The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey
What’s it about?
Capitalizing on the public’s fervor for everything from Making A Murderer to The People V. O.J. Simpson, CBS has fast-tracked The Case Of: JonBenét Ramsey, an endlessly repeatable six-hour docuseries that attempts to find out who killed the 6-year-old beauty queen almost 20 years ago. The three-night show has enlisted a number of the case’s original investigators—Jim Clemente, Dr. Henry Lee, James Kolar, Dr. Werner Spitz, and James Fitzgerald—as well as some fresh eyes like New Scotland Yard’s Laura Richards and former FBI agent Stan Burke. Together, they’ll re-examine old evidence using new technology, explore full-scale models of the Ramsey home, and introduce new theories as to how the crime was committed—and by whom. The whole thing could yield massive results or a Capone’s vault-style mess of nothing, but either way, you’ll probably watch it.
Potential conversation starters
“Who killed JonBenét Ramsey?” “Children’s beauty pageants: creepy or totally okay?” “What classic case should CBS investigate and/or exploit next?”
The Good Place
What’s it about?
After a tragically comedic accident, Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) is mistakenly sent to The Good Place. A habitually mean snake-oil salesperson, Shellstrop definitely doesn’t deserve The Good Place, a yogurt-crazed, mansion-laden version of heaven full of do-gooders, martyrs, and human rights champions. Rather than telling Good Place architect Michael (Ted Danson) that she’s mistakenly avoided the hellfires of The Bad Place, Eleanor enlists her soulmate, Chidi (William Jackson Harper), to help turn her good, lest the rest of The Good Place’s residents suffer.
Potential conversation starters
“Can Parks And Recreation and Brooklyn Nine-Nine creator Michael Schur do any wrong?” “The Good Place might be a hokey name for a show and, after all the Olympics commercials, you probably want to punch this show in the face, but seriously—you should make time for it. Kristen Bell and Ted Danson are alarmingly charming, and the pilot is the rare launch episode that makes you want to know more. I swear, Mom.”
Kevin Can Wait
What’s it about?
Kevin James returns to sitcoms—after his nine-season run on King Of Queens—for a show that looks familiar to the former CBS staple: James plays a New Yorker with an attractive, quick-witted wife (Erinn Hayes) and an initially unwanted houseguest. This time around, the star is a Long Island cop on the brink of retirement. His basement is not occupied by his father-in-law, but his garage is occupied by his daughter (Taylor Spreitler) after she reveals that she’s dropping out of college to support her app-creating boyfriend (Ryan Cartwright), who is not exactly Kevin’s concept of an ideal mate. If you like James’ innocuous, comforting form of classic sitcom humor, you’ll be on a board with Kevin Can Wait.
Potential conversation starters
“How do these hot women keep falling for Kevin James?” “When will Jerry Stiller make a cameo?” “Isn’t it financially irresponsible for Kevin to retire so young even if he has a full pension, considering he has a daughter in college and a preteen son to support?”
Bull
What’s it about?
Fresh out of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Michael Weatherly takes on the role of a trial consultant based in part on daytime’s favorite advice-dispensing mustache, Dr. Phil McGraw. The change in gigs won’t deliver Weatherly from high-tech doodads and bantering coworkers, though: The science of profiling juries has come a long way since McGraw got Oprah Winfrey ready for the Amarillo, Texas beef trial, so Bull is aided in his work by countless touchscreens and the telegenic poindexters who operate them. It’s a lot of window dressing for Dr. Bull’s preternatural way of reading people, which manifests in imagined gut-spillings from jurors and the Holmesian/House-ian arrogance of the modern procedural protagonist.
Potential conversation starters
“After seeing all the sources the Bull team pulls its profiles from, how quickly did you erase your social media presence?” “Nobody told Dr. Phil to think twice about naming his fictional counterpart ‘Dr. Bull’?”
This Is Us
What’s it about?
Brought to you by Crazy, Stupid, Love screenwriter Dan Fogelman, the pilot of This Is Us centers on four apparent strangers with the same birthday. Not in an Identity way, but in a way that ultimately makes sense with the series setup. A strong cast should help maintain the momentum in the episodes that follow: Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia have considerable chemistry as a young married couple, as do twins played by Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley. People V. O.J. Simpson breakout Sterling K. Brown is always welcome, as is Gerald McRaney as a doctor full of sage advice. In just its first hour, the show features a birth, an impending death, weight issues, the trappings of fame, and Alan Thicke playing himself—all with a compelling balance of pathos and humor. On board to direct that all-important episode two is Thirtysomething vet Ken Olin, who should hit that same “dramedy” vibe.
Potential conversation starters
“How many times did you watch Milo Ventimiglia’s butt in the trailer?” “Remember when Mandy Moore was a singer?” “Did you know that there are that many calories in a glass of wine?” “When’s your birthday?”
Designated Survivor
What’s it about?
The line of presidential succession goes from civics-class lesson to horrifying reality when a terrorist attack strikes the U.S. Capitol during the State Of The Union address. The one member of the cabinet not in attendance for the address—Secretary of Housing And Urban Development Tom Kirkman (Kiefer Sutherland), the evening’s “designated survivor”—is swiftly elevated to the highest office in the land, and must now lead a shaken country and the investigation into/retaliation to the attack. There’s a compelling story to be told about a man and his family (including the sudden first lady played by Natasha McElhone) being thrust into the political spotlight, but Designated Survivor appears more interested in weaving a conspiracy for action vets Sutherland and Maggie Q (as the FBI agent sorting through the rubble) to unravel.
Potential conversation starters
“Does Kiefer Sutherland look more or less presidential when he’s wearing glasses?” “Where do you think President Kirkman stands on Jack Bauer’s use of torture?” “Is there an equally thrilling primetime drama to be made about how a bill becomes a law?”
Lethal Weapon
What’s it about?
Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford) was a heroic Texas cop with a goofy streak sidelined by a personal tragedy; now he’s transferred to Los Angeles, and he’s brought a death wish along with him. That’s too bad for Riggs’ new partner, Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans), a 50-year-old homicide detective just returning to work after recovering from a near-fatal heart attack. Faster than you can say “I’m getting too old for this [expletive deleted],” the two are partnered up and have to overcome their differences to, oh, well, you know. Watch Riggs bring some adventure into Murtaugh’s life, and Murtaugh give Riggs a reason to live again in this TV spin-off of a franchise that’s just shy of its 30th anniversary.
Potential conversation starters
“How is it possible that the TV show is even blander than Lethal Weapon 4?” “Why does this exist?” “Where did Damon Wayans get that hat and shouldn’t someone take it away from him?” “No, but seriously, how is a police procedural with no real mythology and a premise that barely counts as an idea supposed to hold our interest?”
Speechless
What’s it about?
Minnie Driver joins Tracee Ellis Ross and Constance Wu as the latest scene-stealing mom in an ABC family sitcom. Driver plays Maya Dimeo, a proud and fierce advocate for her son J.J. (Micah Fowler), who has cerebral palsy (as does Fowler himself). J.J. uses a wheelchair and is nonverbal, but as Maya informs a group of rude teenagers, “He’s all there upstairs and he’s got a thing about staring.” Then J.J. flips them off. In other words, Speechless has none of the schmaltziness that so often defines stories about people with disabilities. In fact, J.J. rejects the overly cheery full-time aide assigned to him at his new school in favor of someone with a cooler-sounding voice and a no-nonsense personality (Cedric Yarbrough). Meanwhile, Maya’s nerdy middle child (Mason Cook) struggles to make his voice heard in a house full of big personalities. Family-friendly heart combines with a dose of acerbic comedy in an ensemble series that shifts the lens on whose stories get told on TV.
Potential conversation starters
“Have you been following the controversy over Me Before You? Wanna watch a show that doesn’t suggest people with disabilities should kill themselves?” “It’s time for the Minnie Driver comeback we need and deserve.”
Notorious
What’s it about?
Jake Gregorian (Daniel Sunjata), a high-profile lawyer, shares a mutually beneficial relationship with high-powered news producer Julia George (Piper Perabo) that has nothing to do with sex (yet). His clients get to put their best face forward on national TV through some prearranged exclusives. But those interviews cut both ways, as the guests on Julia’s show eventually find themselves at the mercy of the news anchor (Kate Jennings Grant), who always has the scoop on them. The series leads have palpable chemistry, but even their abundant charms are threatened by the inherent smarminess of their actions.
Potential conversation starters
“Did you know that Notorious re-creates the unholy alliance between Larry King Live producer Wendy Walker and real-life defense attorney Mark Geragos?” “Are the criminal justice system and the media being manipulated by fast-talking, smooth operators?” “Could the unnerving implications of the premise result in Notorious living up to its name?”
Pitch
What’s it about?
Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) is on the precipice of athletic history: When she takes the mound for the San Diego Padres, she’ll be the first woman to play a regular-season game in any of the major American pro leagues. It’s a milestone for some, and a reality-rending cause for alarm for others, but the fabric of the universe holds together long enough to introduce the varied types of teammates in Ginny’s life, from the ones who wear cleats (including Mo McRae as Ginny’s buddy from the minors and Mark-Paul Gosselaar as a grizzled veteran catcher) to those in the C-suite (a no-nonsense agent played by Ali Larter, and Mark Consuelos as the Padres’ general manager). As she breaks into the boys’ club(house), Ginny brings with her a mean screwball and a ton of emotional baggage.
Potential conversation starters
“Yeah, it’s a baseball show—but it’s not about baseball, you know?” “Everyone knows that a baseball team fields nine players at a time, but what Pitch presupposes is: Maybe Ginny’s toughest competition is… herself?” “Has everyone forgotten about Manon Rhéaume?”
MacGyver
What’s it about?
A reimagining of the 1980s series, the new MacGyver is all about presenting extreme action on network television. Lucas Till stars as the titular Angus MacGyver, a twentysomething jack-of-all-trades who manages to start his own clandestine government organization. Tasked with high-risk global missions, MacGyver is supported in the field by former CIA agent Jack Dalton (George Eads) and ex-field agent Patricia Thornton (Sandrine Holt). He also has help from a computer hacker (Tristin Mays as Riley Davis), though he’d probably get along just fine with some duct tape and a pocket knife.
Potential conversation starters
“Did you know MacGyver is back?” “What’s Richard Dean Anderson up to these days?” “Is Lucas Till’s long hair dreamy or dopey?”
The Exorcist
What’s it about?
It’s hard out there for a priest. Father Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera) just wants to serve the needs of his flock, but when one of his most faithful parishioners comes to him with talk of demonic possession, his belief is sorely tested. Angela Rance (Geena Davis) is a confident businesswoman struggling to care for her husband’s (Alan Ruck) sudden onset of dementia; when her older daughter (Brianne Howey) starts acting strangely after a car crash that left one of her friends dead, Angela turns to Father Tomas for help. The priest is initially skeptical, but strange visions of an exorcism featuring a desperate, haunted priest (Ben Daniels) force him to question his assumptions—and whatever’s happening at the Rance house is getting worse. Also, this apparently has something to do with The Exorcist franchise.
Potential conversation starters
“Where’s Pazuzu?” “If Angela really is the brilliant businesswoman she claims to be, wouldn’t she at least wait for something more conclusive than ‘noise in the walls’ and ‘surly teenager’ before assuming she’d been targeted by hell’s wrath?” “This is only going to get goofier, isn’t it?”
Son Of Zorn
What’s it about?
In this animated series, He-Man-style superhero Zorn (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) returns home from otherworldly battles in places like Zephyria, Agon, and Grith to try and reunite with his human son Alangulon (Johnny Pemberton). In this classic but crass fish-out-of-water tale, Zorn struggles with life in the suburbs, battles corporate monotony, and tries to reunite with his ex-wife, Edie (Cheryl Hines), even though she’s now engaged to the very pragmatic, very clothed Craig (Tim Meadows). The result is incredibly over the top, but seeing as Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street) serve as executive producers on Zorn, that’s a given.
Potential conversation starters
“Son Of Zorn is so weird. I swear, you just have to watch it to believe it.” “True story: Fox is making the best comedies on TV right now.” “Can Zorn get it?”
Conviction
What’s it about?
ABC’s attempt at solving its 10 p.m. woes by splicing together various strains of Shondaland DNA places former first daughter Hayes Morrison (Hayley Atwell) at the center of an ethnically diverse task force charged with investigating the integrity of the New York DA’s (Eddie Cahill) convictions. They are the Conviction Integrity Unit, and this is Hayes’ How To Get Away With Scandal, her involvement with the unit being her penance for a string of highly publicized misdeeds. Will her new work family make her care about anything other than herself—and, more importantly, will they find a moniker for themselves that’s easily leveraged into on-air promotions, hashtags, and a nickname for the show’s most ardent fans?
Potential conversation starters
“Is Hayes’ arrangement with the DA blackmail? And if so, does that outweigh the possession charge he has on her?” “How flexible is the five-day window the Conviction Integrity Unit is given for their investigations?” “So, what’s your excuse for sleeping on Marvel’s Agent Carter?”
Timeless
What’s it about?
The more bombastic of network TV’s two time-travel shows this season (see also: Frequency), Timelessdrafts a historian (Abigail Spencer), a detective (Matt Lanter), and a scientist (Malcolm Barrett) to steer a giant eyeball-looking time machine around, trying to catch an evil mastermind (Goran Visnjic). You almost have to respect the show for throwing so much at the wall, even if only half of it sticks—like staging a new period piece every week, down to the clothes, cars, and wristwatches. (Fortunately this evildoer favors noteworthy destinations like the Hindenburg disaster, the Lincoln assassination, and the Rat Pack days of the 1960s.) The jury’s still out on whether the show can make these jumps in time appear logical, because frankly, going from 1865 Ford’s Theatre to 1965 Vegas in a week seems like a bit of a stretch (a quantum leap, you might say).
Potential conversation starters
“Would you go back in time and kill Hitler when he was a baby?” “How can we do better by Abigail Spencer?” “You know how people always think they were someone famous in a past life, never just Joe Schmoe? Well, how come time travelers always go to events like the Battle Of The Alamo and never just a regular day like June 10, 1981?”
No Tomorrow
What’s it about?
No Tomorrow is a classic rom-com setup: Type-A girl, Evie (Tori Anderson), meets super cute guy, Xavier (Joshua Sasse), who helps her break out of her shell. Only in this series, the dreamy hunk also happens to think the world is going to end in eight months and has an unhinged personality that could potentially jeopardize our heroine’s health and sanity. Evie works in the warehouse of an Amazon-esque company and fantasizes about finding the dude (Sasse) who tried to initiate some rutabaga-related banter with her at a farmers market. When a package meant for him gets accidentally delivered to her house, it’s a dream come true—until he mentions the asteroid that’s hurtling toward Earth and how he’s living each day like it’s his last. Still, he’s hot and fun, and Evie, despite her tendency to play it safe, gets pulled into his reckless, laissez-faire lifestyle.
Potential conversation starters
“I’m still sad about Galavant getting canceled, but at least Joshua Sasse landed on his feet.” “The CW sure does love its quirky, slightly upsetting romances these days.” “Aren’t all relationships an exercise in insanity?”
Frequency
What’s it about?
A revamp of the 2000 Dennis Quaid movie that turns out leagues better than one might expect. Detective Raimy Sullivan (Peyton List) has spent her life trying to get over the tarnished reputation of her late father, Frank (Riley Smith), a “dirty” cop. Thanks to an extremely fortuitous lightning strike, she can communicate with her father in the week before he died 20 years prior, through an old ham radio in the garage. How much this series appeals to you depends on how much you like exploring things like the butterfly effect: If one thing changes in the past, how much does that affect the future? Raimy may be able to prevent her father’s death, and find out the truth behind his murder, but at considerable cost to the present, all involving a serial killer called the Nightingale.
Potential conversation starters
“Do you believe in the butterfly effect? If so, what would you change in the past, and how do you think that would affect the present?” “Would you ever have thought that Jane from Mad Men and Markus from Nashville could be this great?” “Are internet comment boards analogous to ham-radio conversations of the past?”
American Housewife
What’s it about?
Originally titled The Second Fattest Housewife In Westport, American Housewife follows Katie (Katy Mixon) as she navigates her stuffy Connecticut town. The family is only there for the good schools, she says: Her 5-year-old daughter, Anna Kat (Julia Butters), has obsessive-compulsive disorder, while her other two kids are updated Alex P. Keatons. This isn’t the first show to feature a fish out of water in a town not meant for her, but it’s the first to feature the delightful Mixon, who lent heart to Eastbound & Down (while still being really funny). With Mike & Molly off the air, she’s taking the lead for the first time. Mixon is so naturally funny that she’s able to overcome some of the show’s (easily fixable) pitfalls, like a voice-over that serves little purpose.
Potential conversation starters
“How can I convince you to watch this show with a mediocre title?” “Why hasn’t Katy Mixon starred in anything else before this?”
Man With A Plan
What’s it about?
Husband-and-wife screenwriting duo Jackie and Jeff Filgo recently put work on hold to be full-time parents for a year—an experience that drove them right back into the writers’ room. This experience informs the misadventures of contractor Adam (Matt LeBlanc), who must take a more hands-on approach to child-rearing when his wife, Andi (Liza Snyder), returns to work. The man formerly known as “Daddy Fun Times” navigates unchartered paternal waters with the help of his fellow classroom parents (Jessica Chaffin and Matt Cook) and no help from his meddling older brother (Kevin Nealon). Nealon joins the show following some post-pickup retooling, which also saw Yes, Dear alumna Snyder replace Jenna Fischer in the role of Andi.
Potential conversation starters
“Irony aside, is Adam a man with a single plan, or will he find he needs many, many plans?” “It’s a married couple making a multi-cam sitcom with Matt LeBlanc—do you think Episodes ever comes up behind the scenes?” “How you doin’ (at showing your kids you love them, while still being enough of an authority figure so they don’t think you’re a pushover)?”
Pure Genius
What’s it about?
The first of two broadcast shows about tech giants using private-sector know-how to solve lasting public-sector riddles (watch Justin Kirk rid Chicago of crime using an app in APB, midseason on Fox), Pure Genius is essentially Zuckerberg General. Augustus Prew plays James Bell, a Silicon Valley wunderkind with ample eccentricities and little regard for how the medical establishment gets things done who’s attempting to start a revolution at his aptly named hospital, Bunker Hill. Having won disciples in many specialties (neurology, patient monitoring, 3-D printing), his latest potential convert is Dr. Walter Wallace (Dermot Mulroney), a free-thinking surgeon with a troubled past who’s not free-thinking enough to immediately cotton to Bell’s state-of-the-art ways. Will he eventually be convinced that medicine can be a technological and a human endeavor? Well, there wouldn’t be much of a show if he just flat out said no, would there?
Potential conversation starters
“Which one of Bunker Hill’s devices strikes you as the most far-fetched?” “If electronic medical records freak you out, how would you feel about an ‘adhesive computer’ that keeps tabs on a patient 24/7?” “At what percentage does ‘genius’ become ‘pure genius’? Is there any margin of error?”
The Great Indoors
What’s it about?
Renowned adventure reporter Jack (Joel McHale) is called back from the field against his will to head up his magazine’s website. A grizzled, down-vest-wearing fortysomething, Jack isn’t prepared to deal with his subordinates, millennials (Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Christine Ko, and Shaun Brown) who are more interested in clicks and cellphones than the great outdoors. Rather than quitting, though, Jack enlists his friend, a local dive bar owner, to help him manage the zany twentysomethings, what with their social medias and their tweety talk, all of whom might just have a little something to teach old Jack themselves—assuming The Great Indoors sticks around for more than a few episodes.
Potential conversation starters
“Do you ever feel old at work? Have I got a show for you.” “Do you ever feel too young at work? Don’t watch this show.” “Oh shit, the pilot of The Great Indoors has a bear cub in it.”
Loosely Exactly Nicole
What’s it about?
Nicole Byer is a familiar face to those who watch MTV’s strangely addictive Girl Code, but she’s more talented than her sound bites (see Pursuit Of Sexiness, her webseries with Saturday Night Live’s Sasheer Zamata if you need evidence). Loosely Exactly Nicole is a semi-autobiographical sitcom, centering around Byer’s attempts to make it in Hollywood and find love, entirely buoyed by Byer’s onscreen affability. While the show has been criticized for having white showrunners, Nicole remains an excellent showcase for its unapologetic, watchable star.
Potential conversation starters
“You know her from Girl Code.”
Atlanta
What’s it about?
Donald Glover stars as Earnest “Earn” Marks, a young Atlanta resident who’s trying to make his way in the city’s hip-hop scene. After discovering his estranged cousin (Brian Tyree Henry) has become an underground sensation, Glover tries to get in on the action, offering his unproven skills as a manager. All this being said, Atlanta isn’t just another show about young dudes trying to make it in the oversized music industry. Glover has said that he hopes the show will show viewers “how it feels to be black,” and both the show’s visual aesthetic and cadence mark it as something entirely different than, say, Empire. Atlanta promises to be full of feeling and hard questions, reminding viewers that life—especially in the black community—isn’t always easy.
Potential conversation starters
“Just because Atlanta is being billed as a comedy doesn’t mean that that’s all it is. It’s funny, but it’s more than that.” “How real is too real on Atlanta?”
Better Things
What’s it about?
Better Things—not to be confused with Stranger Things—follows Sam Fox (Pamela Adlon), a single mother of three and a working actress. Sam’s days are filled with wrangling her brood, voice-over gigs, and auditions, where she loses out on parts thanks to Julie Bowen. Her eldest, Max (Mikey Madison), enjoys flaunting her disobedience, but also wants to share everything with her mom: sex, drugs, whatever. No conversation is off the table, much to the dismay of Sam. Frankie (Hannah Alligood), the middle child, quite possibly has obsessive-compulsive disorder, and Duke (Olivia Edward) is the needy youngster. As if that weren’t enough, Sam’s mom, Phyllis (Celia Imrie), lives across the street. The premise sounds like a sitcom, but the fact that Adlon is collaborating with Louis C.K., who she worked with on Louie, should clue you into the fact that Better Things is more interested in exploring the nuances of Sam’s exhausting life than zany scenarios.
Potential conversation starters
“Did you like Louie? This is sort of the female version of it.” “Ever wonder what the woman who voiced Spinelli in Recess is up to?” “Would Julie Bowen really beat out Constance Zimmer and Pamela Adlon for a part?”
Quarry
What’s it about?
Mac (Logan Marshall-Green) is a marine returning home to Memphis from Vietnam in 1972. But he doesn’t exactly get a hero’s welcome when he returns and is instead drawn back into a life of violence, except this time he’s on the Mississippi River, rather than the Mekong. Quarry creators Graham Gordy and Michael D. Fuller, both alumni of the gorgeous Rectify, cake the show in 1970s grime and give it a throwback feel to Southern-fried crime flicks of yore. They’ve got a lot of source material to draw from: Quarry is based on a series of books by Road To Perdition author Max Allan Collins.
Potential conversation starters
“What is Logan Marshall-Green’s mustache upkeep like?” “Why was everything so dark in the ’70s? Didn’t they have overhead lighting?”
The Legends Of Chamberlain Heights
What’s it about?
Jamal, Grover, and Milk are legends of the basketball court—in their overactive hoop dreams, at least. In reality, they’re benchwarmers for the Duncan Black Holes in this coming-of-age animated comedy from Bento Box Entertainment, the studio behind Bob’s Burgers. Advance word on the show promises something with a conscience in addition to a funny bone, and Comedy Central saw enough potential in Jamal, Grover, and Milk’s lack thereof to order a second season before the show even premiered.
Potential conversation starters
“Did you know that Quinn Hawking and Josiah Johnson had their own inauspicious runs with the UCLA basketball team?” “How often did you ride the bench in youth sports?” “It would not be the worst thing in the world if this turned out to be just like Unsupervised but with basketball.”
High Maintenance
What’s it about?
Ben Sinclair and Katja Blichfeld expand their successful webseries about a New York weed delivery guy (Sinclair) and the people he serves to a full half hour for its switch to HBO. Like the webseries, High Maintenance is less about pot and more about the people Sinclair’s character discovers in his travels from apartment to apartment, delivering fun, medicine, drugs, or all three depending on the perspective. The show benefits less from the longer run time (though it doesn’t feel bloated) and more from the higher budget, which allows Sinclair and Blichfeld to add a visual flair otherwise missing from the webseries.
Potential conversation starters
“Will High Maintenance lose what made it special with a longer running time?” “Along with Insecure, does this signal HBO’s interest in mining webseries?” “Do you want to get high?”
Van Helsing
What’s it about?
Vanessa Helsing (Kelly Overton) has a familiar name for a reason—she’s a descendant of the famous vampire hunter, which will come in pretty handy now that there’s been a vampire uprising. Luckily for Vanessa, part of her heritage gives her the ability to turn vampires back into humans. Unluckily for her, this makes her a prime target for all those vampires, none of whom are too thrilled with her talents. They do have some memories left from their lives as humans, though, which may cause some obstacles for her. Violence, vampires, and the playwright Neil LaBute: All your favorite things gathered together into one hour-long Syfy show!
Potential conversation starters
“I’ve always wondered what the guy who wrote Your Friends And Neighbors would have to say about vampires.” “I love Bram Stoker’s Dracula, but I want to learn more about the non-Dracula characters.” “You’re never going to guess how Neil LaBute chose to follow up that DirecTV show where Adam Brody and Lisa Joyce are step-siblings in love.”
Aftermath
What’s it about?
Make way for another postapocalyptic drama, people. This one stars Anne Heche and James Tupper (Revenge) as the parents of three kids, trying to keep their family safe in the wake of a cataclysmic end to civilization. Superstorms, earthquakes, meteor strikes, you name it, it probably helps destroy society on this show—even plagues. And all of that’s before the supernatural creatures start showing up, as though people didn’t have enough to worry about. Not much information is available yet, but two out of three of the family kids were on The Killing prior to this, so they know what it’s like to come back after everyone’s written you off for dead.
Potential conversation starters
“It’s about Anne Heche encountering otherworldly creatures, but this time, it’s in a fictional TV universe.” “Noah’s Ark: the sequel?”
Channel Zero
What’s it about?
Syfy has already ordered two rounds of this horror anthology series from Nick Antosca (Hannibal) and Max Landis (American Ultra and the new Dirk Gently series), the first being an adaptation of Kris Straub’s infamous internet “creepypasta,” Candle Cove. In it, troubled-child psychologist Paul Schneider sets out to investigate the mysterious and disturbing children’s program that appears to be connected to a series of child disappearances—and which may not have actually existed, even though numerous people remember it. Fiona Shaw plays Schneider’s mother, who’s none too eager to admit that she let an evil TV be her babysitter all those years ago.
Potential conversation starters
“Maybe this is what actually happened to Mark Brendanawicz.” “Can this possibly wig you out as much as it did when you unwisely read the story all alone in your house at 1 a.m.?” “Wait—you remember the Skin-Taker, too?”
Westworld
What’s it about?
HBO is pinning big hopes on this big-budget series adaptation of Michael Crichton’s 1973 sci-fi thriller about a futuristic pleasure park where guests can sex up or kill (or both) a Western town full of seemingly compliant robot folk. Fittingly, this 10-episode series underwent significant retooling on its way to the screen, though the outstanding cast is unlikely to go off book as the park’s robots inevitably do (including Ed Harris’ suitably steely and scary update of Yul Brynner’s Man In Black). On the human—or are they?—side, Anthony Hopkins and Jeffrey Wright are the brilliant, but not brilliant enough, Westworld owner and robot creator, respectively, and Jimmi Simpson is a reluctant tourist who first discovers that something may be up with those robots. Meanwhile, pleasure bots Evan Rachel Wood and Thandie Newton start to wonder, “Yeah, what is up with us robots?”
Potential conversation starters
“What could possibly go wrong?” “Is Jimmi Simpson the new Richard Benjamin?” “You see a tortoise on its back in the sun—do you help it?”
Divorce
What’s it about?
We don’t really need another show about the problems of suburban, upper-middle class white people, but there is reason to be optimistic about Divorce, which features Sarah Jessica Parker’s grand return to HBO, more than 10 years after Sex And The City came to an end. Divorce seems like a decidedly more cynical enterprise, which makes sense since it comes from Catastrophe’s Sharon Horgan, who knows how to wring laughs out of life’s most painful moments. It casts Parker as Frances, who decides to split up with her husband, Robert (Thomas Haden Church). Their Westchester County world is populated by friends played by Molly Shannon, Talia Balsam, and Tracy Letts.
Potential conversation starters
“Sarah Jessica Parker’s back on HBO. What would Carrie Bradshaw say?” “I hope this is as good as Catastrophe.” “Molly Shannon’s acting chops are underrated.”
Insecure
What’s it about?
Issa Rae translates her Awkward Black Girl YouTube run into an appealing HBO series. She plays Issa, a self-proclaimed “token” at a non-profit in her South L.A. neighborhood and wannabe rapper. Her half-hour comedy is a refreshing change to the neurotic L.A. sadcoms currently flooding the market, especially when Issa offers commentary about her apparently well-meaning but clueless coworkers, like the one who suggests that the neighborhood kids go clean up the neighborhood as a kind of “community service.” (Says Issa in an aside, “That is the whitest thing you have ever said!”) The series’ highlight is not Issa’s workplace or various dating relationships, however, but her relationship with Molly (Yvonne Orji), a volatile but uncommonly strong female friendship. The indefatigable Issa actually doesn’t seem insecure at all.
Potential conversation starters
“What would you perform at an open mic night?” “Did you know that not every single L.A. sitcom is set in Silver Lake?” “Would you ever wear dark green lipstick?”
Falling Water
What’s it about?
USA continues its reinvention as the place for daring, sci-fi-inflected programming with its most abstract story yet, albeit one that bears faint echoes of Netflix’s Sense8 in its “psychically connected strangers” premise. Tess (Lizzie Brocheré, fresh off FX’s The Strain) is a disheveled bohemian who also happens to be one of the best trendspotters that corporations can get their hands on—and is convinced she had a child, despite zero evidence. Burton (David Ajala) works for a multinational conglomerate in that shady designation known as a “fixer” and soon finds that his romantic interest has vanished from existence as well. The two are having unsettling dreams, and along with beleaguered cop Taka (Will Yun Lee)—who may experience the most disturbing dreams of all—the three soon discover an entire interconnected world of dreams and mystery below the surface of this one. It’s not exactly a one-sentence pitch, in other words.
Potential conversation starters
“Do you like shows in which you literally have no idea if the characters are dreaming or awake from one moment to the next?” “Does the idea of sharing dreams with strangers freak you out or intrigue you?” “Remember when USA in the ’00s was mostly, like, The Dead Zone? Good for them, right?”
Eyewitness
What’s it about?
On the flip side of USA’s recent rebranding effort is its yen for imported concepts with grit to spare: Following the telenovela adaptation Queen Of The South, Eyewitness brings the Norwegian drama Øyevitne to U.S. cable subscribers. When two teenagers (Tyler Young and James Paxton) witness a shooting, they struggle to keep the secrets of what they saw and why they were there to see it. Making matters more difficult is that one of the teens lives with the local sheriff (Julianne Nicholson) and her husband (Gil Bellows), whose own histories are complicated by self-destructive behavior and time spent on the homicide beat. Oh, and the shooter’s still out there somewhere, too.
Potential conversation starters
“How many secrets is too many secrets for a TV show to keep from its characters?” “How heinous would a crime have to be to get you to violate our country’s proud ‘stop snitching’ policies?” “Actually, this is pretty lighthearted as far as Scandinavian adaptations go.”
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
What’s it about?
The Beeb’s American cousin takes a run at Douglas Adams’ eccentric detective, with Samuel Barnett as Dirk Gently, a private eye whose methods seem to involve investigating anything but what he’s been hired to investigate. Elijah Wood brings his exasperated straight-man skills (honed on Wilfred) as Gently’s extremely reluctant sidekick on cases where “the interconnectedness of all things” means running around at seeming right angles to the matter at hand. After an entertaining but scattered 2012 version (which tossed out most of the more fanciful elements of Adams’ novels Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency and The Long, Dark Tea-Time Of The Soul), another go at the character is welcome—though the trailer seems to play up the more wisecracking, earthbound, and action-oriented aspects.
Potential conversation starters
“If there are no time-traveling monks or Norse gods, should I sit this one out?” “Just how Americanized are all these Americans going to make this quintessentially British story?” “Your ability to enjoy this exists in inverse proportion to how much of Max Landis’ Twitter feed you read, right?”
People Of Earth
What’s it about?
Down-to-earth journalist Ozzie Graham (Wyatt Cenac) is dismayed when he’s assigned to interview members of an alien-abductee support group. There’s Richard (Brian Huskey), who’s certain Reptilians are a significant and pressing threat; Kelly (Alice Wetterlund), who swears to have been taken by a 9-foot-tall Ryan Gosling-esque White; and Ennis (Daniel Stewart Sherman), who talks only of short, large-headed Greys. But after speaking with this group of eccentrics, and a long week of troubled dreams, Ozzie begins to wonder if there isn’t something to what they’ve been saying. Has he been spending too much time with his head in the stars, or are aliens truly among us?
Potential conversation starters
“What the show’s basically asking is, what if Fox Mulder was really, really tired?” “Let’s just say aliens are real. Who’d you rather be abducted by: Greys, Whites, or Reptilians?” “What’s the craziest dream you’ve had recently?”
Stan Against Evil
What’s it about?
When demons rise up in a tiny New Hampshire town perhaps foolishly built on a witch’s graveyard, it’s up to a crusty, recently fired sheriff (John C. McGinley) to join forces with his no-nonsense successor (Janet Varney) and clean up the place. The show is created by Dana Gould, who cites both his love of writing The Simpsons’ “Treehouse Of Horror” episodes and of horror comedies like Evil Dead II as inspirations for the gory comedy shenanigans. And if you’re going to cast your very own wisecracking, boorishly bumbling demon-killer, you could do a lot worse than the ever-entertaining McGinley, especially since Bruce Campbell’s back doing his own thing on Starz’s Ash Vs. Evil Dead.
Potential conversation starters
“So, McGinley’s picturing Zach Braff when he swings that shovel, right?” “Can anyone, even McGinley, out-Bruce Campbell Bruce Campbell?” “Boom stick or shovel? Discuss.”
Search Party
What’s it about?
Like most comedies, Search Party begins in a darkened forest, where people holding flashlights and lanterns call out the name of a missing woman: “Chantal! Chantal!” The show sets itself up with a tricky tonal balance, chronicling a group of self-involved New Yorkers (led by Alia Shawkat) who are unexpectedly sucked into the mystery of a vanished college classmate. Shawkat’s character, Dory, wasn’t particularly close to Chantal, but she drags her friends (John Early and Meredith Hagner), current boyfriend (John Reynolds), and ex-boyfriend (Brandon Micheal Hall) into the search, setting stakes for a week-long first-season run that are considerably higher than that one time Hannah accidentally smoked crack on Girls.
Potential conversation starters
“When was the last time you heard from your college roommate?” “If Michael Showalter’s working on this show, will there be a climactic montage set to ‘Higher And Higher’?” “It’s okay if Search Party makes you laugh, right?”
Incorporated
What’s it about?
Brought into existence by the producing team of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (with whom Syfy is presumably very happy to be in business), Incorporated leaps almost 60 years into the future for its dystopian tale of capitalism run amok. After devastating climate change, nations have crumbled, and corporations have risen to take their places, with almost unlimited power. The world is divided between upper class “green zones” and tenement-style “red zones,” and corporate climber Ben Larson (Sean Teale, looking like the offspring of John Stamos and Adrian Grenier) is determined to manipulate his way to the top. But it’s soon revealed all is not as it seems: Ben is hiding an elusive past while searching for an equally mysterious woman. A combination of adventurous near-future espionage and almostBrazil-esque world-building (that becomes worryingly less satirical with each passing year), Incorporated looks to check all the boxes for strong science fiction. Also, Dennis Haysbert plays against type as a menacing figure of violence.
Potential conversation starters
“The idea of a combination of Caprica and Brazil is pretty appealing, no?” “How soon do you think Google cars are just going to drive us everywhere?” “Do you think Matt Damon shows up on set a lot, just to be, like, a cool guy?” “So, the usurpation of popular sovereignty by corporate control—are you pro or con?”
One Mississippi
What’s it about?
Tig Notaro’s been very candid about her grief over her mother’s death in 2012, as well as the health problems that nearly claimed her own life (during the same period) in her stand-up comedy as well as a recent memoir. Although Notaro’s Amazon series remains semi-autobiographical, it’s not so straightforward in its storytelling. There are surreal and even whimsical touches, as Notaro finds herself reluctant to leave her hometown after her world is made smaller by her mother’s death. It’s more a dark comedy than it is a family drama, but it still packs an emotional punch.
Potential conversation starters
“What would your last words to your mother be?” “So that’s what a death rattle sounds like.”
Fleabag
What’s it about?
Creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge stars as the fourth-wall-breaking Fleabag, a role she first played on stage. This struggling café owner is blasé about her sexual encounters, rude, and not above a little light thievery. She seems to relish awkward moments—or at least generates a lot of them. Case in point: Her dorky on-and-off boyfriend (Hugh Skinner) gets fed up when he catches her masturbating to Barack Obama as she lies in bed next to him. She relishes torturing her uptight sister (Sian Clifford) and her passive-aggressive stepmother (Olivia Colman). What makes Fleabag special is that it’s not just about its heroine’s exploits—there’s a recent tragedy that keeps clawing its way back into her thoughts—the show is also a trenchant exploration of grief that only gets more heartbreaking the more you watch.
Potential conversation starters
“It’s just as funny as You’re The Worst and also just as depressing.” “Do you need something to hold you over until Catastrophe comes back?” “What’s the state of the female antihero in Britain?”
Easy
What’s it about?
The director of Hannah Takes The Stairs and Drinking Buddies reunites with his most persistent muse—Chicago—for an eight-episode anthology about Windy City residents navigating “the modern maze of love, sex, technology and culture.” Those residents are represented by some top-flight talent, including past Swanberg collaborators (Jake Johnson, Jane Adams), acclaimed comedians (Marc Maron, Hannibal Buress), people you’ve loved in other things (Gugu Mbatha-Raw from Beyond The Lights, Aya Cash from You’re The Worst), and people you’d recognize from magazine covers (Malin Akerman, Orlando Bloom, Emily Ratajkowski, Dave Franco). Most impressively, he got all of the Easy talent into the city without the public knowing they were making a Netflix show.
Potential conversation starters
“What’s the next American metropolis to have its personal and romantic foibles depicted in a half-hour series?” “Well, Swanberg’s known for his improvisational techniques, so this ‘conversation starter’ is really more of a guideline.” “So, that Orlando Bloom paddle-boarding photo, huh?”
Marvel’s Luke Cage
What’s it about?
As with all its Marvel properties, Netflix is keeping Luke Cage under bulletproof wraps until right before its release, but the trailer gives us some clues as to what to expect. Finally revealing the mysterious origins of the Jessica Jones bar owner’s powers, the series finds him reluctant to step up and use those abilities, until something changes—though what that is, we can’t yet say. We do know the series takes place in Harlem, with Cage going up against crime lords, and that series creator Cheo Hodari Coker has said Luke Cage will deal heavily with issues of race, as he hopes to make it “Marvel’s version of The Wire.” Rosario Dawson’s Claire pops up as well—at this point, she’s the closest thing to glue holding the Netflix corner of the MCU together. It also earns points for “Most Badass-Looking New Show,” due in large part to Colter’s effortless charisma, not to mention the great soundtrack peppering the background.
Potential conversation starters
“How long do you think Netflix can keep up this level of quality in its Marvel shows?” “What would the odds be on a Luke Cage and Daredevil fight?” “Is it even possible for Alfre Woodard to turn in a bad performance?”
Crisis In Six Scenes
What’s it about?
Amazon has been cagey about the details surrounding their Woody Allen show. The first teaser introduced Allen as Sidney Munsinger, a neurotic-seeming (shocking, we know) author. Entertainment Weekly has since revealed some more plot point about the ’60s-set series. Allen’s character is married to Elaine May’s, and these two older suburbanites are playing hosts to a young conservative couple (John Magaro and Rachel Brosnahan). Miley Cyrus shatters everyone’s worldviews—though not our notions of typecasting—as a hippie.
Potential conversation starters
“You may feel morally bankrupt watching it, but Woody Allen made a show for Amazon.” “Okay, so Miley Cyrus has proved she can really sing, but can she really act?” “How does Miley justify working with both Woody and Terry Richardson?” “Elaine May is still a genius, though.”
Goliath
What’s it about?
Billy Bob Thornton stars as the redemption-hungry hero of David E. Kelley’s latest legal drama, a show that might as well have saved itself some time and called itself Bad Lawyer instead. Or maybe Sad Lawyer, since Thornton’s disgraced legal hot shot spends most of his time moping about, barely mustering up the sleazy charisma to bed his clients and trade drunken banter with the various women who complicate his life. Those include a rebellious daughter (Diana Hopper); the ex-wife (Maria Bello) who still works for the prestigious, supervillain-esque law firm that booted him out; and the fellow ambulance chaser (Nina Arianda) who offers him a chance to get his revenge. Thornton seems to wake up a little once it’s time to schmooze witnesses and dodge intimidation attempts from his former partner (William Hurt, managing to ooze some menace despite being saddled with a deeply annoying affectation or two), but if Kelley’s trying to tell a classic David vs. Goliath story here, he should have encouraged his star to take his acting inspiration from the young, agile stone thrower, not the rock he used to smash the giant in the head.
Potential conversation starters
“Hey, what if Better Call Saul wasn’t nearly as visually stimulating?” “Ever wonder what the Ally McBeal guy has been up to lately?” “Would you ask Tom Petty about this run-of-the-mill, cranky white dude show?”
Haters Back Off
What’s it about?
Miranda Sings (Colleen Ballinger) has been a character in search of a sitcom since 2008: Ballinger’s unashamedly untalented alter ego has all the catchphrases, unfashionable wardrobe pieces, characteristic vocal tics, and unearned confidence of a born Steve Urkel. Only Urkel rose from a one-off Family Matters appearance, whereas Miranda has amassed an online cult via live shows, a book, and more than a billion YouTube views. These roads all led to Haters Back Off, which gives Miranda an origin story and a family of single-camera veterans: her mom, Bethany, played by Angela Kinsey, and Steve Little in the role of Miranda’s uncle, Jim. Showrunners Perry Rein and Gigi McCreery got their start on Friends, but it’s the more recent Disney and Nickelodeon shows on their résumés—including the Selena Gomez launching pad Wizards Of Waverly Place—that’ll be most relevant to Miranda’s millennial fan base.
Potential conversation starters
For anyone under the age of 18: “What’s the most Miranda Sings videos you’ve watched in a day?” For anyone over the age of 18: “What’s the most of a single Miranda Sings video you’ve been able to watch before that voice drove you crazy?” “This is what you get for not watching The Grinder: Steve Little playing a YouTuber’s uncle.” “If Paul Reubens had been born 30 years later, is this how we’d be introduced to Pee-wee Herman?”
Chance
What’s it about?
Hugh Laurie is back on call in this Hulu drama from Kem Nunn (John From Cincinnati) and Alexandra Cunningham (Aquarius). Laurie assumes another titular role as Dr. Eldon Chance, a forensic psychiatrist who’s reeling from a divorce and his newfound weekend dad duties. Gretchen Mol plays the troubled, alluring patient who compels Chance to violate his code of ethics, but he soon has even bigger problems when her abusive husband starts stalking them both. Some of the characterization recalls House, especially the good doctor’s insistence on solving the mysteries. But Laurie’s performance here is more readily vulnerable, even if he’s just as knowledgeable. Hulu gave Chance a two-season order right out of the gate, so the streaming platform doesn’t consider it much of a gamble.
Potential conversation starters
“How will the intimate, interior style of Room director Lenny Abrahamson mesh with Nunn’s gritty material?” “If Nunn’s adapting his own work, maybe BoJack Horseman’s third season won’t feature 2016’s only John From Cincinnati callback.”
Good Girls Revolt
What’s it about?
It’s 1969 and the protocol at News Of The Week magazine is set: Men are reporters who get their name in print. Women are researchers who do the bulk of the work but receive no credit for it. But the times they are a-changin’ for researchers like Patti (Genevieve Angelson), Jane (Anna Camp), and Cindy (Erin Darke). Inspired by a ballsy new hire named Nora Ephron (Grace Gummer), these put-upon women start tentatively pushing back against the sexist status quo, even if they don’t quite have the terminology for their burgeoning feminist revolution. Naturally, their bosses (Jim Belushi) and co-workers/boyfriends (Hunter Parrish) aren’t too happy about the shift, forcing the women to choose whether they want to fit in or fight back. Based on a real-life discrimination lawsuit brought by 46 women against Newsweek in 1970, Good Girls Revolt combines the retro glamour of Mad Men with an exploration of feminism that feels—unfortunately—very of-the-moment.
Potential conversation starters
“Wow, can you believe how much things have changed since the ’60s?” “Wow, can you believe how little things have changed since the ’60s?”
The Crown
What’s it about?
Peter Morgan writes impeccably crafted fan fiction—historical dramas, if you’re being polite—about the British monarchy. As a follow-up to The Queen (the movie that won Helen Mirren an Oscar) and The Audience (the play that won Helen Mirren a Tony), Morgan brings us The Crown. Each season of the series will cover a decade in the life of Queen Elizabeth II, presumably getting to the point where Helen Mirren can play her once again and win an Emmy. But that will take a while: The first round of episodes opens with the marriage of the monarch (Claire Foy), not yet queen, to Philip (Matt Smith). Although her father, King George VI (Jared Harris), still reigns, the seeds of transition are afoot. George’s health is waning, and Prime Minister Winston Churchill (John Lithgow), newly reelected, is one of the few that understands the gravity of the situation. As Elizabeth becomes more aware that she’ll soon assume the crown, Philip’s resentment begins to grow. It’s all high, yet reserved, drama, and beautiful costumes. What’s not to like?
Potential conversation starters
“But, like, should Britain maybe abolish the monarchy?” “You can argue that Elizabeth II is a feminist icon, if you want.” “Better random butt cameo: Matt Smith or Milo Ventimiglia?”
Shut Eye
What’s it about?
TV crime families have organized behind a handful of colorful fronts: The Sopranos had Barone Sanitation and the Crazy Horse, The Simpsons has the Legitimate Businessman’s Social Club. Shut Eye introduces sham psychics into the mix, through a chain of Los Angeles fortune-tellers overseen by Charlie Haverford (Jeffrey Donovan). Like any mook worthy of being at the center of such a tale, Charlie’s starting to have reservations about his line of work , which are echoed by his wife, Linda (KaDee Strickland). Charlie has a startling revelation following an encounter with a dissatisfied customer, but is it enough to make him change his ways? And when the thrall of those ways is cast by Isabella Rossellini (as the matriarch of the phony-clairvoyant ring, Rita), is that even possible?
Potential conversation starters
“Do you believe in psychics?” “In the event Charlie employs any actual psychics, won’t they be able to rat him out?” “You know, when you’ve shut your third eye, you’ve still got two perfectly good ones.”
Captive
What’s it about?
Netflix looks to once again capture that holiday zeitgeist with another documentary series about horrific crime—only this time, it’s not a single crime in Wisconsin, it’s a whole series of them. Captive is a docuseries that investigates cases of hostage-taking, with each episode focusing on a different case. It then proceeds to look at the event from a variety of perspectives, including those of the victims, families, negotiators, and even the hostage-takers themselves. As previously reported, details are scarce, but if it’s even halfway as compelling as Making A Murderer, Netflix probably has another watercooler hit on its hands. And given that the series promises to reveal never-before-seen footage of some of the most astounding hostage situations in recent history, we’ll likely all be tied to our screens.
Potential conversation starters
“Is it in bad taste to make puns about being held hostage by a show about people being held hostage?” “How much better do you think this will be than normal true-crime shows, on a scale from ‘much better’ to ‘do you even have to ask’?” “Thank God this drops a few days earlier in December than Making A Murderer did, because my relatives were pissed about me sitting in front of the TV all Christmas long.”
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