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Want to know what to watch this fall? Here’s a sneak peek: "Last Resort," "Nashville," "Elementary," "Partners," "Revolution," "The Mindy Project" and "Arrow."
As the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour gets under way in Los Angeles, network executives and producers will tell us that every single one of their new shows is great. Most of the time, they’ll be, um, exaggerating.
But there are a handful of new series that show great promise. We’re not supposed to review them yet — they’re still works in progress — but networks tend not to mind if you say good things about their shows.
Here are some good first impressions from watching lots and lots of pilots:
"Arrow" (The CW) • This show that’s based on the comic-book character Green Arrow didn’t come close to blowing me away, but it was better than I expected.
"Elementary" (CBS) • As a Sherlock Holmes fan, I was beyond skeptical. But this is a decent present-day crime drama — albeit one that really has nothing to do with Sherlock.
"Last Resort" (ABC) • This drama about a U.S. Navy sub that goes rogue after being given orders to fire nukes at Pakistan knocked me for a loop — in a good way. Some of the events in the pilot made my jaw drop. The pilot is great.
"The Mindy Project" (Fox) • This sitcom has a singular point of view — that of creator/producer/writer/star Mindy Kaling ("The Office"). She stars as a doctor whose personal life is filled with single-woman drama. And the pilot is hilarious.
"Nashville" (ABC) • This is "Dallas" meets "All About Eve" — a prime-time soap about a young country-music star and an older country-music star. Looks like fun.
"Partners" (CBS) • This sitcom from the creators of "Will & Grace" is about two best friends — one straight, one gay. I laughed out loud. A lot
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"Revolution" (NBC) • The concept of this drama grabs you right away. Something happens to shut off all electricity and technology around the globe. When the narrative picks up 15 years later, it’s a very different world — and the show has an almost "Walking Dead" feel to it. (There are NO zombies, however.)
Keep in mind:
• I’ve seen only one episode of each of these shows, and those episodes may be tweaked — or even replaced — before they air.
• In the case of several of these shows, I can’t even begin to guess where they’re going after the pilots. (Particularly "Last Resort" and "Revolution.")
• These shows caught my eye, but other shows not on the list aren’t necessarily bad.
There are reasons to feel encouraged about the fall TV season. Looks like some good shows are headed our way.
Scott D. Pierce covers television for The Salt Lake Tribune. Email him at spierce@sltrib.com; follow him on Twitter @ScottDPierce.
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