This is Us
NBC Monday 9/8C
Emily: I think I can get this one out of the way early. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t loved this show. I think NBC hit it out of the park with this show. I haven’t cried like this since Parenthood.
Danelle: A big YES from me. It’s going to be the best new show on tv this fall, for sure. For anyone who was looking to fill the void after Parenthood ended, this is the one to watch. It’s going to have some funny moments, but it’s going to dig deep, too.
Carrie Jo: With Milo Ventigmilia (Jess!), Justin Hartley (Oliver Queen!) and Mandy Moore (Rapunzel!) in this show, I would have tried it even if it looked terrible. But it has been my favorite new show so far this year.
Amy live tweets each episode on the east coast so follow along with her! If you haven’t watched this show yet, get on it!
Result: YAY!
Timeless
NBC Monday 10/9C
Emily: Lorena has been recapping the episodes but there seemed to be mixed results after the premiere. I’m a time travel nerd and love Doctor Who so I really want to like this show. I’ll watch a few more episodes but I’ll probably watch something else and DVR this.
Danelle: tentative YES from me. So far, I’ve only seen the pilot episode, but the cast is pretty good and if the producers will let some great writers have their way, I think the cheesy dialogue will disappear and we will see a solid plot with a fantastic premise of time-travel and the changing of history (or the future…or both!)
Lorena: As you see in my post, I have serious mixed feelings about this. I really love the concept, but the writing seemed forced and overworked, and the chemistry between characters was seriously lacking. I’m going to give it another try, but it needs to improve quickly to keep me around.
Result: Mixed 50/50
The Exorcist
Fox Friday 9/8C
Laura: This show was boring. I don’t know why I am so surprised that the pilot went the way it did. Let me break it down for you: boring, boring, boring, scary shit happening in the attic, boring, boring, over. The producers gave us just enough scary to try to keep the horror lovers tuned in for the next episode, and enough drama and tension needed to entice everyone else. It fell pretty flat with me. Definite NAY!
Carrie Jo: This was the only new show this year that when Shawn (the husband) mentioned it, I said, “NO!” I wouldn’t even try it because I am a HUGE wimp.
Result: Nay
MacGuyver
CBS Friday 8/7C
Carrie Jo: We watched about half of the pilot and were very underwhelmed.
Result: Nay!
Lethal Weapon
FOX Wednesday 8/7C
Danelle: a resounding YES from me. This one is a surprise favorite. I love the movies it’s based on, and I think the Wayans brothers are very talented guys, even if they’ve made some questionable choices in film and television. Damon Wayans plays Murtagh and Clayne Crawford plays Riggs. I’ve never seen Crawford in anything before, or at least not as someone I remember; both of them are perfect for their parts. I think this one will have multiple seasons. It’s not for deep thinking, but it’s great for someone who wants fast-paced action where the main plot involves bad guys who get caught in one or two episodes.
Result: Yay!
Designated Survivor
ABC Wednesday 10/9C
Emily: I’ve watched all three episodes so far. I really miss The West Wing and am hoping this fills that hole in my heart. I individually like the cast members from Kal Penn, Italia Ricci and Keifer Sutherland so I’m going to watch and hope for some cast chemistry that I’ve yet to see. I am hoping for more from Kal’s character so I guess that makes me invested in their pretend lives. Right now I don’t care about who bombed the Capitol but rather more interested in how the fictional country will operate under the Designated Survivor presidency. Maybe it’s all the real politics right now that I’m wanting to escape into a fake presidency.
Carrie Jo: I’ve only seen the pilot so far, but I have more DVRed and will give them a shot. I agree that a fake unexpected presidency is both a. way more interesting than the bombing story line and b. could Kiefer Sutherland run for president in real life? If he did, I might vote for him over the other two. (I know, not the opinion of most of the TN writers, but [polite] disagreement is healthy!)
Result: YAY!
Conviction
ABC Monday 10/9C
Emily: I watched this while mindlessly uploading photos for a work project. It was a good distraction. We all love Hayley! But it’s got an Ashmore twin (the x-men one not the SyFy show one) and Merrin Dungey who I loved in Alias and “Johnny” from Graceland (see also guy from Notorious) BUT, I am of the Friends era, and when Eddie Cahill appeared, my heart skipped a beat. It’s been 16 years since he played Tag, Rachel’s assistant but I loved him then, I still love him. The cast has chemistry. I really like the premise of looking to vacate convictions. It wasn’t until the very end tag, where I felt like I saw “Peggy Carter” come through in Hayley. I kept yelling at the TV, come on Peg! or What would Steve Rogers say about this. In my head she’ll always be Peggy Carter. But I’m in for this show. I really liked it!
Result: Yay!
Bull
CBS Tuesday 9/8C
Laura: I watched because I like Dr. Phil. I really wanted to like this show, but sadly I didn’t. It just seemed too implausible to me. I know that jury selection is a real science and that real people use it in real legal proceedings, however, I doubt that anyone is bugging a Rolex owned by a top defense attorney. Also, Michael Weatherly to me was just playing Tony Dinozzo (from NCIS) without a gun. I’m giving this a Nay. Sorry Dinozzo, I still love you.
Emily: I watched the pilot because I like Michael Weatherly. I don’t know if I’ll watch faithfully because it involves watching on the CBS app or their website which seems like a little too much effort for me.
Result: Nay!
The Good Place
NBC Thursday 830/730C
Heidi: I couldn’t make it through the first episode.
Danelle: Big NOPE. I’m sad about this one, because Kristen Bell is the bomb. I wanted to like this show so badly, but it is so mind-numbingly bad with a plot that doesn’t make sense and a terribly cheesy storyline. Two thumbs down, and I’m surprised it played on tv after the pilot.
Emily: I wanted to really like this show but the thing is I don’t like 1/2 hour sitcoms. I only watch Big Bang Theory and haven’t regularly watched sitcoms since Must See TV with Friends. I like Kristen Bell and she is funny but I find the other characters a little tedious. If there is nothing else on, I might flip over to an episode on Hulu. But let’s be honest, right now I’m rewatching season 3 of Numb3rs that went off the air in 2010.
Carrie Jo: I DO like 1/2 hour sitcoms, and I love Kristen Bell (yay, Veronica Mars!), but this one did nothing for me. I didn’t like the concept and haven’t been impressed with the writing.
Result: Nay!
Notorious
ABC Thursday 9/8C
Heidi: On right after The Good Place, I couldn’t handle this pilot either.
Emily: I’ve watched the few episodes that were on Hulu. I didn’t realize that it was based on the real life relationship of Mark Geragos and ex-CNN producer Wendy Walker. I loved Piper Perabo since Coyote Ugly and even went all seasons of Covert Affiars and Daniel Sunjata? he was Briggs on Graceland with our boy Aaron Tivet. Also in my head cannon Julie ended up in law school in Chicago with QB1 Matt Sarasen. Matt followed Julie to LA after she got offered a big job working for a hotshot LA lawyer. But I have more love for my fake scenario than the show.
Result: Nay!
Pitch
FOX Thursday 9/8C
Carrie Jo: I’ve seen the pilot so far and I really liked how they handled a lot of the ideas the show dealt with: the pressure of being “the first,” the added pressure of being the first woman in a boys’ club, the way public perception dictates big decisions, the relationships between the characters–they did a great job with all of it. That said, I don’t see (from a writer’s perspective) where this story can go. I think it will quickly devolve into who is sleeping with whom with a little baseball and feminism thrown in. I hope they prove me wrong, because the show had a strong start, but we’ll see!
Result: Not sure yet
Speechless
ABC Wednesday 8:30/7:30C
Carrie Jo: I’ve seen two episodes, and haven’t laughed this hard over a show since…Life in Pieces last year, so I guess it hasn’t been that long. Anyway, this one will stay on my DVR list. I would almost watch just to listen Minnie Driver’s accent, but there are enough laughs that I would love it without a British accent to sweeten the deal.
Result: Yay!
