CBS:
FBI International: The third installment of the FBI franchise is about the FBI international fly team of agents whose mission is tracking and neutralizing threats against American citizens wherever they may be as they travel the world. They are based in Budapest, Europe where Scott Forrester(played by Luke Kleintank of Bones & the man in the high castle) is their leader, his second in command in Jamie Kellet, their expert in accounting/tech in Andy Raines, their political expert Katrin Jager, and their newest member from Seattle their interrogation expert Cameron Vo, plus their black Schutzhund retired K9. They are not allowed to carry guns, the Fly Team members rely on intelligence, quick thinking and pure brawn as they put their lives on the line to protect the U.S. and its people.
Verdict: Renewed. It is like the two that came before it(FBI & FBI: Most Wanted) ; they pretty much get down to business in the majority of the episode by saving someone or stopping a bad guy. That is the beauty of this franchise, no unneeded drama. Sometimes they show their personal lives like if they have a wife/husband/bf/gf or their kids but it’s for just a minimal amount of time. Like the other two they each have people who have a certain set of skills, they do well which is why they’re on that specific team and you will get to time to figure out who is your favorite. The added bonus is there is a dog on the team which is a plus. One thing I think Dick Wolf gets is that you do not need to pay for high priced actors to lead a show if you spend the money on hiring good writers, so that no matter whom you hire the script and the action will lead the show in the right direction. In the other two shows only a few actors have had big time acting credits, but only a few like Jeremy Sisto(FBI), Julian McMahon(FBI: Most Wanted) and Kellen Lutz(FBI: Most Wanted). This will get renewed because it was given a full season of episodes which is always a good sign for renewal, but also because “Most Wanted” was created and picked up right away. “Most Wanted” had a backdoor pilot in season one of FBI and went straight to series, so once this show was announced we all had a feeling that CBS would want this to succeed as well despite it being a crossover not a backdoor pilot. They want a night for all of the FBI shows to be on like NBC does with Law & Order, or the Chicago shows, or NCIS on the CBS.
Ghosts: Based on the British comedy of the same name it is where Married New Yorkers Samantha (Rose McIver of Izombie & Power Rangers RPM) a freelance journalist and Jay (Utkarsh Ambudkar of Mindy Project & Hamilton) a chef believe that their dreams have come true in receiving a beautiful country house in an inheritance to turn into a bed and breakfast, only to find that it is falling apart and inhabited by a number of deceased previous residents. The departed souls are a close-knit, eclectic group that includes a saucy Prohibition-era lounge singer, a pompous 1700’s Militiaman, a ’60s hippie fond of hallucinogens, and an overly upbeat ’80s scout troop leader. If the spirits were anxious about the commotion a renovation and B&B will create in their home, it’s nothing compared to when they realize Samantha is the first live person who can see and hear them after an accident gives her those abilities.
Verdict: Renewed. When you can laugh more than five times an episode then you know it has been written well and that the humor is clever without sophomoric humor plus has a feel-good charm. I really like the cast playing the ghosts. It is a unique set of characters and actors who bring plenty to the show since they actually hold the show together. If it weren’t for the ghosts the show wouldn’t be funny so they had to get it right and they did. The one with the most credits is Rebecca Wisocky(Devious Maids and Picard) and Brandon Scott Jones(of The good place). It is nice that McIver has another show after her CW ended so we know she can lead a show, and the question will be can she lead a sitcom going forward. The guy playing her husband does have a Broadway background so that might help with him going with the flow of the show as he has to play off his wife communicating with the ghosts and deal with all the consequences. It is nice that there is a non Chuck Lorre sitcom to be on CBS as the last three that got renewed were all of his shows and those three did not deserve to be renewed. This is somewhat of an original idea since it’s based off a British show but it is very different from other shows and with Mom ending and the Unicorn being cancelled there is room in the CBS lineup for this show. It got a full season order after three episodes which is a good sign that means there is a likely chance it gets renewed because it’s rare that shows get cancelled when this happens.
NBC:
Ordinary Joe: The series centers on Joe Kimbreau as he makes a pivotal, life-changing decision at his graduation from Syracuse University. The show follows him on three parallel timelines, starting 10 years after his graduation: as a police officer, following in his father’s footsteps; as a music star, following his passion; and as a nurse, after he marries his college sweetheart.
Verdict: Renewed. This is another show with positivity and uplifting messages. The way James Wolk plays all three versions of Joe makes him loveable and very easy to root for as he is a guy/character we all can get behind. We all can relate to over-thinking every situation even if it is the major one or the little ones. Also it is relatable of what your profession and love life would be based on the choices you make, as when I was a kid I wanted to be a rock star, an athlete or a cop but with Joe is he a cop, nurse or a rock star in each life. The supporting cast of his mom, aunt, uncle, best friend and whomever he is dating/married do a great job especially his uncle played by David Warshofsky(of Lincoln & Captain Phillips). He is like the father figure to Joe, he needs him in his job since he lost his father on 9/11. There are lots of elements thrown in about losing his father. He is his security guard in the music life and his TO in the cop life. I do like seeing Natalie Martinez (of Under the Dome & APB) being one of his love interests as she has had some bad luck in the TV world, as at least 8 or more shows where she is one of the main characters get cancelled after one or two years. The child actor playing his son no matter the life should get a lot of credit for doing a good job playing this role despite his medical issues- is very courageous. I like that no matter the timeline he can sing and play music and has done some Billy Joel and James Taylor tracks plus he is a New York Giant fan too. There is room in the NBC lineup for a good uplifting drama about how one single moment can change everything plus the writing has been solid so far. With Zoey’s Playlist, Good Girls, Manifest and the last few years of sci-fi shows being cancelled it should definitely make the lineup because there is room in the lineup plus “This is us” is ending too. I just hope it doesn’t become a bubble show like some of those mentioned and get the boot too early.
La Brea: When a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles at the site of the La Brea Tar Pits and Wilshire Boulevard, hundreds of people and buildings are pulled into its depths. The survivors find themselves trapped in a mysterious and dangerous primeval land where they must band together to survive. The show follows one family (father, mother, son, and daughter) who are separated by the events and attempting to reunite. The father has visions providing glimpses of when and where his wife and son are. The sinkhole and the sudden appearance of the Teratornis has attracted the attention of the United States Department of Homeland Security who are studying a similar event in the Mojave Desert.
Verdict: Cancelled. Every year one of the three major networks comes out with a science based mystery or fantasy mystery event that the whole world needs to know how it will get solved. They all look really cool aesthetically with the amazing landscapes, visuals and science fiction special effects but that’s where most of the budget seems to go. Then it gets confusing as to which government agency is looking into what happened or if the police are looking into it, and then you get regular johns looking into it plus people with a connection to the event. This time it is the father of one family who is having visions of the place his family is working at with the government like how the passengers in Manifest had visions. The issues that bogged down the others were all the unneeded drama that happens like in relationships with potential love triangles, estranged family members or dysfunction in families. They also try to make it the most diverse show as well with who the main characters are like in this show they have a few British people who are not white, an Indian dude who is supposedly from Australia, a multi racial couple (LGBT), and of course a few Hispanic people including John Seda (of Gladiator & Chicago PD) is who is half Puerto Rican. Another big issue with this is how the lead woman is not good as a lead actress as I have seen her only be a love interest in a few shows in Natalie Zea (of Justified & the Detour) . It might be better with a different lead and Seda is the only one with real acting credits which doesn’t help that he is in a supporting role. But I understand them doing an eclectic ensemble cast to show that despite everyone’s issues/different walks of life they can all work together to find a way home, but no one is really leading this show. Even one of the characters in the show says this feels like they’re on “Lost” which means this has been done before like in Manifest, The Crossing and Debis to name some which was just done earlier this year on the same network. The dialogue and writing on this show is so cliché and is following a used formula on drama between certain characters and how they try to lead the people all through this/unneeded conversations. The main character’s daughter is a woman with a disability too so they throw that in there too and people are complaining they didn’t do any research on some of the science going on/continuity going on. The premise of being back in 10,000 BC after falling through a sinkhole has all this promise but they went in the wrong direction for every aspect of the show as they seemed to not get what makes a good show. With how the networks usually cancel it after one season or forget about it even if they renew it I would pull the plug before the season ends, but also want to see how they figure out how to go home. I wouldn’t see this premise going on for that long because they need to figure out how to get home and they can do that in a few seasons.
ABC:
The Wonder Years: Inspired by the 1988 series of the same name this is the coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old Black youth named Dean Williams, in Montgomery, Ala., in the late 1960s, as told by his adult self voiced by Don Cheadle.
Verdict: Renewed. Another Lee Daniels black centered show has hit the airwaves this fall. This time he is tackling an 80’s classic sitcom about a coming of age story that started with Fred Savage but rebooting it with a black family. Savage is actually also producing and directing so I have confidence that he can guide this ship in the right direction plus he has Don Cheadle narrating the story which is a positive. They also did a good job of casting the boy (EJ Williams) who looks like a young Cheadle so it makes sense. I have laughed a few times during the episodes but feel like it is more of a drama then a comedy so let’s say it’s a dramedy. It gives me a vibe of “Everybody Hates Chris” but some of the social issues seem forced like race but I did enjoy the baseball episode and baseball cards being traded in one episode. I have seen the father (Dule Hill of West Wing & Psych) and sister(Laura Kariuki of Black Lightning) before so I am familiar with some of the cast and the writing has been good so far as he is learning lessons like he is supposed to be doing. The only real update is it is about a black family which is definitely a different perspective especially in the 60’s/70’s than a white family like the original, which I can give them credit for but that’s it. As I don’t get why they had to remake it in the first place, but also why it had to be the 60’s again they could have done the 80’s/90’s to give it a fresh update. I never watched the original as it was before my time but I think Savage will help guide this show in the right direction and with three long running sitcoms done on ABC over the past few seasons, plus them canceling a bunch there is room in ABC’s schedule for this show going forward.
Queens: Brianna, Jill, Valeria and Naomi once appeared as the “Nasty Bitches” in the 1990s. Together, the four of them not only turned the world of hip-hop upside down, but also achieved legendary status through their music. The four women are now in their forties, unworldly and largely estranged, so by reuniting the four there is now a chance to return to their old fame and vigor. But will the former megastars, also known as Professor Sex, Butter Pecan, Da Thrill and Xplicit Lyrics, manage to achieve this ambitious goal?
Verdict: Renewed. ABC is the capital of one hour dramas as Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, The Good Doctor and Big Sky might be a medical, a firefighter, or a law enforcement show but the underlying theme is drama all about drama. ABC also has one of the most popular drama’s on TV in A Million Little Things, so it would make sense as all they make are dramas especially reality TV(Bachelor, Bachelorette and dancing with the stars).This show has plenty of drama as all four of them have their issues as one’s husband cheated on her but had cancer, one is now as a lesbian, another has a daughter she barely knows as she’s been trying to be a solo artist, and the other one has been a talk show host who got fired. Also they are working with a young rapper who is in rehab, the love triangle between the manager and two of them, and they teased an obligatory teaser of someone getting shot. I do like that the show isn’t about them starting off or during their height of fame, it is what they are doing now and how they can recapture the magic they had when they were famous. I only know Brandy(of Moesha & Cinderella) from her acting on Fox’s “Star” as Queen Latifah’s sister and it is nice to see Nadine Velazquez(of The Leauge & My Name is Earl) as she barely spoke on the show that I know her from. ABC is trying to capture the magic of Fox’s Empire which was a family music drama of running a music company while this is one about one group trying to make it big again. Many people can relate to not achieving their dreams or wondering where their life went in their middle age years so we all want to see them achieve the goal of becoming big again. I do like shows that center around music even if it’s rapping as two of the women in this show are professional singers in Brandy and Eve(of Eve & Barber Shop). There is something about this show that draws you in and does not want to stop watching it with a glee on your face.
CW:
4400: In an instant, at least 4,400 people who have mysteriously disappeared from the face of the earth over the past century are returned to Detroit, having not aged a day and with no memory of what happened to them. As the government races to understand the phenomenon, civil servants are enlisted to deal with the aftermath. The unlikely partnership clash in ideology and approach but gradually find they have more in common than they thought as they become familiar with those under their care. The group of unwilling time travelers have to grapple with their impossible new reality, the fact that they were returned with a few upgrades, and the idea that they were brought back to this time period for a reason.
Verdict: Renewed. It is interesting that the CW finally has gotten into the Sci-Fi-fantasy mystery event game like Fox and the three main broadcast stations where there have been hits like Lost(ABC) and flops like the Crossing(ABC) and Debris(NBC) to name some. CW rarely cancels a show- they renew everything as the only way shows are taken off the air is when the show decides it’s time to end its run. The show is interesting enough that we all want to see how it all goes down and how it adds up to how/what it all means or why they all were taken to 2021 from different time periods. It is also cool to see what powers all of these people have and the consequences of said powers. With the CW not cancelling shows the hope is the creator of the show can get a full opportunity to tell a full story without shortcuts. When I did research I found it is a remake of a show from 2004-2007 from USA network with Joel Gretsch and Mahershala Ali to name some of the actors, where it takes place in Washington state but with a mostly white cast. This show has some white characters, Hispanic or Asian characters but it is a very black centered show as most of the main 4400 group that get speaking roles are black/the two officers working with the 4440 are as well. The correctional officer is not just in an interracial relationship she is dating another woman who happens to be in charge of the investigation as well so too much coincidence going on and one of the 4400 is a transgender male too. The only actor I am familiar with is Joseph David-Jones who played Connor Hawke in Arrow and I like his approach in wanting to help the 4400 and his connection into finding his lost brother.
FOX:
Our Kind of People: In the world of Oak Bluffs on Martha’s Vineyard is a historical stronghold where the rich and powerful Black elite have come to play for over 50 years. Single mom Angela Vaughn sets out to reclaim her family’s name and make an impact with her revolutionary hair care line that highlights the innate, natural beauty of Black women, but she soon discovers a dark secret about her own mother’s past that will turn her world upside-down and shake up this community forever.
Verdict: Cancelled. I am sorry to say this Lee Daniels but not everything you make is good-can you bring back “Star” or “Empire”? I know this is based on a popular book too that I have not read but the writing on this show is horrible/choppy/all over the place. I have been bored for most of time watching it as only a few seconds of reveals have caught some interest, like her finding out she is from this powerful black family. There has been no real build up on some of these reveals, they all feel rushed. It is like the black “Dynasty” or “Filthy Rich” which is good that they want to make a version for the black community but it has been done before like in “Empire”. I was excited to see Morris Chestnut(of Rosewood & The Resident) and Joe Morton(of Scandal & God Friended me) be in another show as some of their shows have been cancelled way too quickly, but it is odd that with all their acting skills they are just supporting cast members. Same goes for Debbie Morgan (of All of my children & What’s happening) and Lance Gross(of Star & MacGyver) as their talents are being wasted. The lead actress Yaya DaCosta(of Chicago Med & Ugly Betty) is overacting and trying too hard. Maybe if they had a better lead actress it could be better. With them rushing all the reveals and “Oohs & Ahhs” I have to take notes on who is who and who is related/married to someone. I understand she is trying to take down an old hierarchy of power/privilege, but is a common element in shows before. I know this show isn’t meant for me a white male, but I do not think the people who watch broadcast TV will like this show and it is geared towards mostly black women, but even they can see this show is horrible. I do like that they took the time for a theme song and hopefully Chestnut will go back to the Resident after they cancel this.
The Big Leap: A group of underdogs from Detroit who are down on their luck attempt to change their lives by participating in a reality dance show that builds to a live production of “Swan Lake ” that potentially offers them each a second chance at their dreams.
Verdict: Renewed. We all need an uplifting show since we are still going through tough times and it is also a show about second chances, plus underdogs which is very relatable to many. There are so many interesting unique characters where they are actually building out their stories well enough for you to be interested in their character growth. The writing and acting so far has been on par with the talent on this show as Scott Foley(of Felicity& Scandal), John Radinsky(of SNL & Champions), Kevin Daniels(Modern Family & Sirens), Piper Perabo(of Cheaper by the dozen & Covert affairs) and Teri Polo(of the Fosters & Meet the Fockers) have their talents actually be used correctly in their roles. Radinsky brings much needed comedy relief and Foley is leading the show’s production which is what he should do as the biggest name on the show. It’s more personal to me that Foley gets another crack at a TV (he seems to be on shows cancelled) show and same for Radinsky(one year of SNL). I also enjoy the unknown actors like the main actors Gaby (played by Simone Recasner) & her gay best friend Justin (played by Ray Cham) to name some. Plus I like the disgraced current football player doing this Broadway competition show (played by Ser’Darius Blain of Charmed & Jumanji). This show is different from “Zoey’s playlist” but it is another show that exudes positivity and has a good balance of music and dancing as well to not turn you off . My only issue is how long is this show supposed to go because if it’s building up to them doing “Swan Lake ” and when they get to that point what do they do moving forward? The main characters’ lives are interesting but only because it helps tell the story of them competing for the show. Unless the creator knows how many seasons/episodes it should get I have a sad feeling that with Fox’s track record it might be cancelled before it should end. You don’t have to worry because this show is good enough to last a full season and beyond.
