Broadcast Spring 2019 TV Review:

2019 Spring TV Review:

CBS:

Fam: Nina Dobrev (from Degrassi and Vampire Diaries) stars in a comedy about a new kind of family a “Fam”.  She has everything a young woman could want, a dream job, an ideal fiancé played by Tone Bell and his loving parents but something turns her perfect life upside down. Her teenager half-sister who is out of control unexpectedly comes to live with her and fiancé because of the train wreck of a father they share.  As her family from her past she worked so hard to get away from starts to blend with her new family she realizes that this new blended “Fam” might be what she was looking for her whole life. It also stars Broadway actors Brain Stokes Mitchell and Sheryl Lee Ralph as Bell’s parents plus veteran actor Gary Cole as the father of two half sisters. The comedic timing between the actors who play Bell’s parents is great plus how in sync Bell and Dobrev are as a couple. It’s like they played a couple before who got engaged, oh wait they did in a movie called Dogs Days last year which is probably why they were casted, the chemistry is great. They also did a great job casting Cole as her deadbeat dad he usually gets the best one liners or just the funnier lines when he does appear/speak. It is also noticeable the actress playing the teenage sister Odessa Adlon knows how to act like it’s in her genes, oh wait her mom is Pamela Adlon famous voice actor and comedic actor who comes from a family in the business. Adlon’s father was Don Segall who was a television comedy writer. This show has enough laughs that it should keep fitting in perfectly in the same block as “Mom” and where “Happy Together” should be where its comedies about young adults. The question will be will they have a enough material of the older sister trying to parent her half sister who has no parental guidance her whole life in many situations they get into. Will they dive into more back-story of Bell and his parents before he got engaged or flashbacks to when Cole tried to raise either one of his daughters? Plus the only major life event that will happen in the show is when they get married which could be in season 2 if only days or weeks pass between each episode.

Verdict: Renewed.  CBS put it on the right night in the correct block of shows that it makes sense to keep it where it is since you’re losing TBBT this year. It is also really funny based on the parents in the show, Stokes Mitchell, Ralph and Cole and that dysfunctional families are relatable to many. 

The Code: Luke Mitchell (of Agents of Shield and Blindspot) stars as Captain John Abraham a former marine infantry Officer who was wounded while serving in Afghanistan and had to become an attorney instead. He works for Judge Advocate General Headquarters in Quantico where the military's brightest minds take on the United States' toughest legal challenges, inside the courtroom and out. In this law office every attorney is trained as a prosecutor, a defense lawyer, an investigator and a Marine. These active-duty Marines are attorneys who have chosen to serve their country in pursuit of military justice at home and abroad, often having to put aside their ideals for the sake of the truth. It also stars Dana Delany of (China Beach and many voice acting roles) as the Colonel in charge of these Marines and Ato Essandoh(of Chicago Med) who plays a Major who is Mitchell’s supervisor. It is a very interesting idea to a law show/procedural show with it being Marines who try cases but all of these are military based. I don’t like them taking turns on who is prosecutor and defender, makes it feel fake since they aren’t passionately on one side. CBS is trying to bank on the success of the long running franchise NCIS which was a spinoff of JAG of military based court room/crime solving shows. They are doing a good job of probing into aspects of military life and the traumas that go along with it, with each case as you really feel for each person on whichever side they are on. 

Verdict: Renewed. Due to the success of NCIS of 16 years and their spinoffs of 15 years combined plus JAG which was on for 10 years anything related to the Marines or law shows CBS will try to keep it on the air so they can have another long running show. You will tune into also because of the acting skills of the lead in Mitchell, he is always part of a long running show and a character you like seeing. They also have a Seal team in its second season another military based show so they are trying to bank on more shows like it and it’s not a boring law show since its military law. 

The Red Line: This show is filmed exclusively in Chicago about three Chicago families the Calder, Young and Evans whose stories of loss and tragedy intersect in the wake of the mistaken shooting of an African American doctor by a white cop. This is CBS’s attempt to pull at the heart strings and make you feel like NBC does with “This is Us” and ABC does with “A Million Little Things” by telling a sad story that has a message of hope appears, it's possible to emerge from tragedy stronger, and it's important to come together with others, not just to survive, but to thrive.  It stars Noah Wyle (of ER) as the main character who loses his spouse and has to raise his young adoptive black daughter in a racially charged city of Chicago alone while it also takes place through the other two families’ prospective including the family of the cop by played Noel Fisher (of Shameless) that shot the Wyle’s spouse and a young married couple where the wife is running for councilmen trying to improve the Southside of Chicago. CBS has decided to show two a time which means you have to sit through two hours of drama and emotions which is good if it’s moving along and is interesting like the other two popular dramas about loss but so far it drags too much. I know they are trying to get their footing and introduce you to the story and the characters but it is just too many boring or unneeded scenes. You can show two at a time if it’s a half hour sitcom or a procedural show which is what CBS is known for but not long one hour drama. It is certainly interesting and based off a real incident between a cop and an unarmed black man and it does make you feel like the other shows but it doesn’t have the same feel as the others do. I like that it is another show filmed in Chicago not just parts of it being filmed there it’s all filmed here. What connects so many people no matter who they are is they all have to take the CTA but red line most times. 

Verdict: Cancelled. It helps it’s a limited release but the two at a time and its slowly moving/unneeded scenes and it being all over the place with three storylines that you know meet up with each other is too much. Not many people are interested in being sad or being emotional if it’s not interesting or attention grabbing. It is centered on race but it also throws in the LGBTQ community which is again throwing too much into the show when there is too much going on when you’re trying to learn about these characters and their back stories. I give CBS credit for trying something different but they might need to go back to the drawing board. 

NBC:

Abby’s: Natalie Morales (of Parks & Rec and The Grinder) stars as Abby a former Marine Sergeant who has owned her own unlicensed bar in backyard of the home she rents in San Diego. This show is filmed in front of an audience where lots of sitcoms are but this one is unique because it is filmed outside which is an interesting take on the many kinds of shows that have to deal with bars like Cheers, and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia to name some but all are indoors. It is another show that Michael Schur has his hand in as he is one the co-creators of The Office, Brooklyn 99, The Good place and Parks & Rec. It has an ensemble cast so you can get to like the show without it being tied down to one main actor. Abby has a set of rules for this bar like no cell phones, earning a seat at the bar takes time, and losing a challenge means drinking a limey, sugary, non-beer cocktail and the regulars have no problems with the rules as they like having a place to go and drinks are cheap. The show takes place in the midst of the show as her new landlord (Nelson Franklin of The Millers and Blackish) becomes the nephew of the original one and he is there to close it/make improvements which cause issues not just with Abby herself but her regular customers who have become like family. Her father’s divorced friend is one of them played by Neil Flynn (of Scrubs and the Middle) and Jessica Chaffin (of Zoey 101 and Big Mouth) playing a housewife who lives around the block. 

Verdict: Renewed. It has a clever idea for a bar sitcom, has a good ensemble cast of veteran TV actors/standup comedians and with Schur behind it. NBC has the faith in him to guide it to making it really enjoyable since previous sitcoms he worked on it took a bit of time for it get off the ground before it became really funny, this funny and has lots of room to improve. There are many plots to explore for the main character and the rest of them that are intriguing enough that we all want to see where it goes so it needs a few seasons to get those answers. 

The Enemy Within: Morris Chestnut (of Rosewood and V) stars as FBI agent Will Keaton who leads a unit is trying to take down a Russian master criminal named Mikhail Vassily Tal since he struck again with bombings. Tal tried to bomb places three years ago but threatened to kill CIA Deputy Director of Operations Eric Sheppard’s (played by Jessica Carpenter of Limitless) daughter unless she told him the agents who disarmed his attempts. She had no choice but to comply. It results in her getting those agents killed, her marked as a traitor and arrested by Keaton himself without possibility of parole. In order to take down Tal his boss tells him to recruit Sheppard into the investigation since she had been working to take down Tal before she was branded a traitor. After helping him take down one of his operative she tells Keaton she isn’t a traitor because of why she did it and that Tal's network has grown in the past years with his allies blending in with society until they are given orders to attack. Keaton is reluctant to work with her because she ruined his life since one of those agents was his fiancé but in order to take down the spies within the government sometimes to catch a spy, you must trust one. The strong acting of Carpenter and Chestnut as leads in a procedural show is very apparent because of their previous roles especially Chestnut who is always playing a good guy so root for him. He is seeking revenge and we all want him to get it plus we want Carpenter to prove she wasn’t a traitor and protect her daughter.  It is a very believable concept there are spies among us that we don’t know where they are embedded and we want to take them down. So it has enough material that they can use over a few years,. Like every FBI team they have experts on the team. They have a expert interrogator name Daniel Zain(played by Raza Jaffrey of Code Black), a tech analyst with the Cyber Division name Kate Ryan, and a former Army Ranger he sends out on missions name Jason Braggs (played by Noah Mills of the Brave). 

Verdict: Renewed. It has a strong premise, enough source material and strong lead actors that can lead to a long run for this FBI procedural show. 

The Village: In this ensemble cast drama when usually ensemble cast are for sitcoms, centers around the tenants in an apartment building in Brooklyn call the Village where the people who reside in the building have built a bonded family of friends and neighbors. It is owned by an older black couple played by Lorraine Toussaint (of Rosewood and Any Day now) and Frankie Faison(of the Wire and True Colors) who are the heart and soul of this building who try to fix all the tenants problems despite each of them having their problems. It centers on recently discharged army ranger Nick Porter(played by Warren Chrisite of Alpha) who lost a leg in Afghanistan who moves into the building and we find out it wasn’t just kindness by a nurse he knows Sarah Campbell(played by Michaela McManus of Seal Team and SVU),  a single mother who lives there too. It also has a young law student Gabe who has to take care of his grandpa who doesn’t want to live in a the nursing home but his old apt. The other tenants are a young cop name Ben, a single mother who is an Iranian refuge name Ava with her son, and Katie who is Sarah’s teen daughter. The show is mostly Porter adjusting to not being in the military, losing a leg and going through physical therapy and trying to figure out his role in Sarah and Katie’s life. Their hopeful, heartwarming and challenging stories of life prove family is everything, even if it's the family created with the people around them. 

Verdict: Renewed. It pulls at our emotional heart strings with each of their struggles because we all have struggles that are similar to their problems, a second “This is US” for NBC drama that gets you. You want to root for each and every character that they pull through and fix their problems. You want Ben to get his life back on track and with the help of this Village you hope it does. It has a good ensemble cast with talented actors as well so you have actors in the show you have seen before. You will want to keep tuning in to see if things improve or get worse which is a good indicator if people will continue to keep watching the show if you want to watch the next episode right away. 

ABC:

Whiskey Cavalier: FBI super agent Will Chase (codename: Whiskey Cavalier played by Scott Foley of Felicity and the Unit) is tasked in getting an NSA analyst Edgar Standish (played by Tyler James Williams of Everybody Hates Chris) who has classified intelligence that he is trying to sell but runs into a CIA operative Frankie Trowbridge (codename: Fiery Tribune played by Lauren Cohan of Walking Dead and Vampire Diaries) who is also trying to capture him. After this one mission of them having to work together to find out that Standish isn’t a traitor and help secure the sensitive information he has, they are tasked to work together as interagency team with their own allies that helped them on that mission. Standish is on the team doing the same work he did for the NSA, so is Chase’s best friend behavior scientist Susan Sampson and Trowbridge’s tech genius Jai Datta of the CIA. The only problem for Chase is his ex best friend/coworker was the guy his ex fiancé cheated on him with back in Paris is charge of giving this team the missions. This FBI/CIA show isn’t your typical procedural show; it has lightness to it with subtle humor that it isn’t a comedy but has enough laughs that the show isn’t all seriousness like other shows. It has a very playful feel between the leads because it’s the old will they won’t they situation but its different because the guy is the emotional guy and the woman is the no feeling it’s just a job/mission. They have inside jokes between the people who worked together before and the show is more entertaining not only because of the missions they go on/action scenes that happens, but the fact you can laugh during different parts of the show  and it’s easier to get attached to the characters when they aren’t all mission this and mission that. It has a feel of they are a family working together well a work family. It also has a great theme song which is a lost art nowadays. 

Verdict: Renewed. It is one of those shows that is based on the spy missions, the actors in the show, the lightness to a procedural show and the premise it has you wanting to watch the very next episode right away, which most shows don’t have. 

The Fix: Eight years after being an LA assistant DA prosecuting a famous actor for double homicide in which May Travis (played by Robin Tunney of Prison Break and the Mentalist)lost it changed her life forever. She has been living on a ranch in a whole new life in Washington State after that case ruined her career and her life, she is brought back to LA again by her former boyfriend/co-worker who’s now the assistant DA after the same actor is under suspicion of murder again. Like the last time the actor named Sevvy Johnson (played by Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje of OZ and Lost) has turned to his lawyer from before Ezra Wolf, who is considered a dirty lawyer who will do whatever it takes to prove his client is not charged with murder again. Travis now has to work with her boyfriend who is her boss now, a woman who has her old job who is upset she is in charge of this case but is secretly sending Intel to the other side and her former best friend CJ Bernstein(played by Merrin Dungey of King of Queens and Alias), the senior investigator for the DA’s office, who was not told that Travis left the DA’s office and moved away 8 years ago until later on so she doesn’t seem the most interested in working with Travis. The head of the DA’s office is Alan Wiest (played by Breckin Meyer of Franklin & Bash and various voice acting roles) who seems more interested in protecting his job than getting Johnson behind bars and is looking for political gain as well. It all has a good sense of where it wants to go as a crimes solving legal drama centered on a celebrity and revenge. One of the things that derails it, is it’s confusing as to whose kid each of his are from previous marriages since they are featured heavily. What role does  his first wife play who as an ex spends lots of time around him just for money played by Robin Givens of Riverdale, most recently why she is in the picture in the first place and how important she becomes in the case. He also mentions another son who is away at school, does he play a role like the other kids he has from his previous marriage? Or does his oldest daughter who isn’t a fan of him because the latest murder investigation is over his girlfriend who was friends with his daughter? You also have the relationship the two main characters had in the past despite the fact he is married now and she has a boyfriend you question if they are going to slip up and get together which might derail the case. The hope is the questions about Johnson’s kids, his ex wife, and all the other things that have us with questions get answered because we all don’t want to be confused when watching a show that is solving a murder. The strong supporting cast of actors who have names along with the strong performances by Tunney and Akinnuoye-Agbaje really sell the seriousness around the case and behind the curtain on a killer trying to get away with it. 

Verdict: Canceled. It seems they are trying very hard to make you believe that in Marica Clark who made this show that it is her 2^nd attempt in trying to prove OJ did it as the actor in this show got off because of they were attacking a famous black man. That if she got another chance to prosecute him she would.  It has many plot holes and questions so the viewer becomes confused instantly when starting the show. 

Bless this Mess: Dax Sheppard & Lake Bell star as Rio and Mike a married couple of one year who make the decision to change the course of their life together by quitting their jobs and leave her overbearing mother to be farmers. They leave the big city of New York for what they think will be a more relaxed existence in rural Nebraska after Mike inherits a farm from his deceased aunt but they soon realize it’s harder than they realize. They must now learn how to weather the storm as they are faced with unexpected challenges in their new lives as farmers despite her mother, the neighbors and everyone doubting they can actually be successful as farmers. Bell created the show and produces it. I can give her credit for coming up with something unique and creative with a world full of remakes and spinoffs. A sitcom about a recently married couple has been done but not one where they decide to change up their lives completely and it taking place on a farm when other farm sitcoms don’t have the same premise like Green Acres. It has strong leads in Bell and Sheppard plus good supporting cast in Ed Begley Jr. the weirdo who lives in their barn and their neighbor who has been farming for years in David Koechner (of Anchorman). 

Verdict: Renewed. In line of ABC’s success of making good sitcoms they should renew this show because of it being an original idea with a good cast and lots of interesting plot ideas that would only come if it got a good run like exploring this rural area/the people in the town and their family coming out to visit them. We also want to see if they ever figure out how to be good farmers since we could get emotionally attached and want to go on the journey with them. 

CW:

Roswell, New Mexico: After leaving her home after high school graduation Liz Ortecho comes home to Roswell New Mexico to look after her ailing father but her whole life gets turned upside down. She runs in her to high school crush Max Evans who is now the sheriff in town and uncovers that Max and his other triplets are aliens that they have kept their origins and abilities secret their whole life. As Liz and Max grow closer she struggles to keep the truth from her best friend Maria, and her high school ex, Dr. Kyle Valenti, but concealing the siblings' true identities is more important than ever, as the government is trying to find more alien life to experiment on. There were supposedly aliens back in the day that the government covered up in Roswell and how Rosa the sister of Liz really died before high school ended. Some of the issues with the show are it is way too much high school drama and teenage girl centric. The show is Sci-Fi based where characters are aliens and the government is trying to hide aliens from the public/want to capture some to experiment on. Also, there seems to be more than one mystery on hand besides Liz trying to find out about how her sister died, as other characters are also looking for clues for things about the past and everyone has a secret they are hiding from the rest. Another issue is they have to make sure everyone has someone they are interested in which I could care less about. They need to stick to solving the mysteries each character is trying to figure out and be more Sci-Fi about aliens being in the show. Plus there are too many characters that keeping popping up that Liz knows that I am confusing them all unless they are one of the triplet aliens. 

Verdict: Cancelled. The show is all over the place in terms of what genre it wants to be and too many characters with too many things going on at once that makes it hard to follow some of the time. Yes it being too girl teenager is good for the CW but it ruins the Sci-Fi element plus it’s a remake where they decided to also add racial tensions since her dad is an illegal immigrant and people in the town don’t like that.

In the Dark: Ben Stiller executive produces this drama about a 20 something blind woman name Murphy(played by Perry Mattfeld from Shamless) who drifts through life in a drunken haze who doesn’t  take things seriously. She has only two friends Jess her understanding roommate who is a veterinarian, and Tyson a teenage drug dealer who saved her from a violent mugging. While she is out for a walk with her guide dog, Pretzel, she stumbles upon a corpse that must be Tyson's, but it disappears before the police arrive. When they do not seem inclined to investigate, Murphy clings onto the only thing that can keep her together which is figuring out what happened to her friend. She decides she needs to solve the murder herself, while also managing her colorful dating life and the job she hates at "Guiding Hope," a school for guide dogs owned by her overprotective parents. This show is definitely an odd type of show and it is also filmed in Chicago which isn’t always the case as most shows are in LA or NYC. Most CW shows have a girly or high school touch to this but in every scene she isn’t at work or walking around has to be a sex scene which makes it like a porno. There is no redeeming quality in this blind woman despite her looking into how her friend died as she keeps self sabotaging that effort and her whole life plus the people in her life. Her adoptive parents don’t seem very believable in that role; her co-worker is a joke of a person and actor. It’s not believable that her roommate would be her roommate because of how difficult of a person she is plus she is blind who she can’t do much to help out in the apartment. Also, that she is a veterinarian who happens to work at the same guide dog place she and her parents work at/own. Plus we don’t really need to see her roommate’s love life as well. They also are trying very hard for some emotional growth in the main character by making the cop(played by Rich Sommer of Mad Man) she goes to help in solving the murder of her friend by making him have a daughter who is blind. They force this story plot on you so the cop can have a bigger role and make her seem like she can be a good person as she is a role model for the cop’s blind daughter. 

Verdict: Cancelled. There isn’t much of anything you can find redeeming out of this character and no real good character development in the supporting characters that they probably didn’t take time to make good back stories or characteristics. They probably assume you would only care about the lead which they are wrong about because this character isn’t great and you want to see if any other character is developed but none are. It is a train wreck and not typical CW form for shows about girls and dating ,its more R rated than PG13 which is what they usually go for when it’s not a superhero show. With CW losing many shows this year and next to final seasons they felt they needed to renew every show despite not giving this show more than just three episodes before they renewed it. Most shows have to wait till the season is over or even longer to know its fate. The leash should have been 5-8 episodes before making a decision. This is not a play on words because she a has a guide dog it’s just most shows that are high quality don’t always get renewed and if they do it takes more episodes. 

Fox:

The Passage: Based on author Justin Cronin's trilogy of the same name, `The Passage' is a Sci-Fi action show that focuses on Project Noah, a secret medical facility where scientists experiment with a dangerous virus that could lead to the cure for all disease but it also could potentially wipe out the human race. The goal is to find a cure for a virus in Asia that is having an outbreak but their human subjects who are all adults. It doesn’t seem to working so they deicide they need to get a child to test on. Cue Mark-Paul Gosselaar (From Saved by the Bell and Franklin & Bash) a federal agent named Brad Wolgast tasked with getting said child Amy who is in foster care after her mom dies. But he soon realizes that he doesn’t want Amy to be tested on too, have a normal life based on what has happened to the other subjects who are prisoners on death row. They go on the run but eventually end up in Colorado inside of Project Noah. His goal is still to protect her at all costs even after she is given the drugs they are testing. Wolgast has to deal with his older military buddy running security and the lead scientists who haven’t been telling him the whole truth. He soon finds out they are turning into “vampires” rather than die from the drugs they are taking so his only goal is to get Amy out before everything gets worse for her. Plus those former prisoners on death row have become “Vampires” who are now testing their own powers and are trying to escape the compound which could lead to an unimaginable apocalypse. They are led by former scientist Dr. Tim Fanning who is one of these creatures and his best friend is one of the lead scientists Dr. Jonas Lear(From Lost and the 100) who is running the project in order to find a cure for his friend, humanity and his wife. This show is Sci-Fi based but it is all over the place and is confusing on where it’s going to go. Is it about finding a cure with science to avoid a plague that wipes out humanity or is it fantasy about stopping the vampire apocalypse?  Could it be both which is confusing, stopping a plague or an apocalypse? The books are based on how Amy’s life since she was injected with the drugs to see if they can stop the virus. So will the show if it gets a few seasons age her and see her in the future?  It doesn’t seem clear which direction they want to go and how they plan on doing it so far. I give Gosselaar much credit as the lead trying to will this show with acting talents but despite his good acting the show seems destined to be another super imaginative concept show that doesn’t get off the ground like APB.  Fox cancelled APB axed after one season despite being a really interesting show that had science involved. 

Verdict: Cancelled. Too much going on that makes people confused unless you go back and read the book which many people will not do. 

Proven Innocent: This show tells the emotional story of one woman's fight to prove the innocence of wrongfully convicted people. Madeline Scott leads a criminal defense firm after she was wrongfully convicted in a murder case of her friend’s death that made her and her brother infamous media obsession. Madeline runs the legal firm with her partner, Easy Boudreau, the very lawyer who helped set her free after 10 years in prison who is a devout Christian who regularly has to see if his religious beliefs could be compromised on each case. Their team also includes investigator Bodie Quick which most firms have, and communications director Violet Price, who runs a true crime podcast that follows each investigation. Scott also keeps butting heads with the cook county state attorney played by Kelsey Grammer even after he sent her and her brother to prison since. She purposely tries to get all convictions overturned especially his if he was wrong about her he could be wrong about other people. I like the fact that the show takes place in Chicago since most shows takes place in LA or NYC but highly doubt the whole show is filmed there. I am unsure if she will go after all of his convictions only or just seemingly fall into a case that he did since a few haven’t involved him, but seems like the premise is to take him down for being corrupt and putting people away just to become attorney general of Illinois. I don’t know where they are going in her search for the real killer of her friend or in making sure her brother is ok; it is just extra storylines that take away from overturning convictions. I also don’t care about her past of when she was in jail unless certain experiences help her win cases. This idea was already done by Haley Atwell on ABC and only got one season so I don’t have much faith in this premise succeeding again nor in Fox after the recent run of canceling great shows, so good shows I have even less faith in. It is also is in an odd time slot following sitcoms which doesn’t bode well either. 

Verdict: Cancelled. Premise has been done before, time slot odd and the extra baggage this show has put on you in the first handful of episodes take away from the good that the show is trying to do here.