All through ‘upfronts’ week, TMINE will be revealing the new shows that are going to be hitting US TV screens from September 2019
It’s that time of year again – the ‘upfronts’. What’s that, I hear you ask?
What are the upfronts, TMINE?
It’s when all the US networks reveal to advertisers the new shows that are going to be hitting the TV screens some time from September 2019 through to nowish 2020. However, this isn’t the same as the international screenings, where buyers from TV networks around the world turn up to see what they’d like to acquire, so we won’t know what will be heading our way for quite some time.
This weekend, US TV networks killed off a whole bunch of existing shows (prompting howls of protest from their fans) and are about to commission a whole bunch of new shows (prompting howls of ‘you cancelled x for this rubbish?’ from said-same fans).
3. ABC’s upfronts
NBC and Fox have come and gone – now it’s the turn of ABC. ‘The alphabet network’ traditionally ends each year’s schedules with mass cancellations of all its new shows from the previous year, pick-ups of numerous identikit replacements of dubious quality and continuing renewals of its tired out regulars.
Last year, we got:
- A Million Little Things (renewed)
- The Fix (cancelled)
- Grand Hotel (will air next month)
- Reef Break (will air next month)
- The Kids Are Alright (cancelled)
- Whiskey Cavalier (cancelled)
- The Rookie (renewed)
- Single Parents (renewed)
- Schooled (renewed)
Which is actually better than both NBC and Fox in terms of longevity and a lot better than ABC has done for the past few years. As a result, for a change, ABC isn’t actually commissioning that many new shows. Just three for the Fall:
- Emergence
- Mixed-ish
- Stumptown
And for mid-season:
- The Baker and the Beauty
- For Life
- United We Fall
Can you spot the spin-off and the identikit replacement of dubious quality?
Still, want to know more and exactly when these (and the surviving old shows) will be airing? And do you want to get TMINE’s hottest of hot first takes? Follow me after the jump if at least one of those things interests you…
Coming in the Autumn…
Emergence
This character-driven genre thriller centres on police chief Allison Tolman who takes in a young child whom she finds near the site of a mysterious accident but who has no memory of what has happened. The investigation draws her into a conspiracy larger than she ever imagined, and the child’s identity is at the centre of it all. Co-star Donald Faison.
Time slot: 10 pm Tuesdays
TMINE’s hottest of hot takes: This year’s ‘protect the kid with special powers’ show (cf Believe, The Passage and Touch). Yawn.
Mixed-ish
The Black-ish prequel spinoff revolves around a young version of Tracee Ellis Ross’ Rainbow Johnson (played by Arica Himmell) and is set in the 1980s as her parents move from a hippie commune to the suburbs. The single-camera comedy, written by Kenya Barris and Peter Saji, explores issues the mixed-race family faces.
Time slot: 9pm Tuesdays
TMINE’s hottest of hot takes: It’ll probably be both very relevant and good, judging by both black-ish and grown-ish, and it’s got a decent cast. But I’m getting a bit tired of 80s-set shows plus I never stuck with its predecessors, so I can’t see myself adding it to the regulars list.
Stumptown
Based on Greg Rucka’s comic of the same name, this sees Cobie Smulders playing Dex Parios, a strong, assertive and sharp-witted army veteran with a complicated love life, a gambling debt and a brother (Cole Sibus) to take care of in Portland. Her military intelligence skills make her a great PI, but her unapologetic style puts her in the firing line of hardcore criminals and not quite in alliance with the police.
Time slot: 10pm Wednesdays
TMINE’s hottest of hot takes: It’s Greg Rucka and Cobie Smulders. Are you mad? Of course I’m watching. But seems a bit like the last Jack Reacher movie, don’t you think?
Mid-season shows
The Baker and the Beauty
Set in Miami, the Notting Hill-esque drama based on Israeli series The Beauty and the Baker tells the story of the unlikely romance between a blue-collar baker (Victor Rasuk) and an international superstar (Nathalie Kelley).
For Life
Nicholas Pinnock stars in this prisoner-turned-lawyer serialised legal and family drama, which see Pinnock strive to get his life back while exposing the flaws in the penal and legal systems. Indira Varma, Joy Bryant and Mary Stuart Masterson co-star.
United We Fall
Christina Vidal stars opposite Willo Sasso as a married couple hailing from two different backgrounds. Co-stars Jane Curtin.
