Fall TV Roundup, Week 13

December is right around the corner (it literally begins on Saturday), which means new shows this Fall are slowing to a trickle. In fact, most are wrapping up. But, still, some persist. In fact, one debuted on Sunday. So I persist. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Fall. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Sunday Nights:
Escape at Dannemora, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime (Premiered November 18)
About: This docudrama premiered last week, and still boasts a solid cast. Patricia Arquette is likely to be an award nominee, and she's been quite good in a different kind of role. Paul Dano and Benicio del Toro are good, too. And there's all the elements of something that should be compelling here, including Ben Stiller directing each installment. But, there's something about it that just doesn't quite work for me. I can't get into the story and I'm not drawn to the characters despite the craft here. Showtime likely thought this would be a bit of prestige entertainment, and they have done a job here that runs contrary to what I typically see on the network. That being said, I saw two episodes and have no desire to continue in the world. This is a high profile miss for me, albeit one where I appreciate the craft and effort.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Dirty John, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Bravo (Premiered November 25)
About: This is the latest new drama to debut, and it's another shot for Bravo to grab some audience share. This time they do it with a series led by Connie Britton and Eric Bana, and based on the popular podcast of the same name. This is a true crime podcast and docuseries, and the pilot spends a lot of time laying out the characters and central conflict. I like Britton and Bana, and both are fine actors, but I wasn't totally drawn to these characters, and I didn't feel the whirlwind romance. That's kind of a key early on to sell what comes later, or so it would seem to me. (As a note, I have not listened to the Podcast but did take a cursory glance at a synopsis of what was uncovered.) I think this is a noble swing for Bravo, and one that presents a different kind of programming and might appeal to a different audience. That being said, I was on the fence after the first hour.
Pilot Grade: C

Streaming Series:
Origin, Now Streaming on YouTube Red (Premiered November 14)
About: I'm a little late on this one, but I finally caught up with the first two episodes of the latest YouTube original. It comes from Paul W.S. Anderson, and given that you'd expect something that takes a big swing at horror. This is about a group of people who come out of a deep sleep aboard a nearly abandoned space station where things went horribly wrong. That's a good set up for a sci-fi horror series, and this hits all the notes you'd expect. The first two episodes also begin deep dives into the pre-ship lives of those who've awoken to provide some context, and they run about 45 minutes. YouTube has tried some big swings to get more subscribers for its paid service (like most, only the first two episodes of "Origin" are available free online). That's laudable, and it's what you have to do during the peak content era. However, as I've noted before, there was nothing in the first couple of this series that would move the needle for me in terms of subscribing to another paid content stream. It was fine, and I liked some of the casting like Tom Felton and Natalie Tena, but it was hardly compelling. Those that love this kind of story may feel differently, but there wasn't even enough of a horror follow through in the early installments to pull me in.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C