Fall TV Roundup, Week 12

 


We’re up to Thanksgiving Week, and that means there isn’t much left to debut among the Fall TV series. We also have some holiday breaks coming up, providing a little extra time. So, what of the new shows out there is worth the investment? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Fall. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Mondays:
Get Millie Black, Mondays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered November 25)
About: This is a co-production with U. K’s Channel 4 that is now debuting on HBO. The series focuses on a detective, Millie Black (Tamara Lawrance), who grew up in Jamaica and had a troubled childhood. That led her to England, where she worked for Scotland Yard. Now, she’s back plying her skills as a detective in her Jamaican home. She’s dealing with a brother that has issues and assigned to the case of a missing girl that spirals into something much bigger, drawing the attention of a Scotland Yard detective (Joe Dempsie), who is here to find her boyfriend. The pilot is a moody, well-crafted tale that sets the pieces in motion and introduces a lot of pieces of the case. The five-episode series will be about solving those crimes while Millie deals with her past, her present, and her future in her home. For fans of crime stories, this one has some intrigue. It’s doled out one episode at a time, but the five-episode limited run makes it something of a short commitment. I’m intrigued.
Pilot Grade: C+

Sundays:
Dune: Prophecy, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered November 17)
About: This spin-off of the Dune films and novels is set more than 10,000 years before the events of the films. It follows the foundations of the Bene Gesserit, and the work of a pair of sisters (Emily Watson and Olivia Williams) as they establish the group and work to engineer the future of rule in the galaxy. I struggled with the first Dune film because it felt like a lot of dense mythology without making a firm emotional connection through the characters and the world. This project suffers from similar issues. The craft is outstanding, and the performances are solid, but there is a lot of heavy lifting here for plot and world building in the first two episodes. That makes the material very dry and can be an impediment to really connecting to the series. That has been the case for me. I’m still interested in the larger world, but this is a tough watch so far.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C

Streaming Series:
Interior Chinatown, Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered November 19)
About: This new series comes from Charles Yu, based on his novel of the same name. It also features a pilot directed by Taika Waititi. It finds Jimmy O. Yang as a waiter in Chinatown who feels like a background player in his own story. He’s struggling with finding something more significant, balancing the needs of his parents, and trying to get noticed. When he stumbles into a series of crimes, he tries to take an active role, but encounters some obstacles—such as those running the case not even realizing he’s there. Can he overcome it and help out? This 10-episode series is something of a comedy—or at least a satire. Episodes run closer to an hour, which at times in the early going made them feel a bit long. I like the cast, which includes Chloe Bennett and Ronny Chieng, and the basic idea is intriguing. But the pacing feels a bit off and I’m not sure where it’s going. Still, it feels like something of a different and interesting binge to end the year.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Our Oceans, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered November 20)
About: For those looking for something beautiful that also increases your knowledge, there’s this new series that focuses on the world’s oceans. It’s narrated by former President Barak Obama and each episode focuses on a different ocean, beginning with the Pacific. The episodes run about an hour and capture the different life and activities in each of the oceans. The shots are beautiful, and the series provides a great look at life in these vital resources. For those who enjoy a good nature documentary, this five-episode series is a short commitment.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Cruel Intentions, Now Streaming on Prime Video (Premiered November 21)
About: This new series is a re-boot of the 1998 film, which itself was a reimagining of Dangerous Liaisons. The series is set at a college, involving a pair of step siblings from wealthy families who are trying to dominate Greek life and the social scene. Meanwhile, they set their sights on manipulating the newest addition to the school—the Vice President’s daughter. As with the movie, there are a lot of glossy scenes, wealthy and entitled characters, and plenty of sex. This follows closely the idea of the film but stretches the action out over an eight-episode season. Each of the episodes are about 45 minutes, making it a decent but somewhat long binge. That’s if you’re into the episodes and the content. I remember the movie, which has become a classic. I saw it when I was in high school, and this series did little to capture the excitement of that film. This feels like a stretch. Maybe it will attract a new generation of younger viewers, but I doubt it. This feels like a big swing and a miss.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

A Man on the Inside, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered November 21)
About: The latest comedy from Mike Schur is a take-off on the documentary The Mole Agent. This one finds Charles (Ted Danson) as a retiree who is mourning his late wife and seeking some sense of purpose. When a private detective, Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), recruits him to infiltrate a retirement home she’s investigating, it could be the purpose he’s looking for. Danson is a fun lead, with the rest of the cast including Stephanie Beatriz and Sally Struthers, among others. The first two episodes are fun as they build the world and get you into the show. It’s an eight-episode season, all of them less than 30 minutes. That makes for a quick binge that will hit the spot for those who have been fans of previous shows from Schur.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

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