Fall TV Roundup, Week 4

The Fall TV Season began in earnest this week, which means a number of new shows bowing, and many of the new shows taking shape in the ratings. Below is the evaluation of any first or second episode of a new show. For first and second episodes of shows that premiered in the first three weeks, please check the blog archives. All shows are listed by air date and timeslot (all times Mountain Standard Time).

Monday Nights:
Partners — 7:30 p.m. on CBS
Ugh. CBS has long had a tendency of pulling out broad and dry comedies, but this seems to be a stretch even for them. This show joins the vaunted Monday night lineup in between "How I Met Your Mother" and "Two Broke Girls." The show doesn't really fit with the general tone of either of those shows, but that could be because the show doesn't really have a well-defined tone of its own. It comes from David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, who created "Will & Grace," and is loosely based on their own partnership. That being said, the pilot was flat and I don't see how the show has anywhere to go. It introduces two couples, and that comprises the core characters on the show. The remainder will have to be on the hijinks of those characters and relationships. That part didn't work in the pilot, and I doubt it will get any better. This feels like a waste to me.
Pilot Grade: D

The Mob Doctor — 8 p.m. on FOX
The pilot for this show wasn't impressive, and it's follow-up episode was worse. This is a good cast spoiled. There is potential here, but none of it is realized. The stories are clunky and the actors seem to have no chemistry together. The opening and closing narration — meant to be a ploy to draw you into the world — doesn't work for me either. There is a reason this show cratered in the ratings in week 2. This could easily be the first show of the 2012-13 season to get the axe.
Pilot Grade: C; Second Episode: D

Revolution — 9 p.m. on NBC
Oh how NBC needs a genuine hit. It looks like "Revolution" might be that show. The second episode did well in the ratings and did a credible job of boosting excitement and drawing you into the world. I like the premise, I like the execution for the most part, and I'm curious to see where it goes. That is a good sign. However, there is one serious weakness that may hamper the show — the main character Charlie. Neither the character, nor that actress inhabiting the character (Tracey Spiridakos), is very interesting. That's a problem since she is supposed to be the focal point of the show. There are a lot of things here that work well, but Charlie doesn't through two episodes. Down the line, if that doesn't improve, this could undermine an otherwise well designed show.
Pilot Grade: B; Second Episode: B

Tuesday Nights:
Ben and Kate — 7:30 p.m. on FOX
This is part of FOX's new Tuesday night comedy block and feels like an excellent pairing with "The New Girl" and FOX's other new comedy, "The Mindy Project" (which officially debuted Tuesday night too). This show centers on a quirky brother and sister (Nat Faxon and Dakota Johnson) who are teaming up to raise the sister's daughter, played by the charming Maggie Elizabeth Jones. The pilot was fun, funny, and flowed well. This was probably one of the more surprising pilots I watched. The description wasn't great, and the show got wildly mixed reviews. But I found it charming, fun, and funny. I think it pairs ideally with "The New Girl," and has potential to be a fun, family kind of sitcom. In a season where the comedy has been laugh deficient, this one has been a pleasant surprise.
Pilot Grade: A-

Vegas — 9 p.m. on CBS
This new show has a high-profile cast, led by Dennis Quaid, and a nifty premise. It's set in Las Vegas in 1960, when the entertainment town was booming and the mob ran everything. It sets up an ideological battle between rancher/sheriff Ralph Lamb (Quaid) and mob boss Vincent Savino (Michael Chiklis). On paper, this looks to be a great new addition to the CBS lineup. The premier drew a great number in terms of total viewers, but a huge fall off in viewers 18-49, the key demo. And there's a reason. This is a sturdy drama piece with flashy stars and strong production values. It's also predictable, plodding, and dull. This makes it a show that can grab an audience, just not a young audience. That's how I felt watching it. I thought they did a good job putting it together, but I felt like time was standing still as I waited for Quaid to solve the case and the show to wrap up. In other words, this might be "Unforgettable" 2.0. Sorry CBS...
Pilot Grade: C

Wednesday Nights:
Animal Practice — 7 p.m. on NBC
This is, sadly, NBC's best comedy. It's not a great show, I'll just admit that right here. I also laughed quite a bit, I'll admit that right here. It has nothing to do with story or characters — at least human characters. For reasons I can't quite fathom, I am drawn to the monkey, Crystal, who plays Dr. Rizzo. Crystal is the best thing on the show, and quite honestly the best thing to happen to NBC comedy since the gang met up for coffee at Central Perk. That monkey makes this show worth watching. Justin Kirk isn't bad either, so this show is somewhat interesting and watchable. That is high praise given the state of NBC's new comedies.
Pilot Grade: C; Second Episode: C

Guys With Kids — 7:30 p.m. on NBC
This show doesn't have a monkey. Instead it has cliches, cloying plots, and very few laughs. It tries hard, it really does, but this show just isn't funny. It's slightly worse than "Go On" and, sadly, "The New Normal." This is probably NBC's worst new sitcom, but it's not like there's a big spread. It's hard to see this show developing much of a following.
Pilot Grade: C-; Second Episode: D

The Neighbors — 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Oh my gosh, where to start. I don't exactly know how a show like this gets greenlit in 2012. In a year that has had its share of iffy comedies, this is the worst so far. It got a decent rating in the premier, thanks in part to the "Modern Family" lead in, but I also think it benefitted from the car wreck effect. In essence, the show was critically savaged and I think some people, just like those that slow down when passing a car wreck, tuned in to see just how bad it would be. It's not the worst show I've ever seen, it just isn't funny. It's kind of dumb. I don't really see this being the kind of show that becomes a hit, but in this modern era of dumbed down TV, I guess anything's possible.
Pilot Grade: D

Thursday Nights:
Elementary — 9 p.m. on CBS
This is another new drama from CBS, this time a take off on the Sherlock Holmes narrative. I thought this show suffered from some of the same problems as "Vegas," in that it took too long to get to its point and was plodding. Johnny Lee Miller does a somewhat credible job as Holmes, Lucy Liu makes an interesting choice as Watson, and Aidan Quinn does a nice job as the homicide captain that gives Holmes plenty of leeway in solving crimes. There is a somewhat workable premise there, it's just that we have so many versions of Sherlock Holmes right now and this isn't even close to being the best one. It was somewhat entertaining and has some potential, but I'm not sold yet.
Pilot Grade: C