Now, Later, or Never: Rating the Rest of the New Shows, From ‘Conviction’ to ‘Timeless’

You’ve already seen a handful of the new fall TV shows, but what’s left? And, more importantly, should you bother? Well, we’ve put in the hours of watching them on your behalf and came up with a quick and easy ranking system.

Related: Now, Later, or Never: Rating the Week in Premieres, From ‘This Is Us’ to ‘Lethal Weapon’

Now: These are the best, buzziest shows that you should season pass and watch the night-of.
Later: We recommend watching these… eventually. After you’ve watched all the “Now” shows.
Never: Sorry, but not all shows are must-see!

Here, we break down the first week of new fall shows with premiere info and our brutally honest snap judgments. And we don’t always all agree, but with several takes — from Yahoo TV’s Kristen Baldwin, Ken Tucker, Mandi Bierly, Chrissy Le Nguyen, and Ethan Alter — hopefully it’ll make deciding what to watch that much easier.

Conviction
Premieres Monday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. on ABC

Baldwin: Never
Look, Haley Atwell is a fine actress and she seems like an all-around lovely human being, but I just don’t buy her as a former First Daughter “wild child.” Nor do I buy the premise that the D.A.’s office would blackmail her into leading something called the Conviction Integrity Unit. Actually, to be more specific, I simply don’t care enough to buy either idea.

Tucker: Never
Another faux-Shonda Rhimes tale, this one starring Agent Peggy Carter — I mean, Hayley Atwell — as a bratty soul heading up the Conviction Integrity Unit, which wants to bring justice to… oh, never mind. Avoid it.

Bierly: Now
Admittedly it’s because I’m a Hayley Atwell fan and it’s nice to have her back on my TV as a sexy, smart, unpredictable lawyer who has both great, dangerous chemistry with a man (Eddie Cahill’s New York District Attorney) and a powerful politician mother (Bess Armstrong) who you just know can send chills down your spine when needed.

Nguyen: Later
As a fan of Haley Atwell, I wanted to enjoy this pilot more than I actually did. With a flawed heroine and band of unlikely Gladiators, it tried too hard to be Scandal. But I didn’t dislike it enough to not check out another episode.

Alter: Later
If Hayley Atwell can’t protect and serve as Agent Carter anymore, it’s nice to see her continue to fight for justice from behind a desk. Unfortunately, the first case her legal team solves is such a blatant remake of Serial, Sarah Koenig should have gotten a co-writing credit. Here’s hoping they’ll come up with more original crimes for her to re-investigate going forward.

Timeless
Premieres Monday, Oct. 3 at 10 p.m. on NBC

Baldwin: Never
Boy do I like Rectify, which co-starred Timeless‘ Abigail Spencer. Of course, I loved ER, too, which starred Timeless‘ Goran Visnjic. Heck, I even liked 90210 (the reboot), which starred Timeless‘ Matt Lanter. But as it turns out, I have zero interest watching these actors (or any others, honestly) travel through time solving crimes. If that’s what they’re doing — even after watching the pilot, I’m not sure.

Tucker: Now
You gotta watch to form an opinion: Will this be your next time-traveling, mythology-building obsession, or your next gives-me-a-headache turn-off? Rectify’s Abigail Spencer co-stars, reason enough to watch the pilot, at the least.

Related: Fall TV Preview: The Scoop on 35 New Shows

Bierly: Later
Some people will be confused by the twist at the end of the pilot, but if you’re willing to accept that you’re supposed to be as confused as Abigail Spencer’s history professor Lucy is about why things in her present have changed from her initial trip into the past, you’ll also be intrigued.

Nguyen: Later
I’ll admit that I zoned out for some parts of this pilot, and I’m not quite sure I fully understand that twist ending. But I’ll give Timeless another episode since I was impressed by the show’s beautiful production-design and Abigail Spencer’s costumes.

Alter: Later
The ‘80s nerd in me is thrilled by the idea that someone remade Where in Time Is Carmen Sandiego? as an ongoing TV series. But I’ve captured Carmen Sandiego, and Goran Visnjic’s bland, time-skimming crook, Garcia Flynn, is no Carmen Sandiego. Now, if midway through the season, Timeless suddenly develops a back-and-forth mythology to rival Back to the Future – Part II, I’ll happily go on a catch-up binge.

Frequency
Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 9 p.m. on The CW

Baldwin: Never
It’s a magic Ham Radio. I just… can’t.

Tucker: Now
If you’re intrigued by the notion of a cop (Peyton List) attempting to solve an old murder by communicating with her dead father via an old radio — and who would not be? — you have to give this a shot.

Bierly: Later
Yet another pilot that ends with unforeseen changes to the present, this time after a cop daughter alters history for her deceased cop father. Presumably their next step will be working together to solve a serial killer case across their 20-year time difference. With the stakes being personal, it might be enough to get you to tune back in.

Nguyen: Now
I’ve never seen the Dennis Quaid/Jim Caviezel movie the show is based on, but I really, really enjoyed this pilot. Leads Peyton List and Riley Smith are both great as a father-daughter detective duo and I’m intrigued to see how they’ll tackle the affects of the butterfly effect on murder cases. Plus, it’s full of ’90s nostalgia. I’m totally in!

Alter: Never
Honestly, I don’t have any major complaints about the pilot, which is solidly made and decently-acted. As someone who thought the movie it’s based on is only just OK, I have no real interest in seeing the same premise stretched out over an entire season. If we’re going to keep on remaking Dennis Quaid movies for TV, I’m voting for a 10-episode version of The Right Stuff.

No Tomorrow
Premieres Tuesday, Oct. 4 at 9 p.m. on The CW

Baldwin: Never
I know Tori Anderson’s Evie is supposed to be shy and unassertive, but she’s just a shade too weak-willed and whiny for my tastes. Plus, I simply cannot deal with guys in ratty knit caps, even if they’re as handsome as Joshua Sasse’s Xavier.

Tucker: Now
If you’d told me I’d be charmed by a show that posits the coming end of the world so let’s do wild and crazy romantic things, I’d have said, “Nope, not me.” But I was charmed by co-stars Tori Anderson and Joshua Sasse.

Bierly: Later
It has a touch of Jane the Virgin whimsy and is a strong reminder that whether or not you believe the world is ending (and it often feels like it is these days), you should strive to live as if it were and start doing things on your “apocalyst” now. Small things, like finally riding a pogo stick.

Nguyen: Later
I’m not completely sold on this quirky romcom yet, but my love of Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend leads me to believe that after another episode or two, I’ll become a fan of No Tomorrow, too.

Alter: Later
Half-hour comedies aren’t really The CW’s thing these days, but I mourn the show No Tomorrow might have been at 30 minutes rather than a full hour. There’s too much dead air in the first episode, which tries too hard to fuse the basic idea of My Name Is Earl with the dramedy stylings of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (minus the music). Still, I like the dynamic between sprightly Tori Anderson and Michael Fassbender lookalike Joshua Sasse enough to give it another try.

American Housewife
Premieres Tuesday, Oct. 11 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC

Baldwin: Later
“The suburbs are hell” is a premise I can get behind, and Katy Mixon is a likable, funny performer who elevates whatever material she’s given. The pilot had a few solid chuckles, and I can imagine stopping to watch American Housewife while channel surfing.

Tucker: Later
My admiration for the comic skills of Katy Mixon is great, which is the main reason I’m saying that perhaps things will get funnier than the pilot was for a show whose original title was — no joke — The Second Fattest Housewife in Westport.

Bierly: Later
It’s another perfectly cast ABC family show, with the mother (the wonderful Katy Mixon) taking center stage. Assuming not every episode involves her trying to befriend a curvier woman to boost her own self-esteem, her fight to keep her kids from turning out as dreadful a person as that momentarily made her should be fun to watch.

Nguyen: Later
This would have easily been a “Never” for me if not for the brief minute Ali Wong was onscreen. She is my spirit animal and I will support any project she’s involved in, so bring on more American Housewife! Meanwhile, I’ll be busy rewatching Ali Wong: Baby Cobra for the hundredth time.

Alter: Never
After playing second fiddle to Danny McBride on Eastbound & Down and Melissa McCarthy on Mike & Molly, it’s about time that Katy Mixon got her own star vehicle. But why did it have to be on such a bland “Ain’t Suburbia Crazy?” comedy? Populated by such lazy stereotypes as the Fitness Minded Mom, the Early Blooming Teenager, and the Token Minority Friends, this branch of the ‘burbs is a desperately unfunny place you wouldn’t wish on your worst neighbor.

Man With a Plan
Premieres Monday, Oct. 24 at 8:30 p.m. on CBS

Baldwin: Never
Matt LeBlanc is a fantastic comedic actor. He is not, however, a miracle worker, which he would need to be to make this show funny. Surely he can’t find this show creatively fulfilling? At least we still have one last season of Episodes to look forward to.

Tucker: Later
I’m being generous here: Maybe this sitcom starring Matt LeBlanc as a stay-at-home dad will get better than the mediocre pilot. LeBlanc is a charming guy, right? Perhaps the show will find its rhythm, and some better jokes, a few weeks into its run.

Bierly: Never
It hurts to see anyone in the thankless straight mom role, even if it’s opposite sitcom royalty Matt LeBlanc.

Nguyen: Never
It doesn’t even seem like Matt LeBlanc wants to be on this show. It’s a hard pass for me.

Alter: Never
Matt LeBlanc has spent the past few years pretending to be on a generic American sitcom as the star of Showtime’s Hollywood spoof, Episodes. With that show wrapping up its run next year, he’s reduced to starring on an actual generic American sitcom. LeBlanc’s low-energy performance suggests he has the same opinion of this material that his fictional Episodes counterpart had of Pucks: Namely, it’s a miss.

The Great Indoors
Premieres Thursday, Oct. 27 at 8:30 p.m. on CBS

Baldwin: Later
Millennials — they’re the worst, right? I mean, so are oldies (of which I am one). The premise is a bit on the nose, but I like Joel McHale’s comedy of cynicism — and hey, McLovin’s on this show!

Tucker: Never
Joel McHale deserves better than to become the Tim Allen of 2016 in this grumpy-guy-yells-at-Millennials sitcom.

Bierly: Later
The millennial characters are tough to stomach, save Christopher Mintz-Plasse’s Clark, who idolizes Joel McHale’s studly Jack. But they got me with the will-they-won’t-they (again) relationship between Jack and Susannah Fielding’s Brooke, the boss’s daughter with whom he’ll be working closely.

Nguyen: Never
I cringed at most of the jokes in the pilot. The fantastic cast of Joel McHale, Stephen Fry, and Christopher Mintz-Plasse deserve much better.

Alter: Now
While the pilot’s aggressive mining of the “Generation X vs. Millennials” divide yields mixed rewards, any comedy starring Joel McHale and Stephen Fry is worth adding to your viewing rotation. The Great Indoors isn’t as consistently inventive as Community — a millennial comedy if there ever was one — but it’s nice to have McHale’s spiky comic presence back on network television.

Pure Genius
Premieres Thursday, Oct. 27 at 10 p.m. on CBS

Baldwin: Never
Yet another medical procedural, this one with a high-tech spin — billionaire philanthropist builds state-of-the-art hospital to heal people without the “red tape” of the health care system — does not change the fact that Pure Genius is… yet another medical procedural.

Tucker: Never
Dermot Mulroney as a doctor and Augustus Prew as a billionaire who team up to start a state-of-the-art hospital: I’d rather watch bootleg episodes of After-M*A*S*H.

Bierly: Later
I’ll admit it: I cried watching the pilot. If you can get past all the tech talk, there’s an interesting story about why Silicon Valley tech titan James Bell (Augustus Prew) started this renegade hospital. Plus, Royal Pains fans will be happy to see Reshma Shetty as Dr. Talaikha Channarayapatra.

Nguyen: Never
It’s never a good sign when you’re watching a show and finding yourself wondering, “It’s still not over yet?” Underneath all the flashy tech, Pure Genius is just another formulaic medical drama.

Alter: Never
The medical procedural goes high tech, but the plot mechanics feel disappointingly moldy, which is probably why I was left cold by Jason Katims’s foray into this tough-to-crack genre. And while I’ve been trying to remind myself that I didn’t have any interest in high school football until Friday Night Lights came along either, I just don’t see myself taking another dose of Pure Genius anytime soon.