FALL LINEUPS
TV gambles on reboots, revivals and spinoffs for fall season
Does familiarity breed contempt … or comfort?
We’re about to find out as television uncorks a new fall season that, in many ways, doesn’t feel all that new.
The programming lineups — especially on the broadcast side of things — are riddled with reboots and revivals and other nostalgic blasts from the past. Clearly, risk-averse programmers hope that during these unpredictable times, we’ll want to cozy up to proven formulas and recognizable titles.
On the other hand, a stunningly original concept would be nice, every now and then.
Here’s a rundown of the season’s biggest trends: Return engagements Reunited, and it feels so … good?
NBC is betting that you’re ready to fall in love all over again with the Fab Four from “Will & Grace.” Eleven years after they bid farewell in 2006, stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally are back to serve up their brand of snappy repartee. How confident is NBC that they’ll again strike comedic gold? A second season has already been ordered.
Meanwhile, ABC is not only reviving “American Idol,” but the 1990s sitcom “Roseanne,” the latter with its entire main cast in tact. Both shows are scheduled to debut next year.
Then there are the more traditional reboots, updated with new stars and contemporary story lines. On CBS, “Criminal Minds” alum Shemar Moore bashes in doors on a new version of “S.W.A.T.” And on The CW, the classic soap “Dynasty” is getting a sudsy makeover with a more diverse cast (Cristal is played by Latina actress Nathalie Kelley). Spin-offs and prequels Reboots, of course, aren’t the only way to tap into established successes.
CBS, for example, has high hopes for “Young Sheldon,” a comedy that rewinds back to 1989 to show how it all began for oddball genius Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons) of “The Big Bang Theory.” Cutie-pie Iain Armitage (“Big Little Lies”) plays the 9-year-old Sheldon.
CBS’s digital All Access subscription streaming site is also jumping on the prequel bandwagon with “Star Trek: Discovery,” a series that begins 10 years before the original 1966 “Star Trek” saga. But will it be worthy of a Vulcan salute?
In November, Netflix will present “She’s Gotta Have It,” a series adaptation of Spike Lee’s 1986 debut film about a Brooklyn woman juggling three suitors.
Also in the works — but not scheduled yet — are spin-offs of two ABC shows, “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Black-ish.” Support our troops The camouflage look is in this season. Whether it’s mere coincidence, or an overt attempt by programmers to reach underserved blue-collar viewers, three networks are showcasing patriotic dramas pegged to military heroes.
“Valor” on The CW tells the story of an elite unit of helicopter pilots and the fallout from a failed mission. “Seal Team” (CBS), starring David Boreanaz (“Bones”), follows a group of Navy SEALs as they juggle risky missions with their personal lives. And “The Brave” (NBC),
featuring Mike Vogel and Anne Heche, is pegged to a Special Ops squad of highly trained undercover soldiers.
On cable, the National Geographic Channel has “The Long Road Home,” a true-life drama series about an American platoon that was ambushed near Baghdad in a 2004 attack that came to be known as “Black Sunday.” Super powerful If you prefer your heroes to be fantastical and larger-than-life, TV is there for you.
Take ABC’s “Inhumans.” Inspired by a comic book franchise, it’s pegged to a race of hybrid alien-human super beings with awesome powers. Black Bolt (Anson Mount), for one, has a voice so forceful that the slightest whisper can destroy a city. And Medusa (Serinda Swan) can do amazing things with her hair.
And then there’s “The Gifted” (Fox). Set in the “XMen”
universe, it follows ordinary parents (Stephen Moyer and Amy Acker) who are forced to take their family on the run when they discover their kids have mutant abilities. Just don’t tell the Fox suits that it feels a lot like “Heroes.”
These shows, along with Hulu’s upcoming “Runaways,” all have ties to Marvel, which clearly is intent on world domination. Crime keeps on paying Apparently, there’s no end in sight for TV’s reallife crime obsession.
After FX generated substantial buzz last year with “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” NBC is getting in on the action with its own anthology series tied to a past court case — “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders,” about the Southern California brothers who killed their wealthy parents.
Meanwhile, true-crime stories will continue popping up all over TV in a variety of forms. Lifetime, for example, will do both a documentary and a movie tied to the 2002 abduction of Elizabeth Smart.
The genre has become so pervasive that it’s even fostering satire. Later this month, Netflix debuts “American Vandals,” a series that lampoons the truecrime resurgence it helped to fuel.