Fall TV Roundup, Week 3

 

We're at what would traditionally be the Fall premier week, but this will be a set of Fall premiers like no other. We are getting some premiers, and some anticipated cable and streaming shows continue to premier, but this will be a different kind of Fall TV season. In these weekly posts, I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Fall. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Monday Nights:
L.A.'s Finest, Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX (Premiered September 21)
About: The new FOX Monday night includes a scripted show held from last season and "L.A.'s Finest," a scripted series set in the world of "Bad Boys" that was developed, and originally aired on, Spectrum Cable. Now it's getting a wide release. It focuses on a pair of LA cops, one is Gabrielle Union's Sydney Burnett, who is the sister to Martin Lawrence's character from the films and appeared in "Bad Boys II." The second is her partner, and family woman, Nancy McKenna (Jessica Alba). It's a strong cast, and should be a decent premise. I love the movies, which have proven durable for more than 20 years. The pilot includes a few references and familiar faces from the movies, too, but it wants to be its own thing. I like the lead performers and the potential here, but I will say the pilot was a little underwhelming. Hopefully it gets a bit better. And since there aren't a ton of options this Fall, I'm willing to give it a little time.
Pilot Grade: C

The Third Day, Mondays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered September 14)
About: This series, which originally aired in England, premiered last Monday and has had two episodes. It boasts a solid cast, split into a couple sections. The first section features Jude Law as a man who saves a young girl and ends up trapped on her strange island in her strange, religious village. They are preparing for a festival, and strange things begin occurring. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's a common set up for a certain kind of creepy horror film like "The Wicker Man" and "Midsommar." This one isn't quite as creepy or quite as engaging, despite a good cast. Among the others in the cast are Emily Watson and Katherine Waterston, and all do a nice job, but this just didn't pop for me. It's well crafted and well created, but ultimately not a journey I feel compelled to keep taking.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

We Are Who We Are, Mondays at 10 p.m. on HBO (Premiered September 14)
About: This latest drama comes from Luca Guadagnino, who worked on creating the series and directs all eight episodes. It focuses on two teens (Jack Dylan Grazer and Jordan Kristine Seamón) living on a U.S. military base in Italy. Their parents (Chloe Sevigny and Kid Cudi) are officers at the base, and everyone here including their spouses and other kids (Alice Braga, Faith Alabi and Spencer Moore II) all have their own issues. The first two episodes play almost as a single narrative, the first following Grazer as he adjusts to the new world and the second following Seamón and her daily grind, which features some scenes from the pilot played from a different perspective. The look here is solid but I wasn't taken with any of the characters or narrative, which at times seemed a little bit weird. This is a high profile grab for HBO, but I think there's a reason it got dumped to Monday nights.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D

Streaming Series:
Ratched, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered September 18)
About: This one is co-created by Ryan Murphy, one of the creative forces behind "American Horror Story," and serves as a prequel and backstory for the infamous Nurse Ratched from "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest." This is stylish and beautiful. The visuals are never a problem or an issue in a Murphy production. The major issue here is the story. This series opens with a particularly grim and violent sequence before moving on to Ratched (Sarah Paulson), who works her way into a job at a mental hospital. There, she does plenty of violent and manipulative things to help solidify her position, all leading to a big twist at the end of the pilot. That twist is obviously the jumping off point for the narrative in the first season. There are strong performances, including from Paulson, Judy Davis and Jon Jon Briones, among others. And the style here is beautiful. The tension, meanwhile, feels something similar to what you get with "American Horror Story." That being said, I wasn't sold on the narrative, despite the look of the series and strength of the performances. It's a big swing for Netflix, and another original series from Murphy on the streaming site that doesn't quite land for me.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C