5 Fall TV Stars Who Deserve Better
This fall’s crop of new TV shows has been, by and large, a crushing disappointment. And that means that some great actors are trapped on some less-than-great shows.
We don’t blame these actors for taking the gig — who’d turn down a network-series paycheck? — but we just wish Hollywood would find a better way to take advantage of their many talents. Here are five actors who deserve a better showcase than the new fall shows they currently find themselves on.
1. Morris Chestnut, Rosewood
Chestnut has been a charismatic, compelling screen presence since Boyz N the Hood; his easy, breezy charms almost make Fox’s new forensic drama worth watching. But the show surrounding him is so paint-by-numbers procedural — all dead bodies and faux-snappy banter — that we can’t even watch it for him. Maybe if Fox does proceed with its announced Luther remake, Chestnut could play the lead role; if anyone can fill Idris Elba’s shoes (and we’re not sure anyone can), Chestnut at least has a shot. For now, though, he’s stuck in Rosewood, which just got a full-season pickup.
2. Marcia Gay Harden, Code Black
Harden’s superior acting chops have given shows like Trophy Wife and The Newsroom a significant boost; she has an Oscar, for God’s sake! So it’s a shame that when we get an actress of her caliber to agree to star in a network series, we waste the opportunity on a lazy ER retread. Fine actors like Harden and Luis Guzman are the only thing keeping CBS’s new medical drama from collapsing under the weight of its own clichés; just imagine if they had a show worthy of them.
3. Niecy Nash, Scream Queens
Nash should really arrest herself for stealing every scene in Fox’s sorority-girl horror series as campus security guard Denise Hemphill. Her common-sense detective skills and killer one-liners — “Shondell, why you got a knife in your throat?” — make us wish this show was mostly about her, with those obnoxious Chanels way off in the distant background. Don’t you kill her off, Ryan Murphy! (Or maybe you should, so Nash can get the starring vehicle she so richly deserves.)
4. Dave Foley, Dr. Ken
It pains us to think that some TV viewers might not even know Foley from his days in the genius sketch group The Kids in the Hall, or NBC’s underappreciated ‘90s sitcom NewsRadio. Now he’s reduced to tossing out lame punchlines as the snarky boss on Ken Jeong’s new ABC comedy. The guy’s gotta work, obviously, but he’s also a living legend of comedy; we should do better by him than this and Hot in Cleveland.
5. Neil Patrick Harris, Best Time Ever
This is a tricky one, because it looks like NPH brought this on himself; he’s an executive producer of NBC’s live hidden-camera prank/game show, and has often talked about his deep desire to revive the TV variety series for a new generation. But that doesn’t make his flopsweat-laden antics on the largely uncomfortable BTE any more fun to watch. This is like his ill-conceived Oscars hosting gig, only every week. Let’s get NPH a great sitcom role, or a showbiz-themed talk show, or something, so we can get back to liking him again.
