Summer TV Roundup, Week 12

We're nearing the end of July and we'll see the flood of new shows pull back a bit. August is a slower month, and then we have a void until the Fall Season kicks off in late September. But for those new shows that do exist, I'm here taking a look. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted shows (and occasional unscripted shows) this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
Pandora, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered July 16)
About: This new sci-fi show is set in the year 2199 and has a plot both too complex and too disappointing to really get into describing. Suffice to say I watched the pilot, which was a mess, and I wasn't totally sure what the point is or what they're trying to accomplish. The acting, such as it was, didn't impress and neither did the story. This felt like kind of a mess, and one that's not likely to hook and retain an audience on The CW during the midst of summer.
Pilot Grade: D

The Disappearance, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on WGN America (Premiered July 9)
About: This new original drama previously was produced and aired in Canada in 2017, and now it finds a home in the United States this summer on WGN. WGN has done well to bring in foreign co-productions to round out their original offerings. This one focuses on a family torn apart when their son goes missing. The pilot introduces the characters and world, and ends with the child going missing. The second episode jumps ahead two years to the ongoing search and the grief that continues to plague the family. I thought the time jump was a bit much. I liked the pilot and the potential of the original set up, but the second episode kind of went somewhere I didn't expect. The acting is good, and Peter Coyote and Aden Young are good anchors for the series, but I just wasn't taken with the plot.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: C-

Bring the Funny, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC (Premiered July 9)
About: I like comedy competitions. I like the idea of this kind of reality show in the summer. NBC previously had "Last Comic Standing" for a number of years, and it was always kind of fun. So I was willing to give "Bring the Funny," which expands the format to all kinds of comedy, something of a shot. However, the first episode featured acts that felt uneven. The second episode had acts that were even less strong. So while I like the idea and potential, I just can't get into the product being offered here. Even in summer it feels like this could be better.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

Wednesday Nights:
Pearson, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on USA (Premiered July 17)
About: Gina Torres' Jessica Pearson was always a fun and fierce character on "Suits." In her own new spin-off the action moves to Chicago, and she moves from practicing law to being a fixer of sorts for the Mayor. There's some potential in the format, and Torres remains a strong lead performer, but I wasn't sold on the story in the pilot. And I'm not sure if I'm going to be invested in the series as a whole. "Suits" wasn't just about one character, it was about the ensemble and the world. And while Jessica Pearson remains a strong piece of the puzzle, the rest of the pieces around her didn't come together quite as well in the pilot. Sometimes it takes some time for a show to find its way, and that could be the case here, but we'll have to see how it all comes together. For now, this is just OK.
Pilot Grade: C