Fall Pilot Reviews 2014: The Flash, Mulaney, and Cristela

We're getting close to the end.  There are a couple more pilots next week (Jane the Virgin on Mon and Marry Me on Tues), a couple in late Oct (Constantine on the 24th and The McCarthys on the 30th), and then one more in November (State of Affairs on Nov 17th).

So, the posts will not be as frequent as they have been, but I promise to at least finish out the fall reviews.  If there is a lot of requests for this to continue, I might do the same in the winter and spring.  You (the readers) will have to let me know that you want me to continue though!

But now, lets hit the three latest releases:


THE FLASH (CW, premiered Tues. 7 Oct 14, airs on Tues 8/7c, available on Hulu)

For the most part, I hate voice over narration.  The times I can stand it are on series such as Arrested Development and more recently A to Z where you have an unexplained omniscient narrator.  But I almost always hate when a character provides narration.  I view it the same way that I view breaking the 4th wall.  It takes me out of the world of the show.  Plus, narration is often weak storytelling.  If you have to tell me what's going on with a voice over, that is work you aren't doing in the television show.  The Flash opened up with the titular character doing a voice over narration.  I began to get worried.  Then the show started and my worries dissipated.  An even better pilot than Arrow (the show this spun off from), The Flash was pretty close to perfect throughout.  The nods to the larger superhero world of which Flash is a part (POSSIBLE SPOILERS -  but there were references to Gorilla Grodd and more importantly Hal Jordan/Green Lantern with Ferris Air to go along with the reveal of Reverse Flash right off the bat) were awesome easter eggs without overwhelming the plot (ahem, Gotham), and with The Flash, those easter eggs have every chance of actually paying off.  From the comic side of things, it kind of feels like this version of Barry Allan owes a lot to Wally West and Bart Allen, as this Flash is younger and a little less serious then I view Barry, but the actor playing him wins you over pretty quickly.  The episode ended with a little more narration from Barry, and hopefully the show loses that convention for opening and closing quickly, because everything else was great.

98%

Interesting Fact:  A few awesome casting decisions have been made for this show.  First, John Wesley Shipp plays Barry's father Henry.  Previously, Shipp played Barry Allen/The Flash in the short lived 1990 TV version of the hero.  Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell played brothers at the heart of the conspiracy laden action show Prison Break.  They are reunited on this show as Flash villains Captain Cold and Heat Wave respectively.  And finally, as one half of Firestorm, Robbie Amell will be appearing on the show.  Robbie is cousins with Stephen Amell, who appears on this show (as well as stars on his own) as Oliver Queen/Green Arrow.


MULANEY (FOX, premiered 5 Oct 14, airs Sun 9:30/8:30c, available on Hulu)

CRISTELA (ABC, premiered 10 Oct 14, airs Fri 8:30/7:30c, available tomorrow on Hulu)

Comedians getting their own sitcoms is a time-honored tradition and has led to some fantastic shows: The Cosby Show, Rosanne, and Seinfeld to name a few.  Both of these shows feature successful comedians.  That's where the similarities stop, however.  Mulaney definitely seems to be trying to replicate the success of Seinfeld, but fails miserably.  Apparently, Mulaney as a comedian is funny, but you certainly can't tell from the show.  The stand up scenes on the show seem out of place (and even Seinfeld realized this and got rid of those cutaways eventually) and aren't that funny, unless of course they're compared to anything else on the show.  Another similarity to Seinfeld is that the main character can't really act, but whereas Jerry clearly was the worst actor on his show when it started, he was still watchable and, most importantly, funny.  But compared to Mulaney, Jerry Seinfeld was an Oscar winner.  It's painful to watch, Mulaney is so obviously out of place as an actor.  You can't laugh when you're spending so much time cringing.  Elliot Gould and Martin Short steal every scene they're in, but unfortunately that isn't enough.  And they're clearly playing second fiddle to the young, attractive cast that we're supposed to be laughing with.  Unfortunately, Mulaney the show seems to believe that Newman deserved to be made a main cast member on Seinfeld, becuase the Newman stand in (Andre), the annoying drug dealer they for some reason know, hangs out all the time with the other characters.  It's not funny.  It's just sad.  They should put that on the poster.

Cristela seems to be taking its cue not from Seinfeld, but from Rosanne, and it actually might compare favorably to that show.  However, it recognizes something that Mulaney apparently forgot, and that is that comedies should be funny, and Cristela is unquestionably funny.  It's also surprisingly smart and rather heartwarming.  All of the cast are funny, the writing is sharp and often brings you to actually laugh out loud (as in for real, not just in a "reply to someone with lol" type of way).  And there's a few great Jerry Jones jabs, which is a great way to win me over.  The previews didn't lead me to think that I was going to enjoy Cristela as much as I did, and I worry about the Friday night slot that the show finds itself in, but I highly recommend it.  While there have been a few funny and promising sitcoms to premiere so far this year, this one might actually be the funniest.

Mulaney - 6%

Cristela - 99%

Interesting Fact:  Cristela is the first ever show that is created by, written by, produced by, and stars a Latina, as Cristela Alonzo performs all of those roles for this show. 


Until Next Time, if you're enjoying these reviews, let me know!  Leave a comment!  What's your favorite new show so far?  How have the shows improved (or the opposite!) since their pilots?  Let me know what you think!

Fall Pilot Reviews 2014: Mysteries of Laura, How to Get Away with Murder, and Manhattan Love Story

I haven't forgotten you.  Here are more pilot reviews for your perusal...

MYSTERIES OF LAURA (NBC, premiered 17 Sept 14, airs Wed 8/7c, available on Hulu)

While there was a pretty good twist in the "case of the week" and I enjoyed some of the interactions between the family, there were a few things that I can't really overlook, primarily the "twist" involving her husband, with whom she is separated.  First, I saw it coming from a mile away but hoped I was wrong, because without spoiling anything, it was something that would never be allowed to occur due to conflicts of interest.  While I like Debra Messing, I'm not sure I'm totally buying the character she's playing.  It is almost a caricature of Peter Falk's Colombo, which was bothering me.  At the end of the episode, her partner refers to her as Colombo, which almost made it worse.  I think it's intentional, but it comes off as a cheap imitation and certainly not as an homage if that's what they were intending.  All in all, there's not enough here for me to invest any further time in it.  I am a little sorry I waited three weeks to actually view and review it, but at least now I know I don't have to catch up with the next two episodes!

31%

Interesting Fact:  It was really hard to accept Janina Gavankar as the annoying character she is portrayed to be in the show.  In everything else she's in, she's all kinds of awesome.  She has recently appeared as Detective Hall in Arrow, but is more awesome as Shiva, the inspiration for the trophy in The League, and shapeshifter Luna Garza in True Blood.

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (ABC, premiered 25 Sept 14, airs Thurs 10/9c, available on Hulu)

The mysteries presented are intriguing and original.  Honestly, these are probably the best mysteries I've seen on TV since Veronica Mars.  The show presented the two main mysteries (a murder that hasn't occurred yet and a missing girl that I have a feeling will be somehow connected to the murder that takes place three months in the future) in a very coherent way, switching between present day and three months from now.  I have to admit, the story intrigued me.  I did have a few problems with the pilot, however.  I'm not entirely sure that a lawyer would want a bunch of first year law students working on her cases.  It seems they would be far more likely to get in the way than actually help solve a case, but I'm somewhat willing to over look that.  However, what really bothered me about the pilot is that none of the characters seem to be worth rooting for.  The one "good" law student we find out, before we even get a chance to like his character, is involved in the murder.  All that being said, I'm intrigued enough for the mystery to stick around.  I just hope that at some point there is a character that I can really root for in the show.

76%

Interesting Fact:  Super annoying first year law student Asher Millstone (even his name is annoying) is played by Matt McGorry, playing way against type considering his other huge role is that of super sweet (if technically guilty of taking advantage of Diaz) guard John Bennett.  He was immediately recognizable, but it almost seemed impossible it was the same actor because the character was so different.  Pretty impressive acting, and even though I hate his character, I'm interested to see how he plays into the story since he isn't one of the murderers.


MANHATTAN LOVE STORY (ABC, premiered 30 Sept 14, airs Tues 8:30/7:30c, available on Hulu)

Right off the bat this show fell into some borderline sexist but absolutely cliched traps.  (He's deciding if he would sleep with each girl he sees!  She's deciding whether or not she would use every purse she sees!  Ha ha ha.  Men like boobs.  Girls like purses.  So original.  /sarcasm).  Nothing in the episode was remotely surprising, and the characters were so cardboard cut-out obvious, there was no real draw to make you care.  The in the head narration of the two main characters wasn't very clever, and seemed like just a way to get in some easy jokes.  The only redeeming moment was the super awkward date, but even that was weakened due to the first person narration in each of the characters' heads.  It actually took you out of what could have been an incredibly funny, if uncomfortable, scene.  Watching this really made me appreciate how unique How I Met Your Mother really was.  The characters in that show, Ted, Robin, Marshall, Lily, and Barney, were so original and at the same time so real.  It probably isn't easy to do a romantic comedy type sitcom with such an original frame to the story and such original and real characters, which is why we haven't really seen something as good as HIMYM either before or since (although I am holding out some hope for A to Z).  This show is sadly much more the norm.  Cliched characters in a tired will they or won't they storyline, where it should have been clear to everyone, including the characters themselves, that this was a bad idea right from the start.  Unfortunately, the characters aren't even remotely interesting enough for me to care enough to watch the inevitable crash of this relationship.  And I definitely am not interested in the possibility that it actually works out!

14%

Interesting Fact:  The one interesting and seemingly (although we didn't really get enough info about her to be sure) character in the show is the sister of the male half of this Manhattan love story, played by Chloe Wepper.  She doesn't even currently have a profile picture on her IMDb page, but she steals each short scene she is in the pilot.  Her resume is currently a little light (highlighted currently by her role as "Barista" in Criminal Minds), but of everyone in this show, she's the one that I might expect to have a future once this show is quickly cancelled.

Until Next Time, we are fast approaching the premiere of a couple of the shows that most excite me, Gracepoint, the ten episode miniseries staring David Tennant (aka The Doctor) reprising his role from the British version of the show only now with an American accent (which should be fun, hopefully it is better than Christopher Eccleston's in The Leftovers, they can compare them at Doctor Who conventions) and The Flash!

Fall Pilot Reviews 2014: Forever, NCIS:New Orleans, Black-ish

More Fall Pilot Reviews!

If you want to check out the ones we've already done, Selfie, Red Band Society, and Madam Secretary can be found here and A to Z, Scorpion, and Gotham can be found here.

Now, Forever, NCIS: New Orleans, and Black-ish!



FOREVER (ABC, premiered 22 Sept 14, airs Tues 10/9c, available on Hulu)

The premise and arc defining mystery both are interesting enough, the cast is good, but the show just doesn't work.  Ioan Gruffudd plays Henry who is over 200 years old, because he can't die.  Every time he dies, he wakes up naked in a nearby body of water.  I'm not sure what happens to his body when this occurs, since the episode doesn't deal with that possible inconsistency.  Ignoring that, there are still some huge plot holes, plot holes you could drive a subway train through (that's how we first see Henry die in the pilot, as a subway train drives through the back of a stationary subway train).  Consider this, Henry died in the crash that is being investigated, which, remember, means he shows up in a nearby body of water, naked, which resulted in him being arrested and spending the night in jail for indecent exposure.  Therefore, there is proof of Henry being arrested shortly after the crash far from the site of the crash.  Yet despite this obvious alibi, the detective spends a fair amount of the episode convinced that Henry somehow was responsible.  And then when she begins to admit maybe he is innocent, he completely is invited along on the investigation.  As a medical examiner.  Why is a ME going anywhere besides the morgue on an investigation?  It would be nice if the show at least tried to offer an explanation.  The show made a big deal about Henry's investigative abilities, they might as well have made him a detective.

There are a couple of good twists at the end of the episode, but the story still was mostly predictable and obviously procedural driven, which is not a big draw for me.  Sure it offers a couple big arc-type mysteries that presumably will occur each week inside of the week to week mysteries, but it still felt entirely like a weekly procedural and didn't do enough to make me overlook that fact.

41%

Interesting Fact:  Ioan Gruffudd was Horatio Hornblower in the series of films based on that iconic character and also one of the best parts of the unfortunate Fox produced Fantastic Four films.  When the next Fantastic Four movie bombs, I'm hoping Fox will allow the property to lapse back into Marvel control and when Marvel gives us the first great Fantastic Four film, here's hoping Ioan Gruffudd is back as Reed.

NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (CBS, premiered 23 Sept 14, airs Tuesdays 9/8c, available on CBS on demand and app)

In case you couldn't tell in the last review, I'm not a big procedural fan, and this is all procedural all the time.  You could pick up any episode of this show and not be lost, because there is little character development or ongoing plot points, it is all mystery of the week.  No thanks.  That by itself was enough to make me dread having to watch this (so you don't have to!), but it was worse than I could have imagined.  I was hoping at least the greatness of Scott Bakula (Quantum Leap and Enterprise) would help mitigate the pain, but his poor attempt at a New Orleans/Cajun accent was grating.  Then there was the odd effect of starting each act with a freeze frame of where the act would end.  I'm not sure what that was about, but it was extremely annoying.  The episode story itself required a huge coincidence to drive the story and the way it was told highlighted that coincidence even more.  The back and forth bickering between the secondary characters (assuming Bakula is the main character) was incredibly forced and had me continually rolling my eyes.  There's a reason I don't like these types of shows, and this one did nothing to change that.

12%

Interesting fact:  In my head, Scott Bakula's character is actually Sam from Quantum Leap and each case could be his chance to finally leap out of this body.  Watching with this idea gave me a little more incentive to make to the end of the episode, but the lack of Al and no jump to a new body at the end of the episode brought me back to reality.  Okay, I didn't care enough to find you an interesting fact on this show.  Sorry.

BLACK-ISH (ABC, premiered 24 Sept 14, airs Wednesdays 9:30/8:30c, available on Hulu)

As I've mentioned many times before, sitcoms have the hardest time finding their groove.  It wasn't until well into season 2 that The Office really worked.  Parks and Rec is one of the best comedies of all time, but its first season isn't that good either.  Black-ish actually has a stronger first episode than many sitcoms have had, but you can tell it hasn't quite got everything down yet.  The episode had many laugh-out-loud moments, and the characters are strong, but the pacing of the episode was off.  The show had a fun, funny, and quite relevant storyline for the first episode, but it spent nearly the entire episode building that storyline up.  The ending was ridiculously rushed, which completely took me out of the story.  I was shocked at how fast everything was wrapped up, and a few of the moments that were part of the build-up were completely dropped at the conclusion.  That was a little frustrating.  However, I've learned not to judge sitcoms too harshly on their pilots.  After I watched the first episode of The Big Bang Theory, I was never going to watch it again, but now I'm glad I've stuck with it.  I see way more potential in this pilot than I did in The Big Bang Theory.  While I had some problems, primarily with pacing, with this episode, the show is definitely one I plan on giving a chance to find its rhythm.

83%

Interesting Fact:  The Great Lawrence Fishburne (who plays Pops, the father of Anthony Anderson's main character) had his first acting role in Apocalypse Now when he was only 14 years old (though he celebrated his 15th and 16th birthdays while filming).  Before his arguably biggest role as Morpheus in the Matrix films, he was probably best known for his role in John Singleton's Boyz N the Hood.  Oddly enough, Fishburne and Singleton met while they were both working on Pee Wee's Playhouse, Fishburne as Cowboy Curtis and Singleton as a PA.


Until Next Time, At the very least, reviews of The Mysteries of Laura and How to Get Away With Murder should be coming very soon!  Enjoy your fall TV!

Pilot Reviews Fall 2014: Selfie, Red Band Society, Madam Secretary

Ten years ago today, the television world changed forever with the advent of a pilot that blew our minds and would continue to challenge and thrill us for six seasons.  That show that aired for the first time ten years ago was, of course, LOST.


LOST would go on to win the first annual coveted Josh's Choice for the Best New Show of the Season.  As we enter the television season ten years later, what show will go on to win the award this year, following in the footsteps of LOST, Invasion, Friday Night Lights, Journeyman, Dollhouse, Good Wife, Chicago Code, Once Upon a Time, Arrow, and Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

There is only one way to find out, and that's watching some television.  We will start by reviewing each of the new shows this fall.

SELFIE (ABC, premieres Sept 30, airs Tues 8/7c, available on Hulu)

I really wanted to like this, because I love Karen Gillan (aka Amy Pond from Doctor Who).  I actually rooted for Nebula in Guardians of the Galaxy.  Alas, this My Fair Lady remake (her character's name is Eliza Doolie) is not very good.  Karen Gillan (who is outstanding throughout her Doctor Who run and making a name for herself with her great performance in Oculus and the aforementioned part in the best film of the summer, Guardians of the Galaxy) does as good a job as anyone could, but the premise and writing leave a lot to be desired.  I highly doubt this show gets another viewing from me, and that's a shame, because I do love Amy Pond, but maybe its quick demise will allow her to get back to playing some roles that will make her the star she deserves to be.

There are a few interesting costars as well (including John Cho of Harold and Kumar fame), but like Gillan, there is no rising above this material.  I don't foresee this show lasting too long.  In fact, if we were having a poll for the show most likely to get cancelled first, Selfie would be getting some great odds.

31%

Interesting Fact:  David Harewood, who plays Eliza and Henry's boss, also appeared on Doctor Who in the two episodes proceeding Karen Gillan's turn as Amy Pond.


RED BAND SOCIETY (FOX, premiered Sept 17, airs Wed 9/8c, available on Hulu)

Narrated by a kid in a coma, yes, seriously, its a dramedy about a bunch of sick kids living in a hospital.  I think its going for a Glee-vibe.  We've got an over-achieving girl who has an eating disorder, a super bitchy cheerleader (who, shocker!, has a lesson to learn), the cool kid in a wheelchair, the black dude who "always knows where the party is" and who has graffitied his name throughout the hospital (I wish I was making that up), the kid that talks his way into the hospital because he doesn't think his doctors are as competent as the one in the hospital (who otherwise is exactly like the kid in the wheelchair, they even made that joke in the show), and then the nurses and doctors who take care of the kids (who seem more interesting to be honest, at least to this point they're better actors).

If it weren't for the ridiculous coma narration and all the cliches, there could be some promise; unfortunately, every character is a cliche and the lack of originality makes banal anything that might be fresh about the show.  And this might be the first time I've ever seen a show have a "Jump the Shark" moment in the pilot episode (and yes, it involves Coma Boy).

48%

Interesting Fact:  Octavia Spencer from The Help (the best part of that movie) is the best part of this show as well.  Although, the rich, eccentric hypochondriac who has a wing in the hospital named after him (the wing he lives in despite being totally healthy) seems interesting, but it seems like he's only in the pilot as of now, so that's disappointing.

MADAM SECRETARY (CBS, premiered Sept 21, airs Sun 8/7c, available on CBS/ondemand and app)

Primarily comedic actors Tea Leoni (although best known as the real life wife of Mulder, and as a joke on that fact, she played Skully in an episode of the X-Files where they were making a movie on Mulder and Skully), Tim Daly (Joe from Wings), and Bebe Neuwirth (Lilith from Cheers) in a smart drama that looks like there's going to be a pretty interesting subplot running through involving Tea Leoni's characters past in the CIA.  But now, she's thrust from life as a civilian to being the new Secretary of State.  And it is immediately engaging.  The episodes main plot is interesting and evokes a touch of West Wing (which coincidentally premiered today 15 years ago), never a bad thing.  While mostly serious and exceedingly well written and acted, there are few laugh out loud moments as well.  I especially loved how at one point the Secretary used media's obsession with fashion for powerful females to keep the main plot story from reaching large media attention.  Smart and funny.  This show has potential.  As I said to a friend as I was watching this is CBS at its finest, more Person of Interest and The Good Wife - CBS than NCIS and CSI - CBS.

93%

Interesting Fact:  Tim Daly is also the voice of Superman in the DC Animated Universe, which the way things are looking might be the only DC universe on our screens ever worth watching unless you count Arrow and Flash.


Until Next Time, Madam Secretary wasn't a show I had any interest in before watching it, but now, I can't wait to see where it goes.  It has thrust itself into contention for JCFBNSOTS.  Of course, there are four new super hero shows airing this year (Gotham, Flash, Constantine, and Agent Carter), so competition figures to be tight.  See you soon with some more pilot reviews!

Pilot Reviews: Pan Am and Prime Suspect

More Pilot Reviews...

Pan Am

 Like Playboy Club (which NBC has already cancelled), Pan Am is trying to cash in on the success of Mad Men, and America's apparent interest in the 1960's.

I would argue that America is more interested in the fantastic storytelling and amazing characters in Mad Men as opposed to the time period (although it certainly doesn't hurt the show any).

Luckily, Pan Am seems to have gotten that.  The show is set in the 60s, and apparently will take full advantage of that, but it is also built around character and story.

Taking a page from LOST, the pilot spends a good portion of the time setting up the characters through their backstory with flashbacks.  This doesn't always work, but LOST used it to great advantage, and Pan Am seems to be following suit.

All of the characters and their backstories were intriguing, and the whereabouts of one of the stewardesses sets up an interesting mystery that should drive the show for at least a little while.

This is a show that is definitely worth checking out.

Pilot Grade: 96%

Interesting Fact: The show was created by Jack Orman, who was a long time writer for ER and then served as the Executive Producer of the show.

Prime Suspect

Prime Suspect has a lot in common with a recent NBC television show, Mercy (which I wrote about here).  A strong female character who has problems at times with the male authority figures where she works, but there are some key differences.  Where Mercy featured a female character working in a profession that was common for women, nursing, Prime Suspect has a female character that is a Homicide Detective in a squad where all the other detectives are men.  (Point Prime Suspect).  Mercy's main character had a backstory that saw her returning from serving in Iraq and dealing with Post Traumatic Stress, Prime Suspect's main character has just worked her way up the hard way, but due to an old relationship, there are those who wonder if she really earned her new position.  (It's not a bad backstory, but Point Mercy).  Mercy had fantastic supporting characters, Prime Suspect hasn't spent much time developing anyone beyond their lead.  (Point Mercy).  Both shows feature Peter Gerety as the main characters father.  (Tie).

The show has potential, but the pilot didn't wow me, while there isn't much negative you can really say about it either.  It is basically a run of the mill procedural with a strong female main character being the only thing really setting it apart.

Pilot Grade: 88%

Interesting Fact:  The show is a remake of a UK serial that starred Helen Mirren (The Queen) in the lead role.

Until Next Time,

For my review of Up All Night and Free Agents go here...

For my review of Whitney and New Girl go here...

For my review of 2 Broke Girls and How To Be A Gentleman go here...

For my review of Unforgettable and Person of Interest go here...

(My thoughts after Terra Nova, although not a proper Pilot Review, is here...)

Damn You, ABC, Damn You

Life On Mars was canceled.  They're allowing the show to have a finale, so the show will have an ending, but still, this was the best new show going so far.  It was way better then Fringe (which has been getting a lot better, but still has nothing on Life On Mars).

This is just the latest travesty committed by ABC this season.  Life On Mars ends its run way too soon just like Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies.

I really hate ABC right now.