Broadcast Spring 2023 TV Review:

 CBS:

True Lies: Helen, a language professor bored with her daily routine, makes the shocking discovery that her seemingly ordinary husband Harry(played by Steve Howey of Reba & Shamless) is a first-class international spy for U.S. intelligence agency Omega Sector. With the secret out, Omega recruits Helen, who impresses everyone with her formidable skills, and she joins Harry and his team of top-notch operatives, embarking on covert missions around the globe and an exhilarating life of danger and adventure. The renewed bond between them adds much-needed sizzle to their emotionally distant marriage and upends the top-secret world of Omega Sector. 

Verdict: Cancelled. Do they think we are stupid? How can you take this show seriously? It is one thing when the James Cameron movie came out it was a one-time thing being a movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis but not plausible for a full season or more. CBS needs to stop making remakes of old classic shows, rebooting movies or reviving old shows when they have good quality one hour shows already. It is nice that Howey is finally a lead in a show after being on so many shows as a supporting role but he isn’t the reason the show is bad. They made sure his wife is a minority so the kids are mixed but it’s her acting credits that don’t wow anyone to be a spy even if it is by accident as it literally says comedian or sitcoms on her acting list. The other agents seem to be wasteful in terms of their dialogue not needed- just do the missions as they are unknowns plus looks like they dated. The good thing is Omar Lopez(of the Unicorn & Ballers) is the tech guy as he offers some humor to the stale show as his last show was unjustly cancelled. The kids also seem to be filler so he can have a real life despite them saying they made an exception for him to be married because he is “the best spy out there”. I guess they think having guest stars will make it passable but Matthew Lillard, Keith David, Tom Arnold and the boss being Beverly D’Angelo are not going to save a show when most of the characters or plot are bad. There is actually no room in the upcoming schedule for this show as FBI franchise, NCIS franchise, CSI, Equalizer, two of the freshmen shows have been renewed plus potential new shows coming and waiting for mainstays SWAT & Blue Bloods to be renewed so just cancel this show and save everyone some time. 

ABC: 

Will Trent: Based on Karin Slaughter's bestselling books, the series follows Special Agent Will Trent(Ramon Rodriguez of the Wire & Daybreak) of the Georgia Bureau of Investigations. As a child, Trent was abandoned and was forced to endure a harsh coming-of-age in Atlanta's overwhelmed foster care system. Now that he is in a position to make a difference, Trent is determined to use his unique point of view to make sure no one is abandoned like he was. His personal motivation and background/ unique eye for observational detail contribute to Will Trent having the highest clearance rate in the GBI. This has engendered animosity in some of his peers, and also from APD officers because Trent had been assigned a police corruption case and solving it resulted in the arrest of several APD officers. Verdict: Renewed. This is a clever show which seems to be an original idea as it is based off a best belling book and it takes place in Atlanta which most cop/FBI shows do not. It is also interesting that the GBI is in the same building with the police department and that he is different from the rest as he is dyslexic despite being one of the smartest. It has been well written so far with some background info on his past with more probably to come as he has a dog and an off/on girl friend from his past that is also in law enforcement so they do not need to force any relationships on him going forward. Rodriguez does such a good convincing job in this role that is very easy to get behind him and the show as a whole. With hopefully the end of Big Sky and freshmen show Alaska Daily being cancelled there should be room in the schedule as a whole for fresh new ideas especially for one hour dramas and good crime solving shows. Plus it fits well in this three hour block of the Rookie and its spinoff Feds as all are different kind of cop/FBI shows on Tuesday nights. The issues with the show are his boss seems to be over the top with her bossiness plus she sound like a man or a person who smoked a million cigarettes with weird glasses and that she is a reason why all the cops hate him. She then used her personal connections to hire her friend’s daughter to work with Trent one of the cops who got fired. The other thing is there has been so many different detectives used so far in the first three episodes that you cannot keep up with who matters and who doesn’t outside of his friend despite recognizing a few faces from previous shows. 

Not Dead yet: Nell Serrano(Gina Rodriguez of  Jane the Virgin & Big Mouth) is an American reporter who moved to the UK ten years ago for a guy but when the engagement is called off she moves back to the US to start her life over.  She lands the only job she can find which is to write obituaries by her new employer which is her old employer, and begins to encounter ghosts of the people whose obituaries she is writing, whom only she can see and hear. The ghosts begin to have conversations with Serrano, and offer her advice on how to rebuild her life while also helping her write their obituaries by telling her their stories. 

Verdict: Cancelled. It is a clever and interesting idea that she can see the people she has to write about. She is playing a relatable person who is down on her luck trying to get back to where she was no matter what. The guest stars who she is writing about have been good guest stars as well. It is nice to see Lauren Ash(of Superstore & Paul Blart 2) in a new show but her role is a stuck up person who is now Nell’s boss but is unqualified for her role. It just doesn’t sit well with her role in this show/her voice or something which is disappointing to not like her in this role. Her best friend is now friends with the boss who Nell didn’t like. It is an interesting idea but is playing like it very straight so it is not likeable or unlikeable. I do like her new friend Cricket(of the Fosters & Sanford & Son) , one of the widows that she wrote about her husband, which is a nice role as she is the only redeemable character in the show. They also have to have a token gay friend who is in the metro but doesn’t offer much, the intern and other people in the office also seem to waste scenes plus her roommate is odd as well. I don’t know if they are making fun of him being on the spectrum or bringing light to people who are. It has had its laughs so far but maybe cut out the characters we do not need and focus on the ones who help make the show funny. Unsure what ABC is doing with sitcoms as they only had four on this fall/spring when they used to have 6-8 at a time so with no word on the renewal of Home Economics and Wonder Years still missing you never know. They have two long running sitcoms in Connors and Goldbergs whom both should probably be over with but there would be room for this show going forward but I would be surprised if it gets renewed or cancelled because it is merely average or below average. But if you want to watch a show about a woman who sees ghosts just watch the current sitcom Ghosts on CBS it has been renewed for a third season.

The Company you keep: A night of passion leads to love between con man Charlie(played by Milo Ventimiglia of Heroes & This is Us) and undercover CIA officer Emma, who are unknowingly on a collision course professionally. While Charlie ramps up the family business with sights set on getting out for good, Emma works to close in on the vengeful criminal who holds Charlie's family debts in hand -- forcing them to reckon with the lies they've told so they can save themselves and their families from disastrous consequences. The series is based on the Korean Broadcasting System series entitled "My Fellow Citizens." 

Verdict: Renewed. It is interesting plot about a family of criminals who con other people to finally make it big but it goes awry due to Charlie’s girlfriend screwing them over taking all the money and running. It is also interesting that they have to be criminals in order to work off the debt they got settled with because of the ex-girlfriend screwing them. There are not many heist TV shows; those are mostly movies so I could have seen this as a movie but so far it has been interesting enough to keep you wanting to watch more. It is also nice that Milo has a new show after his previous long-running show ended as he has been a good lead in two shows/good in movies and William Fichtner(of Prison Break & Mom) who is also a quality  actor who deserves another show. The other family members are good actors too as the mom Polly Draper(of Thirtysomething & Naked Brothers Band) and sister Sarah Wayne Callies(of Prison Break and Walking Dead) are veterans plus her daughter is deaf so they incorporate lots of sign language that is sometimes used on the some of the cons. Even the bad guys are familiar actors like Timothy V Murphy, Barry Sloane and Felisha Terrell who have been in various shows/movies. The main issue is no one cares about his new fling’s life with her Kennedy esc family in politics/rich family issues and her breakup. It is lazy writing that she is investigating the same person who is making Charlie’s family do cons so it could be done without her or him being single as he should not trust anyone for a bit before rushing back into it. With hopefully the canceling of Big Sky and Alaska Daily, the final season of a Million little things there should be room in the schedule for an interesting but flawed show especially Sunday nights have an opening with the Rookie moving to Tuesday night. 

CW:

Gotham Knights: Batman is dead, and a powder keg has ignited Gotham City without the Dark Knight to protect it. In the wake of Bruce Wayne’s murder, his adopted son Turner Hayes is framed for his killing with runaways Harper and Cullen Row and criminal Duela. With the charismatic and hard-charging District Attorney Harvey Dent and the GCPD hot on his trail, Turner must rely on allies including his best friend and formidable coder Stephanie Brown, and unlikely Batman sidekick Carrie Kelley. However, they soon learn there is a larger, more nefarious force at work within Gotham City. This team of mismatched fugitives must band together to become its next generation of saviors known as the Gotham Knights.

Verdict: Renewed. Finally an interesting show where they are getting to the point of the show which is to clear his name/the others and find out who killed his father(Batman). The issue is there have been four male Robins (two female) that you could have used as his adoptive son and who could have been Robin. It is not that she is female or black but some random nerd he goes to school with which isn’t that believable that she was picked. They also picked a British person to be his “Alfred” but she is Asian which doesn’t add up. The gang of misfits he is being framed with all have comic book connections at least like his best friend is known to be “Spoiler”/one of the female Robins/Batgirl, Joker’s daughter but could be Harvey Dent’s daughter too, one is “Bluebird” and one is a teenager Batman once saved. While Misha Collins (of Supernatural & ER) the veteran actor of this group is playing Harvey Dent pre “Two-Face” which is good, there is one ally for Turner. The whole show is a huge mystery that you want to keep watching to find out who is behind everything from the murder, the framing job and who is really pulling all the strings in Gotham. The sets look familiar like from the previous Bat show with Batwoman and are using the clocktower which is very cool as it is something Batgirl & Black Canary has used. It is always cool to see the use of all the Batman tech and tricks of the trade he passed down to Robin and if anymore DC/Gotham characters pop up. The issue is CW axed all of their shows essentially and announced shows were having their last season plus have decided to be like the other four stations. They are going to be showing race car driving, golf and reality competition shows instead it looks like, and only All American has been renewed so far so it is anyone’s guess if any of the three new shows and any other shows will be returning.

FOX:

Alert: When police officer Nikki Batista's(played by Dania Ramirez of Heroes & Entourage) son goes missing, she joins the Philadelphia Police Department's Missing Persons Unit the special unit to help other people find their loved ones, even as she searches for her own. She works with her ex husband officer Jason Grant(Hawaii 50 & Entourage) each week to untimely find out the truth about their son. Verdict: Cancelled. I really want this show to be good because Fox could use another good cop style show as it only has the 911 franchise after “Prodigal son” was unjustly cancelled but there is too much drama getting in the way of good crime solving.  I get that both of them were probably in law enforcement when they met each other before they got together but they are divorced and working together so it is complicated and confusing. Also her boss or her co-lead in the MPU is also her fiancé of some sorts which is also taking away from the plot sometimes as well the connection she still has for the ex due to the bond of losing their kid. Confusing how he went from cop to military background to working private security with his current girlfriend too which adds more complications, plus his mentioning they adopted their kids so it’s not even his biological son that was taken? What is left is a good plot to a show about a specific department of the police force which is looking for missing people no matter if they are kids or adults/genders/races. The supporting cast is actually good. The tech guy in the basement has his role and even the odd bald black lady detective has unique skills on determining different things so far has been good but her other practices have been weird. Another issue is what role her fiance serves besides bossing her around/the other people on this task force. You then add the daughter keeping a secret too which is another layer added that is not needed. I do not want to spoil something that takes place in the pilot which is a big plot to the show as a whole; but each episode is about the missing person but this plot is behind the root of each episode/show as whole but with that it is too easy that it happened as it’s not believable either. For the woke media there is mostly minorities as Caan is the only white guy and there is one transgender character as well. I do not know if this show can get past the all the drama between the family/co workers to be a good show week in and week out. With Monarch cancelled, Cleaning Lady and the Resident not being renewed yet there is a potential spot in their lineup to stay so it might stick around. 

Animal control: A group of local animal control workers' lives in Seattle are complicated by the fact that animals are simple, but humans are not. Leading the crew is Frank(Joel McHale of Community & Stargirl), an opinionated, eccentric animal control officer who may not have gone to college but is still the most well-read person in the room. In his past life as a cop, Frank tried to expose corruption in his department, but his efforts got him fired, leaving him cynical and curmudgeonly. Despite his rough exterior, he is blessed with an almost superhuman ability to understand animals. 

Verdict: Renewed. When you can laugh multiple times in just the first couple of minutes, let alone the whole episode then you know it is a good comedy because you’re supposed to laugh when watching a comedy. McHale is great again in a lead role in a sitcom with his good looks, charm, wit, narcissist traits and loveable appeal but the back-story is great too. He also gets some of the funnier lines as well. It is nice to see Ravi Patel(of Grandfatherd & Meet the Patels) as well with his comedy chops with all the physical humor he has to endure with the animals in the show. While Vella Lovell(of Mr. Mayor & My Crazy Ex-GF) always seems to be playing narcotic people who work for the government in an office setting as she is the nice but clueless boss. They even have an antagonist who works in another precinct they have a rivalry with who’s played by comedian Gerry Dee(of the Moodys) and the other cast members are funny too, especially McHale’s new partner who seems to be a clueless young guy who also does good physical humor. Every episode has an animal name in it too. There is definitely room in the Fox lineup for a really funny sitcom as they should go back to having more than two sitcoms at a time because all three right now are funny(Call me Kat & Welcome to Flatch). The hope is McHale can have a sitcom go past one season as his last sitcom was unjustly cancelled after one year.