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new and noteworthy tv: 10/2-10/8

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I’ve been chipping away at some of the new shows but other than locking in a few oldies Big Bang, Lethal Weapon, Brooklyn 99, Speechless, Superstore, and The Good Place nothing new has stuck, though I might check out second eps.

  • 9JKL (CBS) Series Premiere, Monday, 8:30pm – Newly divorced and washed up actor moves back to an apartment neighboring his family, good actors so far not great buzz.
  • The Gifted (Fox) Series Premiere, Monday, 9pm – In the X-Men universe a man tasked with rounding up mutants has a change of heart as his family becomes the hunted, sounds like it has potential.
  • Grown Folks (Bounce) Series Premiere, Monday, 9:30pm – Two couples deal with ‘issues of life in hilarious ways,’ on a network someone probably gets.
  • The Halcyon (Ova) Series Premiere, Monday, 10pm – A drama set in 1940 showing London life in a 5-star hotel and the impact of war.
  • The Mayor (ABC) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 9:30pm – The new sitcom has gotten the most consistent good buzz so worth checking out a rapper turned mayor.
  • Ink Master: Angels (Spike) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – I don’t normally point out new reality, but I’m intrigued to see four female former contestants travel around competing in inking challenges as victors could be heading to Ink Master.
  • Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – Jason Ritter stars as a guy who doesn’t quite have his act together when he gets a ‘messenger of God’ only he can see, looks quirky.
  • Ghost Wars (Syfy) Series Premiere, Thursday, 10pm – A medium, an earthquake, and bad stuff happening, who knows.
  • Suburra (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Italian-language organized crime.
  • Superstition (Syfy) Series Premiere, Friday – Mario van Peebles stars as head of a funeral home with a little extra responsibility dealing with the paranormal.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/25-10/1

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Fall is officially here, both seasonally and televisionally so get out your remotes. I’ll look back longingly on the nice week of comedies The Good Life, Better Things, Bojack Horseman, You’re the Worst, and getting ready for One Mississippi. Below are the new series but take a perusal to your own lineup to make sure your season passes are all up to date because a ton of stuff starts this week.

  • Young Sheldon/Me Myself & I (CBS) Season/Series Premiere, Monday, 8:30/9:30pm – Following The Big Bang Theory this spinoff goes to a sweeter side of Sheldon, and later the three phases of one guy’s life may or may not strike the right amusement.
  • The Brave (NBC) Series Premiere, Monday, 10pm – One of several military procedurals, Special Ops responds, I think this one is a pass.
  • The Good Doctor (ABC) Series Premiere, Monday, 10pm – Showing the implications of the Autism spectrum on this doctor and probably a weird case of the week.
  • Difficult People (Hulu) Season Premiere, Tuesday – These difficult peeps are supposed to be amusing, though I am still Hulu free.
  • L&O True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC) Series Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – If this is your bag it’s probably worth checking out the latest showing of a headline worthy crime.
  • Seal Team (CBS) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 9pm – Another military take, this one hasn’t gotten great buzz but I always give David Boreanaz a look.
  • Liar (Sund) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – A six part series where secrets and lies unravel in this ‘classed up’ melodrama.
  • Roshaven (Sund) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 11pm – Australian comedy series set in Tasmania supposedly a fresh small town comedy.
  • Startup (Crackle) Season Premiere, Thursday – This is one of those shows on a network I don’t know what it is but I’m not sure it’s supposed to be all that good.
  • Will & Grace (NBC) Season Premiere, Thursday, 9pm – This is both being billed as a new season and as season one of the new take but if you liked the gang in early episodes be sure to tune in.
  • Big Mouth (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Animated comedy by and based on Nick Kroll’s teen years with many big voices.
  • Real Rob (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – It always surprises me when I really don’t remember a show at all but streaming shows seem to be slipping past my try to watch at least one episode as they get deferred, this one about Rob Schneider doesn’t look like it was that well reviewed.
  • Tin Star (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – This might be worth a look as Tim Roth plays a police chief moving his English family to a Canadian town, with secrets of course.
  • Marvels Inhumans (ABC) Series Premiere, Friday, 8pm – This is the one that’s supposed to be a dud, where a family of inhuman royalty I think is living on the moon until some infighting somehow sees them ending up in Hawaii and fighting in some way.
  • Ghosted (Fox) Series Premiere, Sunday, 8:30pm – Craig Robinson as washed up cop and Adam Scott as washed up astro-physicist pair up in something like a comedy X-Files.
  • Wisdom of the Crowd (CBS) Series Premiere, Sunday, 8:30pm – Another supposed to be dud where Jeremy Piven uses his tech skills to get everyone in the world to help solve crimes.
  • Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO) Series Premiere, Sunday, 10pm – Another of the lapsed series that might have fallen out of your queue, David is back after a six year break.
  • Ten Days in the Valley (ABC) Series Premiere, Sunday, 10pm – Krya Sedgewick returns though not sure if she’s the victim of crime, her daughter gets kidnapped, it’ll have the same spark.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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intriguing new fall tv

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So the critics overall aren’t noting a lot of intrigue in the new season but you sometimes find a few that fill some empty slots in your schedule, or just backlog your dvr queue. Comedies overall I give a longer leash to find themselves but generally I like to give a show two episodes to win me over to at least want to see more, though a few don’t make it that far. Here’s what’s on the horizon.

  • 9JKL (CBS, 10/2) – Family living right next door in the same apartment building may be too close for comfort but though it includes Linda Lavin and Elliott Gould as Mark Feuerstein’s parents, early buzz makes me think it’s clunky.
  • Dynasty (CW, 10/11) – A return to soapy nighttime fun is the attempt, I’ll check this out but typically unless there’s something special going these don’t work and I haven’t heard anything special (if there is something special going on I might make it a season or two).
  • Ghosted (Fox, 10/1) – Who wouldn’t want to check out Craig Robinson and Adam Scott being amusing and investigating the paranormal?
  • The Gifted (Fox, 10/2) / Marvel’s Inhumans (ABC, 9/29) – The latest other-than-human intros, of the two The Gifted from the X-Men franchise focusing on teens/families dealing with nascent mutant abilities is supposed to be good and the other about inhuman royal family internal struggles that force them into the regular world is supposed to be a dud.
  • The Good Doctor (ABC, 9/25) – Another unlikely or unlikable Dr with pretty impressive skills, this one with Freddie Highmore, fresh off of Bates Motel, is supposed to be a little sweet as we see how his Asperger impacts his work.
  • Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC, 10/3) – Jason Ritter in a sort of Joan of Arcadia type show, and he’s charming enough as an actor to hope this one finds a good stride.
  • L&O True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC, 9/26) – This is so completely capitalizing on American Crime but I trust them to take a turn at this, though I might have my fill of these retellings for a bit.
  • The Mayor (ABC, 10/3) – Hearing good buzz all around on this comedy showing hip hop artist as mayor, after running for a little self-promotion, but you know he’s got a heart of gold and a member of supporting staff to whip things into shape.
  • Me, Myself and I (CBS, 10/2) – Visiting a man at three different points in his life with actors picked less for resemblance, still curious for a look at Bobby Moynihan and John Larroquette.
  • The Orville (Fox, 9/10) – This slightly light but not comical Seth MacFarlane Star Trek-like show just didn’t hit any notes to make it worth tuning back into.
  • SWAT (CBS, 11/2) /  SEAL Team (CBS, 9/27) / The Brave (NBC, 9/25) / Valor (CW, 10/9) – I’m lumping these altogether because they strike me as sort of the same people saving people, SWAT is the Shemar one that I’ve heard has some potential and SEAL Team is the David Boreanaz one that might have less but at least has him, I think the other two are a pass.
  • Ten Days in the Valley (ABC, 10/1) – Kyra Sedgwick returns to tv in a show about a woman working in tv and her daughter goes missing, and apparently there are secrets, worth a look.
  • Wisdom of the Crowd (CBS, 10/1) – This strikes me a bit like last season’s APB from Fox where a single guy uses his weird vendetta technique to try to help the greater good, only this one is Jeremy Piven and crowd sourcing and getting terrible reviews.
  • Young Sheldon (CBS, 9/25) – I’m dubious about this BBT spinoff but I think it will end up being just a totally different tone so while I’ll try not to worry about continuity I’m not sure the sweeter Wonder Years take will hit the sweet spot for me.

And I’m just starting to scratch the surface on some of the additional cable and streaming offerings: American Vandal (Net, 9/15), The Deuce (HBO, 9/10), Future Man (hulu, 11/14), Hit the Road (ATTAud, 10/17), Hot Date (Pop, 11/8), The Last O.G. (TBS, 10/24), Liar (Sund, 9/27), Mindhunter (Net, 10/13), Riviera (SundNow, 9/14), Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television (YT Red, 10/25), SMILF (Show, 11/5), Star Trek: Discovery (CBSAA, 9/24), Tin Star (Am, 9/29), White Famous (Show, 10/15)

Premiere dates are subject to change so stay tuned for “next week”s and check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/18-9/24

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The calm before the storm of full fall television.

  • The State (NGC) Series Premiere, Monday, 9pm – Four young British men and women who leave their lives behind to join ISIS.
  • Fuller House (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – How is this already at season 3?
  • Neo Yokio (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – This Japanese anime style cartoon has some demon slaying and other goings on.
  • Transparent (Am) Season Premiere, Friday – What other sort of messes can they get into.
  • Mike Judge Presents: Tales From the Tour Bus (Cin) Series Premiere, Friday, 10pm – An animated recounting of country music tour bus tales.
  • Star Trek: Discovery (CBS) Series Premiere, Sunday, 8:30pm – The first ep will air wide before getting restricted viewings to CBS All Access.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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returning fall favorites

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The fall season doesn’t have quite the weight it once did but the shows are coming back. So here’s a look at some of the things that I’m looking forward to.

  • Better Things (FX, 9/14) – This Pamela Adlon series was the half hour show that I most looked forward to in what I sort of think of as the Louie vein of comedy.
  • The Big Bang Theory (CBS, 9/25) – I’m always happy to see what the gang is getting up to.
  • Bojack Horseman (Net, 9/8) – It’s odd but it’s good on so many layers.
  • Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Fox, 9/26) – Since the original they’ve really found a way to bring out great qualities in each character and pairings.
  • Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (BBCA, 10/14) – This was such an wacky series but I was won over by the conspiracies and time travel and the relationships that formed.
  • Elementary (CBS, 10/2) – Still invested in the pair of crime fighters if not always the crime and whatever the overarching drama is.
  • Fresh Off the Boat (ABC, 10/3) – The backdrop of immigrant family in the 90s adds a nice layer to the family hijinks.
  • Good Behavior (TNT, 10/15) – Intrigued to see what our con woman and hit man get up to this season.
  • The Good Place (NBC, 9/20) – This was a great intro last season and I’m excited to see where Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, and the gang take us this season.
  • Lethal Weapon (Fox, 9/26) – Light and fluffy this new duo of Riggs and Murtaugh have a good groove.
  • Madam Secretary (CBS, 10/8) – This is my hopeful political show where just enough magically gets resolved that I can ignore the real world for a bit.
  • The Middle (ABC, 10/3) – This show has done a surprisingly good job of keeping the family comedic beats as the kids age.
  • Mom (CBS, 11/2) – Allison Janney, Ana Faris, and their mostly recovering cohorts bring it in a great balance of real and unreal ways.
  • Mr Robot (USA, 10/11) – Also a little uneven but the wins on this show are strong enough for me to dive back in.
  • New Girl (Fox, 9/20) – One more season before the roomies and romances take their full stride into the tv afterlife.
  • Queen Sugar (OWN, 10/3) – This is my first Oprah drama and I like the way the location is as much of a character as the fragmented family of sugar farmers.
  • Speechless (ABC, 9/27) – I actually dropped this show last season but after hearing continued good things went back and picked it up and was rewarded enough to season pass it.
  • Stranger Things (Net, 10/27) – I wasn’t as enamored of this show as everyone else, maybe much due to my Winona disdain, but it’s definitely a fun bingeable what I’ll call summer show.
  • Superstore (NBC, 9/28) – The characters in this show have developed enough to make me keep tuning back into this work place comedy.
  • This is Us (NBC, 9/26) – This one is on everyone’s radar, and while I find it a bit uneven the drama on here fills my missing sort of Parenthood slot.
  • Transparent (Am, 9/22) – I’ve binged this since finally getting onboard with Prime and as reported it’s well worth a watch for the Pfefferman drama.
  • Will & Grace (NBC, 9/28) – I guess I’m calling this returning, and while I’m actually curious to see how it goes I remember the early series less dramatic moments fondly enough that I can’t imaging not sticking with it.
  • You’re the Worst (Fxx, 9/6) – I really enjoy the risks this show takes in regard to characters and storytelling and will keep tuning back in.

With a few others that I’ll check back in on: Gotham (Fox, 9/21), Life in Pieces (CBS, 11/2), Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD (ABC, 9/20), Search Party (TBS, 11/19), Z Nation (Syfy, 9/29)

Note: Premiere dates subject to change always check your local listings.

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/11-9/17

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I’ve mostly cleared out my backlog in preparation for fall returns and sampling.

  • The Mindy Project (Hulu) Season Premiere, Tuesday – The sixth and final season, too bad I have yet to cave on getting Hulu.
  • Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Relief Telethon (Various) Tuesday, 8pm – A telethon to aide victims.
  • Riviera (SundNow) Series Premiere, Thursday – Julia Stiles stars in this 10 part thriller with other good picks like Lena Olin and Anthony LaPaglia, and yes Sundance Now is yet another pay service.
  • Better Things (Fx) Season Premiere, Thursday, 10pm – This dramedy series featuring Pamela Adlon as mother of three is a total gem.
  • American Vandal (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – A half hour Making a Murder-ish true crime satire.
  • ACM Honors (CBS) Friday, 9pm – Nashville hosted awards.
  • Emmy Awards (CBS) Sunday, 8pm – Even if they did pick the right things there’s too much tv out there for this format to still really work.
  • The Vietnam War (PBS) Sunday, 8pm – 10-part, 18-hour series from Ken Burns, I really hear these are all amazing.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 9/4-9/10

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I wrapped up Ozark on Netflix which I really enjoyed, and glad to hear it’s coming back for another season. Still plugging away on The Wire and Deadwood and my gym going has lapsed a bit but still working on streaming comedies there with Catastrophe, Grace & Frankie, Bored to Death, Kimmy Schmidt, and just taking a peek at I Love Dick.

  • AHS: Cult (Fx) Season Premiere, Tuesday, 10pm – I’ve been off of these for a while but they’re bringing yet another slant.
  • You’re the Worst (Fxx) Season Premiere, Wednesday, 10pm – One of the comedies I most look forward to as these messes of people bring their weird slant.
  • Bojack Horseman (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – The whole family is officially hooked on this and their binges will be rewarded with new episodes, I actually need to remember where last season left off.
  • Greenhouse Academy (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – A sci fi teen drama adapted from an Israeli tv series set at a boarding school with evil plots to be thwarted.
  • One Mississippi (Am) Season Premiere, Friday – Was just talking to a friend about how this show seemed a bit under the radar but might my favorite of the recently binged comedies after I upped to Prime.
  • Con Man (Syfy) Series Premiere, Saturday, 10pm – Good buzz coming off of previous releases, Alan Tudyk stars as a former sci fi star hitting the convention circuit, note all eps air back to back.
  • The Orville (Fox) Series Premiere, Sunday, 9pm – Seth MacFarlane stars in this future space ship exploration dramedy, I’m picturing Galaxy Quest but think I’ll be disappointed.
  • Top of the Lake (Sund) Season Premiere, Sunday, 9pm – Looking forward to seeing Elizabeth Moss as this really interesting Jane Campion detective series finally returns (note for me this is showing up as “Top of the Lake: China Girl” not “Top of the Lake” so check your season pass).
  • The Deuce (HBO) Series Premiere, Sunday, 10pm – Getting great reviews this series follows the legalization and rise of the porn industry with some credentials like Maggie Gyyllenhaal to give it some cred.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 8/28-9/3

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I took a break from some of my streaming options to cull some of the misc backlog. Broadchurch, Humans, Orphan Black, Tennison… check. Although I guess I did stream a little Defenders which suffers from much of the issues of previous Marvel stories, though Jessica Jones still keeps it interesting.

  • US Open (ESPN/2) – First rounds play starts Monday
  • Narcos (Net) Season Premiere, Friday – I lost interest in this in the first season.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 8/21-8/27

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I used to relish the downtime of summer but now realizing that with the way things are going I’m going to have to make another series of cuts if I’m doing things like watching The Defenders while having a backlog of quality shows.

  • Disjointed (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – Kathy Bates take to comedy in Chuck Lorre’s latest of a new found cannabis dispensary.
  • The Tick (Am) Series Premiere, Friday – I still think of Patrick Warburton as the tick but will give this new version a go.
  • Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day (ABC) Sunday, 11am – Marking the start of the US Open.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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new and noteworthy tv: 8/14-8/20

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Still moving along on The Wire and Deadwood and have a little catch up on some of the other summer fare.

  • CMA Fest (ABC) Wednesday, 8pm – Country music stars perform.
  • Marlon (NBC) Series Premiere, Wednesday, 9pm – The latest Wayans intro to the sitcom world.
  • Project Runway (Life) Season Premiere, Thursday, 8pm – Another season of hopefuls, and I’m just a season or so behind.
  • The Defenders (Net) Series Premiere, Friday – I’ve had mixed emotions about each of the individual series but I’m cautiously optimistic that there will be enough Jessica Jones to make it intriguing.

The procrastinator lists items that may not be on your regular season pass, though notation does not imply recommendation. Times noted are typically PST.

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