WHAT DEBUTING SHOWS WILL BE AT TVRROUNDUP NEXT SEASON?
TVRRoundup will be in its second year during the 2017/18 season. So while technically all the shows this season were new to TVRRoundup, most I was watching prior to starting to review them. New shows to me therefore numbered 8 (A.P.B., Bull, Conviction, Incorporated, MacGyver, Powerless, Pure Genius and Westworld). While some dropped from this review shortly after they began for lack of perceived quality, of the 8 I began watching only 3 of those shows got renewed (Bull, MacGyver and Westworld). I've decided only Bull will return to TVRRoundup next year, but the more important question is:
What new shows will be here?
I can't hope to pick smarter in terms of my renewal percentage (I'll of course optimistically, unrealistically and stupidly shoot for 100%), but at this moment new shows number 5. So let's take a look at their trailers and premises, and why I'm adding them to TVRRoundup's sophomore season.
Deception (ABC - From midseason, timeslot unknown)
ABC really want a Castle-esque cop procedural on their books and, to be fair, I want one on mine too. I already have Lucifer, which is doing well over at FOX, but ABC's attempt to recreate the Castle magic in last season's utter ratings flop Conviction was a miserable failure. Deception marks their next attempt to succeed with what I like to call a twist-procedural: where an outsider with a specific skill bands together with a law enforcement agency to solve crimes and catch baddies.
This time it's Cameron Black, master illusionist, who bands together with the FBI. Jack Cutmore-Scott plays the main character, while Ilfenesh Hadera plays the main FBI agent, Kay Daniels. Lenora Crichlow (of Black Mirror's "White Bear" fame), Vinnie Jones, Justin Chon and Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) flesh out an interesting and diverse cast.
Deception doesn't actually air until midseason and I won't see any of it until I return from travelling, but the twist is what I love and the illusions sound interesting. I'll definitely be keeping up with this one, in hopes it can last longer than its ill-fated predecessor.
This time it's Cameron Black, master illusionist, who bands together with the FBI. Jack Cutmore-Scott plays the main character, while Ilfenesh Hadera plays the main FBI agent, Kay Daniels. Lenora Crichlow (of Black Mirror's "White Bear" fame), Vinnie Jones, Justin Chon and Amaury Nolasco (Prison Break) flesh out an interesting and diverse cast.
Deception doesn't actually air until midseason and I won't see any of it until I return from travelling, but the twist is what I love and the illusions sound interesting. I'll definitely be keeping up with this one, in hopes it can last longer than its ill-fated predecessor.
The Good Doctor (ABC - From fall, Mondays at 10pm)
I like a good medical show (Code Black - pre-Rob Lowe - E.R., and The Night Shift as examples), but The Good Doctor pairs medicine with something else I like, something Scorpion-esque: a main character who doesn't understand the world about him the way you or I might. In this case, it's because the main character is on the autism spectrum, and Freddie Highmore (if anyone is watching Bates Motel) looks like he's going to be brilliant in the role.
It's scheduled for Mondays at 10pm, which ABC has struggled with since Castle's conclusion (neither Conviction nor Quantico could perform there last season), but I think The Good Doctor might do a lot better. It's definitely worth a look.
The Orville (FOX - From fall, Thursdays at 9pm)
There's no question The Orville will be divisive. Seth MacFarlane is marmite in his voice acting; he's even more marmite when he acts himself. People will ignore this show simply because he's in it, but Seth MacFarlane also has a huge fanbase. If half who love him for his voice acting hate his live acting, then the other half will be the other way, and that's still a lot of people. Young people especially, which is important.
Fortunately for me, I prefer his acting to his animated shows.
I must admit, the trailer doesn't make the overall premise clear, but I imagine the spaceship will be delivering supplies to other planets and fighting off alien threats. Very Star Trek, very Galaxy Quest, very done before. But at this point most plots have been done before so I don't consider that a valid criticism.
If you like Seth MacFarlane's humour, you'll like The Orville. Yes, it will be toned down due to it being on FOX, but the trailer makes clear that Seth has no issue with censored humour.
The strongest thing for me here is the casting: aside from Seth himself, you have Scott Grimes (ER), Penny Johnson Jerald (Castle), Adrianne Palicki (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Halston Sage and Victor Garber (Alias) in a recurring role.
Unfortunately, it's in a very tough timeslot. Thursdays at 9pm involves competing with Arrow, the Will & Grace revival, Thursday Night Football and the final season of ABC's political thriller Scandal. The Orville could easily crash and burn here - but the Seth factor could also keep it afloat. I'll make a prediction in due course.
Reverie (NBC - From midseason, timeslot unknown)
My favourite of all the new shows coming this season is NBC's virtual reality thriller starring Sarah Shahi (of Person of Interest fame), as Mara Kint, ex-hostage negotiator now tasked with going inside the Reverie system to retrieve people whose real lives are threatened by a malfunction. It stars a diverse cast - Sarah Shahi, Dennis Haysbert (24), Sendhil Ramamurthy (Heroes), Jessica Lu (Awkward) and Kathryn Morris (Rush) - and is executive produced by Steven Spielberg.
I would have posted a link to the trailer that was leaked, but unfortunately NBC caught wind and had it taken down. But mark my words, it is smart, sexy, emotional, intriguing, dark and has fantastic graphics (I dread to think the CGI budget for the show, but I do wonder if that isn't part of the reason Reverie's episode order was cut from 13 episodes to 10).
Whatever the weather, this looks right up my alley. With AI and VR new concepts to TV, the premise of this type of show is always intriguing and it's something I find at the moment always has a fresh perspective from show to show. Reverie won't appear on screens until midseason, and won't be here at TVRRoundup until I return from travelling, but it will be here. And in the meantime, make sure you check it out!
I would have posted a link to the trailer that was leaked, but unfortunately NBC caught wind and had it taken down. But mark my words, it is smart, sexy, emotional, intriguing, dark and has fantastic graphics (I dread to think the CGI budget for the show, but I do wonder if that isn't part of the reason Reverie's episode order was cut from 13 episodes to 10).
Whatever the weather, this looks right up my alley. With AI and VR new concepts to TV, the premise of this type of show is always intriguing and it's something I find at the moment always has a fresh perspective from show to show. Reverie won't appear on screens until midseason, and won't be here at TVRRoundup until I return from travelling, but it will be here. And in the meantime, make sure you check it out!
Final thoughts
So these are the four new shows that will be appearing on TVRRoundup next season, and I'm excited for each and every one of them. Next year looks to provide a lot more variation to my roster, but also some incredible performances, stories and characters.
(And for anyone questioning why Black Mirror, which will also be coming to TVRRoundup this season, is not on this list, that is because it has already spawned three seasons; these shows described are all new this season.)
So strap in, because we begin September 10th with The Orville!
(And for anyone questioning why Black Mirror, which will also be coming to TVRRoundup this season, is not on this list, that is because it has already spawned three seasons; these shows described are all new this season.)
So strap in, because we begin September 10th with The Orville!
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