Fall TV Roundup, Week 10

It hasn't been a good fall for new shows, and now the ax is starting to fall. "Manhattan Love Story" and "Utopia" have been officially cancelled, while "Mulaney," "Bad Judge" and "A to Z" are just playing out the string. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more of these shows get axed this month.

In these weekly posts I review new shows. I look at the pilot and second episode of new shows out there. If you don't see a new show from the fall below, check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
The Britishes, Tuesdays at 8:22 p.m. on DirecTV (Premiered October 28)
About: This is a new short on DirecTV. They are airing on Tuesday nights in between the comedies that have been airing this fall. The show is meant to be a send up of "Downton Abbey," and the first episode worked pretty well. But to call this a short is an understatement. The first episode was three minutes. I am curious to see where these go, but it's hard to tell what it's going to be like in just three minutes.
Pilot Grade: C

Benched, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on USA (Premiered October 28)
About: Eliza Coupe is a delightful comedic actress. She buoyed the final seasons of "Scrubs," and was a feature attraction on "Happy Endings" for ABC. Here she plays a lawyer who hits a rough patch and ends up as a public defender. Here Coupe is coupled with a talented supporting cast, including Jay Harrington and Oscar Nunez, in a comedy that feels more like the kind of traditional, broad comedies you used to get on networks. There is potential here. I actually liked USA's first sitcom foray — last Spring's "Sirens" — and I could see this developing into something, too. Coupe is a winning lead performer and there's potential here. The pilot didn't always delver on that potential, but in a field that's been weak in the comedy department, this looks promising.
Pilot Grade: C+

Thursday Nights:
The McCarthys, Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBS (Premiered October 30)
About: This is the only new sitcom for CBS in the fall, and it's clearly not long for the air. It's been a pretty good fall for CBS — which recently picked up all four of its new dramas for a full season. Not so much with "The McCarthys." This is trying to be a broad sitcom about a cliched Boston family. Of course the twist is one son is gay, and his father taps him to coach basketball with him in an effort to get him not to leave and move to Providence. The pilot was a rough watch, with most of the jokes falling flat. It is just a string of cliches, and none of the performances could bail out the lack of story. Since CBS has "Mike and Molly" waiting in the wings, and since this show has paltry opening ratings, I see this as possibly the next show to be cancelled.
Pilot Grade: D

Friday Nights:
Constantine, Fridays at 10 p.m. on NBC (Premiered October 24)
About: This show — based on a D.C. Comics property — had a rough debut. The pilot was uneven and, at times, boring. Worse yet, the producers decided to shake up the cast after the pilot — meaning the co-star in the first episode, Lucy Griffiths, was dumped after one episode. In that sense, the second episode felt a lot like another pilot. Our hero John Constantine (Matt Ryan) was paired with another would-be partner. The second episode was a little more interesting and offers a little more potential as a series. But it might be too little, too late. The ratings continue to slide and the show isn't dynamic enough to bring in big audiences. Since NBC has network TV's best show — "Hannibal" — waiting to take over on Friday nights, I doubt "Constantine" will get much more than an initial 13-episode order.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C