Summer TV Roundup, Week Four

In these weekly posts I offer my thoughts on new TV shows this summer. I review the pilot and second episode of each new show. If you don't see a new show below, check prior weeks. The heat is on, and the networks are dumping a lot of new shows out there.

Tuesday Nights:
Riot, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX
About: This is a sketch comedy show. It features a pair of celebrity guests each week and four regular cast members. The first episode feature Steve Carell, while episode two featured Cheryl Hines and Jason Alexander. The games are breezy and light, and the laughs come regularly. Everyone on the show seems to be having a good time, and that's key. This is a show that will vary from week to week based on the guests and the chemistry between the groups. I didn't like the second episode as much as the pilot, but it has a lot of potential, as a summer show, to be a bit of fun. It's also got a family-friendly vibe, which isn't always the case in new summer shows. And, compared to the show it's paired with, "Riot" feels like the kind of thing you want to be watching during Summer.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: C+

I Want To Marry Harry, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX
About: FOX has a long history of reality shows that play a joke on the contestants, and this is a return to those roots. In this show, 12 American women travel to England for a dating show. The producers found a Prince Harry look-a-like, and the ladies compete to be his favorite. The first two ladies voted off claim they weren't really fooled, but watching the show makes you think they did, to some degree, believe he was Prince Harry. While the look-a-lik doesn't come right out and say he's Prince Harry, he answers questions in a way that would lead you to believe that. This show bothers me for a couple of reasons. First, it sort of celebrates the worst of these kind of shows. These ladies don't seem that savvy, and their behavior among each other is sort of depressing. But the show seems to be reveling in that, and showcasing that, which is all the more depressing. Second, I thought this show would be a straight up joke on the contestants. I thought the main guy would be an actor playing a part and it would be revealed for what it is at the end. Instead, from what I could tell through two episodes, he seems to be playing the part of Harry while actually looking for a girl to fall in love with and marry. That, to me, makes this even worse and more misguided. He's looking for love, by building an elaborate lie on TV for a national audience. There is something ugly about the idea behind this show, and I sense the audience sees that as well judging by the paltry ratings.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

The Wil Wheaton Project, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on SyFy
About: Wil Wheaton is a nerd. That's not a dig, he said as much to start his show. He played Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," and he's been interested in sci-fi and fantasy projects ever since. On his new weekly series, he covers the big news on TV, in movies, and other mediums relating to sci-fi and fantasy projects. He brings a unique style of humor and a unique point of view. In a crowded TV season, I don't know if this is a must watch. But there was some humor, and some good moments in the pilot episode, and for summer I could see this being entertaining. It feels like a bit of a work in progress, though.
Pilot Grade: C+

The Night Shift, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC
About: This is NBC's latest medical drama. It's about doctors working the night shift in a trauma unit/emergency room in San Antonio, Texas. The pilot was fast-paced, featured plenty of interesting cases, and did a good job of building up the world and characters. This show feels less ground-breaking than "ER," less cantankerous than "House," and less soapy than "Grey's Anatomy." It has it's own tone and style, which is a neat trick to pull off for a medical show. The location setting in San Antonio feels different, and feels like the kind of setting that can lend itself to interesting story possibilities. The show has a good cast, some good characters, and was fun to watch. That is key for a summer show. In fact, watching the pilot I couldn't help but think this might be better than many of the shows NBC debuted in the fall, winter, and spring. This one has a lot of potential.
Pilot Grade: B+

Thursday Nights:
Undateable, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on NBC
About: This could be re-titled "Unwatchable," because that about sums it up. Many critics were puzzled by this show when NBC announced it as part of it's new shows during the Upfronts in May 2013. Obviously NBC had second thoughts as well, because the show was held until Summer and is running two episodes a week as what appears to be a burn off. There is talent involved in the production, and the cast contains a number of stand up comics, but it just doesn't work as a show. The premise is weak, the jokes are weak, and the execution is the weakest part of it all. It was hard to sit through these episodes, and I don't think I laughed once. NBC has more comedies to sacrifice — or debuted — in this slot in a few weeks, so I think "Undateable" will be a blip on the radar that NBC would prefer very few people ever see or remember.
Pilot Grade: D-
Second Episode: D

Gang Related, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX
About: This is another show that was announced during the May 2013 Upfronts that is only now being aired. There is some potential here. The show focuses on a cop in the Los Angeles Police Department's gang unit who is torn between his brothers in blue and his shadow mission, working as an inside man for a local cartel. The boss of the cartel, and the boss's son, have always felt like family, so he feels a debt of loyalty to them. There are elements of the show that are interesting, and it has a good cast. But I felt like the second episode was sort of a set backward. I was interested in what appeared to be the killing of a major character at the end of the pilot, and how that would impact the story going forward. That character didn't die, but some of the interesting story possibilities did die. The second episode felt a little blah, and I wonder how this is going to work throughout one season, let alone multiple seasons.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C-

Last Comic Standing, Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC
About: As I said last week, this isn't totally a new show. But it's been a few years since it was on the air, and NBC has re-tooled the show, added a new host, and brought in new judges, so it feels like a new experience. This has always been my favorite of these kind of competition shows because I prefer stand up comedy to singing. That being said, this kind of show lives and dies by its contestants. I feel like the way the first few episodes have been put together you don't get a real feel for the talent and depth of the field, so you can't tell how good it will be when the main competition begins. That being said, this is a fun competition show for summer, and it will be interesting to see how the TBS version — which begins in a couple weeks — will compare.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Friday Nights:
Crossbones, Fridays at 10 p.m. on NBC
About: NBC has tried to create a genre night on Fridays. Sometimes that's worked well. I like "Grimm" and "Hannibal" quite a bit. Sometimes it hasn't worked out. I didn't think the "Dracula" re-do worked, at all. So what to make of "Crossbones," a pirate tale about Blackbeard coming from the man who created the gritty drama "Luther" for the BBC. After an episode, I'm still not sure what to make of it. There are some good performers here, and there is the bones of a show that could be fascinating, but I didn't really take to the pilot. I'm not sure if this will work as a series. John Malkovich is a great actor, but I wasn't sure what he was doing in this part. The whole episode felt a bit like an odd exploration of the world. That might be the reason that NBC waited until summer to unleash this show on the world.
Pilot Grade: C

Saturday Nights:
Sing Your Face Off, Saturdays at 9 p.m. on ABC
About: This is a reality show and a singing competition with a twist. Five celebrities — Jon Lovitz, Sebastian Bach, Lisa Rinna, China Anne McClain, and NBA star Landry Fields — compete each week for a panel of judges and each other. The twist is each week they get assigned an artist, and they have to become those artists. They get a make over and have to perform as those singers. This is a fun twist, and makes for an exciting show. The first two episodes, which aired back-to-back on Saturday night, were very entertaining. It is incredible to see how some of these stars are able to transform themselves and channel these musicians in their performances. In a sea of reality shows that are hit or miss, this feel like a hit.
Pilot Grade: B+
Second Episode: B+

Sunday Nights:
Halt and Catch Fire, Sundays at 10 p.m. on AMC
About: AMC established itself as an innovative force in original programming with "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men." But much like other cable networks that caught fire and burned brightly, the flame has begun to flicker. "Breaking Bad" is gone. "Mad Men" is ending. "The Walking Dead" is a ratings power, but an outlier. Other new shows on the network have flatlined. But things have looked up, a bit, this spring. "TURN," a tale about spies during the Revolutionary War, has been entertaining. And their latest show, "Halt and Catch Fire," is promising. The show is set in the 1980s in the world of personal computers. The protagonists are trying to break new ground and out do IBM. No, this isn't the story of the rise of Apple. It's a company you probably haven't heard about, which makes it sort of fascinating. It's got a good period feel and the acting was good in the pilot episode. The story — which feels a bit like something different — was engrossing as well. This is one of the better new pilots on AMC in recent years, and it could find an audience here during the summer season.
Pilot Grade: B-