New Fall TV - NBC's This is Us Starts off Strong

This is Us is a group of people born on the same day, Rebecca, played by Mandy Moore and Jack, played by Milo Ventimiglia, are a married couple expecting triplets in Pittsburgh. Kevin, played by Justin Hartley, is a handsome television actor growing bored of his fly bachelor lifestyle, Kate, played by Chrissy Metz is a woman struggling with her life, and her weight, and Randall, played by 2016 Emmy Winner Sterling K Brown, is a successful business man looking to prove himself better than the father who abandoned him.

Writer / Producer - Dan Fogelman

First off This is Us is listed as a comedy. So NOT a comedy most definitely a drama with a small side of humor.  I was on the fence about this series, I am not a huge fan of NBC drama, also not a fan of Milo Ventimiglia. All of that being said I gave it a shot.

The pilot was interesting, a few more laughs than expected and some great writing. Without giving too much away the show is not what you think it is and I can say that with confidence to anyone reading this because there really isn’t anything like it out there.

This is Us has potential, it has the makings of a groundbreaking series if they stay the course. The ‘they’ I am referring to are the producers and NBC executives. There is a sliver of raw truth, a glimmer of true honesty rarely seen on network television being developed within this show and it will either spark greatness or be drowned by mediocrity.  

There are a few choice scenes in the This is Us Pilot that stood out for me, Kevin’s breakdown on the set of ‘The Manny’.  Kate’s episode in the bathroom and then at the garbage can, the dialog between Randall and his long lost father, and the story told by the OBGYN. All of these were very ‘real’ moments captured on the page and enacted on screen. If the level of writing and acting continues through the season you are looking at a potential Emmy favorite.

Writer / Producer Dan Fogelman is working double duty this year with the release of Pitch on FOX and This is Us for NBC. Fogelman’s background is rooted in a mix of television and film producing and writing films such as Tangled and Danny Collins. Before this year he received writing credits for The Neighbors, Galavant, and Grandfathered.

If you look at the producers of the show you have a few hits and a few misses so the curve could go either way, the most promising note is two producers; Dieter Ismagil and Steve Beers who both have solid production and producing backgrounds in television. Unfortunately, while I have enjoyed several of their credits, like Bones, Dead like Me, Revolution, and ER they are also associated with recent failures like Minority Report and Constantine.

The fate of the show could go either way there is no way to tell after only one episode, thus the three episode test.  Now we wait and see if This is Us will be become DVR staple or a ‘could have been great’.

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Fall Television is Here - The Exorcist

The Exorcist

Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera, “Sense8,” “The Chosen”) is the new face of the Catholic Church: progressive, ambitious and compassionate. He runs a small, but loyal, parish in the suburbs of Chicago. He has no idea that his quiet life is about to change forever. Deep in the slums of Mexico City, another priest has found himself locked in a life-and-death struggle with evil. Father Marcus Keane (Ben Daniels, “Flesh and Bone,” “House of Cards”) is a modern-day Templar Knight, an orphan raised since childhood by the Vatican to wage war against its enemies. Father Marcus is everything Father Tomas is not: relentless, abrasive and utterly consumed by his mission – and he constantly butts heads with his adversary within the church, Father Bennet (Kurt Egyiawan, “Beasts of No Nation”).

Premieres Friday, September 23rd on FOX - Check your local listings. Look for the scoop on the new FOX drama and my review of the first episode on Saturday, the 24th!

 

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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