Standouts and duds
Fall TV season expected to offer variety of shows
Seventy years ago, when network TV began, there were two broadcasters and about a dozen regularly scheduled programs. The numbers of series, viewers and platforms have skyrocketed since then, but one thing remains the same: 80 per cent of all new shows get cancelled every year.
Still, a few always stand out and some even survive. Here’s a short cut to help navigate the fall TV clutter:
MOST ANTICIPATED
“Star Trek Discovery’’ (CTV, Space, Cravetv). It already seems as if this show has been on a five-year mission. Delays in waiting for lead actress Sonequa Martin-green (“The Walking Dead’’) to become available, as well as the departure of showrunner Bryan Fuller, sent rumours into warp drive. A recent visit to the Toronto set, however, found spectacular starships and a confident cast, led by Jason Isaacs (Lucius Malfoy in the “Harry Potter’’ movies) and Michelle Yeoh (“Marco Polo’’) as conflicting captains. They’re caught in the middle of a Klingon cold war set 10 years before the original “Star Trek.’’ Premieres Sept. 24 on CTV and Space.
BEST NEW NETWORK DRAMA
“Ten Days in the Valley’’ (ABC, CTV). This tense, intriguing thriller from Canadian-born “Rookie Blue’’ creator Tassie Cameron stars Kyra Sedgwick (“The Closer’’) as Jane Sadler, an overworked single mom and screenwriter who relies on cocaine to complete a late night script edit. She blacks out and recovers hours later, only to discover to her horror that her young daughter has been abducted. Felix Solis stands out as the cop who suspects Sadler’s not telling the whole story. Premieres Oct. 1.
BEST NEW (SORT OF) NETWORK COMEDY
“Will & Grace’’ (NBC, Global). Like it or not, ‘80s hits such as “Dynasty’’ and “Roseanne’’ are coming back. This “Will & Grace’’ reboot seems a better fit for the times. The four leads (Toronto-native Eric Mccormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes) shot a Youtube short a year ago that quickly went viral. Before you could say “Must See TV,’’ NBC ordered a season and have already asked for another. Mccormack insisted in June that the new show won’t be a halfhour of Trump bashing. Still, look for the cast to try to make network comedy, if not America, great again. Premieres Sept. 28.
HAS A PRAYER
“Kevin (Probably) Saves the World’’ (ABC, CTV). Part “Highway to Heaven,’’ part “Touched by an Angel.’’ It’s about a slacker who is singled out by an angel named Yvette (Kimberly Hebert Gregory) for a higher purpose. Likeable lead Jason Ritter makes this more heavenly than it sounds. Premieres Oct. 3.
COULD PULL THROUGH
“The Good Doctor’’ (ABC, CTV). Freddie Highmore (“Bates Motel’’) stars as a brilliant young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome. Think Sheldon Cooper with a scalpel. Good performances by Highmore and Richard Schiff (“The West Wing’’) and well produced by a guy who knows doctor shows: “House’’ creator and London, Ont., native David Shore. Still, where does this go after the pilot? Premieres Sept. 25.