The Fall TV Report

Well, it’s that time again – time to reap what the Nets have sown, and feast on the new crop of fall TV shows. And as for this year’s harvest, well, I have to say by and large, the turnout was spectacularly underwhelming. But among the many offerings (and yes, there is a third NCIS, a forth CSI, and yet another Shonda Rhimes sudser among them), here were the shows I was intrigued enough by to deem worth checking out:

iZombie (CW)

Loosely based on a DC comic book, this show hails from the team that gave us Veronica Mars – and as you might expect, yes, it pretty much is a zombie version of Veronica Mars. I mean, the lead actress (Rose McIver) even has a voice eerily similar in timbre to Kristen Bell’s, with which she delivers the same patented Rob Thomas sardonic voice-over – but that is exactly why I enjoyed this pilot so much. Because hey, zombie Veronia Mars! What’s not to like about that?

Gotham (FOX)

But on the other hand, here we have the biggest letdown of the season. Because while Gotham isn’t a show totally without merit (the casting, for one, is wonderful), it’s also a show with a serious identity problem – because this show clearly has no idea how to be a Batman show without Batman. And so the pilot just kind of frantically performs a foreshadowing tap-dance – hey look, it’s Cattween! It’s Poison Sprout! It’s pre-paunch Penguin! – all the while hoping we don’t notice the lack of actual story supporting it all. Because the fundamental question they have yet to answer – and frankly, I’m not convinced they know how to answer it – is, how do you make Jim Gordon into a leading man as interesting as the man in the cape? And therein lies the problem.

The Flash (CW)

But if all you really want is some lighthearted superhero cheese, then The Flash has you covered. There really is something refreshing about a show that knows exactly what it is – Cape Lite – and delivers fully on its own premise, i.e. just has fun. So while this pilot isn’t perfect, I suspect this show is here to stay.

Forever (ABC)

And then we have a show that is so Castle, it’s ridiculous – why hello, formula – but lucky for them, Ioan Gruffudd sure is cute with his full-on British accent. So hey, why not? After all, there are a lot worse ways to spend an hour than with Castle.

Scorpion (CBS)

And then we come to CBS’ attempt at being slick, which packages a solid procedural premise – team of oddball geniuses paired with FBI handler – inside what feels like an artificially high octane vibe (probably stemming from the fact the pilot was directed by Justin Lin, he of The Fast and Furious fame). And while I suspect that forced slickness could wear thin, I did like the general idea enough to want to see more.

Ascension (Syfy)

This pilot I actually haven’t seen yet, so I’m judging from the trailer alone here – but while the story does look a lot like something we’ve all seen before, in several different iterations, I still am willing to play along, if only to support the general premise of a space opera thriller.

Madame Secretary (CBS)

More West Wing than Good Wife, Tea Leoni is great as the lead in this fairly feel-good story of White House politics, but the pilot was also rather slower than I would have liked. Still, it made for a refreshing change of pace from fighting crime, enough so that I’m willing to give it a few more episodes to see how it develops.

Constantine (NBC)

And last, sadly we come to the least of the fall’s superhero pilots – because wow did this one fall flat on its face. The leading man is about as personable as a block of wood, the world and plot are a master class in Generic Tropes 101, and all in all I was just spectacularly bored throughout. So while I like to think this show might get better, I’m also not holding my breath.