Fall TV Roundup, Week 6

 

We’re making our way through October and owing to it being Friday the 13th last week, we got several new series with a spooky bent. But what of these series is worth your time to check out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Fall. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Tuesdays:
Found, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC (Premiered October 3)
About: This new series focuses on a firm that searches for missing persons. It’s led by Gabi (Shanola Hampton), who was herself once a kidnapping victim. That’s what makes her firm different, as the people that work there ply their skills to save people for whom they know what their suffering is. That’s one piece of the puzzle, the case-of-the-week format. The other piece is the background of Gabi with her abductor, Sir (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), who we see as her captor in flashbacks and as her captive in the present. She’s holding him, using him to help her find other missing. It’s a big swing and, as I mentioned last week, your interest in the series will likely hinge on how you feel about this twist. We got more of it in Week 2 and it’s clear that it will become a bigger part of the story. I’m not sure how I feel about it. The case-of-the-week portion is fine, and the larger narrative feels more than a little unsettling. This series was held in the Spring, likely due to the story, and it’s now being released because of the unsettled Fall due to the strikes. I’m not sold.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Wednesdays:
Sullivan’s Crossing, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW (Premiered October 4)
About: An imported series from Canada, follows Maggie Sullivan (Morgan Kohan), a brilliant and talented doctor who has fallen on hard times. Her partner stole money and destroyed Maggie’s reputation. Now, she’s being sued for malpractice. She heads to Nova Scotia to lay low with her estranged father (Scott Patterson). But can it be a chance for her to start over and mend fences? That’s the heart of the series, but it’s being slow played. The series feels perfect for The CW thanks to the presence of Patterson and Chad-Michael Murray. There is some potential, but the series hasn’t done enough to build up its characters, especially Maggie. We don’t know enough about her to root for her and that’s part of the struggle here. It can grow but it’s not off to a sparkling start.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

The Spencer Sisters, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered October 4)
About: The other Canadian drama that is on Wednesday nights on The CW is a mother-daughter private detective drama. Darby (Stacy Farber) is a talented investigator that gets fed up and quits her job, just about the time she discovers her boyfriend is having an affair. She heads to her mother’s (Lea Thompson) house to regroup. Instead, she finds a new connection with her mother as they take on cases. By the end of the second episode, a business is born. It’s hailed The Spencer Sisters, owing to the fact Darby and her mother are often taken for sisters. Can it be a fresh start for them both? The pilot was fun, and the second episode kept that vibe going. It reminds me of some of the blue-sky series we got from USA a decade ago. It’s built on a case-of-the-week model, but Farber and Thompson are good together. It has the charm and hook that’s missing from its lead-in series.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Thursdays:
Frasier, Streaming Thursdays on Paramount+ (Premiered October 12)
About: For years, Kelsey Grammar played Dr. Frasier Crane successfully on popular sitcoms including Cheers and Frasier. Now, he’s back in the role with a new series, also called Frasier, that picks up with his titular character in a new phase of life. He’s the only regular character back, as Frasier returns to Boston to reconnect with his son, Freddy (Jack Cutmore-Scott). He is back teaching at Harvard and his nephew, David (Anders Keith), is also part of the series. The first two episodes of a planned 10-episode season dropped Thursday, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly. Episodes are about 30 minutes and feel very much like a traditional comedy. We’re in an era of nostalgia. Some of the projects have been good. Some have missed the mark. This falls in the latter category. The performances and story were stiff in the first two episodes. And laughs were hard to come by. Paramount+ is likely hoping that this will bring a new set of viewers but it’s hard to imagine this is the kind of series that will provide a significant hook.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

Fridays:
Lessons in Chemistry, Streaming Friday on Apple TV+ (Premiered October 13)
About: Based on the book by Bonnie Garmus, this new series features Brie Larson as Elizabeth Zott, a talented scientist who is a few decades too early to be taken seriously. Still, she fights to achieve her research and ends up as a successful host of a cooking show. We see her on the show in the pilot and then move back in time to see how she got there. The first two episodes focus on her relationship with a fellow scientist, Calvin Evans (Lewis Pullman), with the second episode ending with a twist. I enjoy Larson in the role, and I loved the way the first two episodes were put together. The series is eight episodes, with each episode about an hour. The book is popular and there is a solid story here. Apple has been a great source of well-curated content, and this feels like another great addition to the library.
Pilot Grade: A-
Second Episode: A-

Goosebumps, Streaming Fridays on Hulu and Disney+ (Premiered October 13)
About: Based on R.L. Stine’s novels, this new series launched in time for Friday the 13th. It’s a fitting launch for a spooky series. In it, a group of high school students unleash some supernatural forces that trace back to a tragic murder from decades earlier involving their parents. The first five episodes dropped Friday, with subsequent episodes dropping each of the next five Fridays. The first two episodes, the longest of the five released, are something of a slow build. But the second episode, in particular, ends with a cliffhanger that will have you wanted to move forward. There is a reason these books have endured for years and been adapted into series and films a number of times. This was ideally timed to release in the spooky season and feels compelling enough to keep you hooked.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C+

Streaming Series:
The Fall of the House of Usher, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered October 12)
About: It wouldn’t be the spooky season without a production from Mike Flanagan. This year’s offering is an adaptation of the tale from Edgar Allen Poe. It centers on siblings Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (Mary McDonnell) who have built a powerful family empire. With the help of their legal council Arthur Pym (Mark Hamill), they’ve created a legacy for the next generation, that includes Roderick’s six children. But as we pick up, tragedy has claimed his children under peculiar circumstances and Roderick is offering his confession to Auguste (Carl Lumbly), who has worked for years to bring the family to justice. Through the episode, Roderick tells his tale of woe. The series is eight episodes, each about an hour, all streaming now on Netflix. Flanagan is the showrunner, having created the series, worked on the scripts and directed four of the episodes. His partnership with Netflix has borne fruit for years, with many of his series becoming fan favorites. The pieces are in place here, as is the great cast. The first episode is a perfect, moody introduction while the second episode advances the story and begins the fall of the Usher family. This is a great addition to the spooky season with plenty of promise, especially for those who are fans of Flanagan’s work.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B

John Carpenter’s Suburban Screams, Now Streaming on Peacock (Premiered October 13)
About: John Carpenter is a great storyteller who has crafted some classics that are oft on repeat this time of year. It makes sense that he would be called upon to provide a new spooky anthology for Peacock. However, it takes more than a premise to make a good story. This new series is part scripted and part non-fiction, as people tell their sad stories of suburban crime in each episode. The series is six episodes, each about an hour. The production is grim and dull. The episodes drag, owing to the style and the weird production. And the second episode, in particular, is more of an unsettling crime story in the style of Unsolved Mysteries than a horror story the audience would likely be expecting. This didn’t work for me and can be safely skipped.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: D