Summer TV Roundup, Week 7

We've hit that strange time of the early summer where there is a semi-lull in new offerings, which is likely only to get worse as we progress due to the issues with halted productions. But there are still a few new offerings, and in these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on USA (Premiered June 2)
About: "Dirty John" has become a true crime anthology series. The first season featured Connie Britton and followed the narrative of the podcast of the same name. This second installment follows the unhappy marriage and dissolution from Betty (Amanda Peet) and Dan Broderick (Christian Slater). The first two episodes aired as a premier block, setting it all up. The first episode showed some of the tension between them as their divorce nears, and the second episode tells you flat out that Betty has murdered Dan, but spends most of the time showing you flashbacks of how they met, early in their marriage, and how she supported him and bore his many children while he built his career and went through school. In fact, I'd say the first two episodes are incredibly sympathetic to Betty, who in real life was convicted of two counts of murder and is now in prison. IT also hasn't, as yet, shown the affair that precipitated the dissolution of their marriage. I thought the performances were solid, and the first two episodes were fine, but I'm not sure if I'm really invested in this story, which is careening toward a tragic ending, especially for the four children left in the wake of this crime.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Sunday Nights:
Quiz, Sundays at 9 p.m. on AMC (Premiered May 31)
About: This three-part limited series is about the original "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," which was created for ITV in Britain, and the cheating scandal that rocked one of its early winners, Charles Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen). Michael Sheen headlines the cast as the show's host, Chris Tarrant, while Sian Clifford stars as Ingram's wife, Diana. The first episode centered on the creation of the show and the fascination with the format that drew in Diana and her brother, Adrian (Trystan Gravelle). The second featured Charles' episode, win, and the suspicion that he was cheating. But through the first two you don't have a great feel for if he did it, or precisely how. Presumably the final part will be the trial. But I am enjoying the experience, as I thought the second episode was more engrossing than the first. And at three episodes, it's a pretty short commitment.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

I May Destroy You, Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO (Premiered June 7)
About: With "Run" having wrapped up, HBO launched a new limited half hour on Sunday. Michaela Cole takes the lead here as a young author who is balancing a lot of balls in the air in her life. With a deadline looming, in the pilot, she goes out for a night with friends. In the morning, she discovers a strange injury and flashes to pieces of scenes from the night before that don't make sense. Most of the episode is about establishing the character and world, but the twist near the end belies that the main point of the plot moving forward will center on the mystery of that night, and its aftermath. Cole is a solid lead, and this has some interesting potential. But for now I need to see more to see where it's going.
Pilot Grade: C