Winter TV Roundup, Week 3

We’re rapidly making our way through January and most of the country has been plunged into cold and snowy temperatures. That might make you a bit more indoorsy and give you some time to watch new shows. But what shows are worth checking out? Let this weekly post 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.

Tuesdays:
Doc, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 7)
About: This one features Molly Parker as a talented—but prickly—doctor who is involved in a car accident that leads to her losing the last eight years of her life. During that time, she lost a son, alienated a daughter, got divorced, and became the chief of a big department at the hospital. As she’s embracing all these losses and changes again, without the benefit of understanding her role in them, she’s also searching for a path forward. That means recovering and, hopefully, getting back to work as a doctor. The episodes mix some glimpses of the past with the future so we can begin to piece together the life that was lost even if Parker’s character isn’t there yet. It creates an interesting emotional drama mixed with a doctor that has a House-like prowess and a House-like bedside manner. At least she did. This is a chance for a personality re-boot, too, and that makes this fascinating. We haven’t really seen her integrate back into the hospital, but that’s coming and should be fascinating. I like the cast and the set up here, and there’s plenty of potential.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: B-

Wednesdays:
Shifting Gears, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC (Premiered January 8)
About: Tim Allen is back on TV in a weekly, network sitcom for ABC. It really does feel in some ways like the TV landscape is shifting back to the 1990s in the best possible way with medical dramas, cop shows, and sitcoms with familiar faces dominating the new year’s landscape. This one finds Allen as a father and grandfather who welcomes his adult daughter (Kat Dennings) and her kids back into his home after she files for divorce. They have to overcome their differences and find a way forward without the woman who used to keep the peace between them. This is two strong sitcom actors in a familiar kind of set up that works well. It feels like something of a throwback, but not in an awkward way. Dennings and Allen are fun together and this makes for a decent pairing—and lead-in—to Abbot Elementary. This should work for those who are fans of sitcoms.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Fridays:
The Couple Next Door, Streaming Fridays on Starz (Premiered January 17)
About: This show first aired in the United Kingdom in 2023. It’s been a long path to get to the air in America, where the Starz audience will be familiar with Sam Heughan, the star of Outlander. This is probably a perfect little addition for those pining for the final season of Outlander, a six-episode series that’s full of drama. It has a strong cast, also including a familiar face in Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter, How to Get Away With Murder), and centers on two couples in a quiet neighborhood. Pete (Enoch) and Evie (Eleanor Tomlinson) have just moved into the neighborhood. She’s pregnant but within the span of the pilot, she loses her baby, which causes something of a crisis for the couple. Their new neighbors are the free spirit Becka (Jessica De Gouw) and her cop husband Danny (Heughan). They become friendly, and it isn’t long before Pete notices that there is something different about Becka and Danny. He also sees his wife going through a bit of a rebellious change after her loss and in response to the enmity with her overly religious parents. In the pilot, little happens—but we do get a cold open that offers a glimpse of the trouble to come. You can tell things are going to get more complicated and steamier, and this pilot is meant to just whet the appetite. It does, to a certain extent. I like the cast and I’m curious to see how these four are going to enmesh. The idea it’s only a six-episode series is also appealing as it won’t be a big commitment. Starz original series have been an interesting proposition in recent years. This could have a worthwhile payoff, but I’m not sold yet.
Pilot Grade: C