As we head into the fall TV season, Instep lists down five must-see shows that will not only rescue from certain boredom but will entertain and provoke you as well.
It’s that time of the year when new TV shows take over our schedule while old favourites either call it a day or slip into oblivion. Every fall schedule brings with it a plethora of new shows, most of whom do not survive past the pilot episode. But there are always candidates who emerge victorious either because the idea backing them is strong and resonates with people or the acting on display is so very sharp that it is hard to look away.
What’s interesting this year is that apart from brand new shows, there are some remakes as well which just adds more diversity to the world of TV. So here then is a look at five shows that are promising and merit a place in your list of must-see TV…
Bull
*ing: Michael Weatherly, Freddy Rodríguez, Geneva Carr
For 13 years, Michael Weatherly entertained a global audience as Tony DiNozzo on the hit TV show, NCIS. Since departing from the famous procedural, he has returned to the competitive world of TV with a new and impressive series called Bull.
Drawing inspiration from “the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time”, the show features Weatherly playing the titular role of Dr. Jason Bull, a divorced psychiatrist, who is an expert jury consultant. If you’ve seen the short-lived but brilliant Tim Roth series, Lie to Me, you will find some similarities between the two, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
In the show, Bull expertly reads jury members and based on their brief movements, he deduces the effect it will have on his client in the court of law. Though the pilot is interesting, it’s the second episode called ‘The Woman in 8D’ which is about a female commercial pilot whose plane crashes and leaves a death toll of 62 people, that will appeal to one and all. How Bull rescues her is worth watching and makes the case for this particular series.
Conviction
*ing: Emily Kinney, Hayley Atwell, Eddie Cahill
Formerly known as Agent Carter, the one true love of Captain America, whose own titular series didn’t survive the axe, Hayley Atwell is back with a spanking new TV show that is miles away from its predecessor.
Starring as a former First Daughter – daughter of a former President of the United States for the uninitiated – with a colorful past, Atwell plays Hayes Morrison, a capable attorney who is asked to head a ‘Conviction Integrity Unit’ that re-examines old cases that can lead to the vacating of a court sentence for those who have been wrongly convicted.
The show is more on the lines of Cold Case than any other procedural where one piece of evidence changed the game. Although the pilot episode could’ve been better, the show, made special by its lead star Atwell, has potential to do well.
Lethal Weapon
*ing: Damon Wayans, Clayne Crawford, Jordana Brewster
Once upon a time there were two detectives called Roger Murtaugh & Martin Riggs. In the ‘80s and the ‘90s, they wreaked havoc on the streets of Los Angeles and despite their antics that resulted in bomb blasts, car explosions and all forms of mayhem, they always got the job done.
In this reincarnation of the film franchise from the past, Damon Wayans plays the character that was made eternal by Danny Glover whereas Mel Gibson’s character is brought to life by Clayne Crawford. Here, Murtaugh & Riggs might look different (still black & white) but they are as crazy as their other movie selves and take us along for the ride.
Timeless
*ing: Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter
If you’ve ever wondered just how life would be if you could go back in time and stop disasters from happening or if you’re someone who enjoys history, then Timeless is the show for you.
Starring Abigail Spencer as a history professor called Lucy Preston and Matt Lanter as a soldier, the series sees its protagonists going back into time to stop a master criminal called Garcia Flynn (Goran Višnjic) from changing history. Though time travel has been explored in other shows (like Doctor Who) before, this one stands out because it aims to explore ideas confronting humanity including the power of the past and how it can affect the future of the world as we know it.
MacGyver
*ing: Lucas Till, George Eads, Sandrine Holt
‘You hack computers … well, I hack everything else.’
That’s MacGyver for you in the form of Lucas Till, who manages to make you believe that had MacGyver been made in 2016 rather than in the ‘80s, he might have looked like him.
The series, dubbed as an “action-adventure” drama is about Angus ‘Mac’ MacGyver, a 20-something super genius who works for the Phoenix Foundation. Saving the day with everyday items, he uses extensive scientific knowledge and employs great problem solving skills. If you want to restrict Mac, lock him in a place where there are no paper clips, no chewing gum, no electrical wires and most importantly, where he isn’t allowed to carry his trademark Swiss Knife. Though comparisons to the original series are inevitable, this show has a certain charm to it.
—Omair Alavi is a freelance broadcast journalist and can be contacted at omair78gmail.com