Fall TV Roundup, Week 7

We're in the middle of October, and the fire hose seems to be opening wider as it pertains new shows. The CW premiered last week, and we got a few new cable offerings, too. And now we're going to get the ABC Tuesday lineup tomorrow, which includes three new shows, but that's a question for next week. Below is a look at the new shows we already have. I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Fall. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Wednesday Nights:
All American, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered October 10)
About: This Fall The CW only rolled out two new shows, but one of them — "All American" — was one of the most anticipated shows of the Fall. For me and for others. And we finally got a look at the show, based on a true story, about a young man and athlete at Crenshaw High School and is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High School. Daniel Ezra leads the cast as Spencer James, and Taye Diggs stars as the coach who recruits Spencer to give him a better life and a better team. The first episode was a little slow, which was disappointing. At times it tried to be too hard to be "The O.C.," and failed, and it also introduced a lot of different storylines that could come back later. I had hoped for a little "Friday Night Lights" here, but what I got was less compelling. There is still time to develop, but this was one of the most underwhelming pilots for me.
Pilot Grade: C

Friday Nights:
Pod Save America, Fridays at 11 p.m. on HBO (Premiered October 12)
About: The popular political podcast "Pod Save America," hosted by a quartet of Obama era staffers, is coming to HBO for four live shows leading up to the mid-term elections. The first episode, in Florida and tackling key issues and races from that battleground state, took place Friday. And it was interesting, funny at times and compelling at times. All the things you'd expect from this kind of presentation. If you like the podcast, or generally enjoy political themed presentations with personality, you'll likely enjoy this four-week ride. And it's worth wondering if this could come back for HBO in the future.
Pilot Grade: C+

Sunday Nights:
Charmed, Sundays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered October 14)
About: Back in 1998, the WB launched "Charmed," a soap about three sisters who turned out to be witches. It was a popular enough series that lasted eight seasons. Now 20 years later, the CW (successor to The WB) is bringing it back, this time with an updated cast. It again focuses on three sisters who come together after the death of their mother. Well, really, it's two sisters who grew up together and soon discover a third sister they didn't know existed. They also learn that they're witches, the world is approaching the apocalypse and they are warriors in the coming battle. The pilot even managed to get in a joke about Donald Trump's election being the first of three signs of said apocalypse. And the characters have been updated for diversity, which is laudable. The problem is "Charmed" wasn't a show that needed to come back, and even if it did this wasn't done in a compelling fashion. It drew a solid premier rating, but I'd be curious to see how many folks come back given its low scores.
Pilot Grade: C-

Camping, Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO (Premiered October 14)
About: This new comedy is adapted from a British series by Jenni Konner and Lena Dunham, and it's rough. It focuses on four couples camping in the woods for a birthday weekend. That's my personal idea of torture, so I was weary. The cast — which includes Jennifer Garner, David Tennant, Juliette Lewis and Ione Skye — is great, but the pilot was almost unbearable. Garner is a gifted and talented actress, but her character here — the focal point of the series — is tough to watch. She's caustic and awkward, and that was a big turn off for me. British comedy can be a tricky sell, and knowing this show was adapted from across the pond really helped explain some of what didn't work for me. If you're a fan of this kind of humor, you'll likely be pleased. If not, this show is likely a miss for you.
Pilot Grade: C-

Streaming Series:
The Haunting of Hill House, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered October 12)
About: This is the latest series from Netflix, a genre piece that was released in time for Halloween. Some have said it's what "This Is Us" would be like if it was a horror story (I think it's a horror to have to watch), and perhaps that's apt. This is loosely based on the novel, which has been adapted into films a few times. This one focuses on a family that moves into Hill House, hoping to refurbish it and sell it to buy their forever home. Instead, wife and mother Olivia (Carla Gugino) is killed. Her husband (Henry Thomas) tries to move on with the kids, ensuring no one will ever live in Hill House. Flash forward a few years and her husband (Timothy Hutton) has an estranged relationship with most of his adult children. His son (Michiel Huisman) writes about the supernatural and a daughter (Elizabeth Reaser) is now a mortician. His other three children have struggles, too, ranging from drug addiction to a lack of connection to depression. And all of them are haunted, quiet literally, but the ghosts of the past. None of that gets any easier when daughter and sister Nell (Victoria Pedretti) returns to the house and dies. That inciting incident happens at the end of episode one, and in the second episode additional fallout begins. I thought the first two worked in part thanks to the strong cast and the way it sought to build and explore these characters. There is a creepy vibe and plenty of jump sequences early, but it's the characters and performances that help make these episodes work.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Light as a Feather, Now streaming on Hulu (Premiered October 12)
About: Not to be outdone, Hulu released its own horror series Friday, "Light as a Feather." This teencentric series is based on the game Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, and bored stiff is an apt description of my response through two episodes. Even though they're only about 22 minutes a piece, it feels interminable. There's a lot going on, but none of it is interesting. The second episode ends with one of the main girls finally being killed, but most of what led up to it was mundane teen stuff that just didn't work.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D

The Romanoffs, Now Streaming on Amazon Prime (Premiered October 12)
About: Each of the major streaming networks launched a new series Friday, trying to compete with one another. While Netflix and Hulu went with horror, as befits the season, Amazon went prestige with "The Romanoffs," the latest series from Matthew Weiner. Weiner previously created and ran "Mad Men," and here he gets a great cast to do a series of stand alone stories all loosely connected by the fact a character or characters in it are said to be descendants of the Romanovs, the Russian royal family that was assassinated. The first two episodes premiered Friday with subsequent episodes following weekly. And the first two have wildly different casts, stories and settings. The premier, "The Violet Hour," featured Aaron Eckhart as an American living in France trying to care for his prickly aunt and find love. His life is complicated in both pursuits by Hajar (Inès Melab), the Muslin woman who is chosen to care for his aunt. The second episode features Noah Wyle, Kerry Bishe, Janet Montgomery and Corey Stoll, and is about a married couple (Bishe and Stoll) stuck in a rut that go their separate ways for an adventure, one on a cruise and one to jury duty. And both experiences have a profound impact on the couple. The production values here are high, and the acting is strong. The episodes run about 90 minutes, as each really is more of a self-contained film. And both were interesting at times, but neither was fantastic. It's a fun concept, and one that lends itself to many, many different stories. I'm curious to see where he goes with the other six episodes.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C