Winter TV Roundup, Week 16

We're past Easter, and the traditional broadcast season is winding down, but there are still plenty of new options jumping in there. We've moved to a more year-round content stream, and since TV really has the floor right now since we're all set at home, it makes sense that everyone is putting out new content. In these weekly posts I look at the new scripted series of this Winter/Spring, reviewing the pilot and second episodes. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Monday Nights:
The Baker and the Beauty, Mondays at 10 p.m. on ABC (Premiered April 13)
About: ABC is starting its new summer Monday nights early, launching the latest iteration of "The Bachelor" and this new drama, based on an Israeli drama of the same name. In the show, it focuses on the wealthy mogul Noa (Nathalie Kelley) who meets a local Miami Baker Daniel (Victor Rasuk) on a tough night. He was celebrating his anniversary with his girlfriend when she proposed. He said no, and ends up having a rough night. Noa is having a rough stretch herself following a breakup and she picks Daniel up to blow off some steam with her crew. But, predictably, this turns into something more. And, of course, there's Daniels close family and family business thrown into the mix. Last year it was another similar story, with a murder mystery twist and set at a hotel, that ABC turned to. This feels a little lighter by contrast, and probably works a little better with "The Bachelor" audience. The pilot was more endearing than I thought, but it still feels like a bit of an edgier version of a Hallmark movie plot. Does it work as a long-term series? It did overseas, but we'll see if that happens here. For now, as I said, the pilot was more engaging and watchable than I expected.
Pilot Grade: C

Thursday Nights:
Broke, Thursdays at 9:30 p.m. on CBS (Premiered April 2)
About: CBS had a successful Fall with a trio of new comedies that all look like they are going to be renewed for a second season. Now comes the mid-season option "Broke" which... is easily the worst new comedy I've seen this Winter/Spring. It's a similar concept to the NBC comedy "Indebted," with more diversity and a few more interesting characters. But the first two episodes were almost unwatchable. CBS touted this as the return of Pauley Perrette, and she's been a decent star for CBS, but this doesn't feel like a good vehicle. In fact, this felt pretty much dreadful.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D-

Sunday Nights:
World on Fire, Sundays at 10 p.m. on PBS (Premiered April 5)
About: This latest series, a production of the BBC that is now airing on PBS. The first season has already been completed in England, and is now airing here. It's set in England and Poland at the outbreak of World War II, following various people whose lives are intertwined with the arc of the war. The series has a strong cast including Sean Bean and Helen Hunt, and it tells a story that's timeless and engaging. Doubtless there will be some unhappy endings here, but so far I'm enjoying the slow build toward the war.
Pilot Grade: B
Second Episode: B-

Belgravia, Sundays at 10 p.m. on Epix (Premiered April 12)
About: Julian Fellows, who gave the world "Downton Abbey," is back with another British period drama that deals with class issues and politics. This time it's set in Belgravia, a section of London, beginning in 1815, about 100 years before the setting of "Downton Abbey." This one is based on Fellows' novel of the same name, and he wrote the series. The first episode hit some familiar notes, but it felt a little dry. Still, for fans of "Downton Abbey" you'll see some similar possibilities. I thought the cast was decent and there is some potential, though I didn't enjoy it as much as I did his previous series' pilot. We'll see. For now, this feels like a strong acquisition for Epix, which is still trying to establish itself as a cable option.
Pilot Grade: C

Run, Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO (Premiered April 12)
About: This is a strange new half hour from HBO, which premiered Sunday after "Insecure." The series is centered on a pair of former lovers, Ruby (Merritt Wever) and Billy (Domhnall Gleeson), who reunite after Billy texts RUN and Ruby replies with the same. They meet in New York and end up on a train, and in the first episode it's mostly about them reuniting and realizing they still have incredible chemistry. But why did a text of the word RUN get them to drop everything? Why weren't they together? Why are they leaving their lives and families behind? That's less clear, at least in the pilot. But the chemistry between Wever and Gleeson is great, and the writing and action in the first episode was compelling. I don't know what's going on precisely or why, but I'm intrigued. And that's not a bad place to be for a new series.
Pilot Grade: B

Streaming Series:
Tooning Out the News, Now Streaming on CBS All Access (Premiered April 7)
About: This latest series from Stephen Colbert stars Paul Krugman in a hyper-realized, cartoon satire of the news. It starts with real news clips and then adds cartoon layers and some comedy. There were three short clips released as episodes, then it was compiled into a more full-length episode. And it was weird, mildly amusing and not really worth making an effort to find right now. It feels a bit like a mis-timed effort that might have worked better as a lunch were the world not in the state it's in. Political punchlines out of news clips just don't feel relevant right now.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Brews Brothers, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered April 10)
About: This new Netflix comedy comes from Greg and Jeff Schaffer, a pair of brothers with plenty of comedy experience. It focuses on a pair of brothers, Adam (Mike Castle) and Wilhelm (Alan Aisenberg), who are trying to save their struggling brewery. This is a weird show, and knowing that Jeff was the creator of "The League" probably gives you a certain vibe and expectation going in. This isn't "The League," and it isn't really funny. That's a problem considering it's a comedy. Netflix is trying to appeal broadly and build its original content library, but not all shows work for all audiences. This didn't work for me.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-