Summer TV Roundup, Week 16

We're in that precarious late August period where there are a few new shows, but for the most part summer TV is wrapping up and everyone is preparing for Fall TV. In these weekly posts I look at the new scripted (and occasional unscripted) series this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous week.

Tuesday Nights:
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Oakland Raiders, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on HBO (Premiered August 6)
About: HBO really lucked out with this year's "Hard Knocks" because the drama with Antonio Brown has been THE dominant story of the off-season. The first episode of this sports documentary was a little dry, but the second episode drew the benefit of some of that intrigue. I imagine that will only become more true as we move into subsequent episodes. That's why I think this will turn out to be a fun ride, even if the first couple episode have been a bit uneven.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C+

Wednesday Nights:
Bulletproof, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on the CW (Premiered August 7)
About: This latest drama from the CW is really a British series, one that wants to be a bit like "Bad Boys," that came across the pond. And that's typical for the CW in the summer, as they try to use cheap co-productions to fill their air time during the summer. This one didn't really move the needle for me. The CW has long struggled to find consistent summer programming, and I don't think this one will help.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D

BH90210, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered August 7)
About: Re-boots come in all shapes and sizes, and this one is about the actors playing hyper-realized versions of themselves and trying to come together for a re-boot of their classic show. It's a short six-episode summer season, so it's not a big commitment. It's also not a great show to watch. I thought the pilot was tough, defying a lot of my expectations. This kind of surrealist comedy can be a fine line to walk, and this one didn't really make it for me. The second episode was a little better, but I still don't know that I like this format, or that this really works.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: C-

David Makes Man, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on OWN (Premiered August 14)
About: This latest drama on OWN comes from Tarell Alvin McCraney, who wrote "Moonlight." It focuses on a young man with a keen mind and a poor living situation. The pilot introduced the characters and the world. Akili McDowell does a nice job in the lead role, but it was hard to follow some of the action in the pilot or tell exactly where this is going. Perhaps the second episode will tell more of the tale, but for now there's little compelling in what I've seen.
Pilot Grade: C-

Sunday Nights:
The Righteous Gemstones, Sundays at 10 p.m. on HBO (Premiered August 18)
About: This new HBO comedy comes from Danny McBride, who wrote and directed the pilot and stars as Jesse Gemstone, eldest son of an infamous televangelist Eli Gemstone (John Goodman). In the pilot we meet the Gemstones, who run a large ministry along with Jesse's sister, Judy (Edi Patterson) and younger brother Kelvin (Adam Devine). Early in the pilot we get a sense of the discord among the siblings and the opulence of the lifestyle they lead. And also the hypocrisy, as Jesse is blackmailed for a cocaine fueled orgy he had. We also get a sense of the discord between the Gemstones and other local preachers, who see them as the predators they are. There is plenty of comedy here, and this is a talented cast. I enjoyed the pilot, which had an ending that went in a direction I didn't expect. It's a big swing for HBO, but it could be a fun swing. McBride has a solid track record with comedy, and with HBO, and I like the potential here. I'm curious to see how it builds in episode two.
Pilot Grade: B-

On Becoming a God in Central Florida, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Showtime (Premiers August 25)
About: This latest dramedy on Showtime is set in Florida in the early 1990s and stars Kirsten Dunst as a housewife whose husband is hoping to strike it rich as part of the downline of a pyramid scheme. She tries to get him to quit, but instead he ends up dead early in the pilot and it's only then that Krystal (Dunst) realizes the financial hole her husband put her and her newborn in. Then she's forced to try and find a way out. The series premiers on Sunday, but Showtime made the pilot available free to all and the second episode available free to subscribers. I watched both, and I thought the world built was interesting. But it mostly works thanks to Dunst, who is good in the lead role. The pilot was a little slow, but I'm curious to see how the first season develops.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C+