Ride the wave of fall television
Television has been a four-season affair for a while now, but there’s nothing like the wave of new fall TV. And here it comes. I’ve winnowed it down to one new-show recommendation a day. Let’s go.
MONDAY, SEPT. 19 The Good Place (7:30-8:30 p.m. Global; 10-11 p.m. NBC)
Sprung from the cancelled House of Lies (sob!), Kristen Bell plays a woman in The Good Place who has newly and mistakenly arrived in heaven, but she’s determined to get with the program. Ted Danson is the clueless gatekeeper. The producer is Michael Schur (Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Parks and Recreation and Master of None). Could be fun.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 20 Bull (9-10 p.m., CBS)
NCIS’s Michael Weatherly gets centre stage, playing Jason Bull, a psychologist who hires himself out as a courtroom consultant. A jury whisperer, if you will. I’m going to give this a chance because my mom loved NCIS, but the buzz is bad.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 21 Designated Survivor (10 p.m., CTV, ABC)
Kiefer Sutherland stars as a happy-go-lucky dad in this delightful new … Ah just kidding. Of course the world is on fire and only Jack, I mean this shaky-looking Tom, a reluctant new president, can save America and his own very attractive family. If that’s not enough, Kal Penn (House) is his principal antagonist, Maggie Q is on security detail and Natascha McElhone (Californication) is his wife.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 22 Pitch (9 p.m., Global Fox)
Kylie Bunbury (Under the Dome) plays the first female pitcher called up to play in Major League Baseball. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (NYPD Blue) is her new catcher. Also her love interest. Please, new TV show, rise above that predictable last line. I feel a big cry coming on and I don’t want to waste it on a romance that some network exec foisted on an already compelling drama.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 23 MacGyver (8 p.m., Global, CBS)
“It’s like my dad used to say: Everything I need is right in front of me.” The classic ’80s action franchise gets a reboot. Lucas Till (X-Men) plays Angus MacGyver, a government agent who winks and nods to the “bubble gum and a Q -tip” ingenuity of Richard Dean Anderson’s 1985-92 original. CSI’s George Eads is his right-hand man.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 24 Transparent (shomi.com)
Whoa. Is this the end of Mopa? Calm down. Not the end of the transgender character, Maura (Jeffrey Tambor), but rather the transitional name her children chose for her. As Maura readies for surgeries, change is swirling for all the Pfeffermans, including the other mom (Judith Light). I’m so glad this is back. Season 3 arrives in the usual fell swoop. Tweet at me. We can binge together Saturday.
SUNDAY, SEPT. 25 Son of Zorn (8:30 p.m., City, Fox )
Basic story: After a 10-year absence, a deadbeat dad (Jason Sudeikis) tries to reconnect with his son to the chagrin of his ex-wife and her fiancé (Cheryl Hines, Tim Meadows). I should probably say that the dad is called Zorn, he wears only a loincloth and, oh yeah, he’s the lone animated character in this otherwise liveaction sitcom. While you wait for Sunday’s Episode 2, you can watch Episode 1 by clicking over to citytv. com/montreal and searching for Son of Zorn. Or, like, tap on the City app on your phone, tablet or laptop.
That’s it for me this week. Got a question? Spot an error? Find me, tell me. And remember, we do our best but times and dates are subject to change.