Category Archives: Quick Take

Quick Take: Skip 9JKL on CBS

What do Marc Feuerstein, Linda Lavin, Elliott Gould, Liza Lapira, Albert Tsai, Matt Murray, and LOML* David Walton have in common?  Together, they’re staring in the most disappointing comedy of the Fall! On 9JKL, based on Feuerstein’s real life, he plays Josh Roberts, a successful TV star who temporarily relocates to the apartment next to his parents, while he looks for permanent housing and love. On the other side of his parents live Josh’s brother and his wife, who are

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Quick Take: SEAL TEAM on CBS

SEAL TEAM, the new military drama series from CBS, starring David Boreanaz and Jessica Paré, premieres tonight at 9/8c. The second of three military dramas to premiere this Fall, SEAL TEAM has the distinction of being a bit more grounded than THE BRAVE (NBC, premiered Monday) and eons better than VALOR (CW, coming soon). While SEAL TEAM and THE BRAVE have very similar pilots including a decision made and immediately thrown out regarding a civilian rescue, SEAL TEAM has one

Read more Fall TV, Quick Take, Seal Team

Quick Take: LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS

NBC’s latest addition to the LAW&ORDER franchise comes in the form of a true crime drama series (a la FX’s AMERICAN CRIME STORY) that focuses on the baffling murders of the Menendez parents by the Menendez Brothers in 1989, and the court cases that followed for years after: LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS. Here, Edie Falco plays the notorious defense attorney Leslie Abramson, while newcomers Miles Gaston Villanueva and Gus Halper play the brothers (Lyle and Eric).  The

Read more Fall TV, Law & Order: True Crime, Quick Take

Quick Take: THE BRAVE on NBC

THE BRAVE on NBC follows a team of, yep, you guessed it, brave folks abroad and at home who are fighting for the safety of our citizens at home and abroad.  Mike Vogel is charming enough; Anne Heche is good, if a bit miscast (I prefer the zany SAVE ME Anne Heche to the tough head of a covert government special ops team).  There is a history between the characters; we’re brought into their lives on a typical day involving

Read more Fall TV, Quick Take, The Brave

Quick Take: THE BIG BANG THEORY S11

It’s rare that I recommend or mention THE BIG BANG THEORY – not because I have any ill will towards the show. It’s just a show that continues rolling along, having long ago found a formula that works. The Season 11 premiere kicks off tonight with the resolution to where we left off in the S10 finale – Sheldon at Amy’s door down on one knee. A solid episode that I’m pointing out as a “must-watch” tonight for the work

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Quick Take: THE GOOD PLACE on NBC: “Everything is Great!”

THE GOOD PLACE returns to NBC tonight for Season 2, with an episode titled “Everything is Great!” and though the character who utters the line in the show might not be telling the whole (slash any of the) truth – believe me when I tell you that everything, from the writing to the performances, to the tweaks made to the town in the wake of Michael’s epic failure, is truly great. Season 1 of THE GOOD PLACE ended with Eleanor

Read more Fall TV, My Take on TV, Quick Take, The Good Place

Quick Take: GREAT NEWS on NBC has potential

Tonight on NBC, GREAT NEWS from Tina Fey, Robert Carlock, and Tracey Wigfield (who created the show) premieres at 9/8c with back to back episodes.   Briga Heelan is Katie Wendelson, a news producer struggling to make an impression on her uptight boss (Adam Campbell); Andrea Martin is her mom, Carol. No longer content to sit at home, Carol gets a job as an intern at the station and immediately throws Katie’s life into turmoil. The duo has great chemistry

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Quick Take: THE DETOUR S2 on TBS is still amazing

TBS’ THE DETOUR was the biggest surprise for me last season among a 5-comedy surprise that was their whole line-up of new shows. The Jason Jones / Natalie Zea comedy followed the misadventures of The Parker family after a vacation is derailed by Nate’s (Jones) secret unemployment and plan for revenge. As they made their way from upstate New York to Florida, by van, each week chronicled a new misstep while Nate faced scrutiny in a windowless-room. The big surprise

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Quick Take: DOUBT on CBS

Katherine Heigl returns to TV in CBS’s DOUBT (2/15 10/9c), a show about a tough as nails lawyer who kind of screws things up a bit by falling in love with the guy she’s defending, who may or may not be guilty.  Coming from Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, most recently of Shondaland, the series also stars Elliout Gould, Dule Hill, Dreama Walker, Kobi Libii, Stephen Pasquale, and Laverne Cox. Heigl is lovely and believable as Sadie Ellis, the lawyer

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Quick Take: NBC’s TIMELESS

TIMELESS premieres tonight on NBC at 10/9c and it’s a perfectly fine show. The story of a mad man (…or is he) who travels through time to stop the world’s most famous catastrophes for his own gain (….or is that why), and the three people who race after him to protect the past, present, and future, the show starts with a flashy and fun trip back to WWII and the Hindenburg disaster, and immediately confronts how the past can impact

Read more Fall TV, Quick Take, Timeless
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