TV Talk: Broadcast TV goes with tried and true genres, titles for new fall season
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As broadcast television shrinks in importance to media conglomerates — see: reports of NBC dumping its 10 p.m. hour of programming, possibly next fall —ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW all play it safe with familiar titles/genres and fewer new fall series overall.
Here’s what’s new on the commercial broadcast channels in the coming months:
SUNDAY
“Celebrity Jeopardy!” (8 p.m., ABC): Mayim Bialik hosts a prime-time weekly run of “Jeopardy!” with celebrity contestants Simu Liu, Constance Wu, Iliza Shlesinger, Ray Romano, Aisha Tyler, Patton Oswalt, Michael Cera, B.J. Novak and Candace Parker. (Premieres Sept. 25)
“Family Law” (8 p.m., The CW): Hungover Canadian lawyer (Jewel Staite) vomits on her client in court then goes to work for her estranged father (Victor Garber) and alongside her half-siblings. It’s a light-hearted legal drama that is fine but totally unessential. (Oct. 2)
“East New York” (9:30 p.m., CBS): Yes, this is a fairly straightforward police drama, but it’s buoyed by some well-drawn characters even in its pilot episode, not always an easy task. Amanda Warren (“The Leftovers”) stars as deputy inspector Regina Haywood, the new commander of the 74th precinct whose elevation is viewed as a “diversity hire” by some, but she has the support of her boss (Jimmy Smits) as she tries to institute reforms (a little bit of “The District,” CBS’s 2000-04 Washington, D.C.,-set cop drama creeps in around the edges). An early standout includes Richard Kind as Haywood’s assistant. (Oct. 2)
MONDAY
“Quantum Leap” (10 p.m., NBC): A sequel series to the original “Quantum Leap” — original series star Scott Bakula has not signed on to reprise his role —this one follows a new leaper, Ben Song (Raymond Lee), who travels through time with a hologram (Caitlin Bassett). Point Park University grad Mason Alexander Park plays the scientist who created the new artificial intelligence now used to leap. This series was not available for preview after producers/NBC scrapped the original pilot. (Sept. 19)
TUESDAY
“Monarch” (8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11; moves to 9 p.m. Tuesdays on Sept. 20): Fox originally announced this soap with a country backdrop for a January 2022 premiere and then pushed it back because of production delays, an unfortunate choice given how the show now seems like an imitation of a real-life country music star tragedy.
The Southern accents bring to mind Fox’s flop 2020 soap “Filthy Rich,” but the tone is less fun, more serious and more in line with lesser “Nashville” episodes (more humor emerges in episode three). “Monarch” tracks the lives of Country music star Albie Roman (Trace Adkins) and his tough-minded wife, Dottie Cantrell Roman (Susan Sarandon), and their children Nicky (Anna Friel of “Pushing Daisies”), Luke (Joshua Sasse, “Galavant”) and Gigi (Beth Ditto).
Often cheesy dialogue abounds in this overcooked soap that features intra-family squabbles over who will be heir to the family music dynasty (shades of “Empire’s” never-ending who-will-run-the-record-label feud). Music performances and guest turns by real-life country music stars abound: In episode two, Shania Twain calls Luke an “adorable, green-eyed stud.” “Monarch” is a decidedly old-school, broadcast network prime-time sudser.
“The Rookie: Feds” (10 p.m., ABC): Niecy Nash-Betts stars in this spin-off that was introduced in a spring episode of “The Rookie.” Nash-Betts plays a rookie FBI agent who recoils at desk duty and forces her way into the field. Light-hearted procedural that’s better than it should be thanks to the comedic, charismatic personality of its lead performer. (Sept. 27)
“The Winchesters” (8 p.m., The CW): Early ‘70s set prequel to “Supernatural” about Sam and Dean’s parents, John (Drake Rogers) and Mary (Meg Donnelly) Winchester, and how they bonded over hunting demons while searching for their missing fathers with two friends (the sleuthing quartet gives the show some “Scooby-Doo” vibes). “Winchesters” feels like it exists in the same world as “Supernatural,” perhaps due in part to “Supernatural” star Jensen Ackles who is an executive producer and makes an awkward flash-forward cameo as Dean (but where is Sam, played by Jared Padalecki?). (Oct. 11)
“Professionals” (9 p.m., The CW). Filmed in Ireland and South Africa, this drama is about a security operative (Tom Welling, “Smallville”) who goes to work for a billionaire (Brendan Fraser) after a medical satellite explodes at launch. Stilted performances and bad dialogue permeate this awful action-adventure pilot. (Oct. 11)
WEDNESDAY
“The Real Love Boat” (9 p.m., CBS): Dating competition show filmed aboard a Pacific Princess Mediterranean cruise. Ted Lange, who played bartender Isaac in the original series, appears in the first episode. Not available for preview. (Oct. 5)
THURSDAY
“So Help Me Todd” (9 p.m., CBS): Marcia Gay Harden and Skylar Astin star as a mother-son duo at odds with one another in this light legal drama that’s neither funny enough nor dramatic enough to make much of an impression. The show gets legal procedure wrong at times, and the family drama falls flat. (Sept. 29)
“Walker: Independence” (9 p.m., The CW): “1883” but make it sexy! And ridiculous! This prequel to The CW’s “Walker” begins with a sex scene in an apparently driverless Conestoga wagon that stops for the booty call and leaves its wagon train, which seems like a no-no. Abigail Walker (Katherine McNamara) then sees her husband killed, gets rescued by a friendly, hunky Native American (Justin Johnson Cortez) and teams up for revenge with a scoundrel (Matt Barr) who forms the third tip of a potential love triangle. (Oct. 6)
“Alaska Daily” (10 p.m., ABC): Hard-charging reporter Eileen Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) publishes a story that turns out to be based on forged documents and she gets canceled by younger newsroom colleagues who say she’s abusive towards other women. Four months later, she’s working at an Anchorage newspaper reporting on missing indigenous Alaskan women. Easily the most promising new broadcast drama of the fall season, there’s a bit of a “West Wing” vibe in this love letter to journalism and journalists. How that plays with audiences in a divided America remains to be seen, but this series bears watching. (Oct. 6)
FRIDAY
“Fire Country” (9 p.m., CBS): CBS’s answer to NBC’s “Chicago Fire,” this drama differentiates itself with its setting (Northern California) and situation (convicts working to earn early release by fighting fires). Max Theriot (“SEAL Team,” “Bates Motel”) stars and co-created the series about Bode (Theriot), a convict who joins an inmate fire team that gets sent to his hometown to douse blazes. Added relationship drama helps this series rise slightly above the middle of the pack among CBS procedurals. (Oct. 7)
“Lopez vs. Lopez” (8 p.m., NBC): Meh traditional multicam sitcom starring George Lopez and daughter Mayan as a father and daughter who sometimes don’t get along and have misunderstandings when they’re not making cringey Tik Tok videos. (Nov. 4)
SATURDAY
“Criss Angel: Magic with the Stars” (8 p.m., The CW): In each episode, two celebrities train with a professional magician before competing in front of judges led by Angel. Not available for review. (Oct. 22)