Summer is sagging, the pandemic is persisting and we need a fresh diversion.
We need the new TV season – new shows, new …. Well, maybe we can settle for “new-ish.”
The season officially starts Monday (Sept. 20), when all of the reruns and most of the summer reality shows vanish. But with some splendid exceptions — including “Ghosts,” shown here — this won’t seem terribly new. Read more…
It’s a small, sturdy crop – this year’s group of new shows on the broadcast networks.
There are only 11 scripted ones at the start of the season, about half the usual total. Many are spin-offs or reboots; most have sent only a rough pilot film, not ready for review. Still, a few shows already stand out. We’ll list them first, then the rest; afterward, there’s a list of broadcast’s new, non-fiction shows; each list is chronological:
The best
– “The Big Leap,” 9 p.m., Mondays, Fox (starting Sept. 20). The fictional notion makes little sense: A national dance show focuses only on contestants from Detroit … concluding with “Swan Lake.” (A reality show, setting up a ballet?!?) Once you get past that, you’ll find deep characters. Scott Foley (shown here) plays the cynical producer; Teri Polo plays someone in mid-life crisis. Other roles go to relative newcomers (led by Simone Recasner as a young single mom); you’ll quickly root for them. Read more…
1) “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” finale, 8-9 p.m., NBC. “Nine-Nine” (shown here in a previous episode) started hot in 2014 – Golden Globes for best comedy and comedy actor (Andy Samberg), Television Critics Association nominations for best comedy and new show. Then things got bumpy: Fox cancelled the show after five seasons; NBC aired two more full seasons and this 10-episode summer one. After tonight, NBC heads into a fall line-up that will mostly be laugh-free in prime time. Read more…
Here’s what we all need (maybe) … a new way to spend money via our TV sets.
On Oct. 14, cable’s USA Network will debut “America’s Big Deal,” produced by Joy Mangano (shown here), It’s a little bit like “Shark Tank,” except that the businesses will be trying to sell the products instantly to viewers. Read more…
1) “MasterChef” finale, 8-10 p.m., Fox. This amiable show is strictly for home chefs. This year’s 15 contestants ranged from a student, 22, to a hospice nursing assistant, 59; they included a construction worker, an animal trainer and a lifestyle coach. Now we have the final three – Autumn Moretti (shown here), 27, a bartender; Suu Khin, 30, a food-blogger; and Kelsey Murphy, 32, a physical therapist. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent,” 8-10 p.m., NBC. The ratings-leader is ready to pick a champion. Tonight, the 10 finalists perform and viewers vote; Wednesday’s finale (9-11 p.m.) will name the winner. Singers won in five of the first six years, then went two for nine. This year’s final-10 has three singers and a nurses’ chorus (shown here), plus two comedians, two magicians, an acrobat and a taekwondo team. They range from singer Victory Brinker, 9, to Josh Blue, 42, and already a “Last Comic Standing” winner. Read more…
1) “Hell’s Kitchen” (Fox) and “American Ninja Warrior” (NBC) finales, 8-10 p.m. Next Monday, the new season officially starts. First, there’s a flurry of finales – these two, plus “Lego Masters” Tuesday and “MasterChef” and “America’s Got Talent” Wednesday. This edition of “Hell’s Kitchen” is confined to young pro chefs, 24 and under; tonight, that’s trimmed to two, who each lead the preparation of a five-course dinner. Also, “Ninja” (shown here in a previous episode) wraps its three-parter, as people face the final obstacle course. Read more…
1) “American Rust” debut, 10 p.m,, Showtime. As a soldier and as a Pittsburgh cop, Del (Jeff Daniels, shown here) was battered emotionally. He retreated to become police chief of a small town in rural Pennsylvania; there, it turns out, the problems are more personal and more painful: His sometimes-lover (Maura Tierney) faces foreclosure; her son becomes a murder suspect. Based on a much-praised novel, “Rust” is written and played with the sort of understated power that Daniels masters. Read more…
This is the list of 9/11-related TV specials, now updated to focus strictly on Sept. 10-12. First, however, one other note:
Of all the 20th-anniversary shows – and there are some great ones – “Come From Away” (shown here) may be the very best. It’s funny, warm and, occasionally, tragic; it’s also deeply human. Read more…
1) “America’s Got Talent” finale, 8-10 p.m. Tuesday and 9-11 p.m. Wednesday, NBC. Singers use to dominate this ratings-leader, winning the championship in five of the first six years. Since then, however, they’ve only won two of nine. This year’s final-10 has three singers and a nurses’ chorus, plus two comedians, two magicians, an acrobat and a taekwondo team. The youngest is Victory Brinker (shown here), 9, a singer; the oldest is comedian Josh Blue, 42, who has already won a “Last Comic Standing” title. Read more…
