelled in 2010. It's not the worst pilot I saw, but apparently there were only a handful of people that checked the show out. It has a morally challenging premise that I thought got worse as the first hour wore on. It's hard to see how this could work as a series. There are some nice performances, but it just doesn't really work for me.

Chase (D+) — This show, which airs on NBC, is weak. I don't care much for the lead actress, Kelli Giddish, which is a problem since the whole show is built around her. This is a pretty formulaic show, and the pilot wasn't all that compelling. This is easily a show you could come in and out of, and I saw no real compelling reason to tune in each week. Though not the worst of the new shows, this show has little to offer.

Hawaii 5-0 (B+) — This show, which airs on CBS, bears little resemblance to the original. This is an update on the genre and concept. The cast works well together and the pilot episode had good action and flowed well. I can see this working as a show concept. This might be one of the better network pilots.

The Event (C+) — This show, which airs on NBC, has a murky concept. The pilot does little to clear it up. The show is aimed at the "LOST" fans that want another show with dense mythology. But what sold "LOST" at the outset was its characters. This show, so far, hasn't really offered any compelling characters. There were some interesting aspects of the pilot, but its conceit of jumping around through time and providing next to no information are frustrating. If I cared about the people, I might be able to look past that. But I don't, so I can't. This show, if it doesn't pick up in the next couple episodes, might be too tedious to invest in.

Tuesdays:

Running Wilde (C-) — This show, which airs on FOX, should be funny. It comes from the "Arrested Development" team and stars Will Arnett and Keri Russell, with supporting work from David Cross. But there were few laughs to be found in the pilot, and I fear the whole show may go down this path. Add to that the fact that it's a ridiculous concept, and we could be in trouble.

Wednesdays:

The Undercovers (B) — This show, which airs on NBC, is kind of a weekly series version of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." The main characters are compelling and the mix of humor and action works. The show comes from producer J.J. Abrams ("Alias," "Fringe," and "LOST"), and I could see it being kind of a fun weekly adventure. The next few episodes will tell a lot about where the show is going.

Fridays:

Outlaw (D-) — This show, which airs on NBC, is only really good for the unintentional comedy scale. The premise — a Supreme Court Justice who is ultra conservative resigns to become a crusading, liberal attorney — is the kind of thing you could only find on TV. The actors in this show deserve so much better. There are a few clumsy attempts to inject romantic chemistry, but you can see it coming from a mile away and, what's worse, you don't care. This show is an epic fail in terms of being a serious, gritty drama, which is what I believe the producers intended.

Blue Bloods (B) — This show, which airs on CBS, is about a family of cops in New York City. It has a nice ensemble cast — Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, and Tom Selleck, among others — and it had a decent pilot presentation. It could work as a series, but it depends on how the next few episodes build the story arcs. The show has potential, though, which is more than I can say for many of the pilots I've seen.