CBS:
Y: Marshals: The series serves as both a spin-off and sequel to “Yellowstone and is the fourth television series in the franchise. A former U.S. Navy SEAL and rancher Kayce Dutton(played by Luke Grimes of Yellowstone & American Sniper) joins a specialized group of U.S. Marshals tasked with protecting Montana. He and his teammates, Pete Calvin(played by Logan Marshall Green of 24 & The OC), Belle Skinner(played by Arielle Kebbel of Vampire Diaries & Midnight Texas), Andrea Cruz, and Miles Kittle must balance the high psychological cost of serving as the last line of defense in the region's war on violence with their duty to their families.
Verdict:
Renewed. The “Yellowstone” franchise has been fruitful for the CBS/Paramount
Company as this is the 4th installment and it was renewed almost
instantly. That is now 3 out of 4 spinoffs to debut this TV season to be
renewed for this network. Sunday nights with this, Tracker and Watson make it a
good Sunday night block of one hour procedural dramas which all fans can agree
is a good thing for stability and continuity. This show has that movie feel to
its production in cinematography, the beautiful landscape scenery and having a
theme song/intro. It has the characters all fleshed out with back stories right
off the bat and the storytelling/script also seems to be on point. The casting
with the female leads, the Native American characters and the two leads also
has been good. Nice seeing Kebbel get another show since most of her shows or
roles last only one or two seasons no matter if she is a lifeguard, a detective
or a firefighter to name some. If the network and the fans are all on board
there isn’t much to say except maybe those without Paramount+ should find a way
to watch everything in this universe if the network TV fans are enjoying this
and will get more next season. The only question left is this a CBS show
exclusive spinoff that goes to the streaming platform after every episode or is
it another Paramount+ exclusive CBS is giving the fans like a dog with a bone?
CIA: When this odd two unlikely partners: a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer, Colin Glass (played by Tom Ellis of Lucifer & Miranda) and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent, Bill Goodman (played by Nick Gehlfuss of Shameless & Chicago Med) who believes in the rule of law. The couple are assigned to work out of CIA's New York station, they must learn to work together to investigate cases and criminals posing threats on U.S. soil, finding that their differences may actually be their strength.
Verdict: Renewed. CBS cancelled the other two FBI spinoffs from Dick Wolf’s universe of shows for whatever reasons and ended SWAT to make room for shows like this. There is actually room in the schedule for the show as it allows the flagship FBI shows to have a partner show as they have had for it and NCIS over the years. They already jumped to renew Fire Country’s spinoff “Sheriff Country” and Blue Blood’s “Boston Blue” only after a few weeks of being on air so that is a good sign. It is an interesting idea for a joint task force between CIA and FBI so that it will be entertaining to see how their backgrounds/training interact but also disagree and adjust to become a great partnership or it all blows up. Ellis has magnetic charisma, ability to blend vulnerability with intense charm and has a commanding presence as a leading man so it is easy for people to want to fall in line with him from the start no matter what the show is. The other actors have experience in procedural shows so they seem to blend in well for this show. Plus you get cameos from Jeremy Sisto and other actors in the flagship FBI show so hopefully we all get crossover episodes going forward which is something missed since the other two spinoffs were cancelled last year. The mini intro is a nice touch and in general CBS gets another above average one hour procedural in law enforcement trying to save the day with good leads that should get a few years run like the other FBI spinoffs.
The Rise & Fall of Reggie Dinkins: Years after a
gambling scandal ruined his reputation, former football star Reggie Dinkins(played
by Tracy Morgan of SNL & 30 Rock) is running out of time to enter the Hall
of Fame. In one last shot at redemption, Reggie hires Arthur Tobin(Daniel
Radcliffe of Harry Potter & Now You See Me), a disgraced filmmaker, to make
a documentary reclaiming his legacy, recruiting his former teammate Rusty and
ex-wife-turned-manager Monica for help. Though Reggie and Tobin don't get along
at first, this team of underdogs comes together when they realize that Reggie
isn't the only one searching for a comeback.
Verdict: Renewed. It seems like NBC is trying to find the next “The
Office” or “Parks & Rec” by doing all of these mockumentry style shows.
They have an “Office” spinoff in “The Paper”, current shows “St Denis Medical”
and “Stumble”, so here is a different kind as it is sports related. The best
thing is Morgan is doing what he does best play a clueless-but love-able guy
(30 Rock & The Last OG) who is a former star football player who became
disgraced for one mistake. It also has Bobby Moynihan of(SNL & Secret life
of Pets) who always plays dumb but love-able idiots who are good in supporting
roles in all the shows he has been in so that is a plus. Also the actor playing
the son Carmelo (played by Jalyn Hall of All-American & Till) gets another
chance to be on network television and the ex-wife Monica(played by Erika Alexander
of The Cosby Show & Living Single) who is playing the “straight guy” because
Morgan, Moynihan, the new wife and even Radcliffe are too many crazy people. The biggest issue is she isn’t in that many
scenes and good sitcoms you need the mature or responsible one to be present
more so Radcliffe’s character is usually that guy but he also plays an odd guy
too. This show has it laughs consistently and has a good underdog archetype
redemption story that we all want to see where it goes over the course of a few
seasons. Unsure what NBC is doing after the blood-bath of shows being cancelled
last spring with them adding the NBA and MLB to their portfolio? Two sitcoms
were cancelled last year so there is potentially room for this and the other
new sitcom Stumble to stay and the returning sitcoms need a partner in their
respective blocks going forward since they renewed those shows for a 3rd
season. Lastly NBC has to stop showing only one episode and then waiting weeks
to a month for the next because people will lose interest before it even
begins.
ABC:
RJ Decker: R.J. Decker(played by Scott Speedman of Felicity & Animal Kingdom) is a disgraced newspaper photographer and ex-con who starts over as a private investigator in South Florida. The series follows him tackling cases that range from slightly odd to outright bizarre with the help of his former cellmate(played by Kevin Rankin of Friday Night Lights & Justified), his journalist ex, a police detective and a new benefactor; a woman from his past who could be his greatest ally or his one-way ticket back to prison. It is inspired by the novel Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen.
Verdict: Cancelled. ABC has
way better one hour procedurals then this right now between the 911-franchise,
The Rookie, Will Trent, High Potential and their longest running show Grey’s
Anatomy. There also has been better PI shows like Stumptown and Take Two that have
also been on this network to name some in recent years. It is nice though that
Jaina Lee Ortiz gets another show since ABC cancelled her show Station 19 and
years ago Fox cancelled Rosewood on a cliffhanger. The show is too tangled with his ex-wife being
married to a detective who Decker goes to for help with cases he is doing. Then
huge chunks of the episodes are about his ex-wife and her new wife raising
their kid- it is not needed. The complicated history he has with his new
benefactor as well is another level of not needed drama going on in
episodes. The only positive relationship
he has in the show is with her former cellmate who owns a bar, as they have
each other’s back and he also helps him get some of his clients. It also is one the weirdest openings to show
that most people have seen before so that left an odd memory in the heads of
fans trying the show. ABC needs to try again in finding another procedural but
if not they still have plenty going forward and might need to. Speedman also
doesn’t seem like he has the “It” factor to be a loveable lead or loveable
underdog guy.
FOX:
Best Medicine: Martin Best (played by Josh Charles of The Good Wife &
Dead Poets Society) is a brilliant surgeon who abruptly leaves Boston to become
the general practitioner in a quaint East Coast fishing village where he spent
summers as a child. He struggles to integrate with the locals as well as well while reconnecting with his aunt, a local lobster woman. He has a pathological blood phobia which
developed during an operation on a young girl, back in Boston. Martin can expertly address any
medical ailment or mystery in this idiosyncratic town, he's really just
desperate to be left alone. Instead, he keeps getting
dragged right smack into the middle of their personal chaos, feuds and
fantasies. But tenacity is the creed of everyone in their small village, and
the people who live there may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Verdict: Renewed. Based on the current
lineup at Fox right now this show is better than what they have on for one hour
shows. A bad medical drama that has a hooky lifetime or hallmark movie plot is
the only medical drama that it is going up against on the network. The biggest
issue is that this show seems better suited for a half-hour time slot and not
an hour because some of the plot can be resolved a lot quicker and not go on-on
like they seem to do. It has its moment of humor but is too much of a drama to
be a mixture of both. Charles does a great job of playing a straight laced
oriented no-nonsense doctor. He also plays the straight man in a show full of
kooky people who all do their weird things while he has to witness all of it.
Having Abigail Spencer, Annie Potts and Josh Segura as supporting cast is a
nice touch since Potts is playing his aunt who tells it like it is to him. We just
have to worry about another show with Spencer, her last two shows have been
given the ax quickly. Having a theme song is a nice touch since most shows do
not; but his assistant is so annoying I am unsure what the point was? You could
have had a person who doesn’t speak or even be on camera to save money and
time. Lastly when Fox said goodbye to the Resident and 911 with their
cancellations it was the hope they might actually put on good one hour dramas
in the medical or first responder world. They chose this show based on a
British show so it’s not even an original idea and like the other medical drama on this network.
Memory of a Killer: Angelo Doyle (played by
Patrick Dempsey of Grey’s Anatomy & Maid of Honor) is a contract
killer and an upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father. Having built and maintained a brick wall between his
two worlds, Angelo has seamlessly juggled and compartmentalized for years. But
wow that's all about to change, because an attempt is made on his
pregnant daughter's life but also his mind might be failing
him as two lives start to crash together. Alzheimer's is a foe he can't outrun,
and he knows too well how this ends, as his older brother is already lost to
the condition. It is based on the 2003 Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer and the 1985 novel of the same name.
Verdict: Canceled. It looked like a cool idea to get Dempsey back
to network television and so is the premise of the show but again Fox cannot come
up with an original idea. Their other two one-dramas on the air “Doc” and “Best
Medicine” no matter your opinion are not original ideas. This seems better as a
TV-movie or just a movie, which guess what? It was a movie so it should
probably stay that way. It has a good supporting cast like Michael Imperioli(of
The Sopranos & Goodfellas) who is Angelo’s boss running this hit man
business but is a restaurant owner. His experience in mobster type movies and
shows fits him well in this role. Also seeing Gina Torres (of Suits & 911:
Lone Star) poking around as FBI is nice since she has been in a few first
responder shows is a nice casting choice. There is also too much going on with
his pregnant daughter’s life with her husband being a deadbeat and the will they
won’t they between the local detective who looked into her mom’s/Angelo’s wife’s
death. What is cool is his base of operations, his place of living and cover
story of his personal life to his boss and his cover story to his family on
what he does. Then you got his boss’ nephew who works for him but is still new
at it and then Angelo’s brother who is in medical care for his Alzheimer. You also add his past coming back to haunt him or not
which isn’t clear. Maybe if they streamlined it better it would be good but you
know ever know what Fox is going to do since they had two bad shows on for
multiple seasons but cancelled a few good ones. The hope for Dempsey’s sake is
maybe the writing gets better as the season goes so it is less confusing for
us. Maybe even Fox gives it another season but how much can you tell if he is
starting to rapidly lose it with his Alzheimer's getting worse by the day
merging his two lives together? Only reason to tune in all season is to see
where everything leads to in the end.
