As summer slowly makes its way towards fall, the minds of network executives turn to the new television season. This year, it looks like a ton of shows viewers will have to look forward to, but then there is also the usual crap mixed in there too.
So what are the best looking shows of the new season?
I have now watched what seems like endless blinding hours watching previews and reading all about the new season. I have narrowed it down to 7 new shows that you need to keep an eye out for. There is also a BONUS 8th show that will not be on until 2016, but will the best thing on television since The Wire.
Before I get into the best of the season, here is a quick list and description of various reboots that may hold some interest, if you liked the originals that is…
Heroes Reborn (NBC) Premieres: Thursday, Sep. 24 at 8:00 PM
That’s right, Heroes is back. But this time it is just scheduled to be a 13-episode miniseries that will once again feature ordinary people dealing with their extraordinary powers. Zachary Levi, Jack Coleman, Masi Oka and Jimmy Jean-Louis will return, and Pruitt Taylor Vince, Robbie Kay, Ryan Guzman, Rya Kihlsedt, Gatlin Green, Henry Zebrowski, Francesca Eastwood, Eve Harlow and Judi Shekoni will also star.
Coach (NBC) Premieres: Midseason
Because the executives can come up with nothing new, Coach Hayden Fox is back. This time he is being called out of retirement to help his son coach an Ivy League football team. I hate to say that this is going to fail, but without Jerry Van Dyke to play the foil, it will be awful tough to live up to the original.
Limitless (CBS) Premieres: Tuesday, Sep. 22 at 10:00 PM
This isn’t as much a reboot as it is a film being made for the small screen, and we all saw how successful shows like Bad News Bears, Delta House and Ferris Bueller were (of course I didn’t mention MASH, Hannibal or Buffy, because that wouldn’t prove my point). So now they are doing it with Limitless and it stars Jake McDorman as Brian Sinclair, who, after discovering the power of the mysterious drug NZT, is coerced into using his new abilities to solve weekly cases for the FBI. Jennifer Carpenter, Hill Harper and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio also star.
Little Big Shots (NBC) Premieres: Midseason
While this isn’t exactly a reboot, it is basically the same as that show Kids Say the Dandiest Things. Since bringing back Bill Cosby to hot would probably not be the smartest thing. So NBC did the next best thing and now Steve Harvey will host and produce (with Ellen DeGeneres) this children’s variety show which will feature extraordinary kids showing off their various talents. Harvey will interview the wunderkinds “with hilarious results.”
Minority Report (FOX) Premieres: Monday, Sep. 21 at 9:00 PM
Much like Limitless, which I mentioned earlier, FOX is going to go with a television version of Minority Report. Only this will take place ten years after the events of the Tom Cruise movie, a “pre-cog” named Dash (Stark Sand) struggles to live a normal life. He gets help from a detective (Meagan Good) and finds a purpose for his powers.
Rush Hour (CBS) Premieres: Midseason
This is the second worse movie-to-television idea, although it did battle for first. Without either Jackie Chan or Chris Tucker, this will not work. It was their chemistry that made it funny. Anyway, this will feature a stoic, by-the-book Hong Kong police officer (Jon Foo) who is forced to work with a cocky African-American LAPD officer (Justin Hires). The one thing it does have going for it is one of my favorite sit-com actresses Wendie Malick.
Uncle Buck (ABC) Premieres: Midseason
Ladies and Gentlemen we have our winner for worst movie to television adaptation. Not only is the movie too old for most viewers under 35 to remember, but by not having John Candy and Macaulay Culkin able to reprise their roles, it should be a total bust. This version stars Mike Epps as Buck, an irresponsible man who trades becoming a babysitter for his nieces and nephews for a place to stay. YIKES!!!!!
Now that the “What were they thinking” portion is over, the following shows will be the best this new season has to offer, and like I said, the Bonus show will beat them all. These are listed in alphabetical order to not show favorites:
The Catch (ABC) Premieres: Midseason
Shonda Rhimes, who brought Grey’s Anatomy to the air, now co-produces The Catch with Besty Beers. This action packed drama stars Mirielle Enos as Alice Martin, who in an ironic twist is a fraud investigator who becomes the victim of… fraud! Now she needs to find the culprit (her ex-fiancé) before he has a chance to frame her and destroy her entire career and life. It also stars Alimi Ballard, Damon Dayoub, Jay Hayden, Jacky Ido and Bethany Joy Lenz.
Chicago Med (NBC) Premieres: Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10:00 PM
Dick Wolf, whose name will appear again, who brilliantly brought you the Law and Order franchise, is now doing the same with Chicago emergency workers. This spin-off from Wolf’s Chicago Fire is a thrilling look at the emotional roller coaster that is the day-to-day chaos of the country’s third largest city’s most explosive hospital and the team of doctors who hold it together. As always, the story’s will be “ripped from the headlines”, while inevitably crossing paths with the Chicago police and fire departments. Yaya Dacosta, the great Oliver Platt, one of mine and Dick Wolf’s favorites S. Epatha Merkerson, Laurie Holden and Nick Gehlfuss all star in this NBC drama.
Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders (CBS) Premieres: Midseason
Speaking of successful franchises, Criminal Minds is set to spin-off one of their own in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders. It tells the very compelling tales of a division of the FBI that deal exclusively with American citizens who find themselves in danger abroad. Minds showrunner Erica Messer is executive-producing and Gary Sinise, Daniel Henney and Tyler James Williams star.
The Muppets (ABC) Premieres: Tuesday, Sep. 22 at 8:00 PM
Yes this is a reboot too, and when you get a column, you can put it wherever you want. I put this here because this is the show I am most looking forward to. Not only to be able to be taken back to my childhood with Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and crew, but this time it is a tad more adult oriented. No there won’t be any wild orgy’s at Gonzo’s, but the show will now look at the personal lives of the entire gang. With the news of Kermit and Miss Piggy’s split this summer, there is no telling where they may take it.
Quantico (ABC) Premieres: Sunday, Sep. 27 at 10:00 PM
Every FBI show that has ever been on in the history of television has mentioned Quantico, but we have never actually seen this FBI training ground. Well, that will change when ABC premieres this new drama. Of course you knew that there had to be a twist and there is a big one. Amongst this group of the FBI’s best recruits is a terrorist who is planning an attack that will make 9/11 look like Grenada. Priyanka Chopra, Dougray Scott, Jake McLaugthlin, Yasmine Al Massri, Johanna Braddy, Tate Ellington, and Graham Rogers star.
Wicked City (ABC) Premieres: Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 10:00 PM
This series is not your typical crime drama. No this anthology will take a chunk out of Los Angeles’ rich criminal history each season. The first season will be all about solving a string of serial murders on the Sunset Strip in 1982. Adam Rothenberg, Ed Westwick, Taissa Farmiga, and Gabriel Luna will all star in the first season and they are the ones involved in committing, reporting on, or solving the heinous crimes of over 30 years ago.
You the Jury (NBC) Premieres: Midseason
I told you Dick Wolf would be back, and this time, YOU will be involved in the case. That’s right; his new interactive drama will air live and allow viewers the chance to decide the verdict in real live civil cases by casting votes. Could be kind of scary, huh?
BONUS SHOW
Vinyl (HBO) Premieres: 2016
That’s right, the channel that brought you The Wire, The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire is at it again, but this time they brought out the big guns. That’s right, Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger (Yes, that Mick Jagger) have teamed up with Terence Winter to bring you the story of Richie Finestra (played by the very underrated Bobby Cannavale), a record producer in the 1970’s who is trying to save his record company and his soul as he works his way through the sex and drug addled music industry when rock, disco and punk all came together. The show will also star Olivia Wilde, Ray Romano, Max Casella, Ato Essandoh and many more. With Scorsese and Jagger behind it, you know it will not only be incredible, but right on point, considering Jagger lived it all.
So there you have it, the best, and a few of the worst of the upcoming television season. Now I know some shows were left off this list that you may end up loving, but we had to roll credits somewhere.