Sunday is Funday in Mid Season

So, as always – I’ve been watching the latest crop of new shows and much to my surprise – they’re pretty good.

The Last Man On Earth (Sunday 9:30pm FOX)

Will Forte stars as Phil Miller, a man who wakes up in 2022 after a cataclysm on Earth to find he is the only survivor – that he knows of. So what does he do? ROAD TRIP. He hops in an RV and starts travelling North America in search of other survivors.

I watched this trailer after the May Upfronts last year, and while I absolutely adore Forte there was lingering doubts in my mind. How could they keep this going? Was he really going to be the only person in this show? Was this just going to be a bunch of Castaway jokes strung together over the course of several episodes?

Well, I watched  and it damn near blew me away. Forte is fantastic! And yes, he does end up meeting at least one other person, Kristen Schall as Carol, on his journeys and a new dynamic duo is born.

There’s a great silent film era quality about this show, seeing Forte’s Miller crash into shops, pilcher priceless items, and then ultimately destroying them just because he can is highly amusing but as the show carries on could prove to get old very quickly.

FOX aired two episodes back to back last Sunday, and both were as entertaining as you could have hoped for. I still have a few of my initial doubts though, that will only be answered as the series carries on.

All in all though, this is a bit of fun. Will audiences stick with it? It’s yet to be determined, but enough did tune in last Sunday to garner some stellar premiere night ratings.

If you’re in two minds about watching this show, all I will say is – give it a chance. I have no idea where it’s going, or why Phil and Carol managed to survive whatever virus killed off the rest of the human race, but I’m sure it’ll be a fun show to watch unravel.

My Prediciton: With it’s great ratings this show will definately see out it’s initial order, and will more than likely get a second season pick up. I just hope they keep the episode orders down to keep the novelty alive.

Secrets and Lie (Sundays 9pm ABC)

Ryan Phillipe stars at Ben Crawford in this remake of the Australian series of the same name. While out for a run Crawford comes across the dead body of a neighbor’s child (I know what you’re thinking- enough with the dead kid shows already), but as Detective Cornell (Juliette Lewis) starts digging deeper into the case Ben becomes a suspect and the secrets of the small town start coming to light.

Right. As I said in the synopsis above I’m sick of the dead kid shows  (Hello, Broadchurch, Gracepoint….) so I wasn’t really all that into watching this show. But I did. And I’m rather glad I did. It’s very compelling, and Phillipe and cast do a brilliant job of bringing this sordid town to life.

I have yet to see the Australian version of this show, but do know that it’s the same people behind this adaptation – and that’s fine. Much like I said about The Last Man on Earth though, this show is really worth watching but has the chance of getting old REALLY quickly. ABC has already bumped up the episodes from 6 (which the Austrailian version aired) to 10. Again, fine. We have more time to fill on the US TV market I suppose, but those additional episodes COULD be it’s downfall. Much like here in the UK, the Austrailians do short seasons, and it works. You can tell a compelling story in half the time and then move on before the premise gets old.

The questions remain what will they do by episode 10. Will we find out the truth? Or will ABC try and string it along for further seasons if they feel the need? Who knows.

I would recommend this show, mostly off the fact that it’s really well done – and does keep you hooked (for now), but don’t shoot the messenger if this all goes to pot soon.

My Prediction: It’s not had the best ratings start, but neither did Gracepoint, so I reckon we’ll get to see the full 10 season run in one way or another provided this week’s ratings don’t take a massive nose dive into the toilet.

Battle Creek (Sunday 10pm CBS)

Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters star in Vince Gilligan’s long lost cop show as mismatched partners in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Not going to lie, my biggest reason for watching this show was because Vince was attached. This show was actually written ten years ago, and thanks to the success of Breaking Bad has only just seen the light of day.

For those that read this blog a lot, all three of you, you’ll know that I’m a hard person to get into a drama. Especially a cop drama. I tend to find they’re all the same. There’s a bad guy, the cops go after him. They catch him eventually. The end. Next episode. Battle Creek is pretty much that, your typical procedural drama – but like most procedurals, it is entertaining. If you’re familiar with any of Gilligan’s X-Files episodes you’ll know he’s got an off kilter sense of humor, and that does shine through on Battle Creek. Is it enough though? Not really, in my opinion. If you like crime dramas, you’ll be on board. If you’re like me and can do with out them, you won’t be sold.

Battle Creek isn’t a terrible show by any means, it’s just your run of the mill drama with a great show runner attached, and a great leading man in Winters. So take that for what you will.

My Predicition: CBS has ordered 13 episodes of this show, all of which are guaranteed to air. However, despite Gilligan’s name – it premiered to average ratings, so unless CBS are in dire straits to fill drama hours, I think 13 will be the end for Battle Creek.

So that’s my Sunday Funday round up. Hope you’re finding these reviews handy, or at least somewhat entertaining.

Will you be watching any of the above shows, let me know in the comments!