New shows for fall

So here we are with a new season fully under way. What are your favorite new shows? Here are a few that made my list.

A Million Little Things - Right now, I think this is my favorite new show. This is about a group of friends who are suddenly having to deal with the suicide of the guy who was the rock of their group. They are struggling to find out why he committed suicide. Some are feeling guilty that they may have contributed to the reasons he did it and most are upset that as close as they were, no one knew he was even thinking about it. The relationships are complicated and realistic. I'm already invested in their stories. 

The Rookie - NATHAN FILLION! Need I say more? Actually, I would be the first to say if I were disappointed in the show. This is an interesting concept based on a true story. Nathan is the oldest rookie (John Nolan) but we are also introduced to other rookies and their training officers. There are a lot of different personalities. Nolan's superiors are concerned about his age getting in the way. He's trying very hard but still has a lot to learn. I like this ensemble cast. So far I have only seen one episode, but I'm already hoping this gets a full season order.

God Friended Me - Brandon Hall stars as a young man (Miles Finer) trying to launch a podcast. His father is a pastor but Miles is an atheist. Then he gets a friend request (Facebook) from God. He tries to ignore it but it is insistent so he finally accepts it. Then God starts suggesting friends and again is very insistent. Miles discovers that the friends that are suggested need help and Miles (with God's help) is able to make a huge difference in their lives. Miles doesn't believe for a moment that the God account is real and he and his friends are actively trying to figure out who is behind it. I really enjoy this show. Brandon as Miles is extremely likable and has a good heart. I want to see more of his journey.

Magnum PI - I don't think it measures up to the original Magnum, but they have a fresh take on it. They didn't try to duplicate Tom Selleck but got a charming, handsome guy in Jay Hernandez. Higgins is now female. I like her but feel like she was drawn into Magnum's circle a little too quickly. Magnum and Higgins contentious relationship was a backbone of the show. I think they should have preserved more of it. However I really like the new Higgins and of course they can work a 'will they'/'won't they' angle if they want. I like this enough to keep watching it.

Manifest - This was interesting. A plane runs into a storm and when it lands, 5 years have gone by on earth. Everyone thought they were dead and moved on with their lives. In one case, a twin is now 5 years older than the other! Relationships are more complicated than normal and apparently some of the people from the plane are experiencing some mysterious after effects. I'm always leary about these kind of shows. You get drawn into the mystery then the show gets cancelled and you never find out what was really going on and feel like you just wasted your time. I only watched the 1st episode but have others on the DVR and will probably get around to them.

The Neighborhood - I notoriously don't like most sitcoms because they are just stupid. We watched a couple episodes of this and are still tuning in. A white family moves into a black neighborhood. The white husband is just trying too hard to make friends with his black neighbor who doesn't really want a white friend. Of course the wives bond right away and enjoy laughing at their husbands. It's kind of a cute show.

I watched New Amsterdam as well. I was turned off by the new medical director acting so irresponsibly by firing a whole department without speaking to any of them and having no backup plan and shutting down the waiting room because people will be looked at immediately. I'm not buying it. At the same time he is ignoring his own medical condition and ignoring his pregnant wife. I've only seen one episode, but my husband seems to like it so we will watch more. Maybe it will change my mind as the story develops.

I was told I needed to watch The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon. I finally got around to it a couple of days ago and so far I've seen 5 or 6 episodes. I love it! There is so much dialogue. I didn't think writers knew how to write comedy any more without smashing someone's face into a window or having smart-alecky kids make inappropriate adult comments. The writing is so smart. The star is amazing. I see why it won so many Emmys. It's based in the late 50s or early 60s and is so realistic. It also has a lot of good songs. Is anyone else watching it? What do you think of it?

My biggest guilty pleasure of the year is the Masked Singer! I thought it would probably be dumb, but after watching the first one I was hooked! Pigtails  There were football players, comedians, talk show hosts, and professional singers. Even people whose voices I grew up listening to I couldn't recognize. Face Palm There were amazing costumes and so many amazing performances. My son was able to guess the winner, but I didn't even know who it was once his identity was revealed. The nice plus was this was something my son and I could enjoy together.

I like your assessments.

I’ve only seen part of the pilot of Evil. I was leery because I’m not a fan of scary shows, although I found George, the demon, more amusing than scary. As a general skeptic who likes to keep an open mind, I’m drawn to this concept. Also, I’m a fan of Mike Colter, who plays David. I was able to interview him a couple of times when he was on The Good Wife and he came across as intelligent, talented, and just plain nice. All things considered I’ll probably watch the first few episodes and see if the show is more intriguing than scary.

I completely agree with you about Bluff City Law. I like Jimmy Smits but this has a been there/done that kind of vibe and there just aren’t enough spare hours in the day to get me to keep watching.

I plan to check Stumptown for Cobie Smulders but haven’t gotten around to it yet and I doubt I’ll have the time to watch Prodigal Son.

I saw the premiere of All Rise and it was better than I expected. It’s a little idealistic but I liked the characters and the stories. I won’t call it must see as of yet, but it was definitely enjoyable.

I don’t generally watch too many comedies. (Modern Family, Young Sheldon, and The Conners are about it.) So I doubt I’ll check out Carol’s 2nd Act but I might take a look at The Unicorn. I’ve always liked Walton Goggins and this is a very different role for him.

I was recently on a plane and caught the premiere of Perfect Harmony with Bradley Whitford. The commercials didn’t sell me but I found the pilot episode sweet, charming, and funny. I’m actually looking forward to seeing more.

So out of this crop of 2019-20 TV shows the only ones I stuck with were Prodigal Son and Carol's Second Act. I just watched the season finale of Prodigal Son. It was SHOCKING! Is anyone else watching this show?? If so what did you think?

Another shocking season finale occurred in The Good Doctor. It might even affect if I continue watching.

We just started watching the new show The Baker and the Beauty. A regular guy (the baker) runs into a high profile star and they hit it off. We've seen 2 episodes and really enjoy it so far. We really like the cast. 

Anybody got any recommendations for new shows?

We watched the Good Wife from the start and really enjoyed it. There are so few shows that we both really like now.

I only watched the original Star Trek and never got into any of the other versions.