The 2014-15 television season is already underway with the
cancellation clock ticking on FOX’s “Utopia,” critics lamenting the lack of
creativity on NBC’s “The Mysteries of Laura” (a show I didn’t review but found
more meh than monstrous) and viewers trying to cope with the quirk overload of
FOX’s “Red Band Society,” aka “The Fault in Our Stars: The TV Show.” I’ve been
covering TV for over a decade now and this really is the first time I’ve
been out of the gate with a new series review after the starting gun had been
shot. It may say something about my workload (I did see 40+ movies at TIFF) but
it also speaks to the relatively lackluster crop of new shows this year. There’s
NOTHING to get excited about. There are a few shows for which I’ll shrug my
shoulders and opine something along the lines of, “Sure, if you have nothing
else to do.” But there’s no “Hannibal.” There’s not even a “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”
or a “The Blacklist.” It is a mediocre crop through and through, merely further
reminding one how much quality television has migrated to cable and streaming
services.
But we can’t give up. A few of these shows will become hits.
A few will even improve creatively to become worthy of their hit status. And so
I’ll be popping up over the next few weeks with my thoughts on new and returning
shows including “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Black-ish,” “Selfie,” “Manhattan
Love Story,” “Gracepoint,” “Stalker,” “Mulaney,” “Bad Judge,” “Marry Me,” “A to
Z,” and more.
We’ll start with three dramas that display a bit more
long-term potential than most given their unique premises and rock-solid
production values. Again, even this trio is unlikely to set next year’s Emmys
on fire, but they’re three shows that offer something a bit different than
another “NCIS” spin-off. And they all premiere Monday, September 22nd.
Which will survive past Christmas? Only you can decide.
“Gotham” (FOX)
The most highly-buzzed new program of 2014 is also one of
the most promising. I’m not here to sell you on “Gotham” as a direct descendant
of your favorite incarnation of the universe of Batman—whether that be Burton,
Nolan, or West—but this is solid, confidently made television, the kind of
programming that has me interested in where it’s going next thanks to high
production values and an expertly assembled cast.
“Gotham” could have been a lazy bit of fan fiction (I’m
looking at you “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) but creators Bruno Heller (“The
Mentalist”), who wrote the pilot, and Danny Cannon (“CSI”), who directed it,
went beyond the Comic-Con expectations, primarily in the arena of casting. Ben
McKenzie, so great on the fantastic “Southland,” stars as James Gordon, two
weeks into his new job as a Gotham City detective. The new detective partners
with the grizzled Harvey Bullock (TV icon Donal Logue, who simply makes
everything better) in an effort to rid the increasingly dangerous Gotham of its
criminal element. In fact, in his first major case, Gordon has to get to the
bottom of a brutal shooting of two well-known socialites in an alley: Thomas
and Martha Wayne. Arriving on the scene of the crime, Gordon meets Bruce (David
Mazouz), and, well, an alliance is formed that will change superhero history.
Don’t worry. Young Bruce is not riding a Batbike. This is Gordon’s story. Call it
“Commissioner Begins.”
Completely rewriting the canon in a way that will surely drive
DC purists nuts—Selina Kyle (Cameren Bicondova), who will one day become
Catwoman, witnesses the murder of the Waynes for Frank Miller’s sake!—the creators
of “Gotham” take the basic archetypes, themes and structure of the Batman
legend and run wild. And so we also meet Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor),
who will one day become The Penguin, but is now merely a sniveling foot soldier
for the crime lord Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith, the only element of “Gotham”
that feels miscast). There’s even an appearance by Edward Nygma (Cory Michael
Smith), the man who would be The Riddler. And, of course, what’s a Batman
mythology without an Alfred Pennyworth (Sean Pertwee)?
I haven’t even discussed Gordon’s fiancée Barbara (Erin
Richards) or the other detectives in the Gotham P.D. To be blunt, the first
episode of “Gotham” feels crowded and sometimes rushed, making it hard to
discern what the show will be like long-term. The premiere has to cram in the
inciting incident of the Batman mythology, carve out Gordon & Bullock as
their own characters, give us a new villain in Mooney, present a little bit of
home and work life for our leads and make nods to Penguin, The Riddler and
Catwoman. It is inherently going to feel cluttered. Will the next few weeks see
a show that settles into its own groove or a program that feels as eager to
please a fan base as the premiere? I hope it’s the former. The referential
aspect of “Gotham” needs to end so it can carve out its own mythology.
And the talent is here for it to do so. McKenzie is a great
choice for Gordon, the kind of square-jawed, All-American leading man who one
can believe would turn into Gotham’s greatest hero’s greatest ally. I loved him
on “Southland.” I’m happy to have him back. And if I need to tell you why Logue
is great, you haven’t been watching TV for the last two decades. He’s just
always phenomenal. Let them take center stage. Let them guide the show instead
of references to DC characters, and I’ll stay tuned in.
“Forever” (ABC)
Who would have guessed that the most influential character
on the modern mystery even in 2014 would be Sherlock Holmes? At first glance,
one might not make the connection between Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary
creation and ABC’s latest fantasy/mystery offering, but the ties are crystal clear
by episode two. I have my doubts that “Forever” will stand out on a crowded
Monday night, but ABC has a remarkable ability to turn even the most unusual
premise into a hit, and are often more patient with shows than their
competitors.
Dr. Henry Morgan (Ioan Gruffudd) can’t die. For reasons he
can’t explain, every time he should die, he wakes up, naked, in the water,
often in the Hudson River. He’s spent centuries trying to figure out the curse
of immortality, which has taught him a thing or two about human nature and crime-solving.
He can speak Latin, pick up clues others can’t, is socially awkward and has a sidekick
named Watson. Kidding about the last one, although Judd Hirsch as one of the
few who knows Morgan’s secret fills the role nicely. The undead doctor actually
partners with Detective Jo Martinez (Alana De La Garza), an NYC crime-solver
who senses something different about this mysterious medical investigator.
Created by Matt Miller (“Chuck,” “666 Park Avenue”), “Forever”
makes for a breezy hour of entertainment that is nonetheless remarkably
forgettable. It’s one of those network dramas that’s never offensively bad, but
fails to take real advantage of its concept. Morgan has lived forever, and yet
the show has almost no real atmosphere or depth of character to speak of
(although it did make me consider what a show based on Jim Jarmusch’s “Only
Lovers Left Alive” would look like, with its two protagonists who really feel
the weight of having been around for ALL of it.) There’s no gravity here. No
weight to the character or his unique ability. It’s just a gimmick to find SOME
new way to tie in to the “Sherlockian” subgenre. Although one thinks that if
Sherlock had lived forever, he might have turned into a more interesting guy.
“Scorpion” (CBS)
Much like “Forever,” CBS’s latest drama features a
protagonist who has intellectual ability that far outweighs his lack of
social skills. Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel) is a genius. He has been so since
he was a child, catching the attention of national security when he hacked into
NASA to get blueprints to hang on his wall. At that young age, he caught the
eye of G-man Cabe Gallo (Robert Patrick), who used the poor kid in ways that no
child’s intelligence should be exploited. Walter left the business of keeping
us safe, but he’s called back in when it looks like he could be the only person
to avoid an aviation disaster.
The pilot of “Scorpion” is mere set-up for what looks like
it will be a case-of-the-week show for a group of geniuses not unlike “Numbers”
or CBS’s nearly trademarked weekly mystery series like “NCIS” and “CSI.” Walter
has a group of cohorts in episode one that includes Happy Quinn (Jadyn Wong),
Sylvester Dodd (Ari Stidham) and Toby Curtis (Eddie Kaye Thomas), and he teams
up with a waitress named Paige (Katherine McPhee) and her autistic son in the
premiere. It turns out that Paige is exactly what this group of social misfits
needs: a translator. She’ll help them understand the real world; he’ll help her
understand her son.
I have fundamental issues with shows that use the mental
well-being of children as a plot device and “Scorpion” does so multiple times.
It’s also a show that seems to be playing games with the mental illness of its
lead. I’m sure we’ll learn more about Walter’s condition, but now it feels like
a cheap device.
Having said that, “Scorpion” definitely features the CBS
brand of production values. It’s a well-paced diversion after a long Monday
night. If you don’t think about its underlying exploitation of mental illness,
it’s easy enough to get lost in and forget about the troubles of the real
world. And given the lack of truly challenging, intelligent programming on the networks
this year, just a chance to escape may be all we should expect.
