Fall Schedule Preview

Where are all the shows at?

The fall schedule is quickly approaching (although not quickly enough), so before my shows start returning I think it's a great idea to just recap where they all finished last season, what I expect to come this year and predict the likelihood they will be back the year after. After that, I'll also quickly preview the new shows I intend to follow and give my thoughts on them too. NOTE: This is a long-ish roundup.

Returning Shows

Brooklyn Nine-Nine (returns for season 4, 20th September)

My favourite sitcom of them all, Andy Samberg's ever-charming Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It has a lot of making up to do after the quality drop we experienced in season 3, but I'm hoping it will be reborn this year. When we left last season, Detectives Jake Peralta (Samberg) and Amy Santiago's (Melissa Fumero) cute relationship had taken a backseat to a plotline which has encompassed the majority of the cast: Captain Holt (Andre Braugher), Santiago and Detective Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) will fight to clear the name of Adrian Pimento, an undercover cop who has gone on the run after being chased by the mafia and a corrupt FBI agent. Meanwhile, Sergeant Terence Jeffords (Terry Crews) is still trying to cope with a third child and Detective Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) has become something of an inbetweener who connects everyone while they navigate these plots.

   I'd like to see Jamy take more space within the show, since their pairing together really only offered anything in the first half of season 3. I expect that Pimento will return given that the fight to clear his name will take up a large part of the first third of season 4, and he will hopefully become a regular. I'm hoping to see more of Holt's deadpan humour (combined with Rosa's furious demeanour, which creates some of the best punchlines the series offers), the return of the (arguably) best side character in Kyra Sedgwick's Deputy Chief Wuntch, and Gina Linetti's (Chelsea Peretti) one-liners to rise to the pre-season 3 standard - but I'm not crossing my fingers for the return of the Pontiac Bandit. (And could the Hallowe'en episodes, of which we received one per season, realistically stretch to a fourth part?)

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: A repeat of the season 3 opening arc (the revolving door of replacement captains) will at least partially return at the beginning of season 4 while Holt is with Jake in Witness Security, (with Ken Marino dropping by in that role for two episodes]); Jorma Taccone (Samberg's buddy from The Lonely Island rap comedy group), Jim O'Heir (Parks and Recreation) and Rhea Perlman will appear also, while Maya Rudolph will recur in two episodes as Jake and Holt's WitSec officer. It is inferred all of these people will appear in the premiere episode, although that's probably not true. Finally, Eric Roberts will appear as mafia boss Jimmy Figgis.

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: Ratings for B99's third season were less stable than the railroads in Hell on Wheels, sinking as low as 1.85m or rising as high as 4.38, although they largely steadied after midseason in the mid- to low-2m range. The fact that it is already established on the network may help, as may the fact it's been moved to an earlier slot (8pm Tuesday), but judging by the ratings of two sitcoms FOX aired last year and cancelled after one season, if B99's ratings fall much lower it won't survive to season 5. We also ought to take note of FOX's fickleness: it's a harder network to judge than others.
   I think the new day and timeslot will help B99: it was on Tuesdays at 8.30pm for its first season, so a return should bolster its ratings. RENEWED

Code Black (returning for season 2, 25th September)

CBS's newest, hottest medical drama. Starring Marcia Gay Harden, Luis Guzmán and Raza Jaffrey, Code Black became another in a long slew of medical dramas airing currently across all the networks, although its USP, that it its setting is specifically and consistently in a state of "code black" (where it is understaffed and overcrowded) attempted to differentiate it from others such as Grey's Anatomy, The Night Shift and Chicago Med. Unfortunately, after the pilot, that "code black" feeling was completely lost and, like The Night Shift, it struggles to do more than recycle ER plotlines, including a doctor becoming addicted to narcotics following a traumatic experience, a psychotic patient killing one of the staff and a typical quarantine episode (it even stole one of ER's cast in a recurring role as a patient, who is conveniently also a doctor).
   But that's just the negative side. Because, like The Night Shift, its characters manage to make the ripped-off plots feel fresh and exciting. Fleshing out that cast is Melanie Chandra as Dr Malaya Pineda, Benjamin Hollingsworth as Dr Mario Savetti, Harry Ford as Dr Angus Leighton and William Allen Young as Dr Rollie Guthrie. Each character was creatively explored in equal amounts, so that the only dislikeable character from my perspective is Savetti (a Doug Ross/TC Callahan-type renegade who is just more annoying than either of those two were/are). And yet the strong patient focus, and the realism of the hospital set, including the dark, dirty colour choices (every other hospital drama has sets that are way too clean to be believed) are strong elements the producers included - and I expect those elements to be a large factor in season 2.

   The formula was clearly working, with ratings from 5.96m to 8.58m, but for season 2 CBS has decided to re-evaluate its target audience and try to engage younger viewers. How? By chopping two fan favourites in characters played by Raza Jaffrey and  Bonnie Summerville and replacing them with characters played by Boris Kodjoe (an even more arrogant Rocket Romano-type), Jillian Murray and the star name of Rob Lowe, in a move that CBS hopes will not be recognised for its inherent shallowness (since I imagine many would deem these three actors as more physically appealing than Jaffrey or Bonnerville).
   Expect more of the brilliant banter between Dr Rorish (Harden) and Nurse Jesse Salamander (Guzmán), Angus to grow slowly in the shadow of his older, more talented brother, Malaya to continue to struggle with her nearly being raped, Campbell (Kodjoe) to still be an arse and the love triangle between Angus, Savetti and Pinkney (Murray) to continue.

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: Mostly the news here is guest stars and new recurring actors and actresses. Noah Grey-Cabey, Nafessa Williams and Emily Tyra have bagged roles as recurring med students while Kathleen Rose Perkins is set to appear as psychiatrist Amanda Nolan; and in an episode entitled "Life and Limb" we will see appearances from Eric Roberts (as Savetti's dad) and Camryn Manheim and Alexandra Grey as patients.

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: Code Black will continue in its 10pm Wednesday slot and will probably fare similarly to its debut season, ratings-wise. Kodjoe and Murray's upgrades from recurring to main cast and Rob Lowe's introduction might bolster the ratings for a while, too, and if so CBS could be tricked into lowering its guard with the show. However, a network feeling after only the first season that it needs to shake up its cast is not a good sign, especially when that shake-up heralds the sacking of two fan favourite characters. Trying to reach a new viewership isn't problematic in itself, but when the method has the potential to alienate current viewers it's easy for a show to suffer through no fault of its own, and I reckon it will. CANCELLED.

Elementary (returning for season 5, 2nd October)

I used to unfairly bash Elementary because its ratings sucked and yet Person of Interest was getting shafted by CBS - and then, once I was over POI's maltreatment, I wised up. Elementary is probably the best written cop procedural on TV right now, episodically speaking. The writers always manage to make the murders complex enough that Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) struggles to unravel them, and the eccentricities of Sherlock himself always add excitement, humour and interesting trivia. Meanwhile, JLM's portrayal of Sherlock Holmes puts Benedict Cumberbatch to shame and Lucy Liu's Joan Watson is a great moral compass for the show and all the characters. If Elementary has one pitfall, it's that it manages to criminally misuse its two side characters, Captain Gregson and Detective Bell. Come on, guys, you only have 4 mains. Be serious.

   A series-long focus is Sherlock's recovery from addiction, while season-long arcs in seasons 2 and 4 respectively shed light on his family life. We'll see more of that in season 5, because although Sherlock's father Morland won't be returning physically, the plot of Daddy Holmes assuming control of Jamie Moriarty's criminal empire won't dramatically fade. Tiny recurring characters such as the turtle Clyde, Sherlock's bees, his new girlfriend Fiona, the coroner Eugene and the hilarious hacker group Everyone add flavour and widen the show's universe.

   In season 5, I reckon we'll see Natalie Dormer appear as Moriarty once more, since Dormer is free now after Game of Thrones gave her her P45, but beyond that I can't really predict what else might be coming, although another Conan Doyle character in Shinwell Johnson will recur as a former drug addict patient of Watson's. Shinwell - what a name.

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: There is little to find beyond what I've already said about Shinwell (played by Nelsan Ellis), but we do know that the 100th episode is based around a murder related to potential killer asteroids, and as such Sherlock will turn to a former classmate for help (rumoured to be played by Owain Yeoman, of The Mentalist.)

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: I would say probable. It's hard to make a show work in that deathly Sunday at 10pm slot, but Elementary, pushed there for the back third of season 4, didn't lose out on too many viewers and should maintain its position. And even four seasons on and having lost over half its viewership, it still made CBS $80m last year. Maybe this is the death knell - money-wise it certainly won't be as profitable, and that will be a worry come May next year - but I think Elementary should do well enough for a sixth season, although I would place money on that to be the final season. RENEWED.

Hawaii Five-0 (returning for season 7, 23rd September)

Hawaii Five-0, the modern-day reboot of Hawaii Five-O which ran from 1968-1980, is another of the slicker cop procedurals on my list, and a lot has gone into the growth of the show in the past 6 seasons.

   Steve McGarrett's evil half-brother Wo Fat was finally vanquished in season 5, but his imprisoned father will recur in season 7, while Steve's mother and his ex-girlfriend Catherine Rollins will make an unknown number of appearances, after Steve recovers from a liver transplant. Danny "Danno" Williams continues to raise his daughter Grace, although now realises he has a son Charlie (after the writers backtracked and decided it was his kid after all). Chin Ho Kelly's cousin Gabriel Waincroft became the big bad following Wo Fat's death, but with Gabriel's death he has left behind a daughter whom Chin must consider raising, while continuing his relationship with FBI agent Abby Dunn. Kono's husband Adam is released from prison and they have to adjust to living a normal life, Lou Grover left SWAT for Five-0 in season 4 and became integral ever since, but Jerry Ortega, conspiracy theorist and regular Five-0 collaborator, is still demanding a badge. Even side characters like Kamekona, criminal turned Five-0 confidential informant, have grown exponentially (he now owns three businesses including a helicopter company).

   That pretty much explains where everyone's headed (aside from Medical Examiner Max Bergman, but he's had little growth compared to everyone else). There's a pretty full cast list here and I couldn't ask for much more (although Rollins to return permanently would be nice). Antihero Sang Min will surely drop in sometime, and the writers have now been going long enough to have a wealth of other recurring characters to call back if they feel like it.

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: Well, it's confirmed for 25 episodes again. It is inferred that the premiere is based around a killer killing serial killers, McGarrett's old girlfriend Lynn will return (as will his other ex Catherine Rollins) and his mother, Claire Forlani will recur as a criminal profiler, somebody's getting married (either Steve or Chin) and the overall theme of the season will be about introspection and reflecting on one's legacy.

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: I would say high. Unless the costs, which inflate the longer a show lasts as contracts are renegotiated and budgets widen, grow too much for CBS, I don't see Hawaii Five-0 dropping off our screens after this season. It has a strong fanbase with total average viewers across all six seasons thus far never dipping below 10m, and the executive producer has made it clear they are not treating season 7 like it will be the last. That Lenkov needed to spell that out may seem like a sign, but I don't think so at all. RENEWED.

Lucifer (returning for season 2, 19th September)

Lucifer's an interesting one. A show involving the Devil rarely lasts on TV because of the controversial nature of the character (look at Reaper [damn you, CW!]), and you definitely can't argue Lucifer is in any way groundbreaking. It sinks quickly into a simple, uninspired cop drama with the Devil just tagging along - and Lucifer has pretty much one ability: to convince people to tell them what they desire. Maybe it's just me but the Devil should be way more powerful than that.

   Filling out the cast you have Detective Chloe Decker, her ex, Detective Dan ... Decker? Psychologist Linda Martin, Chloe's daughter Trixie, Lucifer's brother Amenediel and his bartender and Hell's number one torturer Mazikeen ("Maze"). I loved Kevin Alejandro (who plays Dan Decker) as Sebastian Blood in Arrow's second season and I'll happily watch him in anything, in the same way I picked this up because I liked Lauren German (Chloe Decker). And in season 1, while Lucifer learns about human life from the psychologist and tries to recover his stolen angel wings with frenemies Amenediel and Maze, Chloe and Detective Douche (as Lucifer calls Dan) follow this superb plotline of a corrupt cop who recovers from his coma and tries to reveal Detective Douche is the bad guy. Which he is, because at the end Douche turns himself in, while Lucifer and Amenediel realise that someone is coming up from Hell: their mum.

   That will play a huge part of season 2: can Tricia Helfer, playing Lucifer's mum, convince him to give up solving crimes and return to Hell? And what will happen to Douche? Or Chloe and Trixie? Lucifer is a fun, light-hearted drama, even if its characterisation does sometimes border on the unbelievable and ridiculous.

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: Along with the potential for season 2 to extend beyond the current 13-episode order, episode 6 (entitled "Monsters") is believed to be the first butting of heads of Lucifer and his mum, we'll see some of Maze's backstory, Chloe's father will appear in episode 7, and Aimee Garcia has been cast as a forensic scientist named Ella Lopez.

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: I don't think we'll see a season 3. Everything took a nose dive throughout season 1: overnight ratings, DVR ratings, demographic share ... I am in all fairness surprised it got a season 2. That, plus previous TV history re the Devil, AND the fact that the host network is FOX, makes me think we won't be seeing much more of Lucifer at all. CANCELLED.

NCIS: Los Angeles (returning for season 8, 25th September)

NCIS LA is the only one of the NCIS franchise I'll be reviewing this year because I'm not caught up on the other two (I'm currently near the end of NCIS s6 and I refuse to start NCIS: New Orleans until I've caught up to the backdoor pilot in NCIS's s11). So LA will be all.

   Well-established, light-hearted and easy to dip in and out of, NCIS LA is everything CBS could wish for in a procedural. Boasting big names among its central cast (such as LL Cool J, Linda Hunt and Chris O'Donnell), who all have great chemistry with each other, the show is able to be as earnest or playful as it likes, often interchangeably. By the conclusion of season 7, the biggest arc of the show (G. Callen learning his first name) was finally wrapped up, and Densi (Deeks and Kensi's relationship) is solid and entertaining. But beyond that, there's little else in terms of other character growth. The two techs, Eric and Nell, have a chemistry that has often been hinted at as romantic but never actually addressed and Hetty Lange (Linda Hunt), the wonderful, mysterious manager of the Office of Special Projects, is giving way to Owen Granger (Miguel Ferrer) as Hunt ages.

   It's promised that Densi will receive a good focus in season 8, and I'm sure that Hetty's airtime will continue to decrease, but beyond that I can't really take a punt at where the show will be by season 8's end. The format has been stale since season 6 but the formula still works so why change anything, especially when NCIS LA is at a critical point in its life cycle - is it nearing the end?

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: Callen's father may return as Callen's journey into his identity continues, Deeks and Kensi are speculated to be getting engaged (but with Ruah's real-life pregnancy there will be a short storyline that separates them, similar to season 5, although she is still slated to appear in every episode), Hetty and Granger will face trouble from higher-ups after the discovery of a mole (which is the subject of the premiere and the catalyst for the action in the first 3 episodes) and Eric and Nell will also supposedly enter a relationship together. And not a "will happen", but an NCIS/NCIS LA crossover is under discussion, too.

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: NCIS LA drew in 16m viewers throughout its first 5 seasons, aired right after its parent show NCIS at 9pm Tuesday. Then it was moved to 10pm Mondays and the viewership decreased by half. HALF. And now it's been shunted back to 8pm Sundays, which is apparently the death slot for shows because of overrunning sports coverage. Rumours of cancellation are stronger here than anywhere else, and since CBS doesn't seem too keen on an NCIS marathon night (it slotted Bull into NCIS LA's old 9pm Tuesday slot this season and budged NO back to 10pm - more on Bull later) I reckon the network's not fussed if LA stays or goes. And at this point, neither am I. CANCELLED.

Quantico (returning for season 2, 25th September)

You'd be hard pushed to find a more complex and stunning debut season in all of TV. ABC's Quantico was big, it was bold and, although it probably wasn't anything new, it was incredible. Centred around Alex Parrish, a Quantico graduate framed for the biggest terrorist attack since 9/11, Quantico is set in two timeframes: the present, where Alex tries to clear her name; and the recruits' time at Quantico, where they learn about being an FBI agent. Each episode reveals new twists in the framing and the relationships, showing us where they were in the past compared to where they are now, which is an amazing juxtaposition. Of course, there were a number of deaths and those characters will be sorely missed, but the entire plotline was unbelievable, the characters were perfectly cast and the show is just binge-worthy.

   I'm sure the conspiracy will be addressed further in season 2 (there is at least one loose thread), but honestly I think this should have been a one-season thing. Quantico would have to do something unimaginable to even get close to matching its debut season, and I don't think that's possible. And since now the whole premise of Quantico itself is lost (Alex is going to be based at The Farm, a CIA training facility), I don't think it will have the same glow either.

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: Alex Parrish will retrain to be a field agent, this time at the Farm, the CIA's elite training facility. Ryan, Shelby, twins Nimah and Raina will return, and Blair Underwood will co-star among a large number of other new characters.

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: More smartly written than Person of Interest (do you know what it takes to make me write that?), but ultimately two seasons might be one season too many. Ratings have steadied around 3-4m, so if that remains ABC might be convinced to take a punt on a season 3. I wonder. And yet, I reckon it won't live up to its glory and will be CANCELLED.

Scorpion (returning for season 3, 3rd October)

TV is doing its best to try and keep the procedural format while bringing new twists to the genre, and amid the NCIS's, CSI's and such, Scorpion's team of geniuses, overseen by Homeland Officer Cabe Gallo and the ex-waitress and emotional glue of Paige Dineen, feels fresh and exciting - and the high IQ levels of the characters make for some interesting improvisations and awesome trivia. The cast is strengthened by Elyes Gabel as lead Walter O'Brien, Eddie Kaye Thomas (of American Pie) as Toby Curtis, Jadyn Wong as Happy Quinn, Ari Stidham as Sylvester Dodd and Riley Smith as Paige's genius son Ralph.

   Arcs are used sporadically in Scorpion. Across both seasons so far we have seen the semi-regular use of a tech billionaire Richard Elia, who hires them out or supports the team's off-plot ventures, while in season 2 Kevin Weisman signed on to play a troubled fireman Walter meets at community service. Sylvester married Walter's sister, Megan, who promptly died from MS, and then went on game shows to raise money to name a hospital ward after her; meanwhile Walter and Paige's burgeoning relationship is forever complicated by Walter's failure to understand human emotions, and Toby and Happy's is complicated by Toby being too forward and Happy too closed off. But more of that will come in season 3, and it's been suggested Cabe will find a love interest too.

   CBS isn't afraid to take risks with the show either: one episode was a full 60 minutes instead of the usual 40. So it is clearly very highly rated at the network. The writing is slick, fresh and most of the great humour comes from the interaction of the characters who simply don't understand human interaction. A very watchable and cool show.

   WHAT REPORTS SAY WILL HAPPEN: There will be plenty of character twists, including Happy's previous marriage and her growing relationship with Toby, the potential for babies, the potential for a musical episode, a closer focus on Ralph's struggles with being a child genius, Walter's search for emotions and the two-hour premiere will be focused around stolen military warheads.

RENEWAL LIKELIHOOD: Although the ratings ticked downwards towards the end of season 2, they were never close to cancellation-worthy. With an average demographic share of 1.77 and the average season overnights at 9.6m, the bottom line is that in season 3 Scorpion would have to be trying to get itself cancelled to actually make that happen, because DVR recordings bump the average up to somewhere near 12m (I don't have a specific figure, I'm afraid). RENEWED

New Shows

A.P.B. (debuts on FOX, midseason)

About a tech billionaire who purchases a police precinct and modernises it with up-to-date technology. A fresh look on the police procedural, and boasts Justin Kirk, Ernie Hudson and Natalie Martinez among the core cast. I don't have a date or timeslot to use to make a better judgement on its survival, but then again with FOX it's hard to guess either way. My heart says renewed, but my head says CANCELLED.

Bull (debuts on CBS, 20th September)

The show is based on Phil McGraw's time as a trial consultant, and departing NCIS star Michael Weatherly plays the lead, Dr Jason Bull. The show has been geniusly slotted in at 9pm Tuesday - directly after NCIS, so fans of it who crave more Weatherly will therefore have only to wait until NCIS finishes to see him again. From the trailer Bull has been characterised similarly to Tony DiNozzo, so while Weatherly won't exactly be stretching his abilities, he'll play a comforting enough character that Bull will undoubtedly succeed. Any fans of The Night Shift who miss Ragosa will see Freddy Rodriguez star here alongside Weatherly, Geneva Carr, Jamie Lee Kirchner and Chris Jackson.

   An instant ratings hit, I'm going to go kamikaze and right off the bat predict Bull to be renewed three times without issue. RENEWED TO SEASON 4.

Conviction (debuts on ABC, 3rd October)

From the three-minute trailer, Conviction looks like a more than adequate replacement for Castle's 10pm Monday slot. It's based around the new "Conviction Integrity Unit", which re-investigates cases where there was legitimate reason to doubt someone's conviction and tries to prove the prisoner's innocence. Kind of the opposite of your usual police procedural - instead of putting them in, they're getting them out. As a premise, I love this, and it's come at the right time to freshen up TV.

   Plenty of big names will draw viewers in: Hayley Atwell (of Agent Carter), Eddie Cahill (CSI: NY), Merrin Dungey (Alias), Emily Kinney (The Walking Dead), Shawn Ashmore (The Following) and Manny Montana (Graceland), but it faces stiff competition from Scorpion, already well-established, and new dramas Timeless and Taken, the latter of which will serve as a prequel to the Liam Neeson films. But I expect Conviction will win out over both of these new shows and be RENEWED.

MacGyver (debuts on CBS, 23rd September)

For anyone who watched the original, you'll know MacGyver is about a scientist who works for the government and the Phoenix Foundation providing creative problem-solving. I'm not too familiar with it if I'm honest, but since I'm a sucker for the trivia and the creative problem-solving aspects in some other shows on these lists I reckon MacGyver might be a good fit for me.

   For the network, it's sure to be a hit. It's offering a number of main roles to actors and actresses with small filmographies, including lead Lucas Till, but has the attraction of CSI's George Eads to pull in some other support, and fans of the original will surely check out this reboot. It will air at 8pm Fridays, a decent early slot (although it will be tough to pull viewers away from Hell's Kitchen and The Vampire Diaries), and also has the prestige of being developed by NCIS LA's Peter Lenkov, and co-executive produced by the co-creator of the Saw franchise, James Wan, so it certainly won't struggle to succeed. RENEWED.

Making History (debuts on FOX, midseason)

The first sitcom on this list just looks great. It's about a professor who invents a time machine and accidentally alters the course of American history. Created by the powerhouse duo of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who've also produced hit movies such as the Jump Streets, and TV shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine and How I Met Your Mother, Making History stars Adam Pally (Happy Endings), Leighton Meester (Gossip Girl) and Yassir Lester. The trailer shows everything you'd expect from a FOX sitcom - humour, great casting and all-round fun.

   It may struggle given that it will air midseason in an 8.30 timeslot against Once Upon A Time and NCIS: LA, but an early timeslot is always beneficial. The main problem again is that it will air on FOX, and I hate trying to second-guess these bastards. I want to say renewed, but I'm hedging my bets because of the FOX factor and saying CANCELLED.

Powerless (debuts on NBC, midseason)

If you're a fan of everything superhero, prepare for a world that is inhabited by them, even though it will not focus on the superheroes themselves. Powerless is about the everyday citizens in a world of superheroes, and will focus on the exploits of an insurance company who have to deal with the damage the superheroes' antics cause.   Starring Vanessa Hudgens (the High School Musicals), Alan Tudyk (Firefly), Danny Pudi (Community) and Kate Micucci (of the Garfunkel and Oates comedy duo), Powerless is hopefully set to be a profitable show for the network. Without an official timeslot I can't make a proper judgement, so I'm going to go with my heart and say RENEWED.

Pure Genius (debuts on CBS, 27th October)

CBS's second airing medical drama this coming season might be moving away from the grimy colour choices of Code Black to the borderline obsessive cleanliness of most hospital dramas, but CBS has saved itself from that dishonour by aligning it with cutting-edge technology. In Pure Genius, a tech billionaire named James Bell has created a medical centre named Bunker Hill (the original working title; why the hell they went for "Pure Genius" I'll literally never understand), which aims to mesh the most modern of medical advances with technological improvements, and provide for the in need at no cost, all while Bell tries to find a cure for an aggressive variation of Lou Gehrig's Disease (a.k.a. ALS, of the recent ALS Ice Bucket Challenge), from which he suffers. I'm not familiar with any of the cast, but for those who might be it includes Dermot Mulroney, Augustus Prew, Rashma Shetty, Odette Annable, Ward Horton and Brenda Song.

   The A.P.B. of the medical world, I'm really excited for this show. I think it will depict a very modern, unique perspective on how hospitals may be in the future, and as it is on CBS I think it will stand a very good chance of renewal, especially if it decides Code Black isn't pulling its weight. With two hospital dramas to choose from, I reckon that if it comes down to it CBS can make the decision to chop one of them, and - forgive me Code Black fans - but I hope it isn't Pure Genius. RENEWED.

Westworld (debuts on HBO, 2nd October)

If there's any new show I'm excited for it's this, and not necessarily because of the premise. Of course, the premise is insane: it's about an artificial western world which is inhabited by artificial people that real people can visit to live out their fantasies. Among a stellar (and massive) ensemble cast are Anthony Hopkins (Hannibal Lector), Thandie Newton (Crash), Jimmi Simpson, and Luke Hemsworth, brother of Chris and Liam. Among a stellar crew, we have creator Jonathan Nolan (Person of Interest), executive producers Bryan Burk and JJ Abrams, Ramin Djawadi (Person of Interest, Game of Thrones) on the score and it's all based off a book by Michael Crichton, who created ER. Basically it's a mish-mash of the best TV makers and producers in America, so now you can see why I'm hyped! The stage is set for Westworld to be HBO's next circle jerk show and I simply cannot wait. RENEWED. ALL OF THE RENEWED.

Final thoughts

If anyone remembers my predictions for how Person of Interest's final season would pan out, you'll know I'm famously awful at guessing games, so it's likely all my plotline predictions and renewal scorecards will fall sour. But I hope you enjoy following me and these shows through whatever it is they offer up this season!

Lucifer gets the ball rolling tomorrow and what I will then try and ensure is that I have each week's roundup completed and published every Saturday evening, which leaves enough time, what with the time difference between here and the US, for Friday's overnights to be revealed. So I'll have my first roundup out this coming Saturday 24th, people!

Thanks for reading everyone and I'll see you all next time!

Sam