Summer TV Roundup — Week 3

Summer is here, and the new shows just keep on coming. In these weekly posts I review the new shows of the summer, grading the pilot and second episode of as many new shows as possible. If you don't see a new summer show here, check previous weeks!

Monday Nights:
The Maya Rudolph Show, Monday at 10 p.m. on NBC
About: This was billed as a special, and at this point it was a special. But the hope for Rudolph and her team is that this can become a series. Variety shows were once a staple of American television, but now that's not really the case. Still, Rudolph wants to bring that back. Her show — which featured guests like Sean Hays, Fred Armisen, and Andy Samberg — felt a little bit like a more musically oriented, family-friendly version of "Saturday Night Live." There were sketches, musical numbers, dance numbers, and more. Some of it was a little risqué, but most of it was pretty tame. It was mildly entertaining, and felt like kind of a throw back. I could see it working as a show, and the ratings seem to back that up.
Pilot Grade: C

Tuesday Nights:
I Want to Marry Harry, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX
About: This is the latest reality dating show, but with a FOX twist. Twelve American women have traveled to England to find true love. They think they're courting Prince Harry, but it's really a normal Brit that looks like Harry. He claims to be seeking true love, but he's helping the producers deceive these women. The lack of cultural awareness on the part of the women in the pilot was staggering, and it feels like a bad sign for America. But on the flip side, I think the premise is creepier than I'd imagined. If this was simply a joke on these women, that would be one thing. But the bachelor says he's genuinely seeking true love through this farce, which seems insane. The first episode wasn't as much fun as one might have imagined, and I take it as a bad sign for this "experiment" going forward. This probably isn't the kind of show we want to promote here, so it's good that the ratings flatlined.
Pilot Grade: C

Thursday Nights:
Gang Related, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX
About: "Gang Related" was part of the upfront presentation made by FOX in May 2013, and it finally hit the airwaves more than a year later. It's part of FOX's year-round programming initiative. And it's an ambitious show. It's about a cop (Ramon Rodriguez) who is part of a gang task force for the Los Angeles Police Department. He's also on the payroll of the city's biggest gang, having grown up and befriended the family at the middle of the gang. So he has split loyalties, to say the least. There is plenty of potential for this series to grow, and there are a lot of different ways the story can go. It has a good cast — including Terry O'Quinn, Cliff Curtis, and Jay Hernandez. But the pilot was a little boring and a little vanilla. I liked the twist at the end, but I was a little bored by the construction of the pilot. There is room for this to grow, and it does feel like the right kind of show to launch during the summer. Right now, there is more potential than actual achievement. We'll see how it develops.
Pilot Grade: C+

Last Comic Standing, Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC
About: This isn't technically a new show. Thursday marked the premier of season eight, but much like "24" it's new in that it hasn't been on for years and it's been re-imagined. It's not the first time NBC has done that with "Last Comic Standing." There is a new host — JB Smoove — and new judges — including Keenan Ivory Wayans and Roseanne. The format appears to have been tweaked as well. It is more focused on the stand up on stage, and it looks like the crazy competitions and living in a house together are gone. That's all good. As with other iterations of the show, however, this volume will live and die with the comedians. The first episode — a two-hour re-launch — was a bit of a mixed bag. Still, I like hearing good comedy, so this show has always appealed to me. I have hope there will be some diamonds in this year's crop, too.
Pilot Grade: C+