Winter TV Roundup, Week 2

We're in the midst of January, and a flood of new shows are upon us. Some say that January now rivals or exceeds September when it comes to new show debuts. While the new wave began on January 2 (just one day into the new year) the first two weeks were a bit slower. That will change this week and beyond. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted shows this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
LA to Vegas, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 2)
About: This new comedy series follows the crew of a weekly flight to Las Vegas, and the passengers that make that flight each weekend. I really liked the pilot and the potential of this world, and the second episode, while sometimes slower, followed up on that. The second episode featured an interesting storyline for Dylan McDermott's Captain Dave, who is still so far my favorite character in the series. Kim Matula did a decent job in the second episode, too, and her character is growing on me a bit. I also enjoyed the storyline in episode two. This show has a good set up and cast, and I think that could give it legs. It will also be interesting to see how the show finds ways to expand its set up (you have to figure not every episode can be in the plane during the flight). For now, this is light and fun, and one of the better new comedies this network TV season.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-

Wednesday Nights:
9-1-1, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 3)
About: FOX wasted little time in getting things going this new year. That included the new comedy listed above and this new Ryan Murphy drama about first responders that joined "The X-Files" on the new Wednesday nights. And it's pretty good. The cast includes Connie Britton as a 9-1-1 operator, Peter Krause as the Captain of a Fire Truck, and Angela Bassett as a Police Officer. And the first two episodes were quite interesting, a mixture of establishing characters and story lines and mixing in some fascinating emergency calls. I really loved the pilot and I thought the second episode was solid, too. The roller coaster rescue to begin the episode was attention-grabbing, but what I loved is the way the episode used that experience to explore the mental toll that this kind of work can take on those who do it. And it did that in a fascinating way. The second episode also ended on a bit of an interesting cliffhanger, which keeps people hooked to the action. So far in 2018 I think FOX is two-for-two in its new series. This feels like one that could have a strong run.
Pilot Grade: B
Second Episode: B-

Sunday Nights:
The Chi, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime (Premiered January 7)
About: This is the latest drama from Showtime, set in Chicago and focusing on the lives of several people connected by tragedy. I thought the pilot was a little difficult to follow at times because it didn't make a clear distinction of who the focal characters would be. Sometimes you thought you were following a main character, only to realize you were in for a bait-and-switch. But I could see what they were going for, and I thought there was some intrigue to the basic premise. Episode two, for me, was a bit of a step backward. The pace of the story slowed quite a bit, and I still have trouble connecting to the cadre of characters and stories. On the one hand, I enjoy that this feels like something a little different that expands the Showtime brand. On the other hand, I wasn't invested enough in the characters and story to keep going. (Though it's likely I'm not exactly the target demographic.) The right pieces are there, so I think this is the story that could round into shape in an interesting way.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C

Streaming Series:
Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams, Now Streaming on Amazon Prime (Premiered January 12)
About: "Black Mirror" is a fascinating and engrossing show that has captured the public's imagination. It began as a little British series for its first two seasons, but when it was acquired by Netflix prior to Season 3, it became a prestige piece for the streaming service. So it only makes sense that others would try to capture that magic. What makes "Black Mirror" special is not just that it's a commentary on technology, but on people and culture, too. In trying to find a competitor in that genre, Amazon Prime has gone back to Philip K. Dick, the master storyteller whose work was always focused on the future and technology, and how that could impact society. "Electric Dreams," which premiered on Friday, is Amazon's answer to "Black Mirror," a 10-episode anthology series based on Dick's short stories. It also boasts an incredible cast. The first two episodes feature Terrence Howard, Anna Paquin and Janelle Monae, with other episodes including names like Bryan Cranston, Steve Buscemi, and Greg Kinnear, among others. And the stories are fascinating, too. The first episode featured a detective (Paquin) connected to a wealthy tech mogul (Howard) via a dream world. But the question is, which world is real? The second one mirrored familiar tropes, with a nuclear war ruining the world and destroying humanity while a factory built using an artificial consciousness tries to re-build a more sustainable model. I thought the production and storytelling was solid, but this doesn't feel at the same scope and scale of "Black Mirror," or at least the first two episodes didn't. Interestingly, the series is airing in England, where many have already aired, and Amazon is choosing to show them in a different order. (It's an anthology series, so order doesn't matter to story continuity.) I wondered if they thought these were the best/most appealing for an American audience. I've only seen the first two, so I don't know if there are more compelling episodes later on. (The first episode shown overseas, "The Hood Maker," is the fifith showed on Amazon.) Either way, for those interested in this genre will find this appealing. I didn't take to it the same way I did "Black Mirror," but I'm intrigued.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: B-