Just in time to plan your weekend binge.
Fall is my favorite, and one of the highlights for me is the annual rollout of the new TV season. True, with the advent of the age of Peak TV(!), the traditional wave of premieres has become more a string of bursts and splashes over the course of September and October, but the broadcast networks—and a streamer or two—got to the dial first with their new wares , and I have some thoughts (shocking, I know).
So, as you gear up for a late fall weekend and find yourself with a few minutes to catch up on some new shows, here’s my first report on what to check out, what’s worth the space on your DVR and what to avoid even when you have nothing else to do.
*****
WORTH THE WATCH
Forever (Amazon Prime Video): Seriously guys, this is—by far—my favorite new fall show. It’s an unexpected, crazy-to-miss-it little bon mot (literally—the episodes each run about 35 minutes) that takes full creative license to explore the concepts of connection, commitment, love and the true meaning of ‘forever.’ Unfortunately, I don’t feel like I can say much more without ruining the steady stream of surprises and twists that start pretty much out of the gate, other than to say that stars Fred Armisen and (especially) Maya Rudolph have rebounded from their so-bad-it-was-really-bad bit on the Emmys to show that they, in fact, have never been better.
Single Parents (ABC): A single-camera sitcom that in lesser hands might otherwise blend in and fade fast, Single Parents walks the fine line of being funny with a sharp edge while keeping the warmer moments relatively sugar-free. It’s all thanks to the impeccable comedic instincts of co-creator Liz Merriweather (New Girl) and cast MVPs Taran Killam, Leighton Meester and Brad Garrett (the show’s not-so-secret comedic weapon), who come together to create a 30-minute gem that crackles with both humor and heart.
GOOD FOR A RANDOM RAINY DAY
Manifest (NBC): Built on the foundation of an intriguing concept—a flight departs in April 2013 and lands five years later with none of the passengers worse for wear or aged a day—the show is a less full-bodied commentary on existentialism than Lost was by placing the ‘gotta figure out what happened’ mystery front-and-center with a weekly dose of new questions, clues and (naturally) answers that beget more questions. Making the male and female leads a brother-and-sister duo is a unique and effective creative stroke that focuses the story on whether or not they’ll find out the truth, as opposed to the more trite ‘will they or won’t they?’ trope. Fresh and interesting for a broadcast drama, this one is (so far) worth the space on my DVR.
God Friended Me (CBS): Maybe it’s my sentimentality, or the grossness that is today’s cultural climate, or perhaps it’s just the fact that I can use a little extra faith in the world, but this show got me. Excellently cast and slickly produced by hit-maker Greg Berlanti (of Riverdale and Dawson’s Creek fame), I was pleasantly surprised to find that there’s very little that’s preachy about a show with ‘God’ in the title. Instead, it’s accessible and refreshing, relying more the idea of exploring whether or not a higher power exists as the main characters—doubters themselves—struggle with understanding the random and not-so-random ways our paths cross and worlds collide in every day life as part of a master plan that’s bigger than all of us. The show deftly balances belief and skepticism with equal weight, while never betraying the central tenet of hope and divine connectedness that literally any person—believer or not—can relate to.
AVOID, RUN, DELETE!
A Million Little Things (ABC): So, sure, I gave this show that pivots on a central character’s suicide a shot (no pun—he jumped). It’s set in my hometown (hey, Boston!), has some cast members I dig (yo, Ron Livingston and David Giuntoli!) and I can almost always get behind a story about people in their mid-30’s trying to figure out the meaning of the whole goddamn thing (hello me!). But a poorly directed pilot that touted a mix of sub-par, if not grating, performances of characters I couldn’t connect with from actors trying reallllly hard to instantly make this a Shondaland-level ensemble ABC drama—and failing in the labored effort—put me off by the end of the pilot. Also a turn-off? Every character is miserable (including one who’s dying and another that fails at trying to kill himself almost simultaneously as his friend who succeeded), some are grossly deceitful and, moreover, I didn’t actually care about one of them. Suicide is an important topic to bring attention to, but it shouldn’t be couched as entertainment that isn’t, in fact, entertaining.
The Neighborhood (CBS): In general, I’m not one who gravitates to multi-camera laugh track sitcoms, but I gave this one a chance because the premise had some promise and I was curious how Max Greenfield, Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold—all expert comedians—brought it to life. Unfortunately, the platitudes stopped there. Despite their best collective efforts and a nice moment or two, the first episodes fell victim to too many too obvious race jokes, over-the-top physical comedy that never took flight and stereotypically pat one-liners that could have been lifted from any other middle-of-the-road comedy from the past 20 years. Sorry, but I can’t justify a weekly visit to this ‘hood.