It's ABC's turn to mix things up, and they have a slew of newcomers. They also have some interesting slots in the schedule, such as new show Better Together sandwiched between The Middle and Modern Family. Detroit 1-8-7 is apparently hoping it can find some "following Dancing with the Stars" popularity like Castle. The problem there is that Castle is also brilliant, not just the thing people watch because they refuse to turn the dial.
At any rate, there are a lot of show, so let's take a look at the schedule first, then jump into the new shows with some images and clips.
MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10:00 p.m. “Castle”
TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “No Ordinary Family”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “Detroit 1-8-7”
WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “The Middle”
8:30 p.m. “Better Together”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “Cougar Town”
10:00 p.m. “The Whole Truth”
THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. “My Generation”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Secret Millionaire”
9:00 p.m. “Body of Proof”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”
SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”
SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”
Body of Proof
Dr. Megan Hunt (Dana Delany) was in a class of her own, a brilliant neurosurgeon at the top of her game. But her world is turned upside down when a devastating car accident puts an end to her time in the operating room. Megan resumes her career as a medical examiner, determined to solve the puzzle of who or what killed the victims. Her instincts are sharp, but she’s developed a reputation for graying the lines of where her job ends and where the police department’s begins. It turns out her career isn’t the only thing that will need to be rebuilt; Megan’s family has taken a backseat to her ambition, and now she’s discovering there’s a lot of work to do when it comes to dissecting her relationships with the living.
In terms of whether or not this show will get ratings, I'm not the guy to make a guess. Apparently after a certain market I often associate more with CBS, I'm sure there is a theory of watching this show out there. Admittedly based on very little information, this show looks like eight different kinds of boring piled on each other.
It's best hope may be its cast (if the writing is incredible), but this is an uphill battle.
(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN)
(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN)
Detroit 1-8-7
What does it take to be a detective on America’s most dangerous streets? Get ready to be part of the action when a documentary crew rolls with some of Detroit’s finest, offering an insider’s glimpse behind the curtain of a Homicide Unit. The cameras unearth the crisis and revelation, heartbreak and heroism of these inner city cops -- moments of raw exposure when they address us directly, as well as private moments when they forget they’re being filmed.
There’s the damaged but driven Detective Louis Fitch, a wily homicide vet who is the most respected -- and most misunderstood -- man in the division; Detective Damon Washington, Fitch’s new partner, who finds the first day on the job is a trial by fire, complicated by the imminent birth of his first child; Detective Ariana Sanchez, sexy, edgy and beautiful, who has emerged from a rough background to become a rising star in the department; Narcotics undercover cop John Stone, a streetwise smooth talker, clever and quick with a smile made for the movies, who is teamed with Sanchez -- a combustible pairing rife with conflict and sexual tension; Sergeant Jesse Longford, a 30-year veteran struggling with his impending retirement from the force and the city he loves, who, together with his partner, Detective Aman Mahajan -- a fully Americanized son of Indian immigrants -- form an amusing mismatch of experience and enthusiasm, intellect and instinct, old school and new world, but whose combined skills have never encountered a case that couldn’t be cleared; and all are headed by Lieutenant Maureen Mason, a strong-willed single mom struggling to balance home and work.
The men and women of Detroit Homicide are as smart and tough as they come. They have to be, working the neighborhoods of the once and future Motor City, a rebounding bastion of middle America still saddled with the highest murder rate in the country.
This one is a tough call as well, and the key to success may be how well the gimmick of the documentary plays out, and it's probably going to have to convince fast. I have a feeling this one will come at you with a thick and syrupy establishing effort (not necessarily a bad thing), and if it can get past that and start running headlong into some interesting stories, it might have a chance.
(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN)
(ABC/CRAIG SJODIN)
My Generation
What a difference ten years can make. In 2000, a documentary crew follows a disparate group of high schoolers from Greenbelt High School in Austin, TX as they prepare for graduation, then revisits these former classmates ten years later as they return home to rediscover that just because they’re not where they planned doesn’t mean they’re not right where they need to be.
These students couldn't wait to graduate and head out into the real world. But the world they were entering got very real very fast. As these classmates return home to revisit their old hopes for their future, they'll discover that, even if you don't get exactly what you thought you wanted out of life, it’s not too late to get what you need.
“My Generation” stars Michael Stahl David as Steven, Kelli Garner as Dawn, Jaime King as Jacqueline, Keir O’Donnell as Kenneth, Sebastian Sozzi as Falcon, Mechad Brooks as Rolly, Anne Son as Caroline, Daniella Alonso as Brenda and Julian Morris as Anders.
This one really defies prediction at this point. Apparently sold on the pseudo-documentary stylings of Modern Family, here comes another new show to feature the doc angle. In this case, it's very hard to get a feel for how the show is going to play out though, and there isn't much to get hold of yet. Without a pilot, this show could be just about anything under the sun.
No Ordinary Family
The Powells are about to go from ordinary to extraordinary. After 16 years of marriage, Jim and Stephanie’s relationship lacks the spark it once had, and their family life now consists of balancing work and their two children, leaving little time for family bonding. During a family vacation set up by Jim in an attempt to reconnect, their plane crashes into the Amazon River. But this is where the fun starts for the Powells, as they soon discover that something’s not quite right. Each of them now possesses unique and distinct superpowers. But saving and savoring their family life will be equally important, as they try to find purpose for their new powers and embark on a journey to find out what defines and unifies them. The Powells are a totally relatable family who happen to be a little bit amazing.
Michael Chiklis (“The Shield”) stars as Jim Powell, Julie Benz (“Dexter”) as Stephanie Powell, Romany Malco (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin”) as George St. Cloud, Tate Donovan (“Damages”) as Mitch McCutcheon, Autumn Reeser as Katie Andrews, Christina Chang as Yvonne Cho, Kay Panabaker as Daphne Powell and Jimmy Bennett as JJ Powell.
--
Already with a good deal of hype behind it, this one may hit big. It's the sort of show that seems like it had better though, because I don't think there's a middle ground available to it. It either hits or misses, and whichever it does, it's going to be in a big way. I'm pretty nervous, but there is too little information. A nice list of superpowers might provide a lot of insight.
Continue on to the next page for the rest of ABC's massive new list. At the end there will be more images form the shows.
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About Marc Eastman
Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.
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