Season So Far

The TV season is about halfway over and no new shows have excited me. A few I watch regularly--Masters Of Sex among the dramas and Brooklyn Nine-Nine among the comedies--but even they aren't exactly must-see. Still, as I've checked out so many shows, time for a progress report.

At ABC, you've got a bunch of new sitcoms. Some people seem to like The Goldbergs, but I can't get into it.  Same for Super Fun Night, even though I like Rebel Wilson. Then there's Trophy Wife, which has a fine cast but can't seem to get it together. My favorite new comedy on the network is Back In The Game because it has my favorite (relative) new face, Maggie Lawson. I hear, however, this show is the one that's sure to be canceled, so that takes care of that.

On the #1 network, CBS, you've got some new comedies which are doing well because they follow old, hit comedies. You've got The Millers right after Big Bang Theory, so even if it loses half the audience it's doing well.  I watched about half an episode and that was enough. (How is it Will Arnett keeps getting shows?) After that is the Robin Willliams sitcom The Crazy Ones, which isn't bad, but not good enough to make me seek it out.  Then there's Mom, with a very appealing cast, including Anna Faris and Allison Janney, but also not enough to get me back.  I also hear Hostages is a solid drama, but the idea doesn't appeal enough to me to watch.

At Fox, in addition to Brooklyn Nine-Nine, you've got the retrograde Dads. I almost like how crude and outrageous it's trying to be--it's almost a parody of an old, bad sitcom.  Except it really does feel like an old, bad sitcom.  In drama, they've got Sleepy Hollow, which seems to be doing well, but is too silly for me. (I barely watch Once Upon A Time any more, and when I do that fills my silly quotient for the month.)

Finally, on NBC (I'm not including cable since I don't watch anything new there except Masters Of Sex) we've got three new comedies on Thursday night, the night they used to dominate and now lose big.  Actually, NBC only has two returning sitcoms, and neither are true hits, so they need something. Unfortunately, they strike out more than any other net. (This is partly because it's easier to grow hits on hits.) First you've got Welcome To The Family, which did so poorly it's already been canceled. It struck me as their best new comedy.  Worse is Sean Hayes in Sean Saves The World and Michael J. Fox in The Michael J. Fox Show. Maybe I'm not giving them a fair chance, but in my quick sampling they both struck me as mirthless.  The big new hit on the schedule--helped by following The Voice--is the crime drama The Blacklist.  It's not for me.  I'm just not up for a case-a-week show unless it's really special.

So there you have it. Not much of a season so far, but really, I watch too much TV anyway.