Criminal justice reform from the inside on new drama ‘For Life’
Hulu drops two new shows, Fox adds an animated series, Starz’s most romantic couple returns and an ABC drama tackles criminal justice.
Contenders: Shows to keep on your radar
• A prisoner becomes a lawyer in the new drama series “For Life” (Tuesdays, ABC, 10 p.m. ET). Nicholas Pinnock plays Aaron Wallace, a wrongfully convicted inmate who earns his law degree while serving a life sentence. The new-client-per-week formula is predictable, but Pinnock gives a solid performance.
• Zoe Kravitz stars in “High Fidelity” on Hulu (Feb. 14). In the TV version of the film, Kravitz plays Rob, a record store owner trying to come to terms with a breakup. Rob narrates her story to camera, and Kravitz plays her with authenticity and charm.
• Also on Hulu Feb. 14 is “Utopia Falls.” In the future society of New Babyl, young people form dance teams and compete, but when one team stumbles across a mysterious archive of hip-hop music and dance and starts adding it to their performances, society begins to break down. Impressive choreography in a strange show.
• Fox is adding to its animation slate with new family comedy “Duncanville” (Feb. 16, 8:30 p.m. ET). The series, from Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”) and Mike and Julie Scully (“The Simpsons”), follows the life of a 15-year-old boy named Duncan as he navigates adolescence. Featured voices include Poehler, Ty Burrell, Rashida Jones and Wiz Khalifa.
• The season five premiere of “Outlander” (Feb. 16, Starz, 8 p.m. ET) finds Jamie (Sam Heughan) and Claire Fraser (Caitriona Balfe) fighting to protect all that they have built in America.
• To prove the Bible is scientifically and historically accurate, the Creation Museum in rural Kentucky built a $120 million Ark. Documentary “We Believe in Dinosaurs” (Feb. 17, PBS “Independent Lens,” 10 p.m. ET) takes a closer look at the facility through several different points of view including those who work behind the scenes, an atheist activist and residents who support the Ark’s potential to boost the local economy. The film is an interesting examination of the relationship between science and religion.
Report Card: Ratings winners and losers
• Winner: The season seven premiere of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” was watched by 2.7 million viewers, about 500,000 total viewers more than last season’s average.
• Loser: New NBC comedy “Indebted” didn’t make much of an impact with a 0.4 rating.
Melissa Crawley is the author of “Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television’s ‘The West Wing.’” She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@ outlook.com or follow her on Twitter at @mcstaytuned.