Midseason Review for the New Shows in 2013
My apologies for the extended break in blogging, but we are back in 2014 and hopefully better than ever. I thought I'd revisit my blog last year on the top 5 new shows I was excited for. As well, I mentioned before that I tend to gravitate towards the critically acclaimed and low rated shows, so I'm adding an indicator of what I think the chances are that the show is renewed for next year. You can find the previous blog here.
5. Enlisted - Well, this show got pushed and pushed from September until this January, so the episode run has only been three so far. Despite the limited exposure so far, it's been a lot of fun and actually has something different to say about the military than your usual shows about war. I'm interested in seeing how the rest of the season unfolds, but for right now, it's mostly on potential. Unfortunately my grade is incomplete for the moment.
Chances for renewal - 25% Fox put Enlisted on Fridays which is usually a graveyard where TV shows go to die. The only good news is that they moved the time slot from 9:30 to 9, so there's some hope that the show could catch on even though the ratings aren't good right now.
4. Trophy Wife - This show makes me happy, and out of all of the new comedies this year, I'd probably say this one has made me laugh out loud the most. Everyone in the cast has been very good, and I don't hate the kids...something that tends to happen with either the kid actors or the way the showrunners use the kids. I cannot recommend Trophy Wife anymore than I can right now. Watch it -- catch up and join my glee.
Chances for renewal - 50% Unfortunately, the ratings for the show haven't been great, but the good news is that in general, all of the new ABC shows have been pretty bad overall, so there's a chance that it's a bit better than all the other low rated things currently airing on ABC. Still, I'll start making my "Save Trophy Wife" signs with glue sticks and glitter pretty soon here.
3. Brooklyn Nine-Nine - So far, this has been a very solid show with a very well rounded cast of supporting characters around Andy Samberg's main character. It's more of a work place comedy than a cop comedy, and it's done very well as a spiritual successor to say The Office. Terry Crews has been everything advertised and never fails to impress me with his funnies every week. A good, well-polished show.
Chances for renewal - 100% The show's ratings have been decent, but with Andy Samberg's Golden Globe win for the show, there's absolutely no chance Fox doesn't renew this show next year.
2. Almost Human - Of all the odd couple/buddy cop shows I've seen, I've enjoyed Karl Urban and Michael Ealy's performance and cop/robot cop the most. Their chemistry together has been very good, and the future technology they show off in the show have impressed me with their creativity with just a little CG. The only issues the show needs to address is the lack of depth in the female characters on the show. You can do better, guys.
Chances for renewal - 75% It's performing adequately in the ratings, and I see a good chance it gets renewed. They've put a lot of promotion in for this show, so it seems like Fox is invested in seeing it succeed.
1. Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - Now we come to the elephant in the room. I've liked SHIELD, but it's been a bit disappointing. Perhaps a lot of it early on was the "case of the week that no one really cares about," but it's felt very disjointed. Fortunately since the December break, it's gotten more serialized and much more interesting, so I have hope that like Buffy, the showrunners are getting a feel for the show and rounding into shape by the end of the season or next season. The degree of difficulty is high because there are so many masters to please -- ABC, Marvel Studios, Joss Whedon, etc etc, but I have faith that they will pull through. Plus, I'm still in love with Chloe Benett for totes.
Chances for renewal - 80% Although the ratings have not been as perhaps expected off the heels of the success of Avengers, they've still been pretty good, and ABC has a lot riding on this intellectual property, so I imagine it will at least get another year at the very least.
Surprise Show of the Fall - Sleepy Hallow -- Man, I thought this show was going to be a hot mess. Ichabod Crane is a time-displaced Revolutionary soldier here in present times fighting to prevent the Apocalypse? Somehow, the show found a way to be fun, not take itself too seriously and just make the plot bonkers. The chemistry between the two leads (not romantic at this time) has been superb, and Crane's interaction with modern technology has been very amusing as he is taught to text and fist bump. Plus he rails on fast food and social media. Fantastic.
--Jonathan