CBS Fall Shows Gut Reactions: 'Supergirl' Soars, 'Code Black' Flatlines
As their promos incessantly remind us, CBS has been “TV’s most-watched network” for seven years straight now, so they must be doing something right. But looking at next season’s primetime schedule, they seem to be fixing what ain’t broke. The network is ditching traditional multi-cam comedies in favor of trendy single-cams (!), and will not air a comedy in the Mondays-at-8 timeslot for the first time since 1949 (!!!). We’re talking pre-I Love Lucy here, people.
So what are they making room for? Movie remakes, for one thing: We’ll see TV versions of Supergirl and the Bradley Cooper film Limitless this fall, and a Rush Hour reboot that CBS is saving for midseason. But we can worry about that last one in 2016; for now, let’s dive in for a closer look at CBS’s five new fall shows, and figure out which ones might be worth tuning in for.
Supergirl
This much-anticipated comic book adaptation will air Mondays at 8, putting it right up against Fox’s Gotham. (Batman v. Superman, indeed!) Melissa Benoist (Glee, Whiplash) is very winning as young Kara Danvers, an adorkable executive assistant who’s ready to reveal her superpowers to the world. The trailer is a smart blend of The Devil Wears Prada-esque workplace comedy and The Flash-style SFX action, and we’re glad to see Calista Flockhart back on TV as Kara’s bitch-on-wheels boss. Still, will CBS audiences warm to a cape-and-tights superhero series? Remember, they tried The Flash back in the early '90s, and it didn't… well, fly.
Limitless
Greek alum Jake McDorman stars in this semi-sequel to the 2011 Bradley Cooper movie as a young man who discovers the brain-boosting drug NZT and is (of course) recruited by the FBI to solve crimes with his new supercharged intellect. Sigh… we shouldn’t be surprised that CBS found a way to turn an intriguing premise into a stock procedural, but it’s still disappointing. Even a Bradley Cooper cameo can’t really save this one from blending in with the Sherlocks and Elementarys of the world.
Life in Pieces
CBS must really believe in this single-cam comedy, because it’s getting the most prime real estate on TV: a timeslot following The Big Bang Theory. And with a cast full of familiar faces — Dianne Wiest, Colin Hanks, James Brolin, Betsy Brandt — playing a wacky, multigenerational family, we’re getting major Modern Family vibes here… which makes sense, since executive producer Jason Winer was a writer on that show. But the raunchy hijinks (anatomy changes following childbirth; hot moms) are a little broad; it almost feels like a CBS multi-cam shot as a single-cam.
Code Black
This hospital drama’s title comes from the term for when a resource-strapped hospital is overwhelmed by critically ill patients — which happens a lot here, apparently. Marcia Gay Harden shepherds a fresh-faced pack of new residents as they race against the clock to save lives, blahblahblah… haven’t we seen all of this, like, a million times before? Tough-as-nails boss, frazzled newbies… we could barely count all the clichés in the (granted, very long) trailer. To stand out in a post-ER/Grey’s world, a TV medical drama needs to grab us with a unique hook or superior storytelling — and this doesn’t look to have either.
Angel From Hell
Now that Glee has hit its final high note, Emmy winner Jane Lynch can star in this sitcom about a straight-shooting free spirit (Lynch) who attaches herself to an uptight dermatologist (Psych’s Maggie Lawson) and insists she’s her guardian angel — literally. Based on the off-putting trailer, though, maybe Lynch is better in small doses. And please note: Infamous showkiller Kyle Bornheimer (Worst Week, Perfect Couples, Family Tools… need we go on?) is in the cast, so this one might be singing with the angels before we even get a chance to know it.
More Fall TV Trailers:
ABC Fall Shows Gut Reactions: ‘The Muppets,’ the Bible, the FBI, and a Whole Lot of ‘Oil’
New Fox Shows: Rob Lowe’s ‘The Grinder’ Is a Standout
NBC’s New Shows: Heart Surgeons to Porn Babysitters
