Winter TV Roundup, Week 9

We’re into March, so the season is in the home stretch. But we’re still seeing some interesting new shows pop up. Which of these shows is worth your time to check 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.

Wednesdays:
Good Cop/Bad Cop, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW (Premiered February 19)
About: This CW series focuses on a pair of siblings (Leighton Meester and Luke Cook) who are thrown together after years of estrangement as partners in their hometown. I like the set up and I like the back-and-forth between Meester and Cook. The pilot was one of the most fun series I’ve seen in a while on The CW. I liked the flow of the second episode, too. This is an interesting and engaging show and should work well with the target demographic. It’s been a while since I enjoyed a CW pilot and but this one should be a lot of fun.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: C+

Thursdays:
House of David, Streaming Thursdays on Prime Video (Premiered February 27)
About: This new series comes from Jon Erwin, who created and worked on the series. He’s worked on several faith-based films. So, now he’s bringing his talents to the small screen in a series about the Biblical figure David, who became King of Israel. It’s an eight-episode series, with the first three dropping Thursday and new episodes dropping weekly. It is meant to show David’s rise and to bring the text of Scripture to life. All that is intriguing, with David’s story being quite powerful and quite interesting in the Bible. I was curious to see what it would be like on screen, but this show didn’t quite work for me. It felt slow and drawn out. For those that really want to see this story on screen, it will be worth the commitment. But I wasn’t taken enough with the style and the pace to follow it through.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Sundays:
Suits LA, Sundays at 9 p.m. on NBC (Premiered February 23)
About: This spin-off/re-imagining of Suits focuses more on entertainment law, and a few criminal cases. I like the cast all right, but I wasn’t taken with the pilot, which felt sort of by-the-numbers and missing the character magic that made Suits so appealing. That holds true for me with the second episode, too. This feels like a fairly generic legal show, and one that’s missing some character magic. The second episode felt even more stale than the pilot, which at least had some interesting personal emotional beats. For those that just want a legal drama, this will probably fit the bill. For those looking for that Suits magic, this isn’t it.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Grosse Pointe Garden Society, Sundays at 10 p.m. on NBC (Premiered February 23)
About: This is the cap to the new Sunday night, a soapy drama that goes back-and-forth across multiple timelines and is meant to excite and draw you into the world of these suburban friends who’ve seen their lives go off track and done some bad things. The pilot laid out the characters and the big ongoing mystery. But we won’t get answers to that for some time. The second episode was more of the same, going back-and-forth along timelines and introducing possible victims and threats, only to remove them or create a twist. The series will appeal to those who have been fans of other series like this, but it doesn’t feel like the greatest example of the genre.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Streaming Series:
Toxic Town, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered February 27)
About: This series is based on a true story about a small English town that was rocked by pollution that had a dramatic impact on births. Mothers in the town, grief stricken over what was happening to their kids, came together to fight against those responsible. It was a long, drawn-out battle that resulted in a judgement against the guilty parties. The cast includes Jodie Whittaker, Aimee Lou Wood, Robert Carlyle, and Brendan Coyle. The idea of the show is sound and the execution of this four-episode series is solid. But it’s the kind of story we’ve seen played out before, most notably in the film Erin Brokovich, so this doesn’t feel especially unique. It’s entertaining enough and a short commitment that will appeal to those who enjoy this kind of series.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Running Point, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered February 27)
About: This series is a comedy that comes from Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholz, and Elaine Ko. It’s loosely based on the life of Jeanie Buss, the President of the Los Angeles Lakers, and she serves as a producer on the series. The show finds Kate Hudson as the daughter of a maverick Basketball Franchise owner that is working for the team along with her brothers (Justin Theroux, Drew Tarver, and Scott MacArthur) in the wake of their father’s death. When her oldest brother (Theroux) runs into a scandal, he appoints his sister to run the team. The series is about her adjusting to the job, managing her brothers, and trying to get the franchise back into the playoffs. It's a fun set up and a great cast. I like Hudson a lot in the lead role, and I enjoyed the writing and ideas in the series. It’s a 10-episode season, with each running about a half an hour. It makes for a quick binge and the episodes move at a good pace. If you like comedies, this is worth seeking out. I enjoyed this quite a bit.
Pilot Grade: B-
Second Episode: C+