Benjamonster's TV

MARVEL'S INHUMANS Starring: Anson Mount, Serinda Swan, Ken Leung, Eme Ikwuakor, Isabelle Cornish, Ellen Woglom, and Iwan Rheon Based on the Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby Created for Television by Scott Buck Written by Scott Buck, Directed by Roel Reine THE PREMISE Marvel's Inhumans is the newest Marvel show and based on the Inhuman Royal Family of Atillan. The Inhumans fear the real humans finding their hidden location and the first episode deals with a coup and the relocation of the Inhumans to Hawaii. Black Bolt (Anson Mount) is the King of Atillan and married to Medusa (Serinda Swan). Black Bolt's brother Maximus (Iwan Rheon) has lost his Inhuman gene and is the black sheep of the family. Rounding out the main cast are Black Bolt's cousin and adviser, Karnak (Ken Leung), another cousin and leader of the Royal Guard, Gorgon (Eme Ikwuakor), and Medusa's sister Crystal (Isabelle Cornish). THE REVIEW Although I'm aware of how ...

SEAL TEAM Starring: David Boreanaz, Max Thieriot, Jessica Pare, Neil Brown Jr., AJ Buckley, Toni Trucks Created by Benjamin Cavell Written by Benjamin Cavell, Directed by Christopher Chulack THE PREMISE SEAL Team is the second of three military dramas premiering this fall and this one brings David Boreanaz back to TV after his long run on Bones ended last fall. Boreanaz plays Jason Hayes, a Navy SEAL who takes on very dangerous missions at a moment's notice. He works with his main team including Ray and Sonny (Neil Brown Jr. and AJ Buckley) in the field as well as newcomer Clay Spenser (Max Thieriot). Rounding out the main cast is CIA analyst Mandy Ells (Jessica Pare) and Logistics Officer Lisa Davis (Toni Trucks). THE REVIEW The first thing I thought upon finishing the pilot episode of SEAL Team was "two military shows down, one to go." That's not a ringing endorsement of this show. I already mentioned that I am generally not interested in ...

LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS Starring: Edie Falco, Miles Gaston Villanueva, Gus Halper Created by Rene Balcer Written by Rene Balcer , Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter THE PREMISE Continuing America's obsession with true crime stories, the ultimate TV crime franchise has now expanded into the true crime realm with Law & Order 's take on the infamous 1989 Menendez Brothers murder. Erik and Lyle Menendez (Gus Halper and Miles Gaston Villanueva) were convicted of killing their parents in a wealthy Beverly Hills neighborhood in a crime that captured the nation's attention before OJ. They were represented by notorious defense attorney Leslie Abramson (Edie Falco). Many other TV veterans pop up in guest star or recurring roles including Anthony Edwards, Josh Charles, Sam Jaeger, and Heather Graham. THE REVIEW This is one of those shows that I have difficulty with because I like it but I really don't think it's that good. B...

THE BRAVE Starring: Anne Heche, Mike Vogel, Tate Ellington, Demetrius Grosse, Natacha Karam, Noah Mills, Sofia Pernas, Hadi Tabbal Created by Dean Georgaris Written by Dean Georgaris , Directed by Brad Anderson THE PREMISE The Brave is the first of three military dramas premiering this fall on the broadcast networks and it is centered on two groups charged with keeping the US safe: defense intelligence agencies in Washington DC and the special ops forces on the ground. From the Washington DC end of things, the person in charge is Deputy Director Patricia Campbell (Anne Heche), who just lost her son in the line of duty. On the special ops side, the leader is Ground Force Commander Adam Dalton (Mike Vogel). The teams of both Campbell and Dalton include cultural specialists, a combat medic, the sniper, and more as they race against the clock to find an American hostage during the pilot episode. THE REVIEW Unlike last year's trend in the fall (time travel shows)...

THE GOOD DOCTOR Starring: Freddie Highmore, Nicholas Gonzalez, Antonia Thomas, Chuku Modu, Beau Garrett, Irene Keng, with Hill Harper, and Richard Schiff Created by David Shore Based on the Korean Broadcast Television Series Teleplay by David Shore, Directed by Seth Gordon THE PREMISE From the creator of the long running House comes another medical drama. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore) is a resident pediatric surgeon at San Jose St. Bonaventure Hospital. He also happens to have autism and savant syndrome, which leads to resistance from other doctors. In the pilot, Dr. Murphy has to perform emergency medical services after an accident at the airport while the President of the hospital and mentor to Shaun, Aaron Glassman (Richard Schiff) tries to convince the skeptical board about him including the skeptical Dr. Anders (Hill Harper). Other main cast members include a doctor who immediately bonds with Shaun, Dr. Claire Browne (Antonia Thomas) and attending surgeon D...

ME, MYSELF, AND I Starring: Bobby Moynihan, Jack Dylan Grazer, Brian Unger, Jaleel White, Kelen Coleman, Christopher Paul Richards, Mandell Maughan, Skylar Gray, Reylynn Caster, with Sharon Lawrence, and John Larroquette Created by Dan Kopelman Written by Dan Kopelman, Directed by Randall Einhorn THE PREMISE A comedy with a bit of a This is Us premise, Me, Myself, & I is centered on the life of Alex Riley at three different stages: as a 14 year old (Jack Dylan Grazer) in 1991, as a 40 year old (Bobby Moynihan) in the present day, and as a 65 year old (John Larroquette) in 2042. With a huge cast for a sitcom thanks to the multiple time periods, there are many in Alex's life including his daughter, Abby (Skylar Gray as a kid, Kelen Coleman as an adult), and a childhood crush, Nori (Reylynn Caster), who he meets again as a senior citizen (Sharon Lawrence). Other cast members include business partner Darryl (Jaleel White) and step-brother Justin (Christopher Pau...

YOUNG SHELDON Starring: Iain Armitage, Zoe Perry, Lance Barber, Montana Jordan, Raegan Revord, and Jim Parsons Created by Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro Written by Chuck Lorre & Steven Molaro, Directed by Jon Favreau THE PREMISE A prequel to the hit CBS multi-camera sitcom The Big Bang Theory is a single camera family sitcom that feels much more like an ABC comedy. It is centered on a young Sheldon Cooper (Iain Armitage) growing up in Texas in the late 1980s. Genius Sheldon is a 9 year old attending high school and trying to cope with his family including his understanding mother, Mary (Zoe Perry), his distant father, George (Lance Barber), his street smart twin sister, Missy (Raegan Revord), and his jock brother, George Jr. (Montana Jordan). Grown up Sheldon (Jim Parsons) narrates the action. THE REVIEW I have never been a fan of The Big Bang Theory or Jim Parsons. I may still be harboring resentment towards Parsons for beating out the brilliant Steve...

Check below this post for my Sunday preview and my predictions for the fall season! It's premiere week and the premiere of a new weekly column I will do on the blog. Since I will no longer be doing daily rundowns, this column will look at the week ahead for each network as well as other TV news. It will appear every Sunday. Enjoy! ABC ABC is premiering three of their new shows this week but holding off their Tuesday lineup including  The Mayor  and  Kevin (Probably) Saves the World  until next week.  Scandal  is also held until next week due to a two hour premiere for  Grey's Anatomy . MONDAY 8:00 Dancing with the Stars 10:00 The Good Doctor (SERIES PREMIERE) TUESDAY 8:00 Celebrity Family Feud (Season Finale) 9:00 Dancing with the Stars WEDNESDAY 8:00 The Goldbergs (Season Premiere) 8:30 Speechless (Season Premiere) 9:00 Modern Family (Season Premiere) 9:30 American Housewife (Season Premiere) 10:00 Designated Survivor (Season Premie...

I hope you enjoyed this week's Fall Preview! Check back regularly this week for pilot reviews! Here are my predictions for this season. Last year, I was correct that Speechless, Designated Survivor, Kevin Can Wait, Bull, This is Us, and Lethal Weapon would survive. I mistakenly thought Conviction, The Great Indoors, and No Tomorrow would join the list. I correctly predicted the cancellations of Notorious, Pure Genius, Pitch, Son of Zorn, and Frequency  but I thought a lot more would get cancelled: American Housewife, Man with a Plan, MacGyver, Timeless, The Good Place, and The Exorcist . So here are my predictions this year! I'm not too high on this year's group of newbies so I think I might even be a little generous with these predictions. Shows I Think Will Make It to Season 2 The Good Doctor (ABC) The Mayor (ABC) SEAL Team (CBS) Young Sheldon (CBS) The Brave (NBC) Law & Order: True Crime (NBC) Will & Grace (NBC) - already renewed The Gifted (FOX) Dy...

Here's my Fall Preview for Sunday ABC 7:00 The Toy Box (2nd season) 8:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (28th season) 9:00 Shark Tank (9th season) 10:00 TEN DAYS IN THE VALLEY ABC has upended its Sunday lineup but it seems to be a placeholder lineup before the expected arrival of American Idol on this night in the spring (if they can nail down some judges!) So it is unscripted from 7-10pm with the low rated The Toy Box getting the 7pm slot, America's Funniest Home Videos leaving its long-time 7pm home and heading to 8pm, and Shark Tank moving after many years on Fridays. This lineup won't do well, but it will be less of an embarrassment than the way things have been going with lineups of dramas. At 10pm is the lone scripted entry, a limited series Ten Days in the Valley starring Kyra Sedgwick. Despite decent reviews, this is in a no-win slot and I expect the ratings to be quite low. CBS 7:00 60 Minutes (50th season) 8:00 WISDOM OF THE CROWD 9:00 NCIS: Los ...

Here is my Fall Preview for Fridays: a night with major changes on ABC but little or no changes on the rest of the networks. ABC 8:00 Once Upon a Time (7th season) 9:00 MARVEL'S THE INHUMANS 10:00 20/20 (41st season) ABC has abandoned its Friday night comedies and will go with a genre night instead, which I don't think is a good idea since the comedies and Shark Tank were reliable here. Now they are going with Once Upon a Time , which is undergoing a reboot and has languished on Sundays in recent years after once being a big hit. It is followed by the only new show on Friday night, Marvel's The Inhumans, which has gotten panned in reviews and clearly isn't a high priority for ABC given this timeslot. I think this lineup is destined to fail and ABC may regret cancelling the comedies. 10pm remains Friday night newsmagazine staple 20/20 , heading into its 41st season. CBS 8:00 MacGyver (2nd season) 9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (8th season) 10:00 Blue Bloods (8th season) ...

Here is my Fall Preview for Thursday: ABC 8:00 Grey's Anatomy (14th season) 9:00 Scandal (7th season) 10:00 How to Get Away with Murder (4th season) For one last time, the original TGIT crew is together on ABC. With Scandal ending and Shonda Rhimes signing a development deal with Netflix, it's coming up on the end of an era for ABC. Grey's Anatomy continues to be one of TV's strongest dramas heading into its 14th season. Scandal will follow for its final season, which is already being promoted a lot. This show was huge for awhile but as bright as it burned, it also burned quickly and I think this is a good move because they still might be able to get some mileage by advertising the end game for this show. How to Get Away with Murder continues at 10pm in the only slot it has ever known. CBS (Sep) 8:00 Thursday Night Football (Nov) 8:00 The Big Bang Theory (11th season) 8:30 YOUNG SHELDON 9:00 Mom (5th season) 9:30 Life in Pieces (3rd season) 10:00 S.W....

Here is my Fall Preview for Wednesday, a night with just two new shows but still a decent number of storylines across the networks. ABC 8:00 The Goldbergs (5th season) 8:30 Speechless (2nd season) 9:00 Modern Family (9th season) 9:30 American Housewife (2nd season) 10:00 Designated Survivor (2nd season) Wednesday night for ABC has just one change but it is not an insignificant change. While The Goldbergs, Speechless, Modern Family, and Designated Survivor all stay in the same spots, the 9:30pm slot will now be American Housewife , which is moving on up from the Tuesday night lineup. It seems as though ABC is trying to groom new shows to become anchors the way they did with Black-ish for three years before sending it to Tuesdays. I'm not convinced Speechless is strong enough to become an anchor and while American Housewife could be, I already talked about the potential perils of this new slot in my returning sophomores post on Sunday. This will be a very interesting show t...

Here is my Fall Preview for Tuesday, a night with the buzziest show on broadcast, several re-locations from Wednesdays and Thursdays, and three new series. ABC 8:00 The Middle (9th season) 8:30 Fresh Off the Boat (4th season) 9:00 Black-ish (4th season) 9:30 THE MAYOR 10:00 KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD ABC is revamping its Tuesday comedy block but The Middle will start it off again for what has been announced as the final season for the long running family sitcom. This has had a loyal audience that will see it through but I don't think it will see a pop in the ratings for its farewell tour. It is followed by Fresh Off the Boat , sliding up half an hour after and up and down run at 9pm last season. At 9pm, ABC is moving Black-ish over from Wednesdays after it aired following Modern Family for the past three seasons. The Emmy nominated comedy will no longer have to air against Empire but now it has to air against This is Us and anchor an hour. At 9:30pm is The Mayor , w...

Here is my Fall Preview for Monday, a night with the most new shows of any night of the week! ABC 8:00 Dancing with the Stars (25th edition) 10:00 THE GOOD DOCTOR ABC finally broke up its Dancing with the Stars/Castle pairing last season by cancelling Castle , but they didn't find the right replacement as Conviction was an instant bomb and Quantico was past the point of no return in its second season. They will try again with The Good Doctor , starring Freddie Highmore fresh off of his run on Bates Motel . The show has gotten some decent buzz over the summer, which very few new shows this season can say. I have to think it will be an improvement on Conviction and Quantico . Earlier in the night, Dancing with the Stars begins its 25th edition with a solid cast. As usual, The Bachelor will take over in the winter. CBS 8:00 (Sep) The Big Bang Theory (11th season)/(late Oct) Kevin Can Wait (2nd season) 8:30 9JKL 9:00 (Sep) Kevin Can Wait (2nd season)/(late Oct) ME, MYSELF, ...