Fall Preview Week: CBS

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Surprisingly, CBS isn’t content to live off of shows that screw up our perceptions of Naval Intelligence and crime labs, or on two sitcoms, one of which will have replace a sex-crazed, party-happy egotist with a new actor character. This year is offering 6 new shows. While there are no clips (at least at Entertainment Weekly, there are new trailers and better show description than the peacock network. So let’s see what the big eye will be filling our eyes with.

UNFORGETTABLE stars Poppy Montgomery as Carrie Wells, an enigmatic former police detective with a rare condition that makes her memory so flawless that every place, every conversation, every moment of joy and every heartbreak is forever embedded in her mind.  It’s not just that she doesn’t forget anything – she can’t; except for one thing: the details that would help solve her sister’s long-ago murder. Carrie has tried to put her past behind her, but she’s unexpectedly reunited with her ex-boyfriend and partner, NYPD Detective Al Burns (Dylan Walsh), when she consults on a homicide case.  His squad includes Det. Mike Costello (Michael Gaston), Al’s right-hand man; Detective Roe Saunders (Kevin Rankin), the junior member of the team; and Detective Nina Inara (Daya Vaidya), a sassy, street-smart cop.  Being back on the job after a break feels surprisingly right for Carrie.  Despite her conflicted feelings for Al, she decides to permanently join his unit as a detective solving homicides – most notably, the unsolved murder of her sister.  All she needs to do is remember.

A few questions come to mind, the main one being should we be making a drinking game out of cop shows with a gimmick this fall? NBC alone will make it inadvisable to drive. Another is will solving her sister’s murder be a series arc (which means it may never end or have a crap payoff) or a season arc (which would allow the character to grow once it’s put to rest). It seems like another Medium spin, and this is the network that did with it what NBC didn’t–continue it for another season or two.

PERSON OF INTEREST stars Jim Caviezel, Emmy Award winner Michael Emerson and Academy Award nominee Taraji P. Henson in a crime thriller about a presumed dead former-CIA agent who teams up with a mysterious billionaire to prevent violent crimes by using their own brand of vigilante justice.  Reese’s (Caviezel) special training in covert operations appeals to Finch (Emerson), a software genius who invented a program that uses pattern recognition to identify people about to be involved in violent crimes. Using state-of-the-art surveillance technology, the two work outside of the law using Reese’s adept skills and Finch’s unlimited wealth to unravel the mystery of the person of interest and stop the crime before it happens.  Reese’s actions catch the attention of the NYPD, including homicide detective Carter (Henson), and Fusco (Kevin Chapman), a cop who Reese uses to his advantage. With infinite crimes to investigate, Reese and Finch find that the right person, with the right information, at the right time, can change everything.  Emmy Award winners J.J. Abrams and Bryan Burk (“Lost”), Academy Award nominee Jonathan Nolan (“Memento”), David Semel (“Heroes”) and Greg Plageman (“Cold Case”) are the executive producers for Warner Bros. Television.

So take Numbers (which CBS just canceled), throw in a pinch of The Cape (sadly only the part about someone presumed dead who fights crime from the underground) plus a hint of Dexter (straight up killing evil guys), and you get a show by the guys who make Lost and Heroes. Make of that what you will but I’m underwhelmed. Even “Jesus” may not help this show.

A GIFTED MAN is a drama about a brilliant, charismatic surgeon whose life changes forever when his deceased ex-wife begins teaching him the meaning of life from the “hereafter.”  Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) is an exceptional doctor who lives a materialistic life of luxury thanks to his work-obsessed career and powerful and wealthy patients; however, Michael’s ordered world is rocked when his ex-wife, Anna (Jennifer Ehle), an idealistic free-clinic doctor and the love of his life, mysteriously appears to him.  Michael’s off-beat sister, Christina (Julie Benz), a single mom to her teenaged son, Milo (Liam Aiken), is thrilled that Anna’s back in her brother’s life, even as an “illusion,” because Michael was always a better person with her.  Curious about Michael’s sudden change in behavior is his efficient assistant, Rita (Margo Martindale).  When Anna asks Michael to go to her clinic to help keep it running, he meets Autumn (Afton Williamson), a volunteer carrying on Anna’s work with the underprivileged.  Touched by those in need and accepting of Anna’s compassionate “presence,” Michael’s attitude toward serving the rich and poor is turned upside down, and he begins to see that there’s room in his life for everyone.

This sounds more like a movie than a TV series, but unlike The River I get the impression that this is a series. Not really sure what to make of it, which I’m beginning to notice is a theme in this list.

2 BROKE GIRLS is a comedy about two young women waitressing at a greasy spoon diner who strike up an unlikely friendship in the hopes of launching a successful business – if only they can raise the cash.  Sassy, streetwise Max (Kat Dennings) works two jobs just to get by, one of which is waiting tables during the night shift at the retro-hip Williamsburg Diner.  Sophisticated Caroline (Beth Behrs) is an uptown trust fund princess who’s having a run of bad luck that forces her to reluctantly give waitressing a shot.  At first, Max sees Caroline as yet another in a long line of inept servers she must cover for, but she’s surprised to find that Caroline has as much substance as she does style.  When Caroline discovers Max’s knack for baking amazing cupcakes, she sees a lucrative future for them, but they first need to raise the start-up money.  While they save their tips, they’ll stay at the restaurant, working with Oleg (Jonathan Kite), an overly flirtatious Russian cook; Earl (Garrett Morris), a 75-year-old kool-kat cashier; and Han Lee (Matthew Moy), the new, eager-to-please owner of the diner.  Working together, these two broke girls living in one expensive city might just find the perfect recipe for their big break.

In the preview trailer one of the people compared this show to Laverne & Shirley, although The Odd Couple seems more appropriate. One of the producers, Whitney Cummings, is the star of the Whitney sitcom I praised yesterday, so it may turn out better than it looks (provided her own show turns out as good as it looks). However, the theme continues.

HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN, inspired by the book of the same name, is a comedy about the unlikely friendship between a traditional, refined writer and an unrefined personal trainer.  Andrew Carlson (David Hornsby) is an etiquette columnist whose devotion to ideals from a more civilized time has lead to a life detached from modern society.  Infectiously optimistic, Bert Lansing (Kevin Dillon) is a reformed “bad boy” from Andrew’s past who inherited a fitness center, but can still be rude, loud and sloppy.  When Andrew’s editor, Jerry (Dave Foley), tells him to put a modern, sexy twist on his column or be fired, he hires Bert as a life coach in the hopes of learning to be less “gentle man” and more “real man.”  Andrew’s mom, Diane (Nancy Lenehan), and his bossy sister, Janet (Mary Lynn Rajskub), support the plan, as would Janet’s husband, Mike (Rhys Darby), if he was allowed to have an opinion.  Though Andrew and Bert’s views may be centuries apart, they may find they’re each other’s missing link.

I saw the preview and thought of Two & A Half Men without the kid and the #$@tch ex-wife replaced with a #$@tch sister. Plus gentleman bad, macho BS man good. Why not throw in a sensitive metrosexual and make the crap complete? Pass! Hey, I finally have an opinion on one of these!

There was another show, The 2-2, which outside of having Robert DeNiro’s name, just sounds like show about police rookies and didn’t impress me at all. Sadly, this seems to be the way it is at CBS. None of the new shows make me want to watch them, and one just sounds like it’s going to fail. On the upside, this is the first list that didn’t present the “piss me off” option, so that’s something. Tomorrow we’ll tear apart Fox’s offerings and see if anything there looks good.

Check out the other two channels

• Fall Preview Week: ABC
  
• Fall Preview Week: NBC