The first two networks revealing their plans for the fall 2016 share an autumnal austerity. NBC, like Fox, is unveiling markedly few new for series this fall. Three, to be exact…
But that’s because NBC expects to be strong in the fall thanks to its massively popular prime-time football franchise, and doesn’t have that many holes to fill. Midseason offerings will include Great News, a new TV comedy about TV from Tina Fey and company; a prequel to the Taken movie franchise (with a younger actor replacing Liam Neeson; and Emerald City, a new approach to The Wizard of Oz, starring Vincent D’Onofrio as the title character.
But for fall?
As with Fox, two dramas, one comedy.
The first drama is Timeless, from Shawn Ryan of The Shield and Eric Kripke of Revolution, about a time-traveling trio who try to follow and thwart a time-traveling criminal intent on changing history. It sounds like the Harlan Ellison episode of Star Trek, its first impression is of a beautifully photographed Stargate variant, and it looks something like this:
Then there’s This Is Us, a much less high-concept series idea, from Dan Fogelman of Galavant, about people whose lives intertwine. You’ll see a face or two that you like – Mandy Moore, Gerald McRaney – but even this brief teaser clip tells you much more about the opening-show plot than you probably want to know.
That warning aside, here’s a first taste of that one:
And finally, there’s the comedy: The Good Place, from Michael Schur of Parks and Recreation, starring Kristen Bell as a woman entering the afterlife with a spotty record, and Ted Danson as her afterlife mentor. It looks weird, that’s for sure – but it also looks like enough fun so you understand why both Bell and Danson signed aboard. Especially with her inability to swear…
What’s that look like? This, for starters: