Winter TV Roundup, Week 9

We’ve made it through February and the Olympics are over. That means we’ve back to the regularly scheduled flood of new series. Many new shows launched right out of the gate this week, with more scheduled the next few months. But what of these new series 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.

Mondays:
CIA, Mondays at 10 p.m. on CBS (Premiered February 23)
About: This new series is a spin-off of FBI. It’s focused on a joint FBI-CIA taskforce. The pilot set up the construct and the tie-in between FBI Agent Bill Goodman (Nick Gehlfuss) and CIA Agent Colin Glass (Tom Ellis). The first episode was about their uneasy partnership, setting the template for the series, and the shadow mission for Agent Goodman. The second episode continues that formula. A lot here relies on the uneasy partnership between Goodman and Glass. The actors are OK, and some of the story is interesting. But this lacks the charm and pop of the original series. For those that are wedded to the CBS crime drama format, or have a love of Ellis, this will work. For casual fans, there are a lot of options on TV and this likely won’t make the top cut.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

Wednesdays:
Scrubs, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC (Premiered February 25)
About: Scrubs was a long-running sitcom for NBC that transitioned to ABC for its final season. That was in 2010. It’s been a long time since Scrubs was a fixture on television. Now, it’s back. The original cast is back, too, specifically Zach Braff, Donald Faison, and Sarah Chalke. The new show also introduces new doctors and storylines. We also get John C. McGinley in the premier episode, sort of handing the reigns over. This show, in many ways, feels like a time capsule. It feels very much of a piece with the style and performances we got in the original series. It’s like a little blast of nostalgia. While I loved Scrubs throughout its run, in terms of the way series are done and paced in the current era, this feels a little stiff and a little slow. The heart is there, and additions like Joel Kim Booster and Vanessa Bayer help bring it into the modern era, but it still feels like a bit of a time capsule. It makes sense for ABC to take the swing, and fans of the original will be thrilled, but this works mostly through its reliance on nostalgia. That’s not a bad thing, but it might not be the best way to sell a new series.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Sundays:
Marshals, Sundays at 9 p.m. on CBS (Premiered March 1)
About: This is the first of a few planned spin-offs of Yellowstone. This one focuses on Kayce Dutton (Luke Grimes). A lot has happened to him since the original series ended. He’s still on his little place, living with his son, Tate (Brecken Merrill). His wife has passed away, and it’s been hard for Kayce and Tate. They are working the farm, but neither really has their heart in it. When Kayce’s old buddy, Pete (Logan Marshall-Green), arrives as a U.S. Marshal with a case, Kayce is sucked back in. When it threatens his friends on the reservation, he finds his new calling to help law enforcement in the region again, providing a new start for him and Tate. I always loved Kayce and the performance from Grimes on Yellowstone. It’s a bit of a bummer that his happy ending on that series is derailed to make this new show work. But it’s interesting to see him working in law enforcement again. This is a different kind of series, but I enjoyed the premise, and I thought the pilot moved at a good pace. It has a solid cast and could be a modest hit as part of the CBS Sunday night lineup.
Pilot Grade: C+

DTF St. Louis, Sundays at 9 p.m on HBO (Premiered March 1)
About: This dark comedy comes from creator Steve Conrad (Patriot), who writes and directs all seven episodes. It’s set in the suburbs of St. Louis and focused on two men—Clark (Jason Bateman) and Floyd (David Harbour)—who find each other and become friends in 2018. Their lives begin to intertwine, and both are struggling in their marriage. Clark proposes they join a site—DTF St. Louis—to find new excitement. Before long, Floyd is found dead. And it turns out there was more going on with Clark and Floyd’s wife, Carol (Linda Cardellini), than first appeared. A pair of detectives (Richard Jenkins and Joy Sunday) begin to dig into the mystery as secrets are uncovered. The pilot moved through the introduction to these characters, their fast friendship, the crime, and the investigation. The tone is unique here. The comedy is dry and observational, but it is amusing. The story is a bit darker and a bit of a mystery. But I like the cast and I like the potential here. This might not have an obvious appeal to causal HBO viewers, but there’s potential here. I’ll be curious, too, to see it combined with the new Steve Carell comedy beginning next week.
Pilot Grade: B-

Streaming Series:
The Gray House, now Streaming on Prime Video (Premiered February 26)
About: This new, eight-part series is set before, during, and after the Civil War. It comes from producers Morgan Freeman—who narrates the opening—and Kevin Costner, focusing on the underground railroad and the spy ring that helped turn the tide of the war. The series is set in Virginia and has a strong cast led by Mary Louise Parker, Daisy Head, and Ben Vereen. The episodes are long—often running well over an hour. And that leads to some glacial pacing that can be rough. The first two episodes combined total more than two and a half hours. If you’re a fan of historical dramas and the time period, that is still worth the commitment. But I found the narrative dry and the episode pacing too slow to keep me rooted to the narrative. That makes this an ambitious swing, and an important story, that’s wrapped up in unappealing packaging.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-