Fall TV Roundup, Week 7

We're nearly to November, and as we've seen the flood of new network shows released, we're now seeing the Streaming Sites getting into it. And with Apple+ and Disney+ set to bow in November, that flood might turn into a tidal wave heading into the last month of the year. So let these weekly posts be your guide as I wade through the waves of new content. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Fall. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
Treadstone, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on USA (Premiered October 15)
About: With all the movies in the Jason Bourne world, it feels like we've pretty well wrung all the drinkable water out of this plot premise, but "Treadstone" is going back to the well hoping a tangential connection to the movies will draw in viewers. If the tepid pilot is any indication, the nostalgia and name value won't last long. This is about the Treadstone project, the one that created Bourne, and likely the ways it spread internationally. And the pilot didn't really make me care about that or any of the characters. It simply exists. Perhaps the second episode will be better, but I'm not holding my breath.
Pilot Grade: C-

Wednesday Nights:
Nancy Drew, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered October 9)
About: The latest drama on The CW is a more mature take on "Nancy Drew," which was well paired with a more mature take on "Riverdale," now in its fourth season. I'm sure there will be fans of this series, and I'll admit I'm not exactly the target demo for The CW anymore, but there just wasn't enough here. I wasn't taken with the characters or the mystery, which has to be the big hook for something like this. It's a decent swing, but I don't know if it is the kind of thing that's gonna hook enough of an audience.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

Sunday Nights:
Watchmen, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered October 20)
About: Damon Lindelof is a prodigious and interesting creator and writer. He was a big part of the creative force behind "LOST" and was responsible for the beautiful HBO adaptation of "The Leftovers." So when he wanted to take on "Watchmen," I was thrilled and excited. It's been a long stretch waiting to see the show, but with the pilot premiering Sunday, it turned out to be worth the wait. The series is set in Oklahoma in 2019, years after the events of the legendary graphic novel that was adapted as a film 2009. Most of the original characters are not present now, and the series is certainly focused on contemporary themes as the original was when it bowed in the 1980s. But it's also set in this world, defined by the events that took place in the graphic novel and the history of that world. Now, Robert Redford is president and the racial tension is at a boiling point. Cops now wear masks to protect themselves from retribution and they are only allowed to access weapons when they meet certain criteria. In the meantime hate groups using the guise of Rorschach are running amok. There to fight the good fight is Angela (Regina King) and the local police chief Judd Crawford (Don Johnson), the only policeman to show is real face. The pilot was dark and moody, beginning with a real life race riot event from the 1920s that sets the stage for where this daring production means to go. Jeremy Irons plays a mysterious role that appears to be linked to the original "Watchmen," but that will likely be revealed in subsequent episodes. "Watchmen" is on Time's list of the 250 greatest novels for a reason, and this follow up feels like a worthy addition to the cannon. It's the best pilot I've seen this year, and I'm excited to see where this goes.
Pilot Grade: A

Streaming Series:
Limetown, Streaming Wednesdays on Facebook Watch (Premiered October 18)
About: "Limetown" is a new streaming series on Facebook Watch, one that is based on the famous podcast and tells the same story about the same intrepid reporter (Jessica Biel) trying to discover why a town of people disappeared. This has a higher profile than some of the Facebook Watch series, and at only around a half hour a piece, the episodes are brisk. I wasn't a listener for the original podcast, but I get the true crime "Serial"-like vibe they are trying to create. That being said, I wasn't taken with the story despite the cast and production. I like Biel as a lead performer, but there wasn't enough here to hook me especially during an unprecedented time of original content. The biggest appeal here might be that the series is free, and available on Facebook where people are already hanging out. The first two episodes are out now with new ones dropping Wednesdays.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C-

Modern Love, Now Streaming on Amazon Prime (Premiered October 18)
About: Friday was a big one for streaming, with each of the major sites releasing a new project. The best of these is "Modern Love," the romance anthology based on true stories from the New York Times. Each of the episodes is around a half hour, and each features a different cast, characters and story. The first one feature Cristin Milioti as a young woman struggling to find love who finds a friend and forms a family with the doorman in her building. The second one features Dev Patel and Caitlin McGee as a couple brought back together, in part, thanks to an article from Catherine Keener. Both episodes were beautiful in their own way, though totally different. The rest of the eight episodes follow the same pattern, and include lead performances from folks like Anne Hathaway and Tina Fey. This is an interesting and ambitious project, and one that I liked quite a bit during its first two episodes.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-

Living With Yourself, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered October 18)
About: The Netflix addition to the streaming launches on Friday was the Paul Rudd-led comedy "Living With Yourself," about a man in a rut in his life that heads to a special clinic where they make genetic clones. The thing is, the clone is supposed to be set free in the world to rejuvenate the life of the client while the original is put down, permanently. Thanks to an accident, that doesn't happen for Rudd's Miles, who finds himself starring at his clone. The pilot is mostly about building to this reveal, and showing Miles' life, while the second episode is about figuring a way forward, if there is one. This one makes good use of Rudd's talent, but I didn't think it was funny. That's the kiss of death for a "comedy." But it's only eight episodes, around a half hour, so you may feel different.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

Looking for Alaska, Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered October 18)
About: The final of the big three releases is the mini-series "Looking for Alaska," an eight-episode drama based on the novel from John Green. It's set at a boarding school in Alabama, and comes from producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. The pair know their way around a teen tale, and this one is OK. But the first two episodes didn't really grab me and I'm pretty sure I couldn't invest in where it's going. But readers of the book will likely want to see it play out. Hulu has done a nice job in the past connecting with some teen angst, and this wasn't bad, just not compelling and not for me.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C