Fall TV Roundup — Week 2

The Fall TV season is under way. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new shows this fall. If you don't see a new show listed below, check previous weeks.

Monday Nights:
Life in Pieces, Mondays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS (Premiered September 21)
About: There aren't a wealth of new comedies on the air this fall. "Life in Pieces" is one of the few on the air, and one of only two sitcoms airing on CBS until November. That's a lot of pressure, but it's also a great opportunity to find an audience being set behind the popular "Big Bang Theory." I wasn't wild about the first episode, which I thought was a little uneven. However, the second episode settled a bit and offered more amusing sequences in all four stories it presented. The show boasts a good cast and looks like it has a chance to provide some laughs. It's being billed as the best new comedy this fall, which is might be, but that's not a stretch. What it needs to be is a show that builds and audience and sticks. I thought the second episode moved more in that direction.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: B-

Minority Report, Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered September 21)
About: This show, based on the Steven Spielberg movie and the Phillip K. Dick short story, has a futuristic setting but an all too familiar feel. I liked the pilot more than I thought I would, but the second episode settled into a familiar pattern. This is basically a procedural with a special spin. That's not enough to help the series stand out in a crowded marketplace. I thought the second episode was a step back. The characters are sort of likable, but the story was boring. Even the futuristic setting doesn't help. We've seen it before, and seen it done better on FOX. "Minority Report" feels irrelevant.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C-

Blindspot, Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC (Premiered September 21)
About: What to make of "Blindspot?" I still like the premise and the cast, and I think there's some promise here. I was underwhelmed by the pilot presentation, which I thought was just OK. The second episode was more of the same. I still like the idea, and I think there's potential in the premise, but so far the show isn't that compelling. The mystery is unraveling a bit, and that's somewhat of a hook, but the show is also took stuck in the case-of-the-week formula without developing the characters enough. That's the different between "Blindspot" and another NBC staple drama, "The Blacklist." "Blindspot" needs to build up interest in its characters a bit more for this to work long-term.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Tuesday Nights:
The Muppets, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC (Premiered September 22)
About: Everyone knows and loves "The Muppets." I was initially excited at the prospect of a weekly series. However, the pilot wasn't what I expect. These aren't your parents' "Muppets," and that's a big part of the problem. I don't want to see these characters with real-world people problems. Some might see that as amusing — and this show really tries to put down an "Office"/"Parks & Recreation" vibe with these characters. The pilot just didn't work. Worse yet, this isn't a good family show, though many will probably think of "The Muppets" as that. Maybe it will improve, and I hope it will, but I was disappointed in the pilot.
Pilot Grade: D

Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on NBC (Premiered September 15)
About: This is the return of a variety show. "Best Time Ever" aired at 10 p.m. its first two weeks, but now it's moving to an earlier time to complete its limited run. This is a great attempt at bringing back the  variety show. Harris is a great host, and he's included funny gags and some great guests. However, this feels like the kind of show better suited to the dead time of summer. It's light and entertaining, but it's hardly must watch TV during this crowded fall season.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C+

Scream Queens, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered September 22)
About: This is the latest from Ryan Murphy, and it was billed as a mash up of his successful shows "Glee" and "American Horror Story." The first two-hour presentation revealed it to be neither. This was the worst pilot I saw last week, and that's saying something. This was offensive and boring, a killer combination. There was nothing that hooked my attention and I don't see how this is going to get any better.
Pilot Grade: F

The Bastard Executioner, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX (Premiered September 15)
About: If you were a fan of "Sons of Anarchy" and/or Kurt Sutter, you probably tuned into this expecting it to be crass and violent. If you're new to the Sutter world, it probably felt abrupt. The first two-hour presentation was violent, gross and confusing. The second episode was much the same. I'm not invested in the world and, in fact, I was a bit put off by what it offered. If you're a fan of Sutter's work, you'll probably enjoy the show. If not, this is a hard pass for me.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: F

Limitless, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS (Premiered September 22)
About: This is another show based on a movie, and it's another one that takes that familiar hook and puts it into a procedural premise. I liked the pilot more than I thought I would. I like the premise and the cast. I think Jennifer Carpenter is good in this role, too. But that doesn't mean it will be a good show. I'm urging caution here because of what I saw in "Minority Report," which had a decent enough pilot and devolved into a rote procedural in episode two. I feel like that's certainly a possibility here, especially since it's on CBS. But for now, I kind of enjoyed the pilot presentation more than I thought, especially since I didn't really care for this movie that much. But this might actually be a better story than the film, and no one does procedurals better than CBS.
Pilot Grade: C+

Wednesday Nights:
Rosewood, Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on FOX (Premiered September 23)
About: Oh FOX, how you vex me. FOX isn't having a good fall season. This is the third new show to premier and it's a groaner. It's another one that's put together in a flashy manner that has a decent cast that just doesn't work. I didn't care for the characters or the banter in the premier, and I can see it becoming a poor man's "Bones" quickly. That's not great. It's paired with "Empire," but it has none of the crackle of that show. This just generates a shoulder shrug. In an era where we have this many original shows to choose from, you have to be compelling to hook viewers. This isn't.
Pilot Grade: D

Moonbeam City, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Comedy Central (Premiered September 16)
About: This is an 80s-set cartoon series that is aimed at adults. It's very adult fare and has a talented voice cast, including Rob Lowe, Elizabeth Banks, and Kate Mara. If you like these kind of shows you might be amused by this. But it was too wild, too weird, and too much for me. I didn't care for either of the first two episodes.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D-

Thursday Nights:
Heroes Reborn, Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC (Premiered September 24)
About: I loved the first season of "Heroes" when it debuted on NBC. It was among my favorite shows. But over its last three seasons, the show declined. So I wasn't surprised when it was cancelled. But I'm also not surprised it's being brought back. Superhero shows are hot right now, and it's fair to wonder if "Heroes" was ahead of its time. The two-hour premier introduced a lot of characters and sunk into a new story. There are some familiar faces, but mostly this is new. And based on the plot, it's coming a lot closer to the big themes that are hallmarks of another established hero franchise, "The X-Men." That could serve them well. However, the first two episodes were a bit dry. I still believe in the idea, but it has a long way to go to recapture its season one magic.
Pilot Grade: C+

The Player, Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC (Premiered September 24)
About: I thought this seemed like a stupid premise, and this was one of the shows I was least interested in seeing. Irony of ironies, it ended up being the pilot I saw last week that I liked the best. Who knew? This is an interesting fusion of the concept in "Person of Interest" and "The Blacklist," and somehow it worked. Now a pilot can be the best episode, worst episode, or somewhere in between in a series. So this could end up being what I thought it would be, but at this point I'm interested to see where it's going.
Pilot Grade: B-

Sunday Nights:
Blood & Oil, Sundays at 9 p.m. on ABC (Premiered September 27)
About: No one does more soapy TV than ABC, and "Blood & Oil" certainly feels on brand. But it's also bland, and that's a problem. The pilot was a chore to watch. I can see where it's going, and I can't really bring myself to care. Don Johnson and Chace Crawford are there to bring in the viewers, and perhaps it's good counter-programming to Sunday Night Football, but the pilot wasn't great. I have doubts the series will be compelling either.
Pilot Grade: D+

Quantico, Sundays at 10 p.m. on ABC (Premiered September 27)
About: This is ABC's other big new Sunday night drama. "Quantico" has a big hook — a terrorist attack at the outset — and is told through a series of flashbacks about recruits to the FBI, one of whom is a terrorist. Is it our hero Alex Parrish (Priyanka Chopra)? I doubt it. But that's what the FBI believes, and it's up to her to clear her name. This has the look and feel of some of ABC's other TGIT shows, and it probably works on that level. I didn't love the pilot or the characters, but there's enough of a hook on the central mystery to make it work, at least for one more episode. Still, there is plenty of work to be done to make this a compelling series.
Pilot Grade: C+