Winter TV Roundup, Week 12

We're nearly through March, but the flood of new shows is still going strong. The cut off for Emmy consideration is May 31, which explains why everyone is pushing to get their new show launched in the window. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Winter/Spring. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Monday Nights:
The Terror, Mondays at 9 p.m. on AMC (Premiered March 25)
About: AMC is in an interesting place, looking to find new scripted hits and trying a lot of different things. The latest is the 10-episode season of "The Terror," which is based on the novel from Dan Simmons. It centers on a pair of British ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, that set out in the 1840s to find the Northwest Passage and, instead, get trapped in the ice. But that's only a part of the issues and story. The pilot premiered after "The Walking Dead" on Sunday night, and the series got a two-hour block on Monday night (repeating the pilot and showing the second episode). The series stars Tobias Menzies ("Game of Thrones," "Outlander"), Ciaran Hinds and Jared Harris, and features some solid production values. But the first two episodes also moved at a glacial pace, so much so that I'm not totally sure where it's going and what kind of evil the men will face. (I didn't read the book.) All that we know is the series begins with another group of sailors searching for answers, and the indication that the crews of the two ships don't make it out of the ice. I like the idea here, but the first couple episodes weren't enough to hook me. And, again, I might sound like a repeating drone, but in an era this jam-packed with shows, there needs to be something compelling to keep viewers hooked. This didn't provide that, and I don't think it will keep a lot of people coming back on Monday nights.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

The Crossing, Mondays at 10 p.m. on ABC (Premiers April 2)
About: This new series for ABC (which takes over the time slot occupied by "The Good Doctor") brings a sci-fi twist to the network. "The Crossing" is a high-concept series, for which the pilot was made available early on Hulu. That makes sense, in part, because the series is premiering opposite the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship, and on the first day after Easter. I watched the pilot and was curious to see how this would develop. It's a series set in a small town in the Northwest where people start washing up on the beach. The Sheriff (Steve Zahn) is understandably confused. Moreso when the people claim to be refugees from a war that takes place more than 100 years in the future. Especially when they claim they're not the first two arrive. The series also stars Rick Gomez, who plays a deputy, Sandrine Holt, who plays a federal agent that takes over the scene, and Natalie Martinez, one of the refugees who is trying to protect her people, and teams with Zahn to do it. The pilot was OK, having to do a lot of work to establish the characters and this unique premise. In that sense it did its job, but it didn't provide a lot of hook. I'm expecting that the subsequent episodes will be able to more develop the characters now that the elaborate plot elements have been laid out. This is OK, but it's quite a different kind of show from the one that found success Mondays at 10 p.m. for ABC. This kind of serialized sci-fi series often has a limit to its audience, and the pilot wasn't a strong enough draw to be an outlier in that model, so I'll be curious to see how this series does next week.
Pilot Grade: C

Tuesday Nights:
Rise, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC (Premiered March 13)
About: This latest series from Jason Katims returns to the world of high school, this time looking at the rag tag group trying to make the musical "Spring Awakening" in a town with little appreciation for the arts. It's about the students, the teachers, and some of the townspeople. The production values are meant to remind you of 'Friday Night Lights," but this isn't nearly as well done or inspiring. The biggest problem is Lou (Josh Radnor), the teacher who is supposed to be leading this inspiring revolution. Through two episodes he's kind of a jerk, both to his students, colleagues and his family. And that makes him far from endearing. I also think the show has spent way too much time on Lou's relationship, or lack thereof, with his son in the first two episodes. Maybe it was meant to humanize the man, but it doesn't work. It rings false and detracts from what might be a more interesting part of the story. The students, too, seem under developed. Auli'i Cravalho was incredible as the voice of Moana, but she's given little to do here. This show wants to be a cross between "Glee" and "Friday Night Lights," but it does both formats a disservice. I wanted to like this show and wanted to be inspired, instead I was bored and turned off by the pilot presentation and moreso by the second episode. This feels like something with a lot of potential that's a creative misfire, and surely won't do well to replace "This Is Us" on the schedule.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

For The People, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC (Premiered March 13)
About: This is another new series from Shondaland producer Shonda Rhimes, one of the last ones before her first-look deal with Netflix. It got put in a rough time slot on Tuesdays at 10 p.m., a place where many ABC dramas have come to die in the past few years. And "For The People" seems destined to the same fate. It's centered on young lawyers (prosecutors and public defenders) in the Mother Court in New York. It's really a lot of pretty young people struggling to find a work/life balance. It has a decent cast, and there are the bones of something engaging here. But the first two episodes were perfectly bland, both in the cases presented and in the characters presenting them. This is a show that simply exists, and that's not good enough to make an impression. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't compelling in any way either, which is almost worse.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Wednesday Nights:
Krypton, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on SyFy (Premiered March 21)
About: Despite great potential, the D.C. Cinematic Universe has, for the most part, been a bummer. That's largely due to the dark and depressing way the stories have been told. One of the architects of that cinematic universe, David S. Goyer, has decided to expand that feeling and that world to the small screen with "Krypton." Goyer, who wrote and directed "Suicide Squad" and worked on "Man of Steel" and "Batman vs. Superman," is familiar with the world. And with "Krypton," he's trying to add a new spin. But it suffers from some of the same issues as the cinematic world, as well as some of the issues that turned FOX's series "Gotham" from an exciting idea into an unfulfilling series. "Krypton" takes place on Superman's home world, years before its destruction and he was even born. It centers on his grandfather, Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe), who begins as a young boy seeing his own grandfather banished and his house stripped of rank. Jump forward a few years, and Seg-El is a feisty young man trying to make a name for himself. But his house is still in disrepute. When he gets a visitor from the future, who tells him his grandson will be Earth's greatest hero, that sets him off on a new mission. There's a couple of issues here. First, the characters and plot were confusing and a little big of a bummer. That made it hard to latch on to anything and care. Second, the idea of a series set in the world of Krypton sounds cool, until you break it down. Not only do you have the problem of not having the superhero we know and love, Kal-El/Superman (or even his cousin, Supergirl), it's not really a superhero show at all. Remember, while on Krypton the Kryptonians don't have super powers. They're just people with some advanced technology that look like they're re-enacting scenes from MacBeth. And though you get familiar surnames like El or Zod, they don't come with the characters you expect to see. In fact, we're generations from those conflicts. So this doesn't really have the hook you're expecting. Again, on paper this seems like a great idea, but the actual series is a confused, disappointing bummer.
Pilot Grade: C-

Thursday Nights:
Station 19, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC (Premiered March 22)
About: This latest series is a spin-off from "Grey's Anatomy," focusing on firefighters at Seattle's Station 19. The series was introduced on the mothership, and features Dr. Ben Warren (Jason George) as a doctor turned firefighter on the new series. It also gets the plum spot between "Grey's Anatomy" and "Scandal," as ABC is hoping it sticks and succeeds. The first two episodes aired on Thursday and this series is fine. The real star is Andy Herrera (Jaina Lee Ortiz), who also appeared on "Grey's Anatomy," bonded with Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and seems to fit the mold of a strong female lead. When we pick up the show Andy is caught between an unexpected, and unwanted proposal, from her co-worker, Lt. Jack Gibson (Grey Damon), and her ex-boyfriend from high school, now a cop, Ryan (Alberto Frezza). Though she has no real position of rank, Andy runs the house with her father (Miguel Sandoval), who is the station captain. He falls in the field in the pilot, and falls ill, forcing him to step back. So Andy is suddenly thrust into a competition with Jack for the right to be the new captain. It's all very "Grey's Anatomy," with a mixture of personal drama, work place drama and interesting emergency cases. The first two episodes were breezy, and the cast is likeable enough for this to possibly stick. It's not as dynamic as the original, but there's a chance for it to build a following thanks to its time slot.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Sunday Nights:
Instinct, Sundays at 8 p.m. on CBS (Premiered March 18)
About: I basically summarized the details of this series last week. It's about a professor/author (Alan Cumming) who is partnered with an NYPD detective (Bojana Novakovic) thanks to someone borrowing from his work. But, they're destined to partner up for real. I also mentioned that I liked the set up here and the banter. Cumming really sells it as Dr. Dylan Reinhart, and the fact this won't have the romantic complications of most of these kind of stories was also somewhat appealing. The second episode featured a little more back-and-forth as they set up the idea that these two would partner up (setting aside the fact that it seems wildly implausible that the NYPD would want its officer to permanently partner up with a civilian), but that was to be expected. I liked the story in the second episode, and I still think this works as a nice, light piece of entertainment. The second episode wasn't as good as the pilot, but I still think this series works and fits with the dynamic of CBS.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: C+

Trust, Sundays at 10 p.m. on F/X (Premiered March 25)
About: The abduction of J. Paul Getty III is having a moment. In last 2017, the film "All The Money In The World" featured Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams, and Mark Wahlberg re-enacting the 1973 crime. Now comes "Trust," the new F/X series from producer/director Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire," "Trainspotting") that covers the same ground. This time the cast boasts Donald Sutherland as J. Paul Getty, and co-stars Brendan Fraser and Hilary Swank (who didn't appear in the pilot). The series will cover the same ground, only doing it through a 10-episode season. The first three episodes, including the pilot, were directed by Boyle, which gives this series a hook. The first episode, "The House of Getty," introduced J. Paul Getty and his world, as well as his grandson, J. Paul Getty III (Harris Dickinson), who ends up getting nabbed at the end of the first episode (which runs about 90 minutes). There's plenty of style here, and this episode does a better job than "All The Money In The World" in giving us an idea of who J. Paul Getty was, and his relationship to his family and business. That being said, it wasn't all that compelling. I didn't enjoy the movie that much. I found the story plodding at times, and the characters weren't that compelling. And while "Trust" seems to be a more in-depth and expand the world more, I didn't take to the story. At least in the pilot. I understand that each of the first few episodes focuses on a different character, and that my interest might change with episode two. But for now, I wasn't taken with the pilot.
Pilot Grade: C-

Barry, Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO (Premiered March 25)
About: this new comedy from Bill Hader and Alec Berg finds Hader starring as Barry, an Army vet turned hitman who may have found a new calling as an actor. It happens by accident, as he's sent on a job of kill a would-be actor in Los Angeles and stumbles into an acting class. Barry, surprisingly, finds it to be something that might re-connect him to the world. And in the pilot, he gets into some trouble, but also seems to be interested in committing to giving acting a try. The show has a good cast, including Stephen Root, Henry Winkler and Sarah Goldberg, and I liked the way the pilot introduced the world and felt like something a little different. But what really makes the show go is Hader, who is the star, co-wrote the pilot and directed the action. He invests in this character, and uses it as a perfect vehicle to show his range. And I was drawn into the world of the pilot and curious to see where this goes next.
Pilot Grade: C+

Streaming Series:
Alexa and Katie, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered March 23)
About: Netflix has exploded its original content offerings. It's offering tons of new content each week, from series to films, in almost every genre. In considering that, it makes sense that Netflix would producer as series like "Alexa and Katie." There was a time when these kind of family-friendly sitcoms were plentiful on network TV, too. Think of the TGIF lineup on Fridays on ABC. And Netflix has already re-birthed a part of that with "Fuller House," which reunites many of the original stars of TGIF staple "Full House." "Alexa and Katie," which centers on a pair of incoming high school freshmen and best friends, one of whom is recovering from cancer, would have fit that mold perfectly. The first two episodes I screened were light and easy to follow. The plot points and jokes were easily telegraphed, but it would work just fine for the target audience. And when you're building a massive and varied library of original content, this is the kind of series you'd add. The presence of Tiffany Amber-Thiessen as Alexa's mom also helps to connect older generations of parents to their own teen experiences, which will only help to expand the audience.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Requiem, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered March 23)
About: The second new series to bow last week for Netflix was aimed squarely at a different kind of audience. "Requiem" is a mystery/supernatural drama that comes from England, adding to Netflix's library as the top place to go to find European series in America. It centers on Lydia Wilson as cello Matilda Gray whose world is thrown into chaos when her mother commits suicide in front of her in a very violent manner. Gray soon finds clippings and photos relating to the abduction of a young girl in 1994 among her mother's things, and that leads to an investigation in a small Welsh village. And there, a lot of stuff happens. I watched the first two episodes (there are six total) and it was weird and complex at times. There's a lot happening here, and some of it is interesting but some of it is hard to follow. Ultimately, I wasn't drawn enough into the world and story to continue. But the beauty of the Netflix model is to offering a ton of new content, giving something for everyone. And I'm sure there's a great built-in audience there for this series.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C