2017 is the worst fall TV season in recent memory

Vox ^ | September 11, 2017 | Todd VanDerWerff

[EdnaMode]

This is the worst fall for new TV shows in the decade I’ve been a professional TV critic. And it’s hard to find one much worse in all the years I’ve been cognizant of “new fall TV” as a concept, since the late ’80s.

The comedies didn’t make me laugh. The dramas made me roll my eyes. Even with the boom in platforms making new TV, there’s but one show I’d recommend wholeheartedly and a smattering of others that made me say, “There could be something there if they work out the kinks.” The vast, vast majority of the new shows — whether on broadcast or cable or streaming — are just plain bad.

Now, to be sure, there are some heavily anticipated shows I have yet to see. Star Trek: Discovery, for instance, hasn’t sent out screeners to critics. (That CBS All Access is playing so coy with the show isn’t a great sign, but with a major project like this, it’s entirely possible the post-production process is taking longer than usual.) But I’ve still seen the vast majority of new series — and they’re bad.

So when people ask me what new shows they should watch, it takes but a few seconds to say, “Hey, The Deuce is good!” But if they’re not fans of David Simon or James Franco, or if they don’t have HBO, well … ABC’s The Mayor is pretty charming. Fox’s Ghosted has a good enough cast that I guess it should pull itself together eventually. CBS’s S.W.A.T. is certainly ambitious for a remake of an old TV show, even if it’s not all there yet…

[mad_as_he$$]

TLS was good the first season and ok the second season. So far the third season sucks IMHO.

[Political Junkie Too]

This is actually the fourth season. Last season was about a coup d'etat of the United States government led by Elizabeth Rohm.

I told friends that the Achilles heal of this show is that it is limited to coastal locations; they can't do heartland where a destroyer can't go.

The seasons are only 10 episodes long, so they do have to jump right into the action. This season, the story is that the virus has mutated and is now killing the plant life. However, the early episodes are dealing with intrigue instead of warship action.

So far...

-PJ

[angcat]

I love that show but recently was turned off by the actor that plays Hamlin, I can't think of his first name. He put a anti Trump picture on his Instagram. That is the end of Better Call Saul for me. I also called him an asshole. Another untalented Hollywood loser.

[MayflowerMadam]

If you think the actor playing Howard Hamlin is bad, have you seen Bob Odenkirk’s anti-Trump freak-out(s)?

[mad_as_he$$]

Of course you are right - it is season four. I guess season three was only notable in my mind because Tex bought it.

Oh and don’t get me going on the “science” around a virus that mutates from animals to plant.

[wbill]

Yeah, I enjoyed Hill Street Blues, but it wasn't much of a comedy. It's aged well, better than "Miami Vice" which was the next hot cop show.

Never got into "St Elsewhere".

[wbill]

Re: "Alice". I used to watch it too, in reruns, a million years ago. It, "One Day at a Time", and "Three's Company" were on back-to-back after school IIRC.

I tripped over "Alice" just recently while insomniac surfing on late-night TV.

You're right, it's completely unwatchable. The characters that I vaguely remembered as humorous? Yep, not funny. Vic Tayback did an ok job of playing himself, though.

"Three's Company" reruns are on fairly often. I surf through them; they're pretty much unwatchable as well.

[Captain Peter Blood]

Let me make a suggestion on that, there is a book I have that came out in 1979 called “The Complete Directory to Prime Time TV Shows from 1946 to the Present”. There are lots of editions to the book, it’s by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh.

Get a copy of the book, any edition will be fine, and you will find a great list of TV shows and I will bet you and your Dad can find some he will like and most of the old ones will be on YouTube.

I am 62 and I almost would rather watch TV shows I grew up, they are really better than the offering today. Let me know how that goes.

Here is a link to Amazon so you can see what I am talking about: https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Directory-Prime-Network-1946-Present/dp/0345497732/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1505232589&sr=1-1&keywords=tim+brooks

[T-Bone Texan]

Nothing can ever top “Looking” for overt pro gay sex, with explicit conversations about being penetrated during the anal sex act.

I saw it for 2 minutes and was appalled.

[T-Bone Texan]

Real People had a host, Kip something, and he wore a skirt on one segment and for a brief split second his penis was visible.

But I will never forget the Yogi Kudu, the guy who could fold himself into a Lucite box about 1.5’ by 1.5’.

Later, they had him on do repeat the act and they put him and the box at the bottom of a swimming pool for several minutes. I thought that was cool.

[OttawaFreeper]

That I believe was actually Skip Stephenson. His was a bit of a sad story as he was looked upon as a possible successor to Johnny Carson as host of the Tonight Show. Unfortunately, he had some very serious problems with alcohol and cocaine addiction and that most likely cost him the above and other things regarding his career as a comedian. Believe he passed away in 1992 from a heart attack.

I can remember watching the one featuring a man who toilet trained his cat and that had me as a kid continuing to laugh about it even at the meal table (earning a rebuke from my parents, lol).

[OttawaFreeper]

Ernie Kovacs. One of many heartbreaking stories about how networks took untold hours of priceless film cans and videotapes of TV shows produced from the 1950s through the early to mid 1970s and either taped over them or all in out chucked them into landfills or New York Bay. There should still be outstanding arrest warrants for the persons who were involved in that.

[morphing libertarian]

I like this site
http://www.metacritic.com/feature/tv-premiere-dates

[T-Bone Texan]

Yes, Skip Stephenson! His is a sad story.

They seemed to have fun on that show.

Wait: brain epiphany: “Omnibus” with Bill Moyers. It was bad. I was 12, but I was still able to sniff out shitty leftist propaganda.

[Defiant]

Any of these shows that we like are probably 90% libtard. If we filter that out, we’d have nothing to watch.

[ladyjane]

You’re right. We have nothing to watch. Haven’t turned the tv on in a couple of years.

Why reward them? Their message is toxic. Let them starve with now audience.

[angcat]

Yes so true.

[Disestablishmentarian]

A few years ago I binge-watched “Have Gun Will Travel” (greatest TV western!)

A number of episodes (guessing: 10-15) credited the writing to Gene Roddenberry.

He had the same funky/moralistic style.

Paladin (the “Knight without armor in a savage land”) was James Bond cool before Sean Connery came along.