Some more pilot reviews and info on bubble shows!
The latest group of pilot reviews from Season zero had a couple of very positive reactions that came as a bit of a surprise to me. First, there is Mrs. Otis Regrets for Fox, the story of an FBI agent who’s career and life is threatened when he is revealed to be having an affair with a prominent general. I don’t know, do people really care about the personal lives of FBI agents and generals? But it gets a strong review, earning comparisons to The Good Wife and Scandal, as well as Homeland. On the other hand, the pilot doesn’t do a good job of setting up the supporting characters, and the review questions if Katie Holmes can carry the show. The former can be addressed easily enough in future episodes, while as for the latter, all we can do is wait and see what happens.
There is another FBI pilot out there, Dick Wolf’s new show… for CBS. Yep, the Law & Order big boss is jumping to the competition with his newest show. And that is apparently the most inte3resting thing about it! It’s a Dick Wold procedural, for better or worse. A well-executed procedural with a solid cast, but it’s nothing new or different from Wolf.
Moving on to ABC, we have False Profits, a show that seems like a good successor to some old ABC hits, Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. Which seems like a pretty good bet. The show follows three women who form a new business and try to make it in the cutthroat world of cosmetics, though a flash forward will reveal that their efforts will lead to an attempted murder.
Finally, we come to In the Dark, from the CW, the story of a blind woman who witnesses a murder. When the police don’t take her seriously, she investigates the case herself while also trying to navigate her professional and personal life. A bizarre idea, though apparently a well-executed one. On the other hand, the case is apparently wrapped up in the pilot, with no obvious reason for the lead to continue investigating other crimes. Personally, this, Skinny Dip and Playing Dead seem like they were selected to be potential companions for Life Sentence, which hasn’t exactly hit the ground running.
Anyway, Deadline has released a post about the likely fates of the bubble shows for all the networks. The big question at ABC appears to be the fate of Marvel’s agents of SHIELD, which is apparently too close to call. The same seems to be true with Scorpion and MacGyver on CBS. Over on Fox, Gotham is apparently looking good, while Lucifer in on the bubble, and The Exorcist is sadly likely not coming back. Though it was a surprise pick up last year, so who knows?
AT NBC, Good Girls and Rise are too early to completely evaluate, but so far both are looking good. Timeless looks unlikely to get another last minute reprieve from cancellation. Finally, the big questions for The CW appear to be the fates of freshman shows Dynasty and Life Sentence. Dynasty is more likely to live for another year, thanks to a Netflix deal.
Entertainment for the Young and Young-at-heart 