CT: Fall Shows So Far
So I woke up this morning, readers, thinking to myself "Huh, it seems like a while since I wrote a blog post. Maybe too long. Maybe like it's been one too many days since I wrote." So here we are, a day late and a post short. Little C assigned me the punishment word parameter, which is an act of kindness since it fits in perfectly with what I wanted to write about: the new Fall TV Shows.
Not all of them, of course. Little C wasn't exaggerating when she said that there are a zillion new shows. And for us it's even more exciting because it seems like record numbers of them are genre-based shows. Every network has some sort of time travel or fantasy or sci-fi based show and it's been delightful. While I don't have a spreadsheet, what I do have is a set of parameters that I use to judge new shows and I wanted to share some of my favorites from this new season and how they stack up against what I'm looking for in a show. Sound good? Let's do this thing.
This Is Us - NBC
Let's all be honest here. We really really miss Parenthood. And if I'm being completely honest, I really really miss Friday Night Lights. One of my first parameters that I use in judging a show is how I feel about the characters: are they interesting, do I like them, do I care what happens to them? Even a super interesting concept isn't enough to keep me on board with a show with crappy character work. This Is Us had characters that caught my attention from moment one. I got them, and I wanted to know more about them almost instantly- the same way I felt watching the Parenthood and Friday Night Lights pilots.
Also, normally I give shows three episodes to really hook me before I give up, but I cried about four times watching this pilot so I guess I'm on board already. Predictable.
Westworld - HBO
Ooooo boy this show is pretty. So pretty. I loved the Westworld movie and the book, so I've been excited about the show for a while. But I wasn't sure how well the concept would transition from movie to television. But I shouldn't have doubted. It's a dark concept but it doesn't ever feel hopeless. I feel like with genre shows it's so easy for them to veer one way into crazy-cheesey or another way into too depressing to watch (looking at you, Game of Thrones), and whether a show will find that balance is another parameter for me. It's the difference for me of watching a few episodes to stay up to date with the world or watching the whole show obsessively and so far, Westworld is the latter by far.
Plus you just can't beat this cast. It's everyone I love on TV together.
Conviction - ABC
I've been really nervous about Conviction. I miss Agent Carter like freaking crazy, so my instinct was to hate this show because it stole Hayley Atwell away (don't try to argue with me, I know that's not how that actually works). But here's the thing, this show was really really good. The concept of a Conviction Integrity Unit is something that's incredibly relevant to what's going on in the world, but they handle that concept well. And that brings us to parameter three: if you're going to go with a concept pilot, do something interesting. There have been fifteen thousand legal dramas in television, so you have to have something new. In Conviction's case, they meet that concept with a great team and an awareness of the way that the show fits into the current state of legal politics in our country. I'm really excited to see where the rest of this season goes.
And the dynamic between these actors is incredible. Atwell and Eddie Cahill and Manny Montana and Shawn Ashmore are always good but all of them together in a scene is absolutely a joy to watch.
Pitch - Fox
Our roommate and I screamed at the TV the entire time this pilot was on. I've never been more stressed during a show, with the exception of Great British Bakeoff because that stuff is nuts. This show is bananas. I think the first indication I had that I was going to love this show was the little Katie Nolan cameo at the beginning. Love Katie.
The thing I loved about Pitch is that its central character is complicated. She's difficult and imperfect and aggressive about maybe the wrong things sometimes. She's pushed so hard by her father's dreams that now she's questioning what she's doing. The show takes a real, intriguing look at the father-daughter relationship in a way that TV rarely does. And now I have to know what happens, and that's probably the most important parameter I have. If I don't walk away and think about a show all week, there's no hope. There's too many shows and too many movies to waste time on ones that don't hold my attention. And I cannot stop thinking about Pitch. Plus that music cue at the end of the pilot is just plain perfect.
So that's an abysmally small list, and it doesn't even cover half of the shows that we're watching and loving. What have you all been into? Can anyone tell me if any of the time travel shows are good? Cause man, there's so many of them and most of them look awful.
Happy Watching!
CT
Not all of them, of course. Little C wasn't exaggerating when she said that there are a zillion new shows. And for us it's even more exciting because it seems like record numbers of them are genre-based shows. Every network has some sort of time travel or fantasy or sci-fi based show and it's been delightful. While I don't have a spreadsheet, what I do have is a set of parameters that I use to judge new shows and I wanted to share some of my favorites from this new season and how they stack up against what I'm looking for in a show. Sound good? Let's do this thing.
This Is Us - NBC
Let's all be honest here. We really really miss Parenthood. And if I'm being completely honest, I really really miss Friday Night Lights. One of my first parameters that I use in judging a show is how I feel about the characters: are they interesting, do I like them, do I care what happens to them? Even a super interesting concept isn't enough to keep me on board with a show with crappy character work. This Is Us had characters that caught my attention from moment one. I got them, and I wanted to know more about them almost instantly- the same way I felt watching the Parenthood and Friday Night Lights pilots.
Also, normally I give shows three episodes to really hook me before I give up, but I cried about four times watching this pilot so I guess I'm on board already. Predictable.
Westworld - HBO
Ooooo boy this show is pretty. So pretty. I loved the Westworld movie and the book, so I've been excited about the show for a while. But I wasn't sure how well the concept would transition from movie to television. But I shouldn't have doubted. It's a dark concept but it doesn't ever feel hopeless. I feel like with genre shows it's so easy for them to veer one way into crazy-cheesey or another way into too depressing to watch (looking at you, Game of Thrones), and whether a show will find that balance is another parameter for me. It's the difference for me of watching a few episodes to stay up to date with the world or watching the whole show obsessively and so far, Westworld is the latter by far.
Plus you just can't beat this cast. It's everyone I love on TV together.
Conviction - ABC
I've been really nervous about Conviction. I miss Agent Carter like freaking crazy, so my instinct was to hate this show because it stole Hayley Atwell away (don't try to argue with me, I know that's not how that actually works). But here's the thing, this show was really really good. The concept of a Conviction Integrity Unit is something that's incredibly relevant to what's going on in the world, but they handle that concept well. And that brings us to parameter three: if you're going to go with a concept pilot, do something interesting. There have been fifteen thousand legal dramas in television, so you have to have something new. In Conviction's case, they meet that concept with a great team and an awareness of the way that the show fits into the current state of legal politics in our country. I'm really excited to see where the rest of this season goes.
And the dynamic between these actors is incredible. Atwell and Eddie Cahill and Manny Montana and Shawn Ashmore are always good but all of them together in a scene is absolutely a joy to watch.
Pitch - Fox
Our roommate and I screamed at the TV the entire time this pilot was on. I've never been more stressed during a show, with the exception of Great British Bakeoff because that stuff is nuts. This show is bananas. I think the first indication I had that I was going to love this show was the little Katie Nolan cameo at the beginning. Love Katie.
The thing I loved about Pitch is that its central character is complicated. She's difficult and imperfect and aggressive about maybe the wrong things sometimes. She's pushed so hard by her father's dreams that now she's questioning what she's doing. The show takes a real, intriguing look at the father-daughter relationship in a way that TV rarely does. And now I have to know what happens, and that's probably the most important parameter I have. If I don't walk away and think about a show all week, there's no hope. There's too many shows and too many movies to waste time on ones that don't hold my attention. And I cannot stop thinking about Pitch. Plus that music cue at the end of the pilot is just plain perfect.
So that's an abysmally small list, and it doesn't even cover half of the shows that we're watching and loving. What have you all been into? Can anyone tell me if any of the time travel shows are good? Cause man, there's so many of them and most of them look awful.
Happy Watching!
CT
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