Winter TV Roundup, Week 3

We're in the second week of January, and the flood of new content is getting pretty intense. A lot of networks, cable channels and streaming sites are starting 2020 with new shows. Let these weekly posts be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Tuesday Nights:
FBI: Most Wanted, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS (Premiered January 7)
About: A tried and true method at CBS is finding a successful law enforcement procedural and cloning it. They did it with "CSI." They're doing it with "NCIS." And now we've got a second helping of "FBI," creating a two-hour block. And as with previous Dick Wolf spin-offs, they share a world and a cast member. The same Special Agent in Charge in "FBI" works with the group in "Most Wanted," which really got a kick start as an episode of "FBI" last season. This one focuses on Julian McMahon, who leads a group of agents that track down fugitives. It sounds like a premise that should be chock full of action. The back-door pilot last season worked, sort of, but this first episode of the stand alone series felt a bit dull and stale. I liked "FBI" a lot when it premiered, but it's cooled a bit in season two. This might be an expansion happening too quickly. But it seems like "Most Wanted" is here to stay, and there's even talk of a second spin-off. Hopefully the cases become a bit more engaging.
Pilot Grade: C

Wednesday Nights:
Party of Five, Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Freeform (Premiered January 8)
About: I reviewed the pilot for this last week, as I saw it early. But the first two episodes aired in a single block on opening night. I noted there were huge political undertones to this re-make, some of which didn't make a lot of sense. I didn't much care for the pilot. The second episode, which focused more on the five kids and the reality of the story was a bit better. There were fewer political overtones, and they tried to build some characters and organic drama. I still wasn't taken with the cast and the story, but at least you can see where this might develop into more of a show and less of a political statement.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: C-

Thursday Nights:
Deputy, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 2)
About: This new FOX drama centers on a deputy that is unexpectedly promoted to be Sheriff of Los Angeles County. That deputy is Stephen Dorff, who in the first two episodes is really more about making the office work for him and his missions than trying to effect real change. That was fine in the pilot, but as I noted last week, that formula could become stale quickly. We need to see Sheriff Hollister fail, learn, adapt and grow. It won't happen all at once, of course, but we need to see it happen. The second episode felt like a bit of a clone of the events of episode one without much in the way of character growth. Hopefully that changes. I like Dorff, and I think this concept has merit. I enjoyed the pilot but it needs to do more if it's going to stretch past an interesting concept into a fully formed series.
Pilot Grade: B
Second Episode: C+

Friday Nights:
Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, Fridays at 8 p.m. on NBC (Premiered January 10)
About: This is another series that got an early premier, and I reviewed the pilot last week. I thought the concept was interesting, and I like the way this story, previously told in the 1999 film "The Bone Collector," was set up as a series. The pilot aired on broadcast Friday, so I'm curious to see where the second episode goes.
Pilot Grade: B-

Sunday Nights:
Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, Sundays at 9 p.m. on NBC (Premiered January 7)
About: This series really picks up weekly on Sunday nights on NBC following the Super Bowl (February 3) and Oscars (February 9), but it got a special pilot presentation on Tuesday, January 7. It centers on a young woman, Jane Levy, who develops the ability to hear people's inner thoughts. The problem is, they play out as lavish song-and-dance numbers. The pilot is mostly about the emergence of this gift and how it changes her approach to life. It also helps her connect with her father, Peter Gallagher, who is locked in a semi-vegetative state thanks to an illness. The cast is strong, including Lauren Graham and Skyler Astin, and the pilot was moving and engaging. There is plenty of room for this concept to slip off the tracks, but it feels like something a touch different, and if it's done right it could be quite endearing. I'm excited to see where it goes next when it returns in about a month.
Pilot Grade: B-

The Outsider, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered January 12)
About: This 10-episode limited series is based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. It's about a brutal murder and the detective (Ben Mendelsohn) who is tasked with solving the crime. All the evidence, including witnesses, security camera footage, fingerprints and DNA, point to a local little league coach and teacher (Jason Bateman). So as the pilot unfolds, he makes the arrest. But it turns out the coach was 70 miles away, with witnesses, footage, and fingerprints to prove he was no where near the crime. But just as that mystery deepens, other events unfold to expand the tragic circumstances here. So the beleaguered detective is left to try and figure out what really happened. The implication by the end of the second hour, which aired right after the first Sunday night, is that it might be supernatural in nature. There is a strong cast here, including Mare Winningham, Julianne Nicholson and Bill Camp, with newly minted Academy Award nominee Cynthia Erivo joining in future episodes. The story is engaging, too, but the series is a bit dark and drab, both in its content and in the look and feel. Still, there is something about it that makes me curious to see where it goes and how it answers these questions.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Streaming Series:
AJ and the Queen, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered January 10)
About: RuPaul comes to Netflix with a series about an aging drag queen who is the victim of a grifter just as he's about to open his own club. On a cross-country tour to make some money, he ends up taking a young loner, AJ (Izzy G.), under his wing, though not by choice. AJ doesn't make things easy, nor do the circumstances. This show was slow to get started and has been slow (though two episodes) to get to the heart-warming bond between the two that it wants to build upon. But it's been plenty full of big production numbers for those who want to see RuPaul at his best. For me, content aside, this show is more about style that substance, so it will probably depend on how you feel about that style if you want to push ahead. I won't be.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

Medical Police, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered January 10)
About: Erinn Hayes and Rob Huebel take the lead in this new spin-off of "Children's Hospital." It comes from the same creative team, and Hayes and Huebel reprise their roles. The action in the pilot starts at the hospital, but quickly pulls their characters out as they're drafted to work for the CDC to stop a deadly contagion from spreading. There are a lot of situation laughs and a similar style to "Children's Hospital." If you were a fan of that series, this is for you. The first season is 10-episodes, all about 22 minutes, so it's a brisk watch. Hayes and Huebel are good in the lead roles and play well off each other.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C