CBS:
Y: Marhsals: The series serves as both a spin-off and sequel to “Yellowstone and is the fourth television series in the franchise. A former U.S. Navy SEAL and rancher Kayce Dutton(played by Luke Grimes of Yellowstone & American Sniper) joins a specialized group of U.S. Marshals tasked with protecting Montana. He and his teammates, Pete Calvin(played by Logan Marshall Green of 24 & The OC), Belle Skinner(played by Arielle Kebbel of Vampire Diaries & Midnight Texas), Andrea Cruz, and Miles Kittle must balance the high psychological cost of serving as the last line of defense in the region’s war on violence with their duty to their families.
Verdict: Renewed. The “Yellowstone” franchise has been fruitful for the CBS/Paramount Company as this is the 4th installment and it was renewed almost instantly. That is now 3 out of 4 spinoffs to debut this TV season to be renewed for this network. Sunday nights with this, Tracker and Watson make it a good Sunday night block of one hour procedural dramas which all fans can agree is a good thing for stability and continuity. This show has that movie feel to its production in cinematography, the beautiful landscape scenery and having a theme song/intro. It has the characters all fleshed out with back stories right off the bat and the storytelling/script also seems to be on point. The casting with the female leads, the Native American characters and the two leads also has been good. Nice seeing Kebbel get another show since most of her shows or roles last only one or two seasons no matter if she is a lifeguard, a detective or a firefighter to name some. If the network and the fans are all on board there isn’t much to say except maybe those without Paramount+ should find a way to watch everything in this universe if the network TV fans are enjoying this and will get more next season. The only question left is this a CBS show exclusive spinoff that goes to the streaming platform after every episode or is it another Paramount+ exclusive CBS is giving the fans like a dog with a bone?
CIA: When this odd two unlikely partners: a fast-talking, rule-breaking loose cannon CIA case officer, Colin Glass (played by Tom Ellis of Lucifer & Miranda) and a by-the-book, seasoned and smart FBI agent, Bill Goodman (played by Nick Gehlfuss of Shameless & Chicago Med) who believes in the rule of law. The couple are assigned to work out of CIA’s New York station, they must learn to work together to investigate cases and criminals posing threats on U.S. soil, finding that their differences may actually be their strength.
Verdict: Renewed. CBS cancelled the other two FBI spinoffs from Dick Wolf’s universe of shows for whatever reasons and ended SWAT to make room for shows like this. There is actually room in the schedule for the show as it allows the flagship FBI shows to have a partner show as they have had for it and NCIS over the years. They already jumped to renew Fire Country’s spinoff “Sheriff Country” and Blue Blood’s “Boston Blue” only after a few weeks of being on air so that is a good sign. It is an interesting idea for a joint task force between CIA and FBI so that it will be entertaining to see how their backgrounds/training interact but also disagree and adjust to become a great partnership or it all blows up. Ellis has magnetic charisma, ability to blend vulnerability with intense charm and has a commanding presence as a leading man so it is easy for people to want to fall in line with him from the start no matter what the show is. The other actors have experience in procedural shows so they seem to blend in well for this show. Plus you get cameos from Jeremy Sisto and other actors in the flagship FBI show so hopefully we all get crossover episodes going forward which is something missed since the other two spinoffs were cancelled last year. The mini intro is a nice touch and in general CBS gets another above average one hour procedural in law enforcement trying to save the day with good leads that should get a few years run like the other FBI spinoffs.
NBC:
The Rise & Fall of Reggie Dinkins: Years after a gambling scandal ruined his reputation, former football star Reggie Dinkins(played by Tracy Morgan of SNL & 30 Rock) is running out of time to enter the Hall of Fame. In one last shot at redemption, Reggie hires Arthur Tobin(Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter & Now You See Me), a disgraced filmmaker, to make a documentary reclaiming his legacy, recruiting his former teammate Rusty and ex-wife-turned-manager Monica for help. Though Reggie and Tobin don’t get along at first, this team of underdogs comes together when they realize that Reggie isn’t the only one searching for a comeback.
Verdict: Renewed. It seems like NBC is trying to find the next “The Office” or “Parks & Rec” by doing all of these mockumentry style shows. They have an “Office” spinoff in “The Paper”, current shows “St Denis Medical” and “Stumble”, so here is a different kind as it is sports related. The best thing is Morgan is doing what he does best play a clueless-but love-able guy (30 Rock & The Last OG) who is a former star football player who became disgraced for one mistake. It also has Bobby Moynihan of(SNL & Secret life of Pets) who always plays dumb but love-able idiots who are good in supporting roles in all the shows he has been in so that is a plus. Also the actor playing the son Carmelo (played by Jalyn Hall of All-American & Till) gets another chance to be on network television and the ex-wife Monica(played by Erika Alexander of The Cosby Show & Living Single) who is playing the “straight guy” because Morgan, Moynihan, the new wife and even Radcliffe are too many crazy people. The biggest issue is she isn’t in that many scenes and good sitcoms you need the mature or responsible one to be present more so Radcliffe’s character is usually that guy but he also plays an odd guy too. This show has it laughs consistently and has a good underdog archetype redemption story that we all want to see where it goes over the course of a few seasons. Unsure what NBC is doing after the blood-bath of shows being cancelled last spring with them adding the NBA and MLB to their portfolio? Two sitcoms were cancelled last year so there is potentially room for this and the other new sitcom Stumble to stay and the returning sitcoms need a partner in their respective blocks going forward since they renewed those shows for a 3rd season. Lastly NBC has to stop showing only one episode and then waiting weeks to a month for the next because people will lose interest before it even begins.
ABC:
RJ Decker:
FOX:
Best Medicine: Martin Best (played by Josh Charles of The Good Wife & Dead Poets Society) is a brilliant surgeon who abruptly leaves Boston to become the general practitioner in a quaint East Coast fishing village where he spent summers as a child. He struggles to integrate with the locals as well as well
while reconnecting with his aunt, a local lobster woman. He has pathological blood phobia which developed during an operation on a young girl, back in Boston. Martin can expertly address any medical ailment or mystery in this idiosyncratic town, he’s really just desperate to be left alone. Instead, he keeps getting dragged right smack into the middle of their personal chaos, feuds and fantasies. But tenacity is the creed of everyone in their small village, and the people who live there may be exactly what the doctor ordered.
Verdict: Renewed. Based on the current lineup at Fox right now this show is better than what they have on for one hour shows. A bad medical drama that has a hooky lifetime or hallmark movie plot is the only medical drama that it is going up against on the network. The biggest issue is that this show seems better suited for a half-hour time slot and not an hour because some of the plot can be resolved a lot quicker and not go on-on like they seem to do. It has its moment of humor but is too much of a drama to be a mixture of both. Charles does a great job of playing a straight laced oriented no-nonsense doctor. He also plays the straight man in a show full of kooky people who all do their weird things while he has to witness all of it. Having Abigail Spencer, Annie Potts and Josh Segura as supporting cast is a nice touch since Potts is playing his aunt who tells it like it is to him. We just have to worry about another show with Spencer, her last two shows have been given the ax quickly. Having a theme song is a nice touch since most shows do not; but his assistant is so annoying I am unsure what the point was? You could have had a person who doesn’t speak or even be on camera to save money and time. Lastly when Fox said goodbye to the Resident and 911 with their cancellations it was the hope they might actually put on good one hour dramas in the medical or first responder world. They chose this show based on a British show so it’s not even an original idea and like the other medical drama on this network.
Memory of a Killer: Angelo Doyle (played by Patrick Dempsey of Grey’s Anatomy & Maid of Honor) is a contract killer and an upstate Cooperstown photocopier salesman and father. Having built and maintained a brick wall between his two worlds, Angelo has seamlessly juggled and compartmentalized for years. But wow that’s all about to change, because an attempt is made on his pregnant daughter’s life but also his mind might be failing him as two lives start to crash together. Alzheimer’s is a foe he can’t outrun, and he knows too well how this ends, as his older brother is already lost to the condition. It is based on the 2003 Belgian film De Zaak Alzheimer and the 1985 novel of the same name.
Verdict: Canceled. It looked like a cool idea to get Dempsey back to network television and so is the premise of the show but again Fox cannot come up with an original idea. Their other two one-dramas on the air “Doc” and “Best Medicine” no matter your opinion are not original ideas. This seems better as a TV-movie or just a movie, which guess what? It was a movie so it should probably stay that way. It has agood supporting cast like Michael Imperioli(of The Sopranos & Goodfellas) who is Angelo’s boss running this hit man business but is a restaurant owner. His experience in mobster type movies and shows fits him well in this role. Also seeing Gina Torres (of Suits & 911: Lone Star) poking around as FBI is nice since she has been in a few first responder shows is a nice casting choice. There is also too much going on with his pregnant daughter’s life with her husband being a deadbeat and the will they won’t they between the local detective who looked into her mom’s/Angelo’s wife’s death. What is cool is his base of operations, his place of living and cover story of his personal life to his boss and his cover story to his family on what he does. Then you got his boss’ nephew who works for him but is still new at it and then Angelo’s brother who is in medical care for his Alzheimer. You also add his past coming back to haunt him or not which isn’t clear. Maybe if they streamlined it better it would be good but you know ever know what Fox is going to do since they had two bad shows on for multiple seasons but cancelled a few good ones. The hope for Dempsey’s sake is maybe the writing gets better as the season goes so it is less confusing for us. Maybe even Fox gives it another season but how much can you tell if he is starting to rapidly lose it with his Alzheimer’s getting worse by the day merging his two lives together? Only reason to tune in all season is to see where everything leads to in the end.
