The TVaholic Previews..‪.‬ Jason the TVaholic

On this episode we are previewing Hulu’s new psychological thriller, Chance. It stars Hugh Laurie (House), Gretchen Mol (Boardwalk Empire), Paul Adelstein (Private Practice), LisaGay Hamilton (The Practice), Ethan Suplee (My Name Is Earl), Diane Farr (Numb3rs) and Stefania LaVie Owen (The Carrie Diaries).

Chance is based on the novel of the same name by Kem Nunn, which is a psychological thriller that focuses on a San Francisco-based forensic neuropsychiatrist who slowly gets sucked into a violent and dangerous world of mistaken identity, police corruption and mental illness. He makes the decision to help an alluring patient who seemingly is struggling with a multiple personality disorder and that puts him in the crosshairs of her abusive spouse, who is also police detective. Things begin to spiral has he also deals with his impending divorce and teenage daughter.

This is a slow mover, but it draws you in quickly. The opening vignettes of past patients really get you into the headspace of Dr. Chance and why he might be end up on the path he ends up on. From top to bottom the cast is great and are all doing good work, but I really like seeing Adelstein as a menacing police detective. I mean, I don’t like the character, but after seeing him in more sarcastic jokey roles recently, it fun watching him return to something more like his Kellerman character from Prison Break. I’ve only seen the first two episodes, but there are some tense scenes with him and Laurie and I can only imagine it gets more so given where things seem to be heading. I look forward to watching the rest and seeing where the mysteries that have arisen thus far go.

Watch the Trailer for Chance



Does Hulu’s Chance sound like something you’ll want to plan on watching when it premieres Wednesday, October 19th?

Listen and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @theTVaholic.

On this episode we are previewing USA Network’s new anthology crime series, Eyewitness. It stars Julianne Nicholson (Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Gil Bellows (Ally McBeal), Tyler Young (The Avatars), James Paxton (Texas Rising miniseries), Warren Christie (Alphas), Matt Murray (Rookie Blue), and Tattiawna Jones (Flashpoint).

Eyewitness is a 10-episode anthology series based on a Norwegian crime thriller. It follows two teenage boys that witness a triple-homicide. They decide not to tell anyone, since one doesn’t want anyone to know what they were doing there. Yet, it looks like someone walked away from the massacre and they are looking to silence anyone that may have seen them. Meanwhile, the sheriff begins investigating, but finds she keeps bumping up against an FBI case that is connected.

While I haven’t watched a lot of Norwegian TV, or any at all really, this did remind me of some of the British cop dramas I have liked, like Broadchurch. It has a similar feel in its pacing, how it is shot and how the story unfolds. The cinematography is excellent, as it really gives you a sense of place. The cast for the most part is really good. I’ve always liked Nicholson and continue to here, as she and Bellows play well off of each other, as does she and Murray, she and Young, and she and Jones. But, not everything is good though. Paxton’s Lukas falls into the annoying teenager category and some side characters are kind of over-the-top. Overall it’s very good, unlike USA Network’s other recent offering, Falling Water, I was in after the first episode. But, watched two more before doing this preview and I look forward to checking out the remaining seven. I also like that given it’s an anthology, we are going to get resolution to the story. And, if it does well, we could get another season that would follow another case, set in another place, with a new eyewitness. And, even if it were to fall off a cliff in the second season like HBO’s True Detective, we’ll still have what looks to be an excellent first season that can stand on its own.

Watch the Trailer for Eyewitness



Does USA Network’s Eyewitness sound like something you’ll want to watch when it premieres Sunday, October 16th?

Listen and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @theTVaholic.

On this episode we are previewing USA Network’s new psychological thriller, Falling Water. It stars David Ajala (Black Box), Lizzie Borchere (Versailles), Will Yun Lee (Strike Back), Zak Orth (Revolution), Kai Lennox (The Unusuals), and Anna Wood (Reckless).

Falling Water is an intersection between reality and unconscious thought. It plays off the idea of that many have wondered of whether the events in our dreams are trying to tell us something? Here we follow the story of three unrelated people, who slowly realize that they are dreaming separate parts of a single common dream. Each is on a quest for something that can only be found in their subconscious. However, the more they begin to use the dream world as a tool to advance their quests, the more they realize that their visions are trying to tell them something more, and that their real lives may hang in the balance.

I was very interested in this one going in, given USA Network’s new direction with shows like Mr. Robot. So much so, that I stood in line, outside, for almost an hour at San Diego Comic-Con to watch the premiere episode, “Don’t Tell Bill,” with about a 1000 others. The vast majority of which were interested in seeing it as well, as the room had mostly emptied out from the previous panel and did so again after this was over. I was hoping it would give me some questions to ask the executive producers in the pressroom, but it only left me confused. Seems I was not the only one, as the episode received a tepid response with a smattering of courteous applause followed by a pretty quiet exit from the audience. This is not the response you get from something that has engrossed the crowd. And not the response you want from a group of people that are more likely than the average TV fan to like this type of show. After listening to the producers talk about the premise and how they are not trying to trick you. That they have provided the cues to help you learn the language of the show, so you will be able to follow what is a dream and what is reality. It made me feel like I had missed something, cause I got lost halfway through and having subsequently watched the second episode, don’t feel I am much better off. The premise is very interesting and there are some really good performances, I could watch Brochere all day long. I do sort of have a feel after two episodes, as to what each is looking for and how things might connect in the future, but not sure I will continue on with this one. It may be trying to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Robot, but I think it stumbles out of the gate. There is being confusingly intriguing and then there is this, which is confusingly not.

Watch the Trailer for Falling Water



Does USA Network’s Falling Water sound like something you’ll want to pick up when it premieres Thursday, October 13th? Or, you can watch the Falling Water premiere online now and see for yourself.

Listen and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @theTVaholic.

On this episode we are previewing ABC’s family comedy, American Housewife. It stars Katy Mixon (Mike & Molly), Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Shows), Meg Donnelly (Team Toon), Daniel DiMaggio (Supergirl), Julia Butters (Transparent), Carly Hughes, and Ali Wong (Black Box).

American Housewife is family comedy narrated by a strong-willed and unapologetic wife and mother of three raising her flawed family in the wealthy town of Westport, CT that is seemingly filled with perfect moms and their perfect offspring.

Was very interested in this one going in, with Mixon and Bader in the leads and Leslie Bibb (Popular) in a recurring role. I’ve liked them all in previous things and ABC has been on quite a hot streak in the family comedy category with the very funny Speechless joining the ABC lineup this year and recent funny additions like black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat and The Goldbergs and now long running stalwarts The Middle and Modern Family. But, this one just missed the mark. Unlike Speechless that finds its humor around a differently-abled child, not at his expense. This one feels more like it is making fun of one of the kids’ difficulties and the incessant fat talk is just too much. Especially, since she isn’t anywhere close to being “fat.” Whether coming from Mixon’s character or those around her, much of the comedy felt kind of mean-spirited to me. Also, the narration sort of works for an introduction, but I think it will get old fast, especially if it is a major part of the show going forward. I wish I could’ve seen more, as comedy is hard and many take a few episodes to find their way. But, as of now this one just didn’t work for me. But, you can always watch the superior Speechless.

Watch the Trailer for American Housewife



Does ABC’s American Housewife sound like something you’ll be watching when it premieres Tuesday, October 11th following The Middle and before Fresh Off the Boat?

Listen and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @theTVaholic.

On this episode we are previewing Hulu’s new teen horror drama Freakish. It stars Leo Howard (Kickin’ It), Liza Koshy (Tyler Perry’s Boo: A Madea Halloween movie), Adam Hicks (Zeke and Luther), Aislinn Paul (Degrassi: The Next Generation), Tyler Chase (The Walking Dead), Meghan Rienks (AwesomenessTV), Melvin Gregg (Class), Chachi Gonzales (East Los High), Mary Mouser (Body of Proof), and Chad L. Coleman (The Walking Dead).

Freakish is about a group of high school students, some there for Saturday detention, practices and other school activities, and the basketball coach that get trapped inside the school after the alarm sounds because something may have gone wrong at the town’s chemical plant. They retreat inside to the old fallout shelter. Yet, it turns out not to be a drill, as the town looks to be decimated and a toxic cloud is surrounding the area. They can’t seem to contact anyone outside the school and see no signs of life out the front door of the school.

I am not much of a horror fan, but I really liked Freakish. I’ve seen the first four episodes and while it has some gory moments, it’s really not about that. It’s a survival story, where you have to band together with those you don’t like or agree with to figure out how to stay alive in an extreme situation. It has the feel of those types of horror/zombie movies, where a group gets trapped in a grocery store or mall. Or, in this case a school, with something potentially nefarious and deadly outside trying to get in, but mixed with high school drama. The cast is mostly newcomers to me, as Chad L. Coleman and Mary Mouser were the only ones I recognized from their previous work. But, they are mostly doing solid work here. I like the setup and some of the twists that come up and that you don’t know the what, who or why that caused this. It creates and keeps a spooky vibe and as being dropped at the perfect time leading up to Halloween. I look forward to watching the remaining six episodes.

Watch the Trailer for Freakish



Does Hulu’s Freakish sound like something you’ll binge when it premieres Monday, October 10th with all 10 episodes?

Listen and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @theTVaholic.

On this episode we are previewing The CW’s new mystery drama Frequency. It stars Peyton List (The Tomorrow People), Riley Smith (The Messengers), Mekhi Phifer (ER), Devin Kelley (Resurrection), Lenny Jacobson (Nurse Jackie), Daniel Bonjour (The Walking Dead) and Anthony Ruivivar (Third Watch).

Frequency, which creates a new story with the same core concept of communicating through time as the film, follows Det. Raimy Sullivan. She has sort of followed in her father’s footsteps, while trying to prove that she is nothing like him. As the story goes, 20 years ago, her father left her and her mother to go deep undercover, where he went bad and ultimately ended up dead. She can barely bring herself to talk about him with her boyfriend or even her closest friend from childhood. But, as you might expect, that might not be what really happened.

In the present after a storm she is somehow able to talk to her father back in 1996, through his old and long-broken ham radio. After some confusion Raimy tells him what happened to him and he uses that knowledge survive the night he was killed. But, changing the past ends up changing the present in big ways. Separated in time by two decades, they try to use this ability to fix things without hurting those around them.

I really liked the pilot and how they set up the story, especially showing that there are real consequences to making changes to the past. I like that it has a different spin on the time travel than the many other shows in the genre these days. That being that no one is actually traveling back in time, but that you can communicate with someone. The cast is good, I’ve always liked List in her previous shows and Smith is really good as well. The surrounding cast works well, even if the aging up/down of some characters so the same actor can play them in both time periods doesn’t always work so well. There is lots of mystery to solve, even though we as the audience know some of it already. I think this is an interesting framework to tell stories within and that they can go a lot of places with it. I mean, how with this all affect her, if they make too many changes and she can remember all of them? I like the hybrid nature of the show, being a serialized procedural. You are probably going to get her solving crimes while continuing to investigate the ongoing stories of the big serial killer case they setup and stuff surrounding her father. I look forward to watching more, which will have me watching nine of The CW’s 10 shows airing this fall.

Watch the Trailer for Frequency



Does The CW’s Frequency sound like something you’ll be tuning to when it premieres Wednesday, October 5th after Arrow?

Listen and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @theTVaholic.

Update 9.29.2016: I also talked about Frequency with @DocBrown_TV and @IAmPollyP on The CW Fall TV Preview 2016 episode of the TV times Three Podcast.