Summer TV Roundup, Week 13

Labor Day weekend marks the unofficial end of summer, especially when it comes to TV and movies. We didn’t get a lot of new shows this week, but it was the final dash before we launch into the premiers of Fall. So, what of these new shows are worth checking out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I look at the pilot and second episode of new shows this summer. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Mondays:
Lego Masters Jr., Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX (Premiered August 18)
About: This is basically a copy of the original series with a new host—Kelly Osbourne—a new Lego Master—previous contestant Boone—and teams of kids instead of adults. The challenges are a bit more kid-friendly, too, and each team has a celebrity adult attached. All that works fine, but it doesn’t account for how much harder it is to see kids struggle. The second episode featured not one but two tearful moments. One when a team melted down during the process, and one when our first team was eliminated. I like the Lego Masters format, but it’s a little harder to be critical about teams of kids, so it feels a little tougher to watch. It’s still fun for fans, but it isn’t as satisfying as the adult version.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C

Wednesdays:
The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, Streaming Wednesdays on Prime Video (Premiered August 29)
About: This new series is a spin-off and prequel at the same time. It’s from the world of The Terminal List, which debuted in 2022 and starred Chris Pratt as a Navy Seal on a mission for answers. One of the characters in that was played by Taylor Kitsch, a friend and former Seal. This new series focuses on Kitsch’s Ben, showing how he fell out from the Seals and got into a different kind of covert warfare. The first three of a planned seven episodes dropped on Wednesday, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly. Each episode was at least an hour and certainly contains a blend of war action and violence. Kitsch is solid in the lead role, with Tom Hopper and Robert Wisdom among the supporting cast. Pratt also reprises his role in the pilot. If you were a fan of the original series, this will be more of the same for you. But I thought the pilot moved at a somewhat glacial pace. The second episode—which expands more of the mission—was a little better, and a little tighter. Still, this won’t be for everyone.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C+

Streaming Series:
The Runarounds, Now Streaming on Prime Video (Premiered September 1)
About: This new series for Prime Video comes from Jonas Pate, the creator of Outer Banks on Netflix. It’s another show following teens, this time a group of musicians who come together to form a band as their high school years are ending. They hope this will not only be a creative outlet, but the ticket out of their small town and into a bigger world. But can they get it to all come together? The season’s eight episodes all run around an hour—or more—and are all now streaming. It makes sense as a Labor Day drop to give people a chance to binge, but that’s provided you’re into these characters and this world. The pilot moves at a glacial pace, and unfortunately through the early episodes none of the characters or the potential storylines really popped for me. I also was mid on the music. Again, if the genre or the set-up grabs you, this is a doable binge. Unfortunately, this lacked the sizzle of Pate’s previous series.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C