There. Is. Too. Much. TV.
Between broadcast, cable, pay cable, and now streaming services, holy cow. TV is everywhere. Especially good TV. And much to my great distress, most of the really good TV is not on broadcast anymore. To my even greater distress, I don't feel like I can keep up. That being said, as always I will try. This year I'm going to be short and sweet and to the point. So here we go.
On Sunday, here's what I know:
If you like Dancing with the Stars, you'll probably like the mini version. People are under the age of 14.
Alec Baldwin is doing an evening interview show. He's parlaying his Match Game emcee success.
God Friended Me--an atheist gets friended by God on FB. It changes his life as he tries to change other's. It is CBS, so it will be interesting to see if it gets a good audience.
Rel--The really funny TSA agent from Get Out. Although, word on the street is the pilot was the opposite of funny.
Charmed--Reboot city. Buzz is good, although the original actors are none too happy about the new take. They had much anger in their hearts.
I'll be watching: Madam Secretary on the DVR. I might check out Alec Baldwin's show on Hulu. Mental note: I need to get caught up on Supergirl.
Monday:
The Neighborhood is Cedric the Entertainer dealing with white people moving into his neighborhood--played by Schmidt from New Girl and one of the Two Broke Girls (the tall blone one). It's getting Meh buzz.
Happy Together has Damon Wayons Jr. and has moderately good buzz. He's an accountant who's rich and famous client moves into his house.
Magnum PI--Okay, I have deep, long, and conflicted thoughts on this one. First of all, Magnum is one of my favorite shows ever--if I have never told you the story about Terri and I running from Martin Stadium to our dorm room when Bryan Tower chimed 9 pm on the Wednesday premiere to find out whether or not Magnum was still alive or not--and we made it before the last chime, well then, you've missed out on one of the seminal moments of my college years. I mean, I rocked a Detroit Tigers baseball hat for years. (It truly is weird I've never been to Hawaii. Or in a Lamborghini. But I digress. Shocking.) Back to my point. Originally when the idea for this reboot first hit the internet, it was going to be more Magnum the next generation, with the lead character being his daughter as a new PI. I sort of wish they'd gone that route. But they didn't. It is a complete reboot, although Higgins is female. TC and Rick are there (and I do really like the actor playing Rick) with their copter and black market ways. It is a typical CBS show, and I'll be shocked if it doesn't do well. Of course I'll watch. But I might feel guilty about it. And I could totally bail.
Manifest. I'm going to have to watch. The premise is too intriguing. A plane lands after its been missing for 5 1/2 years. The people think it has been a few hours. Everything is different now. Has a bit of a Lost vibe to it. My bet is this show will need time to flesh out to be good. If it is horrendous, I'll quit early.
I'll be watching: Magnum and Manifest via DVR and Hulu. I'll check out the comedies on CBS at least once.
The Conners without Roseanne. I didn't watch last year's reboot, so I'm not sure if I will watch it now that she's gone.
When I saw the trailer for The Kids Are Alright, I made a mental note to watch because of Mary McCormack--who I always love. But then I forgot about it completely until this moment. It is a tight Irish Catholic family in 1972 whose lives go wanky once the oldest son quits seminary. I'll check it out.
The Rookie. It's Nathan Fillion. Of course I'll watch. This show is one of the only broadcast shows to have an iota of positive buzz. So there is that.
FBI: It is like the laziest named TV show ever, right? But it is on CBS, so it will probably run forever. No idea the premise. I'm thinking it might not matter. Fine, I'll look it up. It is from Dick Wolf and takes place in New York. It does have Jeremy Sisto, whom I enjoy, but I still don't know if it will make the cut after the ceremonious first DVR watching.
New Amsterdam. Doctor wants people to start treating patients and not worry about the business side of medicine. It has some positive buzz.
I'll be watching: This Is Us. Live. Religiously. Because we love it. I'll Hulu The Rookie and The Kids are Alright. Side note: I should check out Splitting Up Together since it has Pam from The Office. I'll check out New Amsterdam at least one time.
Wednesday:
Single Parents: Crazy good cast, so it might have a chance. Brad Garrett, Leighton Meester, and that guy from SNL.
A Million Little Things: It is hard not to think that they aren't trying to cash in on the This Is Us vibe. The ads and the trailers give forth an intriguing premise--a group of friends become tighter once one of them kills themselves. The show goes back and forth in time to explain the group dynamic. It'll be around for a bit, I bet.
All American is another show that lands in the top five for people in the biz as a good show. And once I learned that it had Taye Diggs in it, I was sold my friends. It is based on the real life story of NFL player Spencer Paysinger. This show on the CW is about Spencer James who is from South Central recruited to play for Beverly Hills. You know I love me football dramas. (If you've never watched all of Friday Night Lights...do so now.)
I'll be watching: Modern Family, Riverdale, and All American on the DVR. I'll give A Million Little Things a good shot. Emily will watch Chicago Fire without me, which will annoy me, but she will fill me in (this often happens with Riverdale too). Emily will also probably watch Survivor.
Thursday:
Murphy Brown. Of course I'll watch this. I loved this show previously, so it will be a little like Will and Grace for me...cautious optimism that it will be good again. Murphy's son, I've read, works for a conservative news outlet for a little bit of conflict.
I Feel Bad has Amy Poehler as an executive producer and Paul Addelstein as the dad/husband, but the reviews are no es bueno. A mom who feels bad all the time...that's the premise.
Legacies is a Vampire Diaries spinoff. If this is your jam, then you're set.
I'll be watching: Grey's in real time. It's what we do. I do have an advanced medical knowledge degree due to my dedication to Grey's and ER. I'll Hulu The Good Place--and so should you. It is the funniest show, in my opinion. We will occasionally Hulu Station 19. I'll DVR The Big Bang Theory, Murphy Brown, and Will and Grace with great zeal.
Friday:
Last Man Standing got a reprieve.
The Cool Kids is Vicki Lawrence, David Alan Grier, Leslie Jordan, and Martin Mull in a retirment home. Sort of Golden Girls, but not as funny.
I'll be watching: Blue Bloods. Either by DVR or binge at the end of the season. See my dedication to Magnum PI the original to understand why I love this show. Go Reagans! Mental note: I really like Speechless at one point. Might want to check that out again. I feel like I should binge watch Crazy Ex-Girlfriend at some point.
Saturdays:
What a great night for getting caught up.
Other things not on the list that you may want to check out:
Camping on HBO with Jennifer Garner
Dannemora with Benecio Del Toro, Ben Stiller, and Patricia Arquette on Showtime
Dirty John on Bravo with Connie Britton and Jean Smart
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina on Netflix (Scary Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
Homecoming on Amazon
The Romanoffs on Amazon
The Good Cop on Netflix
The First on Hulu
Of course there is so much more...but this what pops from my research. Happy watching, friends. Good luck trying to get it all in! And, of course, let me know what you're watching so we can talk TV.
Below is a calendar with all the premiere dates. Some have already happened, but most start this week or in October.
