Summer TV Roundup, Week 3

We’re rapidly running through June, getting a mix of new scripted and reality shows. After a week away, below is a look at the new shows we’re gotten of late. Which of them 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 summer. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Mondays:
Virgins, Mondays at 9 p.m. on TLC (Premiered June 9)
About: This new reality series follows four adults who are, as the title suggests, virgins. They range in age from 34 to 42, and all have an interesting backstory. We have three women and one men, all of whom are virgins for various reasons. All of them long to end that and find love, but can they get it done? This sounds like a wild idea, which is what first drew me to try it out. However, the stories here are a little sadder than what you’re expecting. These are real people with real issues. That leads to some interesting introspection and some awkward moments as this series unfolds. I was fascinated by what we saw but it was different than expected. Will it work for you? That probably depends on what you’re looking for in a show, but this isn’t like the Judd Apatow movie, it’s a little more difficult to watch.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Tuesdays:
The Snake, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered June 10)
About: The latest from the world of reality on FOX is a new competition show. It pits a group of strangers against one another in a game of alliances, lies, and betrayal. This feels like the FOX answer to Traitors, only with a cast of every day people. They compete each week and one becomes The Snake, granting them immunity. While one in the bottom two is sent home. It’s an interesting formula and some of the grossest challenges imaginable, at least through the first two weeks. But there is a lack of pop in some of the personalities. Will the series move past that? It’s hard to say. If you’re into competition series, this will appeal to you.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C

Thursdays:
Revival, Streaming Thursdays on Peacock (Premiered June 12)
About: This new series is an original drama for SyFy, which is most easily found streaming on Peacock. The series is based on the Comic Book of the same name. The episodes air on SyFy and drop a week later on Peacock. So, only the pilot is available streaming currently while episode three drops on Thursday night live. The series is set in a small town where people who were recently deceased rise from the dead. There is no explanation, yet, but plenty of intrigue. That puts the local Sheriff, Wayne Cypress (David James Elliott), at the center of things. His daughter, Deputy Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano), is thrust into it, too. As the show begins, she is ready to leave her hometown for a new job. Then the dead rise. Flash-forward 35 days later, and Dana is stuck in her same job as the town is on lock down. She also investigates what’s going on to try and find some answers. The pilot does a decent job of laying out the world, but it feels a bit like a B-series option. Will it improve? Perhaps. Those who are fans of the comic likely will be invested either way. There’s potential but the pilot wasn’t exceptional.
Pilot Grade: C-

Streaming Series:
We Were Liars, Now Streaming on Prime Video (Premiered June 18)
About: The latest for Prime Video is a series based on the novel of the same name from E. Lockhart. It was adapted by Julie Plec (The Vampire Diaries) and Carina Adly McKenzie (The Originals), creating a soapy melodrama for a family that has its own private island as a summer getaway. There, Harris (David Morse) and Tipper Sinclair (Wendy Crewson) lead the family. Each summer they gather with their three adult daughters (Mamie Gummer, Caitlyn FitzGerald, and Candice King), their families, and their grandchildren. Among them are the oldest, Cadence (Emily Alyn Lind), Mirren (Esther McGregor), and Johnny (Joseph Zada). Those three, in addition to Gat (Shubham Maheshwari), nephew to Carrie’s (Gummer) boyfriend Ed (Rahul Kohli), form a tight click. They come to be known as the Liars, gathering and enjoying summers together for years. But near the end of one summer, Cadence suffers a traumatic injury that strips her memory. Now, a year later, they are back together as Cadence tries to put together the pieces of what happened. As you might well imagine, there is plenty of teen angst here. The performances are fine, and there is plenty to like if you enjoy soapy drama. The first couple episodes build the world and set the stakes in motion. Whether you’re invested in the outcome will probably impact how you feel about the show moving forward. All eight episodes are available to stream, each of them running about an hour. The first two were fine, but the runtime felt a bit much at times.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C

The Waterfront, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered June 19)
About: This new soap opera comes from Kevin Williamson (Dawson’s Creek). It is set in North Carolina, and I saw someone call it grown up Dawson’s Creek, and now I can’t think of it as anything else. That being said, this is about a family that owns the bulk of a small town but has plenty of problems. Their business isn’t what it used to be, leading son Cane (Jake Weary) to get into drug running. This comes with the knowledge of his mother, Belle (Maria Bello), who sees it as a means of bailing them out. Things go wrong, and that pulls patriarch Harlan (Holt McCallany) into it all. Their daughter, Bree (Melissa Benoist) has her own issues. She’s recovering from drug issues and in a brutal custody battle. She’s also a secret informant for the DEA. She thinks she’s busting her brother but doesn’t realize the extent her family is in the world. That’s a lot for a set up and it feels like a lot in the first two episodes. Each runs near an hour, packing in a lot of stories and exposition. Those are the longest episodes, with the rest of the eight-episode series running closer to 45 minutes. Is it good though? Well, it’s unclear after two episodes. I like the cast, but the set up feels like a lot. We’ll have to see if Williamson can nail a more adult premise.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C+