CBS:
Poppa’s House: Legendary talk radio host (played by Damon Wayans of In Living Color & My Wife and Kids) and happily divorced “Poppa” has his point of view challenged at work when a new female co-host is hired, and at home where he finds himself still parenting his adult son (played by Damon Wayans Jr of New Girl & Let’s Be Cops), a brilliant dreamer who is trying to pursue his passion while being a responsible father and husband.
Verdict: Renewed: There is a void in the sitcom- comedy world on CBS with two long running sitcoms ending already last spring one good and one bad. It is hard to overcome the annoying laugh track dictating when you should laugh because there are plenty of funny moments that there is no laugh track for in general. They do have a mini theme song which is a nice touch and it is unique that they have outtakes at the end of the show showing how much fun they are having making this show as it doesn’t look like work-as it looks like fun. There was a previous attempt of a sitcom with them as a father-son duo when Jr had a show called “Happy Place” and Sr played his TV dad which was one of the best episodes. This can be a full fledged idea because it is comedy gold, that they have great chemistry working together. They know each other too well being a father-son duo in comedy as they can play off each other’s weird quirks and mannerisms well as they are sometimes in unison. The supporting cast like Essence Atkins (of Marlon; Smart Guy) who has experience in successful comedies as Sr’s new co-host who is also the antagonist and the radio producer guy in Bryan Safi(of 911) are nice touches. The main question is if Jr is a parent with his wife (who doesn’t have many credits) where are the kids? It is the perfect addition to be on the same one-hour comedy block on Monday nights on CBS after the “Neighborhood” going from Cedric the Entertainer to Damon Wayans so pay attention.
NBC:
Brilliant Minds: Dr. Oliver Wolf(played by Zachary Quinto of “Heroes” & “Star Trek”) is an eccentric but incredibly gifted neurologist who suffers from a rare condition that gives him a unique perspective on care, fueling his mission to change the way the world sees his patients. After his unusual methods result in his dismissal, he takes his unconventional approach to a new hospital: Bronx General, where he leads a team of bright young interns in tackling some of the world’s most puzzling psychological cases. With their help, he must also challenge his own personal and social limitations by navigating all the expectations, politics and complicated relationships that come with the job.
Verdict: Renewed. There is a huge void on the airwaves for medical dramas that stick out or just have an interesting plot. All three have come and gone off the air in the Good Doctor, The Resident and New Amsterdam. NBC does have Chicago Med but a show about a doctor who cares too much is what has been missing since New Amsterdam was cancelled. That show was about a doctor trying to change the medical system from within as the head of the hospital but this is also a doctor trying to change the system on how we view patients even if it breaks the rules. You need to give Quinto all the accolades on really selling this character and knowing the entire medical lingo as he studied it instead of just reciting it. The hope is the network lets the writers and creators continue building the story of him as a doctor but also the other doctors he is working with as most medical shows need more than a season to get their flow in storytelling. It is an adjustment to have a show with not just a monologue to start each episode but also full of flashbacks to help him figure out things when he has breakthroughs. It is unique to have actually shown someone with his illness of face blindness; most people think it’s not real. It is too coincidental that both his parents are doctors but sometimes that can be true in the real world but his mom runs the hospital (the only one that will give him a chance). The hope is they get more in depth with the residents he has to work with since they are all unique in different ways and one of them is very familiar to audiences from his days on All-American and AP Bio in Spence Moore. Plus one of the neurosurgeons has been on TV for awhile in Teddy Sears of Flash & American Horror Story as a frenemy. Hopefully NBC gives them the time to grow because it has a potential hit on their hands thanks to Quinto, the ensemble cast, the guest stars and the apparent source material based on the books by Oliver Sacks.
Fox:
Universal Basic Guys: It centers on two brothers, Mark and Hank Hoagies, who lose their jobs to automation and are given $3,000 a month in a new basic income program. Now, they’re using their free time and free money to find purpose in a world where they’re no longer needed. Verdict: Cancelled: When will Fox get the message?! Stop renewing shows before it even premiers! I know executives watch the pilot episode before green lighting it but this one is worse than the rest of the ones they renewed before it started. First off the animation looks terrible and weird. The voice acting is terrible and I know it is by the two brothers who made this show but they should have hired people who can do voice acting. The theme song is terrible and it is the only thing that explains the situation the two main characters are in because the pilot sure didn’t. There are too many bad, terrible, sophomoric humor and jokes. Most of the writing is terrible too as most episodes don’t make sense. They are trying too hard to be Family Guy with a fat idiot doing dumb things in every episode. If he does something dumb or terrible it doesn’t bother him from one episode to another with his hi-jinks just without it being as funny. Only Fred Armisen lending one voice does it give any credit to the show but his character doesn’t matter.
