Fall TV Roundup, Week 3

Well it's that time of the week again, where I look at the new scripted shows of fall. And while the networks are waiting until late September to unleash the flood, the streaming services have decided to get a jump. Not only have they offered a host of new options, but a number of returning series have dropped the past few weeks. But this is about the new, and each week I review the pilot and second episode of each new scripted series this fall. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
Mayans MC, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on F/X (Premiered September 4)
About: This spin-off of "Sons of Anarchy" focuses on a new motorcycle gang in Southern California that is in business with a drug cartel running product from Mexico. I mentioned that there were a few aspects of the pilot I enjoyed, but it felt like a lot of story threads were being put into place in the pilot. The hole got a little bigger in the second episode, as the show also tried to flesh out the cartel leader, played by Danny Pino, and his wife, played by Sarah Bolger. I'm not sure it totally worked or that I'm totally bought in. And I have trouble seeing how they'll twist out of some of these narrative pretzels already in place. That being said, I wasn't a fan or viewer of "Sons of Anarchy," so I can't speak to how this compares. I will say that there has not been enough character work here for me, and there's been quite a bit of unsettling violence. If that's your thing, this will work for you. And I do appreciate some of the little atmospheric additions and the craft of the show. But I will also say it feels a little long. The pilot was 97 minutes with commercials, and the second episode was 77 minutes with commercials. That's a lot of creep for an hour-long show. That being said, if this is you're kind of show you'll likely be pleased with what's been done here. For me, there wasn't enough of a hook to want to move past some of the graphic violence to continue.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

The Purge, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on USA (Premiered September 4)
About: This series for USA is based in the world of the films, and comes from the film writer James DeMonaco. I thought in a long-form series that it would be a means of exploring this idea in a fresh and more nuanced way. This show isn't. I thought the first episode was dull with two-dimensional characters, and the second episode did little to alter my thinking (or really advance the overall plot). It feels like it's stuck in the mud, as befitting a sequel film idea stretched out over a 10-episode TV season. And it's violent, but without any of the redeeming story and production structures of something like "Mayans MC." This is a big, broad swing for USA, but one that feels like a big miss.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: D

Wednesday Nights:
American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on F/X (Premiered September 12)
About: This is an anthology series, so it's not a new show, per se, but each season is a completely new story, making it a new show of sorts. So I usually review each season. "American Horror Story" was one of the first, and arguably the most successful of this wave of anthology shows. I haven't always loved every cycle. Some I've watched all the way through, but some I've only sampled the first couple episodes. I feel like, based on the pilot, this cycle will be the latter. At some point it's supposed to bring back characters and story from Season One, "Murder House," and Season Three, "Coven," so I'll be curious to see how that happens. But the pilot introduced some of the characters and the world, which features an apocalyptic theme beginning with a nuclear attack that leaves just a handful of folks in pre-determined shelters around the country. The focus shifts to one of those shelters which is... weird. To say the least. Many of the familiar anthology faces are here, including Sarah Paulson, Kathy Bates, and Evan Peters, and many more will likely be coming in the next few weeks. The pilot wasn't that appealing to me, as it was a little too weird. But I'll be curious to see where episode two is headed.
Pilot Grade: C

Sunday Nights:
Kidding, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime (Premiered September 9)
About: It's been a couple weeks since I saw the pilot, since Showtime made it available early, but I jumped back in for episode two and had little trouble remembering all the threads here. I will say the second episode nipped some of my concerns by dropping them completely. Others progressed in ways I still don't care about. I like Catherine Keener, but this story of her marriage imploding feels like a bit of an outlier to the sphere going on with Jim Carrey's central character, and so it's hard to invest fully. But it feels like the show hasn't fully invested there, either. I really like Carrey, who can transition from comedy to drama so seamlessly that it's a gift, and I like some of what he's doing here. The basic idea feels like a Mr. Rogers-type host who is going through personal crisis and seeking a way to express that in a world where no one wants to see him cry. There's a beautiful tension there, but in the 30-minute format there's too much else going on here. The strained relationship with his wife (Judy Greer) and remaining son isn't quite working, nor is some of what he's doing to express himself. While I thought there was part of the pilot that appealed, and part of it that wasn't working for me, the second episode seemed to lean in more on the aspects that didn't work for me. And, thus, I don't see myself connecting with this sad 30 minute experience every week in a crowded TV landscape.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

You, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Lifetime (Premiered September 9)
About: The latest from Lifetime is an odd choice. Based on the novel from Caroline Kepnes, the hero character, Joe (Penn Badgley) is essentially a creepy stalker. And you spend most of every hour in his head. There was an interesting "Dexter" kind of vibe in the pilot that I thought could be promising. I also wondered how this concept, which is pretty creepy, could work as a season-long series. Episode two seemed to lean into those fears for me. There just isn't enough to this format to really make me want to watch something like this every week. The second episode seemed to go back-and-forth about whether Joe is a good guy or not. Spoiler alert, in no way can this character be a good guy. If the show did go down the "Dexter" route and just lean into his issues and darkness, it could morph into something more compelling. And Badgley does a great job in the role, and really seems to flourish in the darker elements of the story. And his internal narration voice over is often somewhat amusing. But it feels like the second episode was a lot of wheel spinning, and the show hasn't really developed any other characters, which is a problem. It's a possibly clever idea, and having never read the book maybe they are a bit handcuffed by the lack of bite the character has in the novel, but for me this just isn't good enough to keep you coming back week-after-week.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C-

Streaming Series:
The First, Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered September 14)
About: This new series from Beau Willimon, who gave us "House of Cards." Here he brings another prestige series to another streaming service (this time Hulu instead of Netflix). And he's brought in another A-List star, this time Sean Penn taking the lead. And seeing the Oscar winner in a TV series is a bit surreal, but he's a talented guy who, like others, are realizing that the creativity and breadth of storytelling on TV is opening up avenues that aren't really there in film right now. And this series is an interesting example, focusing on the space program in the year 2030 as they try to launch a manned mission to Mars in the hopes of finding a future for humans as earth continues to struggle with global warming and its additional adverse effects. In the pilot, the program suffers a setback and Penn's Tom Hagerty is called back in to help. He's a former mission commander who lost his wife and whose daughter is struggling with addiction. He has a lot going on, and he's weighed down by sadness. Penn plays that beautifully in the first two episodes I watched. On the other side is Natascha McElhone who is a wealthy, driven leader of this space program, and has an uneasy relationship with Penn's character. The first two episodes spend a lot of time establishing the characters, the world and the tension, in addition to laying out the plot. I actually enjoyed them quite a bit, and am curious to see how the rest of the eight-episode first season plays out. This might be a winner for Hulu.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-

Forever, Now Streaming on Amazon Prime (Premiered September 14)
About: This latest show from Amazon, a comedy starring Maya Rudolph and Fred Armisen, is not one you can say much about. The stars play a married couple, and that is a large part of the exploration. At times it's funny, but perhaps not as funny as you're expecting. At times it's quite beautiful, but likely not what you're expecting. I didn't always love it, but I was drawn to it. In fact, I finished all eight episodes. And I enjoyed the experience, though I won't spoil it by giving too much away here. I will say, if you stick with it, I think the sixth episode is one of the most beautiful I've seen in 2018, and one of the most fascinating. Amazon has taken on some interesting shows in the past few years, and I give them credit for saying yes to this one. It isn't for everyone, but if you stick it out I think it gives you plenty to think about.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C+