Let’s face it, we all love a good TV show. And herein lies the problem. There’s only so many TV shows that last. And I mean really last, go the whole hog, like more than 5 seasons. Whether it’s because of low ratings, or just because, most TV shows never really move past 3-4 seasons, and quite often, it’s a shame, because a show would come along (a la Awake, Selfie, Smash, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Trophy Wife, to name a few), that is great quality-wise, yet somewhere along the line, the powers that be decided that enough was enough. Nevertheless, as each TV season rolls around, avid TV show fans, like myself, tend to speculate and rank new TV shows, based on trailers, log-lines, the actors in them, however you may rank your new TV shows, I’m pretty sure you rank them too.
As we’re in the midst of quite possibly the most important week of the 2017-18 TV season, when each of the major 5 network TV show channels in America decide their primetime schedule for the fall (September 2017), we as anxious viewers decide to rank our most anticipated shows, and then get either excited or even disappointed at the fact that our anticipated shows are shown during September-time…or held to midseason. Nevertheless, we at 365 Days of Inspiring Media have decided to do the same thing- rank 10 new TV shows slated to grace our TV screens within the next 6-12 months. Sure, not all of them will last til next year, but we all can hope, right? From medical dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies, to thrillers, VR dramas and even a faith-based hour project thrown in there for good measure, without further ado, here are 10 dramas (and 5 comedies) that have caught our eye as we look forward to September 2017 (Note: we will upload trailers of TV shows at the end of the week, when all the upfronts have been presented).
10 DRAMAS:
Rise (NBC) (Midseason)
From Jason Katims, writer and executive producer of “Friday Night Lights” and “Parenthood,” and Jeffrey Seller, producer of the explosive Broadway hit “Hamilton,” comes a heartening new drama about finding inspiration in unexpected places. When dedicated teacher and family man Lou Mazzuchelli (Josh Radnor, “How I Met Your Mother”) sheds his own self-doubt and takes over the school’s lackluster theater department, he galvanizes not only the faculty and students, but the entire working-class town. Inspired by a true story.
Reverie (NBC) (Midseason)
This grounded new thriller follows Mara Kint (Sarah Shahi), a former hostage negotiator and expert on human behavior, who became a college professor after facing an unimaginable personal tragedy. But when she’s brought in to save ordinary people who have lost themselves in a highly advanced virtual-reality program in which you can literally live your dreams, she finds that in saving others, she may actually have discovered a way to save herself. From Mickey Fisher, creator of Extant, and also starring Dennis Haysbert (“24,” “The Unit”).
The Good Doctor (ABC) (Monday 10/9c)
Coming MONDAYS 10|9c this Fall to ABC. Shaun Murphy (Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel), a young surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, relocates from a quiet country life to join a prestigious hospital’s surgical unit. Alone in the world and unable to personally connect with those around him, Shaun uses his extraordinary medical gifts to save lives and challenge the skepticism of his colleagues. The series is from David Shore (House) and Lost and Hawaii Five-O star Daniel Dae Kim.
The Gifted (FOX) (Monday 9/8c)
Family adventure series THE GIFTED, from 20th Century Fox Television in association with Marvel Television, tells the story of a suburban couple whose ordinary lives are rocked by the sudden discovery that their children possess mutant powers. Forced to go on the run from a hostile government, the family joins up with an underground network of mutants and must fight to survive. Written by Matt Nix (APB, “Burn Notice”), directed by Bryan Singer (the “X-Men” franchise”) and executive-produced by Nix, Singer, Lauren Shuler Donner (“X-Men: Apocalypse,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”), Simon Kinberg (“X-Men: Apocalypse,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”), Jeph Loeb (“Marvel’s Daredevil,” “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”) and Jim Chory (“Marvel’s Daredevil,” “Marvel’s Jessica Jones”), the series stars Stephen Moyer (SHOTS FIRED), Amy Acker (“Person of Interest”), Sean Teale (“Reign”), Jamie Chung (GOTHAM), Coby Bell (“Burn Notice”), Emma Dumont (“Aquarius”), Blair Redford (“Satisfaction”), Natalie Alyn Lind (GOTHAM) and Percy Hynes White (“Night at the Museum 3”).
Life Sentence (CW) (Time Slot: TBA)
Written by Significant Mother creators Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith, Life Sentence centers on a young woman (Hale) diagnosed with terminal cancer. When she finds out that she’s not dying after all, she has to learn to live with the choices she made when she decided to “live like she was dying.” Cardillo and Keith executive produce with Doozer’s Lawrence and Jeff Ingold.
Black Lightning (CW) (Time Slot: TBA)
Jefferson Pierce made his choice. He hung up the suit and his secret identity years ago, but with a daughter hell-bent on justice and a star student being recruited by a local gang, he’ll be pulled back into the fight as the wanted vigilante and DC legend — Black Lightning. Black Lightning stars Williams as a retired superhero named Jefferson Pierce, who finds himself back in vigilante mode thanks to his justice-seeking daughter and the threat of a star student being recruited by a local gang. The series also stars Nefessa Williams (Code Black), China Anne McClain (Descendants 2), and Christine Adams (Terra Nova).
The Gospel of Kevin (ABC) (Tuesday 10/9c)
Coming TUESDAYS 10|9c this Fall to ABC. Kevin Finn (Jason Ritter, Parenthood), a cluelessly self-serving person, is on a dangerous path to despair. In a downward spiral, Kevin returns home to stay with his widowed twin sister (JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Once Upon a Time) and niece. On his first night there, an unlikely celestial being named Yvette (Cristela Alonzo, Cristela) appears to him and presents him with a mission—to save the world. A light drama from executive producers Michele Fazekas & Tara Butters (Marvel’s Agent Carter, Resurrection, Reaper).
The Crossing (ABC) (Midseason)
Refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town, only the country these people are from is America… and the war they are fleeing hasn’t happened yet.. As the government tries to uncover the truth behind this mysterious migration only one thing is certain: The lives of the people here — both the townspeople and these newcomers — will never be the same. Writers Dan Dworkin & Jay Beattie executive produce with Jason Reed.
Inhumans (ABC) (Friday 9/8c)
Coming FRIDAYS 9|8c this Fall to ABC. The Inhumans, a race of superhumans with diverse and singularly unique powers, were first introduced in Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1965. Since that time, they have grown in prominence and become some of the most popular and iconic characters in the Marvel Universe. Marvel’s The Inhumans will explore the never-before-told epic adventure of Black Bolt and the royal family. Joining other ABC new shows as part of the ABC fall lineup 2017, Marvel’s Inhumans is coming soon to ABC. As announced at ABC upfronts 2017, Marvel’s Inhumans will debut on IMAX before premiering FRIDAYS 9|8c on ABC.
Wisdom of the Crowd (CBS) (Time Slot: TBA)
Inspired by the notion that a million minds are better than one, a visionary tech innovator (Jeremy Piven) creates a cutting-edge crowdsourcing app to solve his daughter’s murder, and revolutionize crime solving in the process. Based on the Israeli format of the same name.
5 Comedies:
The Orville (FOX) (Thursday 9/8c)
From Emmy Award-winning executive producer and creator Seth MacFarlane (FAMILY GUY, “Ted”) and directed by Jon Favreau (“The Jungle Book,” “Iron Man”), THE ORVILLE is a one-hour science fiction series set 400 years in the future that follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Orville, a mid-level exploratory vessel. Its crew, both human and alien, faces the wonders and dangers of outer space, while also dealing with the familiar, often humorous problems of regular people in a workplace…even though some of those people are from other planets, and the workplace is a faster-than-light spaceship. In the 25th century, Earth is part of the Planetary Union, a far-reaching, advanced and mostly peaceful civilization with a fleet of 3,000 ships. Down on his luck after a bitter divorce, Planetary Union officer ED MERCER (MacFarlane) finally gets his chance to command one of these ships: the U.S.S. Orville. Determined to prove his worth and write a new chapter in his life, Ed finds that task all the more difficult when the First Officer assigned to his ship is his ex-wife, KELLY GRAYSON (Adrianne Palicki, “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” “Friday Night Lights”). As the new commander, Ed assembles a qualified, but eccentric crew, including his best friend, GORDON MALLOY (Scott Grimes, “ER,” “Justified”), who has problems with authority, but is the best helmsman in the fleet; DR. CLAIRE FINN (Penny Johnson Jerald, “24,” “The Larry Sanders Show”), one of the Union’s most accomplished physicians; BORTUS (Peter Macon, “Shameless,” “Bosch”), an alien from a single-sex species; ISAAC (Mark Jackson, “That Royal Today”), an artificial life-form from a machine society that thinks biological life-forms are inferior; navigator JOHN LAMARR (J. Lee, FAMILY GUY, “The Cleveland Show”), whose casual humor cuts through even the most dire situations; ALARA KITAN (Halston Sage, “Neighbors,” “Goosebumps”), a young, inexperienced security officer whose home planet’s high gravity gives her superior physical strength; and YAPHIT, a gelatinous creature voiced by comedian Norm Macdonald (“The Middle,” “Saturday Night Live”). Somehow, Ed and Kelly must put the past behind them and, with the help of the crew, navigate fascinating and sometimes dangerous adventures in outer space, as well as the tumultuous and captivating day-to-day personal relationships with their colleagues.
The Mayor (ABC) (Tuesday 9:30/8:30c)
Young rapper Courtney Rose (Brandon Micheal Hall) needs his big break. For years he’s toiled away in a small inner-city apartment, making music in his junk-filled bedroom closet. Tired of waiting for opportunity, Courtney cooks up the publicity stunt of the century – running for mayor of his hometown in California to generate buzz for his music career. Unfortunately for Courtney, his master plan goes wildly awry, ending in the most terrifying of outcomes: an election victory. With the help of his mother (Yvette Nicole Brown, “Community”) and friends, including Valentina (“Glee’s” Lea Michele), Courtney will have to overcome his hubris if he wants to transform the struggling city he loves. The series stars Brandon Micheal Hall as Courtney Rose, Lea Michele as Valentina, Bernard David Jones as Jermaine Hardaway, Marcel Spears as TK and Yvette Nicole Brown as Dina.
Splitting Up Together (ABC) (Midseason)
Based on the Danish series, “Splitting Up Together” is the story of a couple (Jenna Fischer, “The Office,” Oliver Hudson, “Scream Queens”) whose marriage is reignited by their divorce. Emily Kapnek (“Suburgatory”) writes and serves as executive producer of this new comedy, along with Ellen DeGeneres. The series stars Jenna Fischer as Lena, Oliver Hudson as Martin, Bobby Lee as Arthur, Diane Farr as Maya, Lindsay Price as Camille, Olivia Keville as Mae, Van Crosby as Mason and Sander Thomas as Milo.
9JKL (CBS) (Time Slot: TBA)
A family comedy inspired by a time in Mark Feuerstein’s adult life when he lived in apartment 9K in the building he grew up in, sandwiched between his doting parents’ apartment, 9J, and his brother, sister-in-law and their baby’s apartment, 9L, and his attempts to set boundaries with his intrusive but well-meaning family.
AP. Bio (NBC) (Midseason)
When philosophy scholar Jack Griffin (Glenn Howerton, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) loses out on his dream job and goes to work as a high school Advanced Placement Biology teacher, he makes one thing very clear: he will not be teaching biology. Realizing he has a room full of honor roll students at his disposal, Jack uses his flawed logic to misdirect his principal (Patton Oswalt) and recruit the kids to help him mentally break his job-stealing nemesis and win back the position that’s rightfully his. From the sharp-witted minds of former SNL writers Mike O’Brien and Seth Meyers.
So that’s it- 10 Dramas and 5 Comedies that we are excited about in the upcoming months. What are yours? Sound off in the comments. Til next time!