Winter TV Roundup, Week 4

We're nearing the end of January and the new shows are picking up. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Monday Nights:
9-1-1: Lone Star, Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 19)
About: This new spin-off of the popular "9-1-1," got under way following the NFC Championship Game on Sunday. I saw the first episode that night but haven't caught up with the second episode, which aired on Monday because I'm at Disneyland. So I'll get that in next week. I was really looking forward to this show as I love "9-1-1," and I thought Rob Lowe would be a good anchor. I like Liv Tyler as well. What I'll say is the pilot, which I've seen twice (once following the game and once with my wife here at Disney) was not as good as hoped. I think they simply tried to introduce too many characters and stories, and crammed too much plot into the pilot. Hopefully subsequent episodes will be better. The original dropped into an established group and has filled in the backstories over time. This one tried to do all that, or most of that, in the pilot. As a result some of it really didn't make sense. A character attempts suicide and the concern of that lasts all of 30 seconds because the episode has to keep rolling. They owe it to the characters to let this breathe more. I also worry this spin-off feels a little more politically driven, but we'll see.
Pilot Grade: C

Tuesday Nights:
FBI: Most Wanted, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS (Premiered January 7)
About: This is a spin-off of the popular "FBI" on CBS, and comes from uber-producer Dick Wolf. I wanted to like this, as I enjoy the original, but I didn't. It's too plodding and the format just isn't that appealing. None of the characters comes off with much depth and the first two episodes have been a bit of a snooze. This one's a pass from me.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

Wednesday Nights:
68 Whiskey, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on Paramount Network (Premiered January 15)
About: This new drama wants to be a modern day "M.A.S.H." set in a hospital camp in Afghanistan. But the first episode was slow and featured a lot more sexual content than I'd expected. It also didn't really draw me into the story or characters. I have enjoyed "Yellowstone," the big original content anchor for Paramount. But the network has struggled to follow on to that success. Based on the pilot, "68 Whiskey" won't get them there, despite a strong pedigree. It needs to improve a lot for me to get past episode two.
Pilot Grade: C-

Thursday Nights:
Everything's Gonna Be OK, Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on Freeform (Premiered January 16)
About: This latest comedy centers on a self-centered Australian man who is thrust into a new role as guardian to his two teen half-sisters in America after their father dies of cancer. That's quite a set up, and the pilot for this series spends an hour trying to nail that set up. Josh Thomas created the series and stars in the lead role, and he's fine but wasn't really my cup of tea. Neither is most of the plot of this show, which will have half hour episodes as the second installment was. I got 90 minutes all together as this show got under way, and that was more than enough for me. This didn't hit the comedic notes I was looking for, and I wasn't taken with the story.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

Friday Nights:
Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, Fridays at 8 p.m. on NBC (Premiered January 10)
About: This crime drama is based on the novel and follows the same set up as the 1999 film that featured Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington. The pilot was pretty solid and gripping, and I like what they're doing with the story. The second episode built on to that world, but also settled in with the characters and the case-of-the-week format. It wasn't quite as compelling, but it works to build a series template. I think this was one of the better new shows I've seen so far this winter, and has potential as it moves forward.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: C+

Sunday Nights:
Avenue 5, Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO (Premiered January 19)
About: This latest HBO comedy comes from Armando Iannucci, creator of "VEEP," and is set aboard a space cruise. I had high hopes that this would hit because of Iannucci's previous work, and a cast that includes Hugh Laurie, Zach Woods and Josh Gad. But the pilot is a little weird, and sadly dull. The dialogue and interactions between the characters lacked pop, too. Hopefully that picks up a bit, but time will tell. So far, the first episode was a bit of a let down.
Pilot Grade: C

Streaming Series:
Little America, Now Streaming on Apple TV+ (Premiered January 17)
About: This latest anthology series from Apple TV+ is all available now. It's eight episodes, about a half hour each, telling a different story that captures a part of the immigrant experience in America. It comes from Lee Eisenberg, Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. I thought it moved at a good pace and featured some interesting stories. I watched the first two episodes, and each had some fascinating performances and stories to tell. This feels like one of the better offerings for Apple TV+, and something a bit different.
Pilot Grade: B
Second Episode: B

Endlings, Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered January 17)
About: This sci-fi series comes from Canada and is available on Hulu. The episodes are a brisk 22 minutes or so, but you can skip even that experience. The first two episodes were poorly written and acted, and rely on special effects so poor as to feel laughable. This was a big miss for me.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D

Diary of a Future President, Now Streaming on Disney+ (Premiered January 17)
About: Disney+ launched in November, and they've been really slow to roll out the original content. This one is one of the few new shows to debut since the original launch. It features Gina Rodriguez as President of the United States who looks back on her journey to get there, starting in middle school. So, yeah, it's mostly a kids show. Only one episode was made available at premier, with future episodes coming on Fridays. It was a brisk 22 minutes, and it was mildly entertaining. But it isn't probably the kind of content that keeps people on a platform, or what audiences were hoping for in a post "Mandalorian" world.
Pilot Grade: C