Fall TV Roundup, Week 3

Fall started to blow up this week. We’re getting into the midst of the big fall premier season, which means the viewing choices will be plentiful. But which of these new series is worth your time? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted—and select unscripted series—this Fall. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Mondays:
Rescue: HI-Surf, Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered September 22)
About: I’m old enough to remember when Baywatch first launched. It was a Prime-Time series about lifeguards making saves in Los Angeles. Now, we’re getting another crack at a Prime-Time rescue series—this time set on the North Shore of Hawaii. The series focuses on members of the rescue team who help keep visitors and locals safe as they swim, surf, and recreate in the ocean and on the beach. The pilot begins with a cool rescue and launches into stories of these characters and life on the beach. The series got a two-episode, two-night premier, kicking off after the NFL on Sunday before sliding into its normal Monday night slot. I like the set up and characters, and I think this could be a nice addition to the network lineup, pairing well with 9-1-1: Lone Star.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-

Brilliant Minds, Mondays at 10 p.m. on NBC (Premiered September 23)
About: The latest medical drama sees Zachary Quinto as a brilliant but unorthodox doctor. We’ve seen this before, but medical shows like this feels like a staple of network television and can be comfort TV. This is a different kind of a series as Quinto plays a brilliant doctor who suffers from face blindness and has an aversion to the rules. In the opening episode we have a wild entry into his world that sees him do something incredibly risky and pay the price. Hired at a new hospital—one that brings with it some painful memories of the past—he risks it all to help a mother who has a unique post-surgery complication. I like Quinto as a performer, but this pilot was rough. The character isn’t incredibly likeable and the set up and case weren’t as compelling as I’d hoped. There is some potential here, but this first episode felt like something of a misfire.
Pilot Grade: C-

Tuesdays:
American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX (Premiered September 17)
About: For those who follow professional football, the story of Aaron Hernandez is a sad chapter. Now, it’s also fodder for a new crime series from producer Ryan Murphy. This 10-episode series began with a two-episode premier on Tuesday. The series comes from Stuart Zicherman and is drawn from the six-part Spotlight series from the Boston Globe, with two of its writers a part of the staff. The series dives deep into Hernandez’s background, suggesting parental abuse, the strains of hiding his homosexuality, and a lack of institutional controls at Florida and the Patriots allowed his monstrous behavior to blossom and flourish. We saw some pieces of this with the docu-series The Dynasty: The New England Patriots. This series expands on that, focusing solely on Hernandez. The pilot takes place while he’s in high school, with episode two moving into his time at Florida. For those interested in learning more about his story, this will be engaging. But like many true crime series, it can be hard to watch and it’s decidedly grim at times. The casting of real-life people also feels laughable at times.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

High Potential, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC (Premiered on September 17)
About: Kaitlin Olson takes the lead in this new procedural with a twist. She plays a brilliant mom living a chaotic life. Her high IQ gives her insight, but her prickly personality has hampered her ability to hold down a job and maintain a relationship. While working as part of the overnight cleaning crew at the police department, she spots an error on a murder board and makes a change. It isn’t long before the police call her in for questioning, and soon the lieutenant (Judy Reyes) realizes she could be an asset. After helping solve the case, she’s offered a job and we’re off and running. When you have a procedural series, what helps hook you is the cases and the characters. Here, the characters—in particular Olson’s Morgan—is a lot of fun. That’s enough to make me interested to see where this goes.
Pilot Grade: B-

Thursdays:
Matlock, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on CBS (Premiered September 22)
About: CBS isn’t doing its premier week until October 13, but it provided a quick preview of the pilot for the new series Matlock following football on Sunday. The series features Kathy Bates as Matty Matlock, an older lawyer diving into a role at a big firm. It was billed, seemingly, as a re-boot of the classic Andy Griffith series. But it’s not. In fact, Bates’ Matlock makes jokes about sharing a name with the character from the classic series. Still, it seems to be following some sort of familiar formula, which is fine. Then you get to the end of the pilot and the series throws a 180-degree turn. I won’t spoil the surprise but suffice to say the premise of the series takes a sharp turn. That will be a turn on or turn off for some depending on how you feel. I thought Bates was great in the role, but the early part of the series was a bit stiff and plodding, while the twist has me wondering how this will work going forward. This is definitely a series where you’ll want to see two before you know whether it’s for you. Of course, the second episode doesn’t air until October 17…
Pilot Grade: C+

Fridays:
La Maison, Streaming Fridays on Apple TV+ (Premiered September 20)
About: Apple TV+ is expanding its offerings to include a number of international series. This new series is French, focusing on a fashion house thrown into scandal. Lambert Wilson stars as Vincent Ledu, the head of a prestige French fashion house. His brother and sister each own a piece, but his brother, Victor (Pierre Deladonchamps), works for a rival house. When Vincent has a tirade in a fit of rage, it’s captured by a waitress at a party and soon leaked by Victor’s boss. It threatens to bring down the Ledu family and their empire, with Victor using his position to leverage a promotion at a rival house. The series is soapy, full of drama, romance, and plenty of in-fighting. For those who are fans of series like Succession, this will hit the right note, especially if you’re into the world of fashion. The first two episodes dropped Friday with subsequent episodes dropping weekly.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Three Women, Streaming Fridays on Starz (Premiered September 20)
About: This series comes from Lisa Taddeo, based on her non-fiction book of the same name. The pilot laid out the premise and gave an introduction to the three women who will be the focus of the series. The second episode began the singular focus on these three women with lonely Indiana mother Lina (Betty Gilpin). Gilpin is a talented actress, but the story meanders a bit too much for me. It started to show how she connected with our narrator—Gia (Shailene Woodley)—but there wasn’t enough of that for me. This is a series that probably isn’t aimed at me, and doubtless it will have fans, among those are people who read the book. It’s fine, but on a more obscure site and buried in the torrent of Fall, I’m not sure there’s enough to these episodes to help it stand out.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Sundays:
Moonflower Murders, Sundays at 9 p.m. on PBS (Premiered September 15)
About: This latest Masterpiece Mystery! series is from Anthony Horowitz, based on his book. It stars Lesley Manville as Susan, a former book publisher who is hired to find the clues in a mystery book that led to a missing woman. She interacts with the book’s lead detective, Atticus Pund (Tim McMullan), while we see the book acted out as well. I like Manville in the role, and I like the flow of the six-episode series. For fans of mysteries, this will be a fun addition to the Sunday night offerings.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

The Penguin, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO/Max (Premiered September 19)
About: This is a series set in the world created in the 2022 film The Batman, bringing back Oz Cobb (Colin Farrell), otherwise known as The Penguin, as he tries to rise up the ranks in Gotham’s underworld. The series premier picks up in the immediate aftermath of the film and is meant to cover the ground between that film and the sequel, set for 2026. The series focuses on Oz as he builds his criminal empire, which means a clash with Carmine Falcone’s daughter, Sophia (Cristin Milioti), who has designs on taking over the empire and protecting her family legacy. I enjoyed the pilot and the potential for the series. It launched with a debut on Thursday, with subsequent episodes airing Sundays at 9 p.m. beginning September 29.
Pilot Grade: C+

Streaming Series:
Twilight of the Gods, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered September 19)
About: This new series comes from Zack Snyder and is a new take on Norse mythology. A princess named Sigrid (Sylvia Hoeks) is bent on revenge after Thor (Pilou Absaek) kills her family and her whole village during her wedding ceremony. She aligns with Thor’s brother, Loki (Patterson Joseph), to get it done. The series is animated, running eight episodes, each about a half an hour, that are all now streaming. The series features a good voice cast and a solid look. The content is very much aimed at adults, despite the format. The early episodes featured plenty of graphic sex and violence, in addition to some blends of comedy, action, and drama. For those who appreciate Snyder’s style, this will have some appeal. But this isn’t the Thor and Loki you’ve seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It will likely be a bit much for some viewers. I wasn’t taken enough with the story to move beyond the initial two episodes.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

Monster: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Murders, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered September 19)
About: The second season of the anthology monster series from Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan focuses on Erik and Lyle Menendez, the brothers who brutally murdered their parents and were later convicted and sent to prison. The pilot takes the action back to 1989 as Erik (Cooper Koch), plagued by guilt, confesses the crime to his therapist. The pilot spends time going back to show the events leading up to the murders, then graphically portraying the murder itself. The series features Chloe Sevigny and Javier Bardem as the parents. The pilot and a few episodes of the 10-episode season are directed by Carl Franklin. The second episode of the series follows some of the aftermath and beings to sow the seeds of the legal issues to come. We’ve seen a lot of series and docuseries explore these murders over the decades since they occurred. For those interested in diving deep and living through the events, this will be a welcome addition to the landscape. Doubtless there will be fans who enjoyed season one, which focused on Jeffrey Dahmer. I wasn’t taken with the often-graphic exploration of this story, so two episodes was more than enough for me.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

A Very Royal Scandal, Now Streaming on Prime Video (Premiered September 19)
About: This is the second production in 2024 focused on the 2019 interview from Prince Andrew (Michael Sheen) that changed the course of history. Earlier in the year we got the Netflix original film Scoop, which featured Gillian Anderson as Emily Matlis and Rufus Sewel as the prince. Here, the part of Matlis is played by Ruth Wilson. The series is a three-episode exploration of the events leading up to the interview, the interview itself, and the aftermath for both the interview subject and the interviewer. I liked the expanded exploration of the story here and the way it plays out in a richer way. The episodes each run about an hour, making this is a quick binge for those interested in learning more about this story. Wilson and Sheen are great in the lead roles, and the supporting cast is solid here, too. I enjoyed this series.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-