The TV.com Staff Takes on the New Fall Dramas: Gotham, Gracepoint, The Flash, Jane the Virgin, and More
The fall TV season is upon us, and right now you may be wondering what's worth watching and what's not worth your time. Which new shows look the most promising, and which ones deserve a spot on your Dead Pool. TV.com is here to help.
We've screened the inaugural episodes of nearly every new fall series and compiled multiple (and sometimes contradictory) opinions of each network newbie. Pilots will be pilots, of course, and lots of shows get better once they've had a chance to settle in. But for now, first impressions are all that matter.
Earlier this week, we weighed in on the new network comedies, and below, you'll find our take on which new network dramas are looking good, bad, average, and just plain ugly.
Red Band Society
Premieres Wednesday, September 17 at 9pm on Fox
TIM: It's not about dying, it's about living, man. This heart-puncher will exercise your emotions with all the right kinds of manipulation and characters you can't help but like. It has the potential to be too sappy for weekly viewing, but the pilot gets the series off to a good-enough start that it's worth sticking around for Episode 2. Good soundtrack, too.
KAITLIN: For me, this was the most surprising pilot of the season, because it was so difficult to gauge what it was supposed to be—all we had to go on were the vague title and short "kids become friends in a hospital" synopsis. But it made me feel things where my heart is supposedly located, it was often funny, and Dave Annable is lookin' good, y'all. The kids are enjoyable and often admirable, which is probably the highest compliment I can pay to a show in which most of the cast is under the legal drinking age.
JEN: Perhaps you've already heard that Red Band Society is like The Breakfast Club but in a hospital; that element is definitely present, and while the pilot is fine to good, I'm not quite sold on the show overall. I think this one's going to need at least a few episodes to convey what we're in for every week—will one of the kids suffer a crisis in every episode? Is the show going to focus on the day-to-day life in a hospital as seen through the eyes of young patients? Is Octavia Spencer going to administer a lot of tough love but then soften up as she learns important life lessons from these kids whose days are numbered? All of the above? At the outset, the cast breakdown is a little too formulaic/familiar for my liking, even if the characters are generally likable. Or maybe I'm just uncomfortable with the promise of emotion. It won't be for everyone, is what I'm saying.
The Mysteries of Laura
Premieres Wednesday, September 17 at 10pm on NBC**
**After debuting with a special sneak preview on Wednesday, September 17 at 10pm, The Mysteries of Laura moves to its regular timeslot of Wednesdays at 9pm starting September 24.
TIM: Look, I think we are all rooting for Debra Messing, right? Which is why it's sad that even she can't save this ham-fisted, dual-life, tonally schizophrenic series that's both a cop show and a lighthearted family dramedy. The Mysteries of Laura is indeed a mystery, and not in a good way.
JEN: I did not hate this pilot! But a lot of people will. Based on the first case of the week, seasoned procedural aficionados won't be impressed; make no mistake, the people who end up watching this show will be tuning in for Debra Messing, not for the police work. And while the Laura Diamond character is charming enough, she's technically just another trope-y TV woman who's oh-so-good at her job but can't keep it together in her personal life, even though her heart is in the right place and her intentions are "Mother of the Year"-worthy and all that. Though I did find the "twin hellion children" stuff funny. And I was weirdly impressed that in the opening scene, when Laura was chasing a suspect, she was wearing practical sneakers instead of heels, as TV's lady detectives and doctors so often do. All told, Laura is probably going to fail and I wouldn't recommend a major time investment—but you could certainly do worse. It's Mrs. Columbo, basically.
Madam Secretary
Premieres Sunday, September 21 at 8pm on CBS
KAITLIN: Madam Secretary is probably going to do very well for CBS, but it feels too preachy at times, as if it's not confident in its own ability to make us like Tea Leoni's lead character and/or the show itself. Leoni is technically fine, but I think the show's casting director could've found someone else to more convincingly play a character who's supposed to be ballsy and self-assured, but also empathetic and passionate, like a younger Stockard Channing maybe? Actually, can we have The West Wing back instead?
CORY: There's something to be said for getting a slew of professional actors together and letting them just to go to work. I had high hopes for Madam Secretary and while the pilot didn't quite meet expectations, it's still an efficient, effective piece of storytelling. Tea Leoni's somewhat odd energy might not be for everyone, especially over the course of 22 or 100 episodes, but this is the kind of show that could resuscitate her career just as The Good Wife did for Julianna Marguilies. And though there are a few overly gooey moments in the opening episode's "case," there's also a surprising (for CBS) interest in a more serialized story. I have a feeling this one will be significantly improved by March.
Gotham
Premieres Monday, September 22 at 8pm on Fox
TIM: The idea of a Batman series without Batman probably sounded good to someone at some point, but I'm guessing that person was really high at the time. There's nothing special about Gotham—at all—and aside from a few obviously pandering references and heavy-handed winks to Caped Crusader canon, it's nothing but a bad cop show that tries too hard to be gritty. I am sorry I've insulted all you Batmaniacs out there, but it's the truth.
KAITLIN: After seeing the cool trailer that Fox released at the Upfronts in May, I was like "Hell yeah, this is going to be fun! Kid Chino and Hank Dolworth kicking ass and being awesome!" But the pilot, while cool-looking and noir-y, is burdened by overacting, weird direction, and far too many winks and nods to the Batman universe for a series that's actually supposed to be about Jim Gordon, not the Dark Knight. I wanted to like Gotham so much given the talent involved, but I kind of feel like the Joker because I just keep yelling, "Why so serious?"
JEN: I'm not a comics/superhero person, so there's very little chance that Gotham will ever be my kind of show. With that said, the pilot is very pilot-y and simultaneously way too serious and on-the-nose for my liking. Our two main players, Ben McKenzie's James Gordon and Donal Logue's Harvey Bullock, are an obvious Odd Couple of furrowed brows and good vs. evil—or at least good vs. lazy—gruffness. Meanwhile, the girl who's gonna grow up to be Catwoman moves like a cat! The dude who's gonna become the Riddler likes puzzles! Whereas The Flash and even Arrow have a sense of humor and some lightness, Gotham feels like a slog. I do like its noir look, though, even if its bizarre timeline mash-up of old ('70s cars) and new (cell phones) is disconcerting and weird.
NOEL: Gotham's first episode is weighed down by bad gimmicks—especially the pre-villain villain cameos—that distract from what could actually be a good origin story about Jim Gordon surviving in Gotham City. There's a kernel of an interesting show buried in the pilot as the city's gangs prepare for war—Jada Pinkett Smith's Fish Mooney is a highlight—but when a show somehow makes Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue seem adrift, there are problems.
CORY: Guys, what the hell is this? No pilot from the last few years is as overstuffed and weird as Gotham's. Clearly a victim of various network and studio interference, Bruno Heller's script spends so much time winking at the audience and retelling the staid Bruce Wayne origin story that Ben McKenzie's Jim Gordon doesn't entirely stick. Jada Pinkett Smith and Robin Lord Taylor are having fun, but McKenzie and Donal Logue alternate between very solid, kind of bad, and in a few moments, something confusing in between. While I've only seen the one episode, I get the sense that Gotham won't be able to resist so many of the obvious indulgences. That's not a good sign.
ANDY: My doubts about this show have grown with nearly every new thing I've learned about it, and the pilot did nothing to reverse that trend. I've never been sure of what Gotham wants to be, and I'm not convinced the show knows, either. Dark crime/conspiracy procedural populated by "realistic" characters like the Penguin and the Riddler? Slightly heightened comic-book universe populated by people with names like "the Penguin" and "the Riddler"? Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue are clear bright spots, but almost everything else either left me flat or made me bristle, not least the leaden dialogue (even by pilot standards) and the characterizations (in both writing and performance) of Montoya and Allen, two of my favorite characters from the Gotham Central comic series.
MARYANN: The pilot isn't perfect, but I liked a lot about it. Gotham definitely has the "look," and I like that it draws on the animated series with the "timelessness" that kind of makes it hard to pin to a certain era. While some might find the peek-a-boo references to future Gotham rogues gallery members annoying, I think it'll be fun to go Easter egg hunting every Monday. I'll be watching.
Next: Page 2, featuring Scorpion, Shonda Rhimes' How to Get Away With Murder, and more
(Continued from Page 1)
Scorpion
Premieres Monday, September 22 at 9pm on CBS
TIM: The amount of technical jargon that gets thrown out by the team of super nerds will either make you want to jump out a window or enroll at your local ITT, but before you change the channel due to the sheer arrogance of the "genius" dialogue, stick around for one of the most ridiculous endings to a pilot you'll ever see. It helps that the action is directed by Justin Lin (Fast & Furious, Community's paintball episodes)... but for all the smarts onscreen, Scorpion is a stupid show.
NOEL: Tim says "stupid" and I say "silly." Scorpion's basically what you would get if you mixed Leverage with The Big Bang Theory, except that everyone works for the government. It's by no means a bad premise—though I wonder how the world's best psychologist is going to be of assistance every single week—and the pilot zips along at a nice pace. It's probably never going to be Person of Interest, but if Sleepy Hollow's crazy fantasy doesn't work for you and you're not willing to give Jane the Virgin a chance, you could do worse than this.
Forever
Premieres Tuesday, September 23 at 10pm on ABC**
**After debuting in a special time period on Monday, September 22 at 10pm, Forever moves to its regular time period on Tuesday, September 23 at 10pm.
KAITLIN: There's nothing special or remarkable about this show, and yet it works and is wholly likable. The characters all work well together, and the show promises an interesting take on mortality and immortality. Plus, accents!
JEN: Pro: Ioan Gruffudd as immortal 200-year-old medical examiner Henry Morgan. Con: Both the pilot and the overall premise involve a certain degree of "duh"-ness and predictability. Pro: Judd Hirsch, looking spry. Maybe pro, maybe con, I'm not sure yet: A few "larger serialized story" hints in the first episode that call to mind the 2000 M. Night Shamawhatever film Unbreakable. Pro: Lots of potential for creative deaths due to the lead character's inability to bite it, plus the ridiculous fact that every time he comes back to life, he's naked and in water. Con: Forever's writers are clearly going for a Sherlock Holmes feel with Morgan's powers of deduction, which are stupidly emphasized in the pilot and sure to disgust fans of Sherlock and/or Elementary. Pro if you like your crime procedurals with a side of romance, con if you don't: The seeds of inevitable will-they-or-won't-they sexual tension between the two leads, à la early Bones or Castle. Verdict: Forever's not a must-see, but it's got potential.
How to Get Away With Murder
Premieres Thursday, September 25 at 10pm on ABC
TIM: Yo, you like your shows CRAZY with a capital CRAZY? How to Get Away With Murder should be renamed How to Get Away With Making an Insane TV Show, because this one will blow your hair back with its twists, turns, and flat-out bonkers pacing. The pilot for How to Get Away With Murder makes Scandal seem like Ambien; that's not necessarily a good thing. I'll watch it when I'm drunk, maybe.
KAITLIN: Shonda Rhimes' shows aren't bad except for when they're totally blind to how ridiculous they are, and even though Rhimes is just an EP here (the series creator credit goes to ShondaLand writer Peter Nowalk), How to Get Away With Murder is already guilty of being too convoluted. The pilot is full of characters you can't connect with, including Viola Davis's lawyer/professor protagonist, Annalise Keating, who's so harsh that it's difficult to feel any sympathy for her. Some viewers will love the "shocking" twists and the over-the-top drama, but I don't. In fact, I'm pretty sure I already hate this show.
JEN: Everything you already know about Shonda Rhimes and ABC primetime soaps applies. The pilot is indeed nutso and full of "Um, what?" moments, but there's enough fun potential that I'll be back for at least a few more episodes.
NOEL: The pilot is overstuffed, introducing too many characters as well as the big central plot/mystery, but I really didn't care. How to Get Away With Murder is Shonda-tastic. It zigs and zags in all the right ways, and at only 15 or 16 episodes, it (hopefully) won't burn itself out over the course of a full-length season. Also: Viola Davis is great (don't listen to Kaitlin).
Stalker
Premieres Wednesday, October 1 at 10pm on CBS
TIM: This is the worst piece of shit you'll see on television all year unless you enjoy seeing women set on fire, in which case you have severe mental problems and will probably one day be a character on a future Kevin Williamson series.
JEN: Bring on the backlash, because Kevin Williamson is straight trolling people now. Stalker is essentially a 44-minute trigger warning; the most entertaining aspect of its pilot is the inevitable internet uproar it's going to incite. If you're into that sort of thing, consider watching the first episode just so you can follow along with the fray. Otherwise, run for the hills.
CORY: Good for Maggie Q for moving up the CBS corporate ladder, but she can't save Stalker from being pure exploitative trash of the highest order. The series isn't quite peak Dylan McDermott (his character doesn't simultaneously cry and masturbate, after all), but it's another entry on a long list of supposedly sympathetic pieces of garbage he's smarmed his way through. All you need to know about Stalker is that it's the kind of show that ends its pilot with a melancholy cover of Radiohead's "Creep," with absolutely no irony in mind. Please, do not watch.
NOEL: NOPE NOPITY NOPE NOPE. Stalker is a waste of Maggie Q, and while the pilot wants to balance its obvious "women in danger" plot with a "man in danger" plot, it then goes on to neglect the latter so that it can continue to exploit the former in boring, tired, and meaningless ways. There's nothing remotely interesting or redeemable about this show.
KAITLIN: Pretty sure Kevin Williamson might just have a thing for murderers in masks. LOOK AT THE GROWING PILE OF EVIDENCE, PEOPLE.
Next: Page 3, featuring Gracepoint, The Flash, Constantine, and more
(Continued from Page 2)
Gracepoint
Premieres Thursday, October 2 at 9pm on Fox
KAITLIN: Having watched and enjoyed the original Broadchurch, which also starred David Tennant, I was hesitant to try Gracepoint, especially after learning that the first few episodes were shot-by-shot remakes. Stop trying to fix what isn't broken, you know? But Gracepoint's first episode is well-done, it features plenty of staggeringly beautiful shots, and Anna Gunn and Tennant (who masks his natural Scottish accent fairly well here) pair nicely together as the lead detectives on the central murder case. I'll probably still tell people to just watch Broadchurch, but if you're thinking about watching Gracepoint, there's no reason you shouldn't.
JEN: I did not watch Broadchurch, so the fact that the first two episodes of Gracepoint are apparently near shot-for-shot remakes of the first two episodes of Broadchurch doesn't bother me. Anna Gunn and David Tennant are great, and they play nicely off each other as the tough-guy detective who's new in town and the respected, well-liked detective who just lost a promotion to the tough-guy detective who's new in town (and has just become her new boss). The series' early set-up is predictable—a young boy was shockingly murdered in a sleepy seaside community, and now everyone who lives there is a suspect!—but if you're in the market for of a well-acted, open-and-shut, 10-episode murder mystery, Gracepoint should do just fine.
CORY: As a big fan of ITV's Broadchurch, it's kind of difficult to evaluate Gracepoint, at least early on. The shot-for-shot remake chatter is no lie; the pilot is the same deal from beginning to end, extended tracking shot through the town's main street included. But the good news is that the first episode of Broadchurch was pretty good, so Gracepoint's is as well. David Tennant manages his accent fine, and while it's going to be hard to imagine anyone else but Olivia Colman as the second lead, Anna Gunn is as close as we yankees are going to get. Like Tennant, director James Strong is mimicking himself here, but the pilot still looks goregous and lush. Whether the ending changes or not, Gracepoint is worth sticking with for 10 weeks.
The Flash
Premieres Tuesday, October 7 at 8pm on The CW
TIM: Guess what!? You'll know exactly what's going to happen in this pilot because it's a superhero origin story. But you won't care because it carries a lighter tone than its more serious tights-wearing brethren and features some dazzling special effects. It's not amazing, but in comparison to the rest of the new fall shows, it's one of the better options out there.
KAITLIN: The Flash is lighter than Arrow, but its first episode also feels extremely pilot-y. Right now it's more Smallville than Arrow, and yes, that's a burn. It'll be interesting to see what the show can do with its special effects without the money it clearly had for the pilot. Regardless, I do think it's going to be a big hit, because it's got superheroes, attractive people, and Arrow crossovers.
NOEL: The Flash's pilot is fine, just fine. I have concerns about the show delivering the special effects every week, especially given the source material's flashy rogues gallery (everyone's got powers, yo), but I enjoy the lighter tone, and the cast is top-notch. Comic book fans will enjoy early Easter Eggs and the potential for future storylines while non-comic book readers will find plenty of intrigue in those same plots.
ANDY: The Flash has long been one of my favorite superheroes, and this pilot captured many of the reasons why. Like the best moments of its parent series Arrow (and unlike DC's recent cinematic output), The Flash's first episode embraces the fun, imagination, and adventure of cape comics, and the show clearly isn't afraid of taking those possibilities a little over the top. But there's still a lightness and a warmth throughout the proceedings that befits the Fastest Man Alive. I have high hopes for this one.
Jane the Virgin
Premieres Monday, October 13 at 9pm on The CW
TIM: Maybe it's because so many of the new fall shows are such a mess, but Jane the Virgin comes off as the most competent of them all. The premise is simple and absurd: Jane the Virgin gets artificially inseminated by accident, because her gynecologist is having a bad day. But the execution is complex and grounded: Each character—and there are many—has a tangible arc, and the show's message is honorable and at times profound. With a fast pace that adds layers to the soapy fun, it's hard not to fall for Jane. Who knew?
KAITLIN: I already love this show. Despite its silly title and a premise that sounds more than a little insane (if not a lawsuit waiting to happen), Jane the Virgin is surprisingly endearing. Breezing in like a blast of air conditioning in Miami, the series is fully formed at the outset with instantly likable characters and a lot of heart; it actually feels reminiscent of that old "feel good" WB style. Plus, the cast is nearly flawless, with sure-to-be-a-breakout Gina Rodriguez leading the way as Jane (she's gonna be huge, y'all). If there's one element of the show that trips me up, it's the boyfriend character, but the show still has time to work on him. Give it a chance.
CORY: BEST. PILOT. Gina Rodriguez is a revelation, and both the storytelling and the tone are confident and unabashed. So much of this could have been a disaster, particularly on The CW, but it works. It's tricky to evoke the generic conventions of a telenovela while also commenting on them, and Jane the Virgin's pilot surprisingly stays upright in that regard. And while it couldn't be called a "religious" show, the first episode treats faith and its role in the family with real care. Best pilot!
Constantine
Premieres Friday October 24 at 10pm on NBC
TIM: I haven't read the Hellblazer comics that Constantine is based on, but Constantine himself seems like a cool guy and Matt Ryan didn't bother me in the lead role. I liked this pilot a lot more than I expected to, but I also went in with gutter expectations thanks to comic-adaptation fatigue. With its focus on demonology, it's more Supernatural than Superman, right down to the surprising humor which should make it a great partner for Grimm in NBC's Friday-night lineup.
KAITLIN: I also haven't read the Hellblazer comics; my only point of reference for Constantine is the 2005 Keanu Reeves movie with TILDA SWINTON. I kind of wish Swinton was in this, actually, because she makes everything better—even stuff that's already pretty cool—and Constantine is definitely already pretty cool. It's got a supernatural element that takes it beyond the basic comic stories we've seen everywhere else; NBC is actually pretty brilliant for capitalizing on the comic book/supernatural craze in one project.
NOEL: I'm also not particularly familiar with the titular John Constantine (only the New 52 version), so I don't have a real sense of the character's adaptation between mediums. I wasn't particularly grabbed by the pilot, but if you want to know my favorite part, it was seeing the skyline of Atlanta (my current city of residence) get torn up in the climax of the episode. "I work in one of those buildings!" I said, more excited than I was at any other point in the episode.
State of Affairs
Premieres Monday, November 17 at 10pm on NBC
TIM: This mess doesn't know what it wants to be. It has the worst tonal whiplash of any of the new series—bouncy and light in one moment, stone serious the next. For example, Katherine Heigl literally makes a vagina joke with a cackle to a coworker, and then one second later, she's dead-eyed and talking about killing the most dangerous terrorist on the planet. Avoid! Avoid! Avoid!
KAITLIN: There's a line in the pilot: "Isn't it great when you can hate someone for no real reason right off the bat?" And I admit that I totally hated this show before I even sat down to watch it. Now that I've seen it, I'm confident that my snap judgment was correct. It's all over the place, and Heigl is clearing grasping at straws trying to shake her rom-com image in a role that's just not suited to her talents.
CORY: The crop of new fall shows is so uninspiring that the trio of Katherine Heigl, Alfre Woodard, and Joe Carnahan goes a long way toward earning my shrugging approval, but State of Affairs is fatally flawed. Part Homeland, part Scandal, part deleted scenes from Heigl's flatlining rom-com career, the pilot's interest in its lead character's sexcapades undermines her professional legitimacy. I think Heigl's gotten a bad rap in recent years and she really is a perfect television star, but this isn't her lane. She doesn't do "tough exterior, but secretly a mess" well, like Kerry Washington or Claire Danes. Instead, Heigl's much better as a ball of emotion and a full-on trainwreck. I'll watch for a while, but I don't imagine State of Affairs will ever overcome this singular problem, and that's too bad.
Editors' Note: We did not include the upcoming NCIS spin-off NCIS: New Orleans in this preview because CBS hadn't released an official pilot as of our publication deadline—we've seen the same episodes as everyone else who watched NCIS's "Crescent City" Part 1 and Part 2, which aired at the end of March and the beginning of April, respectively. Those "planted" installments introduced NCIS: New Orleans' main cast; the series premiere on September 23 will be a brand-new episode.
TV.com's 2014 Fall Preview:
New Shows, Network Schedules, Trailers, and More
