Fall TV Gut Reactions: New Fox Shows: Rob Lowe's 'The Grinder' Is a Standout
Fox announced its new fall schedule, along with clips for most of the series it will introduce. They provide a chance to make some snap judgments, based solely on the series’ premise, the casting, and pure gut reaction. Compare my gut to yours as you watch these previews for Fox’s fall lineup.
Grandfathered
John Stamos plays a suave restaurant owner whose swinging-single life is disrupted by the sudden arrival of a son he never knew he had, as well as a granddaughter. Stamos is very likable as always, he still has good chemistry with little kids, and I hope Paget Brewster shows up in more than just the pilot as the ex-girlfriend who got him grandfathered. Not laugh-out-out funny, but awww-cute and chuckle-able.
The Grinder
Easily the funniest sitcom shown at the network upfronts so far, The Grinder stars Rob Lowe as a TV star, the title character in a long-running lawyer series called, yup, The Grinder. After the series ends, he starts spending time with his brother, played by Fred Savage, a real lawyer who’s not as polished a performer as his brother. The Grinder seems to have interesting things to say about TV versus real life, and the trailer is packed with laugh lines and good acting.
Minority Report
Based on the excellent Steven Spielberg movie, this drama centers around three young people who can do that “pre-crime,” seeing-bad-stuff-before-it-happens thing. The clip makes the show look a little frantic, but it’ll probably settle down. The question is whether it will settle too much, into a case-of-the-week drama that may or may not prove sustainable.
Rosewood
Morris Chestnut is a Miami doctor who helps a cop (Jaina Lee Ortiz) solve crimes with some high-tech tools and his own faulty heart. (As in, he could die soon.) Sounds a little like Dexter crossed with Burn Notice crossed with a romance novel, but it plays onscreen better than that, mostly because Chestnut is so damn charming.
Lucifer
Based on the DC Comics series, starring Merlin’s Tom Ellis as a dashing son of Satan. Contains the first use of the cliché phrase “died in a hail of bullets” I’ve heard on television since it was last used in, oh, probably The Untouchables. Lucifer fights crime, of course. He has sexy stubble and an accent, of course. Not to be confused with the canceled Constantine. Though, really, who would care if you did?
The Frankenstein Code
A 75-year-old sheriff dies and finds himself reborn in the 35 year-old body of an incredible hunk played by Rob Kazinsky. He solves crimes, of course. Contains the line, “second chances could be a real monster.” Somewhere, Mary Shelley is turning in her grave — or turning into the Bride of Frankenstein to make a midseason guest appearance.
Bordertown
A cartoon from Seth MacFarlane and Mark Hentemann, about two families, one on each side of the U.S.-Mexican border. There’s a cameo by Family Guy’s Peter Griffin. There are also some funny lines, which already makes it better than American Dad.
Do these clips fill you with hope and anticipation for Fox’s fall schedule?
