Winter TV Roundup, Week 2

Here's a look at the new shows that have premiered this winter.

Monday Nights:
Intelligence, Mondays at 10 p.m. on CBS
About: CBS premiered this show following "NCIS" last Tuesday, then it aired its second episode in its regular slot Monday night. This show features Josh Holloway, of "LOST" fame, and Marg Helgenberger, of "CSI," in a fairly standard crime drama. Sure, they want you to think this feels new, but it's essentially the same formula as everything else on CBS, perhaps hewing a little closer to "Person of Interest" than "CSI." The show is OK, mildly interesting, but honestly not that much better than "Hostages," the show it's replacing. I had high hopes, but through two airings there just isn't much here to hold on to.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C

Tuesday Nights:
Killer Women, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC
About: This show is a flat disaster. I am not sure what they were going for here, but nothing about the pilot worked. It has been the winter of discontent for ABC, as "The Assets" (see Thursdays) premiered horribly, and this show did too. That being said, this is the worst show of the two. I can't see this making it through all eight episodes.
Pilot Grade: D

Wednesday Nights:
Chicago PD, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC
About: This isn't really an original show. Sure it's new, and it's a different show, but it's very inter-connected to one of last year's few hits for NBC, "Chicago Fire." I wasn't a "Chicago Fire" fan, so I didn't see the characters from this series introduced on that show. But in the pilot, there is plenty of cross over. You will recognize characters from one show in the other, and this is something that creator Dick Wolf said will continue. In addition, "Chicago PD" will begin cross overs with "Law & Order: SVU," another Wolf production. This isn't a show that stands well on its own, but it's not awful. In fact, I dare say ABC would kill for a show with this much potential after its failures this winter. But this isn't for everyone, and it certainly doesn't feel that unique.
Pilot Grade: C

Thursday Nights:
The Assets, Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC
About: This show feels like it was green lit based on the modest success of the F/X show "The Americans." But there is a lot here that doesn't work. I mildly enjoyed the pilot, but the second episode was a HUGE step back. It was confusing and boring, and the lack of acting chops is starting to show. That's a problem. A bigger problem was the lack of an audience, which helped this to be the latest show to be cancelled after episode two.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: D

The Spoils of Babylon, Thursdays at 10 p.m. on IFC
About: This is a spoof of a mini-series. It's not fertile ground for a long-term commitment, but it could be fun for a short run. This comes from Will Ferrell, and has a star-studded cast that includes Tobey Maguire, Kristen Wiig, and Tim Robbins. It seems like the perfect set up for something incredible, and I really wanted to like this. However, it's a little too weird, and the fun wears off. The premier was two episodes combined that ran an hour, so I'm prepared to believe that the normal 30-minute installments might work better, but this felt too drawn out. Like most "Saturday Night Live" sketches, it starts out as fun but goes on too long. We'll have to see where this one goes from here.
Pilot Grade: C

Friday Nights:
Enlisted, Fridays at 9:30 p.m. on FOX
About: This is one of the FOX sitcoms that they clearly didn't think had much hope. It doesn't. It was one of the longest half hours of my week, and I blew through it on DVR. There is a reason this has been marooned on Friday nights, and even if it plays out its 13-episode string, I don't see this having a future. There wasn't a lot of humor here, and there wasn't much to work with.
Pilot Grade: C-

Helix, Fridays at 10 p.m. on SyFy
About: I was excited for this show when it was announced. It's about a viral outbreak at a research facility in the arctic. And for the first half of the pilot, released Friday, it really worked. But then it started to get weird, repetitive, and wan. There is a reason this kind of topic is usually the set up for a horror movie or a stand alone episode of "The X-Files." I am not sure how it works as a series long-term, let alone holds our interest for the next few weeks. There is potential here, but it's about how it will deliver.
Pilot Grade: C

Sunday Nights:
True Detective, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO
About: This is the latest series to dive into anthology territory. This is becoming a popular trend because it's a short commitment that can attract top talent. I was wildly excited about this series — which features Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harelson in the lead roles. And the pilot had some good moments and set up some interesting territory to explore. And I plan to stick with it through its eight-episode run, because I believe in that potential, but this show is definitely a slow burn. The pilot was really dry, which could be a turn off for some. It definitely didn't hit the high notes I expected or hoped for. But, then again, I thought "Game of Thrones" started slowly too. We'll see where this one ends up.
Pilot Grade: C+