Summer TV Roundup, Week Seven

In this weekly post I look at the new shows of Summer. I review the pilot and second episode of new shows. If you don't see a new summer show listed here, please check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
Chasing Life, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC Family
About: It's a delicate line balancing family drama, a splash of comedy, and a central storyline about a protagonist stricken with cancer. But it's a balance that "Chasing Life," the newest drama on ABC Family Channel, does well. This show has a good cast, and it's done in a good way. ABC Family Channel has created a niche over the past few years with its original programming, but this show feels like a bit of an expansion of the brand. It's not focused on — or particularly aimed at — teens, but it still fits the tone of the brand. There is good potential to mine a lot of interesting territory here, but I do hope they aren't going to string out the secret of her diagnosis too long. It began to feel ponderous in the second episode, so hopefully April (Italia Ricci) comes clean with her family soon. There will still be plenty of narrative to be mined from that story, too.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B

Thursday Nights:
Dominion, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on SyFy
About: In this current era of entertainment, everything old is new again, and everything deserves a sequel or spin-off, no matter how obscure. "Dominion" is a show about a dystopian future where Angels attacked humanity, but one of the angels — Michael — decided to fight for us. Now a war is raging, and what's left of mankind is trying to re-group. The sounds like a weird idea for an original series, except it's not totally an original series. In 2010, a small movie called "Legion" was released. It mostly took place at a diner in the middle of nowhere. Angels came to try and collect the unborn child of a waitress because he was the future hope for humanity. But the Archangel Michael came down, fought his angelic kin, and saved the child. It wasn't a great, popular, or overly profitable movie. In fact, you'd hardly be blamed for not knowing it existed. Yet, that movie serves as a precursor and basis for "Dominion," which picks up 25 years after the events of that film and follows the child Michael saved as he dons the mantle to save humanity. The pilot for the show — which aired Thursday with limited commercials and an 84 minute run time — was better than I expected. The characters were more compelling and the world more interesting. I have actually seen — and reviewed — "Legion." I thought it was a moderately horrible movie. This show, however, could be surprisingly more entertaining. It's still blasphemous, but that's to be expected when the show is about vicious, killer angels wiping out humanity. But the show has some decent actors and the pilot showcased some potential for this to be an entertaining show. In fact, this show looks good enough to make you forget about the movie. Also, though this is a "continuation" of the storyline from "Legion," you don't have to see that film to follow what's going on in the show. In fact, it might be better to skip the movie all together.
Pilot Grade: C

Friday Nights:
Funniest Wins, Fridays at 10 p.m. on TBS
About: Marlon Wayans wanted to create his own comedy competition on TV. While his brother — Keenan Ivory — is a judge on NBC's "Last Comic Standing," Marlon has created his own show on TBS. This show features 10 comics — a mixture of those from the traditional stand up world and those who've made a name for themselves with Vines, digital shorts, and other new media — competing for the title of funniest comic. Each week they will participate in challenges to showcase their range, with the lowest scorer being eliminated until a champion is crowned. In theory this feels like an interesting idea. In practice, the pilot episode was boring and it doesn't feel like anything fresh or different. Unlike "Last Comic Standing," in which the competitors have a chance to show their best act, this was just a set of odd challenges. I wasn't amused in the first episode, and I feel like Marlon is too much at the center of the show. It almost feels like a showcase for him with a few competitors thrown in. The show could develop, but so far this is boring to watch, which is a problem for a show about a comedy competition.
Pilot Grade: C-

Saturday Nights:
Almost Royal, Saturdays at 10 p.m. on BBC America
About: BBC America has become a strong contender in the original programming competition in recent years. It's been home to the American broadcast of some great British dramas — like "Luther" and "Broadchurch" — and fascinating original programming, like "Orphan Black." "Almost Royal" is a British version of "Borat" about two duds far down the line of royal succession that come to America and don't understand anything about what's going on. In theory, it could be a funny concept. In practice it was painful to watch and painfully dull. BBC America launched the first two episodes on Saturday night, and it was the longest hour of television in quite some time. There is probably an audience that would love what happened, but I wasn't one of them. I thought the humor and gambit of the show fell flat in the first five minutes. The rest was just beating a dead horse. This show feels like a disaster.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D-

Sunday Nights:
Rising Star, Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on ABC
About: "Rising Star" is a new experiment in reality competition shows. It airs live to three time zones at once on Sunday nights, and it allows the audience to get in on the action and decide who advances. It's a singing competition show with celebrity judges, so that feels familiar, but it addresses one of the most frequent complaints of these type of reality shows — the the judges advance the wrong people. In this case, it's all on the audience to decide. If a performer gets more than 70 percent of the vote — with the judges votes counting for seven percent each (21 percent total) — then they advance. The performers play behind a giant wall where they can see the pictures of those voting for them, and if they hit the magical mark the wall raises and they advance. I was dubious of the premise, but as with ABC's other summer reality show, "Sing Your Face Off," this actually proved to be kind of fun. The judges — Brad Paisley, Kesha, and Ludicris — had some good comments and good personality. Some of the performers were fun. And host Josh Groban — a pretty talented singer in his own right — did a good job guiding the night. I don't know if I would watch this during the fall season, when the TV landscape is more crowded, but it feels like a light and entertaining summer show. It's a a twist on the standard conventions of the genre, and the pilot was a lot more fun than I expected. I'm curious to see how this show develops from here.
Pilot Grade: B

The Last Ship, Sundays at 9 p.m. on TNT
About: This is the latest new drama from TNT. It's set on an American naval vessel that, after four months in the arctic under radio silence discovers they were sent on a fake mission. They were sent to look for the cure for a virus that, in the time they've been away, has ravaged the world. Governments — including that of the United States — have collapsed. Many of their families are gone. And the scientist they have on board is the last hope to find a cure and save mankind. It's a fascinating premise, and the pilot did a good job of setting the story in place and setting a template for the series. One has to wonder how long it can last, but the pilot was strong and the premise is intriguing. There was a lot of action and adventure in the first episode, and the show did a good job of developing its cast. It comes from producer Michael Bay — no stranger to high octane adventures — and it has a scope that feels like something different for TV. The pilot looked expensive to produce, and it looks like the show is making the most of its unique setting. The pilot did a great job of putting the pieces in place, now it's time to see how it develops into a series.
Pilot Grade: B+

The Musketeers, Sundays at 9 p.m. on BBC America
About: There have been countless versions of "The Three Musketeers" told throughout the years. This latest version — a weekly TV series from Britain — is another variation on the classic tale. The pilot did the work of setting up the world and the characters. All are familiar to audiences, but each new version has to put a spin on it. This one does as well. It will be interesting to see how this familiar story — so often told in various films — adapts for a weekly series. All 10 episodes have already aired in Britain, and the show has already been picked up for a second season. I thought the pilot was mildly interesting and did a good job of establishing the world. Now it's a matter of how they build and expand on this familiar narrative.
Pilot Grade: B-