James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington in NBC's The Blacklist
About six months ago, I wrote a
post about some of the problems facing the network television model. Since the early 1980s, when cable television began to expand and take hold, the broadcast networks have seen their audiences
decline and shift to other outlets. In 1964-65, an episode of
Bonanza had on average
36.3 percent of households with televisions tuned in every week to NBC to watch the Cartwrights. A lot of shows that were cancelled as "busts" in the past would be certified hits in the
present landscape, with NBC and ABC lucky if they can get 5 million people to tune in for one of their series. The most-watched network show of 2013-14 was
NBC Sunday Night Football, which attracted just 12.8 percent of households. It's not unusual for AMC's
The Walking Dead or a reality show on MTV to beat all of the broadcast offerings on a given night. But even cable television has experienced
declines in recent years.
The process by which new TV series come to air is incredibly inefficient. Each network orders around 20 pilot episodes based on different pitches and development deals. Those single pilot episodes can cost upwards of multiple millions, depending on the premise and the star power of the actors, writers, and producers attached to the project. After focus grouping and testing, only about one-third of those pilots ever make it to broadcast. Of that third, only a few will even make it through their initial season and broadcast all of their episodes, and 65 percent will be canceled and never see a second season.
So this week, let's look at the new season of television. Which new shows look promising? Which ones look like they're not going to last very long? And some news about the direction for some returning TV series. Follow beneath the fold for more ....
For all of the TV series below, you can watch a preview/promo for them by clicking on the links.
The new television offerings for ABC:
John Cho as Henry Higenbottam and Karen Gillan as Eliza Dooley in Selfie
- Selfie—Karen Gillan and John Cho star in this modern adaption of Pygmalion. Gillan's Eliza Dooley is obsessed with becoming a viral hit on the internet. Cho's Henry Higenbottam offers his services as a marketing genius to totally transform her image.
- Black-ish—Starring Anthony Anderson, the series has Anderson's Dre trying to make his upper middle class family find their cultural identity and be "blacker." Hannibal's Laurence Fishburne appears as Dre's father, Pops.
- Cristela—Starring and based on comedienne Cristela Alonzo's life and stand-up routine. This series is mostly based around mining Latino stereotypes for laughs. Cristela's character is a law student working as an unpaid intern at a firm. However, she's often mistaken for the cleaning lady. And Cristela has to deal with her traditional Mexican-American family at the same time, who don't always understand why she wants to be a lawyer.
- Forever—Ioan Gruffudd stars as New York City medical examiner Henry Morgan. The hook of the show is that Morgan cannot truly die. Every time he suffers a mortal wound, he's reborn nude in a body of water. Morgan's work as medical examiner allows him to pursue the secret of his own immortality while solving the case of the week. Also, Morgan is not the only immortal in the world.
- How to Get Away With Murder—The latest Shonda Rhimes series is centered on Viola Davis' Annalise Keating, who's a law professor at a prestigious Philadelphia university. Keating and her students get caught up in a murder plot and have to find a way to dig themselves out from under it.
- Manhattan Love Story—The gimmick of this new series is the internal monologues. We follow Dana (Analeigh Tipton) and Peter (Jake McDorman) as they begin a relationship, and the audience gets to see the contrast between their thoughts and actions.
Tidbits about returning series for ABC:
Elizabeth Lail as Anna and Georgina Haig as Queen Elsa in Once Upon a Time
- Once Upon a Time—After accidentally jumping back in time and changing the past, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) brought back two stowaways: Maid Marion (Christie Laing) and Frozen's Elsa (Georgina Haig).
- Modern Family—Season 5 ended with Cam (Eric Stonestreet) and Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) getting hitched. Season 6 begins with the couple in their honeymoon phase. Well, at least Cam still is. Gloria (Sofia Vergara) is upset with Jay (Ed O'Neil) because she feels he doesn't try to look attractive for her anymore. At the same time, Manny (Rico Rodriguez) begins his first serious relationship. And with the Dunphys, Alex has been away for the summer and Haley (Sarah Hyland) starts contemplating her feelings for Andy (Adam DeVine).
- Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.—As we enter the second season, S.H.I.E.L.D. has fallen, HYDRA is back, and Coulson (Clark Gregg) has been tasked with putting S.H.I.E.L.D. back together. However, not everyone is happy about Coulson being in charge. Among the new additions to Coulson's team are S.H.I.E.L.D. vet Isabelle Hartley (Lucy Lawless), mercenary Lance Hunter (Nick Blood), and Marvel's Mockingbird (Adrianne Palicki).
- Nashville—Hayden Panettiere's real-life pregnancy will be written into the show, with Juliette getting a bun in the oven. And Rayna will finally decide who she wants to spend her life with.
- Grey's Anatomy—Geena Davis joins the cast as a very sure of herself surgeon, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) will learn the truth about her half-sister Maggie (Kelly McCreary), Alex (Justin Chambers) takes Christina's seat on the hospital board, and the Callie (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona (Jessica Capshaw) relationship will hit trouble again.
- Scandal—As Season 3 ended, Papa Pope's (Joe Morton) plan to regain control and put everyone and everything in the places he thought they should be came to fruition. Olivia (Kerry Washington) is in the wind, Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) is still stuck in office after the murder of his son and Harrison (Columbus Short) is dead as well. The new season will see the characters trying to come to terms with what happened, and the introduction of a new character played by Portia de Rossi.
- Resurrection—Things take a darker turn in Season 2, as more dead people show up. The Langston family in particular gets some more dead members showing up for dinner, including Lady Stoneheart.
- Revenge— In last year's finale, Victoria (Madeline Stowe) killed Aiden (Barry Sloane), Emily (Emily VanCamp) had Victoria put in an institution, and David Clarke (James Tupper), who is alive and well, stabbed Conrad (Henry Czerny). According to the producers, the re-emergence of David will reboot the premise of the show.
- Castle—Where is Castle? Season 7 begins moments after Kate realized Castle had vanished. According to the producers, they're going to use the situation to examine Castle's backstory and fill-in the reasons for why he is the way he is.
The new television offerings for CBS:
Téa Leoni as Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord in CBS' Madam Secretary
- Madam Secretary—Former CIA analyst–turned–professor Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni) is tapped to become Secretary of State after the previous officeholder dies tragically. McCord is a bit of a fish out of water, and Leoni has described the role as a woman that's not supposed to be in the position by traditional measures.
- Scorpion—The A-Team meets Big Bang Theory and Mission Impossible. Loosely based on the life of Walter O'Brien, Scorpion has the United States government reaching out to Walter's band of geeks and outsiders to crack their toughest cases.
- NCIS: New Orleans—The third iteration of the NCIS franchise focuses on the New Orleans office led by Special Agent Dwayne Pride (Scott Bakula).
- The McCarthys—The sitcom is based on the life of series creator Brian Gallivan, and the series revolves around a Boston family, with athletically challenged and openly gay son Ronny (Tyler Ritter) being the main character and oddball of the family.
- Stalker—This thriller from The Following's Kevin Williamson has drawn a lot of criticism for how it deals with the issue. The series follows a division of the LAPD led by Maggie Q and Dylan McDermott that investigates crimes involving stalking, voyeurism, and obsession.
Tidbits about returning series for CBS:
Samaritan uses NSA files to determine whether individuals are "deviants" in CBS' Person of Interest
- Person of Interest—The members of "Team Machine" are scattered, and in the predicament of not knowing how to operate in a world where the AI Samaritan has been unleashed. Unlike "The Machine," Samaritan has no moral parameters as part of its code. This season will see Samaritan getting its own human operatives, and a new, mysterious character (Mad Men's Cara Buono) will be introduced.
- The Good Wife—When we left the show last season, both Florrick/Agos and Lockhart Gardner were in states of flux, as partners clashed and the trust in relationships was irreparably broken. As the sixth season begins, Dianne (Christine Baranski) is plotting her escape from Lockhart/Gardner to Florrick/Agos, and Kalinada (Archie Panjabi) may follow with her. But that prospect doesn't really enthuse Cary (Matt Czuchry). Also, Alicia (Julianna Margulies) continues to ponder a run for State's Attorney and the boundaries of her now open-marriage with Peter (Chris Noth).
- Elementary—Eight months have passed since Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) left to work for MI6. Joan Watson (Lucy Liu) has a new man in her life, but things get shaken around when Holmes returns with a new partner, Kitty Winter (Ophelia Lovibond).
- NCIS—The season will begin with Gibbs (Mark Harmon) and McGee (Sean Murray) heading to Russia, where the new Big Bad will be introduced. DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) will also get a new love interest.
- NCIS: Los Angeles—The sixth season begins with Sam (LL Cool J) and Callen (Chris O'Donnell) still trying to stop a group of terrorists from attacking an aircraft carrier near San Diego, and the team having to come together to stop it. The romance between Kensi (Daniela Ruah) and Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) will continue to build.
- CSI—The 15th season of the series will feature Mark-Paul Gosselaar in the roles of twins. One is a notorious serial killer that has connections to Ted Danson's Russel, while the other is a real estate magnate and pillar of the community.
- Criminal Minds—The Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) will get a new agent with Jennifer Love Hewitt's Kate Callahan. While at same time other members of the unit are still dealing with the effects of different traumas.
- The Big Bang Theory—More of the same. Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki and Kaley Cuoco are now earning a $1 million per episode. And if it isn't broke, don't fix it.
- Two and a Half Men—For the final season, creator Chuck Lorre decided to focus on just one big story arc: Walden (Ashton Kutcher) and Alan (Jon Cryer) getting married and adopting a baby.
The new television offerings for The CW:
Grant Gustin as The Flash
- The Flash—Grant Gustin stars as Barry Allen, who becomes the fastest man alive, after an explosion at the S.T.A.R. Labs particle accelerator gives him superhuman speed. A spin-off of The CW's Arrow, The Flash is reported to be lighter in tone than Arrow. It will be based in DC Comics' Central City, and has Barry being pulled from both ends by two fathers. Detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) aids Barry in his adventures, while Barry's real father (John Wesley Shipp, who played The Flash in a '90s TV series) is in prison for murdering Barry's mother.
- Jane The Virgin—A loose adaptation of the Venezuelan telenovela Juana la Virgen created by Perla Farías, the series follows Jane Villanueva. Jane has decided to save her virginity until her marriage to Michael, Jane's detective boyfriend. However, Jane accidentally undergoes artificial insemination during a checkup. And the sperm donor is Jane's former crush.
Tidbits about returning series for The CW:
Ian Somerhalder as Damon, Nina Dobrev as Elena and Paul Wesley as Stefan in The CW's The Vampire Diaries
- The Vampire Diaries—Season 6 picks up four months after the deaths of of Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie (Kat Graham), and the Travelers restricting vampires from crossing the town line. The initial episodes will focus on how each of the characters are dealing with these circumstances.
- The Originals—The first season ended with Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) losing their daughter, and Klaus' parents are in-town. The new season will see Klaus confronting Francesca (Peta Sergeant) in the "bloodiest most violent way possible."
- Supernatural—The series seems to be going down some roads it has treaded before. In particular, one brother turning evil and the other having to save him. Things pick up about a month after Dean (Jensen Ackles) resurrected as a demon. Sam (Jared Padalecki) is left in the position of trying to save Dean, even though Dean has become one of the things they hunt.
- Arrow—Some time will have passed since the end of season 2, with Roy (Colton Haynes) now in costume as Arsenal and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) possibly suiting up as the new Black Canary. But the biggest news is the big bad of the season is Batman villain Ra's al Ghul.
- Reign—Somehow I doubt the early years of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1557 France were this soapy. But the new season will see the introduction of Princess Claude (Rose Williams), daughter of QUeen Catherine de Medici (Megan Follows) and Narcisse (Sean Teale).
The new television offerings for NBC:
Ben Feldman as Andrew Lofland and Cristin Milioti as Zelda Vasco in NBC's A to Z
- A to Z—Mad Men's Ben Feldman stars as Andrew, who falls in love with Cristin Milioti's Zelda (hence A to Z). The series will chronicle all of the stages of their relationship from beginning to end, similar to Marc Webb's (500) Days of Summer.
- Bad Judge—Kate Walsh (Grey's Anatomy, Private Practice) stars as L.A. criminal court judge Rebecca Wright, who's one of the best on the bench, but a flaky mess off the bench.
- Constantine—Based on the DC Comics series Hellblazer, the series follows John Constantine as he battles the occult and supernatural forces. The 2005 Keanu Reeves' film took some liberties with the source material. In this series, Constantine is again British and the mythology is not so much centered on Judeo-Christianity. However, one contentious aspect of the new series has been whether or not the character will be allowed to smoke. In both the comic book and film adaption, Constantine's constant smoking is a significant part of the plot. However, a main character smoking on network television is not as acceptable as it once was.
- Marry Me—From Happy Endings' David Caspe, the series stars Ken Marino and Caspe's wife, Casey Wilson, as a couple that's been together for six years and can't find the right moment to propose marriage. They then begin to contemplate whether that's a sign that they shouldn't be together.
- The Mysteries of Laura—An adaptation of the Spanish television series Los misterios de Laura by Carlos Vila and Javier Holgado, the series will follow Detective Laura Diamond (Debra Messing), who has to balance being a cop with being a single mom of twin boys and dealing with her soon-to-be ex-husband (Josh Lucas).
- State of Affairs—Katherine Heigl is a CIA attache who's tasked by the president (Alfre Woodard) on the most critical threats to the United States. She is also hunting the terrorists that killed her fiancé, who also happened to be the president's son.
Tidbits about returning series for NBC:
Megan Boone as Elizabeth Keen and James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington in NBC's The Blacklist
- The Blacklist—Season 2 begins a few months after FBI profiler Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone) shot her husband. Berlin (Peter Stormare) is hunting the task force and Red (James Spader) specifically, with Berlin proving to be Red's mental equal.
- Chicago Fire—Not everyone will make it out of last season's building collapse cliffhanger alive, and the survivors will have to deal with the fallout. Dawson's (Monica Raymund) engagement to Casey (Jesse Spencer) will complicate her desire to be a firefighter.
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit—Sgt. Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) received both a promotion to acting commander and a foster son at the end of last season. As things pick up in Season 16, Benson is struggling with ideas of family and how it affects her ability to do her job.
- Chicago P.D.—The murderer of Jin (Archie Kao) will be revealed in the Season 2 premiere. And Burgess (Marina Squerciati) gets a new partner.
- Parenthood—As the series enters its final season, changes will come to the Braverman family. They will lose one of their members.
- Saturday Night Live—This is the 40th anniversary season of the show. However, four of last season's cast are gone (Nasim Pedrad, John Milhiser, Noel Wells and Brooks Whelan), and SNL Weekend Update host Cecily Strong has been demoted and replaced Michael Che, the first black Weekend Update host in the show's history. The new season will kick off with Chris Pratt hosting and musical guest Ariana Grande on September 27. And a three hour 40th anniversary special will air in February.
The new television offerings for Fox:
David Tennant as Detective Emmett Carver and Anna Gunn as Detective Ellie Miller in Fox's Gracepoint
- Gracepoint—A young boy is found dead on a California beach. The death is ruled a homicide and the investigation and media frenzy upends the lives of everyone in the town. The series is a remake of the British series Broadchurch, with David Tennant reprising his role from Broadchurch, and Anna Gunn as his partner in her first post-Breaking Bad role.
- Red Band Society—Starring Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as Nurse Jackson, the series follows the lives of six teens dealing with different ailments in a Los Angeles hospital. It's been called The Breakfast Club–meets–The Fault in Our Stars.
- Gotham—A TV prequel of the Batman story. The series is centered on the early days of Detective James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) in Gotham City, dealing with all of Batman's enemies before they became supervillians, as we see how they came to be.
- Mulaney—This series is basically Fox's attempt to recreate Seinfeld. Stand-up comic and former SNL writer John Mulaney stars as himself, and we follow his adventures with his friends and neighbors.
Tidbits about returning series for Fox:
Tom Mison as Ichabod Crane and Nicole Beharie as Lt. Grace Abigail "Abbie" Mills in Fox's Sleepy Hollow
- Sleepy Hollow—At the end of the first season, the show left on a cliffhanger that had all of the main characters in peril. Ichabod (Tom Mison) and Abbie (Nicole Beharie) may run into Thomas Jefferson, Benedict Arnold, and Daniel Boone this season. Also, a new character, mercenary Nick Hawley (Matt Barr), will be introduced. He's everything that Ichabod detests.
- Brooklyn Nine-Nine—The three cliffhangers involving Jake (Andy Samberg), Amy (Melissa Fumero), Charles (Lo Truglio) and Gina (Chelsea Peretti) will be resolved. The series will also feature guest appearances by Kyra Sedgwick as the nemesis of Captain Holt (Andre Braugher), and Jenny Slate will also guest star as Bianca, a rough and tough “mob mistress” who runs into Jake during an undercover operation, and could be the one to help him bring the mob to justice.
- Bones—Agent Booth (David Boreanaz) and Dr. Brennan (Emily Deschanel) are finally married. But their happiness was short-lived, with Booth now in prison and the Bones' team scrambling to clear him and uncover the government conspiracy responsible for their predicament.
- New Girl—New Girl ran into some problems when Jess (Zooey Deschanel) hooked up with roommate Nick (Jake Johnson). The will they or won't they dynamic of their relationship lost some of its luster. However, the new season begins with the entire gang attending a wedding, and making a pact in which all of them will try to go home with someone.
- The Simpsons—In the September 28 premiere, a Simpsons character will die. The only clue to the identity of the character is the actor who voices this character has won an Emmy, and the character has appeared more than twice on the show.
- Family Guy— The September 28th season 13 premiere will feature a crossover with The Simpsons and a cameo from Bob (H. Jon Benjamin) from Bob's Burgers. The episode will find the Griffins visiting Springfield. Homer and Peter bond over donuts, but their friendship is tested over which is the better beer: Pawtucket Patriot Ale or Duff?
- The Mindy Project—Season 3 finds Mindy (Mindy Kaling) and Danny (Chris Mesina) still a couple after finally kissing last season at the top of the Empire State Building. But some things may come between them.
New series premiering this season on various cable networks and streaming outlets:
Joshua Jackson as Cole Lockhart, Ruth Wilson as Alison Lockhart, Dominic West as Noah Solloway and Maura Tierney as Helen Solloway in Showtime's The Affair
- The Affair (Showtime)—Starring Dominic West (The Wire) and Ruth Wilson (Luther), the story is told through a framing device in which both characters are being interviewed by a detective about how their extramarital affair started and progressed. Maura Tierney (ER) and Joshua Jackson (Fringe) are the other halves who're being cheated on, and the series wants to examine the psychological effects of infidelity and sets up a mystery of what went so wrong that the police are involved?
- Transparent (Amazon Prime)—From Jill Soloway (Six Feet Under, United States of Tara), the series explores gender issues as Maura, the Pfefferman family patriarch (Jeffrey Tambor) comes out as transgender to her former ex-wife (Judith Light) and children.
- Happyland (MTV)—A soapy teen-drama set at an amusement park. Bianca Santos stars as Lucy, a teenager that's grown up around the park and wants to escape to see the world. But that changes when she meets Ian (Shane Harper), who's the son of the park's new owner.
- Houdini (History)—Adrien Brody stars as Harry Houdini. The two-part miniseries will tell the story of the magician's life. Kristen Connolly (House of Cards) is Houdini's wife and partner Bess, while Evan Jones (A Million Ways to Die in the West) plays Jim Collins, his assistant.
- Survivor's Remorse (History)—Produced by LeBron James, the comedy follows Cam Calloway (Jessie T. Usher). Cam lands a huge pro-basketball contract and has to deal with freeloaders, groupies, hanger-ons, and other obstacles that come with his newfound fortune.
Returning cable series:
- The Walking Dead (AMC)—Season 4 ended with most of the group trapped in Terminus with a bunch of cannibals. Season 5 has the group cutting a deal and journeying to Washington, D.C. in search of a "cure." The show also created some news when Walking Dead creator and series executive producer Robert Kirkman floated the idea that Daryl (Norman Reedus) may be gay. Although, Kirkman said no decision has been made one way or the other.
- The Newsroom (HBO)—The final season of Aaron Sorkin's drama will center around Will (Jeff Daniels) and his team protecting a whistleblower. The six episode arc has the Justice Department threatening to prosecute unless ACN names their source.
- Key & Peele (Comedy Central)— Luther, Obama and Meegan will be back, with Key promising the new season will be "outrageous." And according to EW, new topics will range from the military to life as a gay African-American.
- Boardwalk Empire (HBO)—Entering the final season, the show jumps seven years to Depression-era 1931. Al Capone (Stephen Graham) and Lucky Luciano (Vincent Piazza) are building their notoriety and creating The Commission. And this is not exactly the best news for Nucky Thompson (Steve Buscemi), especially with the end of Prohibition drawing near.
- Sons of Anarchy (FX)—The final season has Jax (Charlie Hunnam) waging war against the Lin Triad and Henry Lin (Kenneth Choi) based on the lies of Gemma (Katey Sagal). How will the Mayans respond? Will Nero (Jimmy Smits) keep them out of the fighting or will they honor their alliance? What will Jax do when he finds out who actually killed Tara (Maggie Siff)?
- Homeland (Showtime)—Carrie Matheson (Claire Danes) is trying to get her bearings again as an agent. Season 4 sees her in Pakistan trying to route intelligence assets out of the country as United States begins to withdraw from the region. However, not everything goes as expected and a new threat emerges.
- American Horror Story: Freak Show (FX)—Set in 1950s Florida, this iteration of American Horror Story centers on a traveling freak show that has the mispleasure of running into a murderous clown. Twisty the Clown takes offense at the freak show rolling through his town, and decides to make them pay.