Coming this Fall to CBS - young Sheldon

  From Chuck Lorre, Steven Molaro and Jim Parsons, this new comedy follows the life of a young Sheldon Cooper as he navigates childhood in a football-loving, churchgoing, small town Texas family. This Fall on CBS.



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New Fall TV - CBS's Bull is On Trial

BULL stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull in a drama inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high-tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick. 

Bull employs an enviable team of experts at Trial Analysis Corporation to shape successful narratives down to the very last detail. They include his quick-witted brother-in-law, Benny Colón, who plays a defense attorney in mock trials; Marissa Morgan, a cutting-edge neurolinguistics expert from the Department of Homeland Security; former NYPD detective Danny James, the firm's tough but relatable investigator; haughty millennial hacker Cable McCrory, who is responsible for gathering cyber intelligence; and Chunk Palmer, a fashion-conscious stylist and former All-American lineman who fine-tunes clients' appearances for trial. In high-stakes trials, Dr. Bull's combination of remarkable insight into human nature, three Ph.D.s and top-notch staff creates winning strategies that tip the scales of justice in his clients' favor.

Executive Producer - Steven Spielberg

Pilot Episode – The Necklace

Initial thought – House MD meets Scandal?

Michael Weatherly is charming, witty and even asks the client to call him boss, which made me think of Gibbs and NCIS. A talented actor in a two dimensional role.  The rest of the casting is well placed, Geneva Carr as Marissa Morgan is almost a translator for the audience. 

In the pilot episode, The Necklace, Bull takes on a murder case involving a privileged rich kid. The episode goes through the initial headlines of the crime and then gets down to the first meeting of Bull and the clients defense team. Bull and his team then go about explaining what they do at TAC (Trial Analysis Corporation ) and how they will get save the son’s future utilizing psychology to procure the perfect jury. 

TAC apparently has some serious alliances as they have a list of all potential jurors and do wide and deep analysis into those individuals lives. Have to admit, got a little scared knowing somewhere out in the real world this technology probably exists. 

From there, they create a mirror jury (people who literally mirror the real jury with 94% accuracy) they watch the testimony along with the jury and TAC analyzes the responses. Tracking the jury movement and how they are feeling every step of the way. This methodology is called trial science. 

So right off the bat, no question whether this kid is guilty or not, the parents spent the money so Bull is going to get the kid off. 

In this instance, the kid was innocent as reveled by Bull and his team. Bull’s team also identifies the real murderer, showing their arrest at the conclusion and everyone goes home happy. 

As a first episode it wasn’t bad, plot, characters, background all there. In the beginning of this article I asked the question if this is a House MD meets Scandal scenario? At this time I am going to say no. In Scandal you have a political cleaner who may not always be on the right side, but she wears a white hat and is looking for true justice (usually). In House MD we had a severely flawed character who despite his failings was utterly brilliant and worked to save lives, not for a price but for the challenge. 

If I am being honest I do not like the premise of Bull. I realize trial analysis is a real thing, but it completely mocks the US Justice system by illuminating how juries can be manipulated to sway a verdict. For instance, in one of the early scene’s Bull compares the statement, ‘innocent until proven guilty’ to the Big Mac song. Stating its old hat and not reality. Granted he is right, however I do not like the glorification of trial science within the show. The vibe I get is ‘look at how cool this is’ and it really isn’t. I might be a little harsh in my initial judgments but this is what my gut says. Bull, thus far, is in it for the money and the challenge and so I have no affection toward the character. 

In a time where people are protesting, enraged and even killing due to the alleged unfairness of the justice system, showing the court system can be rigged (albeit fictional) is a big leap.

Bull is part of the three episode test, and has two more episodes to hook me. Bull is on Tuesdays,  8 PM CST – Check your local listings

Love to hear what you think! Comment and let me know if you agree or disagree with my assessment.

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Fall Television is Here - Michael Weatherly Returns to TV in Bull!

Bull

A renowned psychologist heads a prolific trial consulting service in this drama series based on the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw.

Premieres Tuesday, September 20th on CBS - Check your local listings and look for the scoop on the new CBS drama and my review of the first episode on Wednesday, the 21st! 

Limitless on CBS Runs Steady and True

Limitless - CBS - A man named Brian Finch develops superhuman abilities after taking a mysterious drug called NZT in this adaptation of the 2011 film starring Bradley Cooper, who serves as executive producer of the series reprises his role as Eddie Mora in the pilot.

Let me state first, I have not seen the film so my opinion is based solely on the pilot of the show. That being said, I have a huge smile about this series, hooray for great writing, pacing, cinematography and acting. Starting off the series with a murder mystery, Brian Finch is a guy with lots of pies in the sky and dreams of rock n roll stardom. Now he 28 and realizing the pies are falling all around him and after a mystery illness strikes his father, Brian starts to review his life. Confessing his worries to an old band mate, his friend offers to give him a 'jump start'.

When the pill takes effect, a voice over dialog starts, describing what he is experiencing. This, is usually annoying to me, however someone watched Burn Notice and figured out the ins and outs of making the voice over effective.

Brian WOW's his temp job and then goes home to find the root of his father's mystery illness. Then he crashes as the drug wears off. Desperate to continue to help his father, Brian goes to the friend who gave him the pill and finds him dead. He also finds a pill, but is caught at the scene of the crime by the FBI. The chase begins to find the real murderer and more NZT.

I loved this show start to finish, and I am looking forward to the next episode. The only hesitation I have at this juncture is for Jennifer Carpenter, the annoying sister in the Series Dexter (at least that is how I remember her), and once again I am finding her annoying as the lead FBI agent handling Brain.. She is so stiff I am hoping she loosens a little into the character. This is going to be a fun show and the only thing holding it back, for me, is this actress.

Great job on the pilot, passing the baton and cleaning up the back story of the movie was seamless, also leaving it fairly open ended for additional mischief in the future. I like it!
Looking forward to the next episode! 

If you missed it the first time around, here is the link to CBS or look for it On Demand through your local cable provider.

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Fall Picks 2015 - Limitless on CBS

It is my favorite time of year, new TV! I do get excited, and sometimes scared about the new Fall television series. Television is such a versatile medium and every year there are marvels of greatness and oh-god-what-were-they-thinking? My DVR is already full of shows I LOVE to watch, how can I possible make room for more? Well I am hoping to at least off some guidance in the ‘what should I try’ category. 

Here is how it works, I have chosen shows I think are good bets, I put them to the three episode test and then decide whether to click ‘Series Record’ or Delete. There are A LOT of new shows his year so I am going to list them as they premiere. 

Limitless - Premieres Sept 22nd on CBS - A man named Brian Finch develops superhuman abilities after taking a mysterious drug called NZT in this adaptation of the 2011 film starring Bradley Cooper, who serves as executive producer of the series reprises his role as Eddie Mora in the pilot.

Believe it or not I have not seen the movie and yet I am still eager to see this series. Executive Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, has a healthy stream of film and television credits, and Jennifer Carpenter, the annoying sister in the Series Dexter (at least that is how I remember her).

produced by Bradley Cooper is an interesting twist, albeit risky, he can pull it off I think. Casting is solid with

The hero of the series, Brian Finch is played by a little known actor named Jake McDorman. He has been bouncing around television and movies for years. He played Biggles in American Sniper opposite Cooper (explains a possible connection).

This could definitely work with some good writing and a fast pace. The way the trailer is laying the plot out, I am thinking Chuck super-spy, meets Scorpion?

We shall have to wait and see. Check in on Friday to read my take on the pilot of Limitless.



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Limitless the TV Series on CBS

 A man gains the ability to use the full extent of his brain's capabilities. A television adaptation of the 2011 film, 'Limitless'.

Staring Jake McDorman, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Carpenter, & Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio


  Every person who comments gets a name in a hat, share this post with your friend and you get two! I will choose one person every Sunday to receive a $10 gift card to Amazon! Stay Tuned, keep reading and keep commenting!!