Fall pilot season is upon us, and this year the networks are throwing out shows at full force. Follow me as I review my way through prime-time television’s fall churn-fest.
“The Flash”
Who could manage to make a show about the world’s fastest man feel so slow? Only the Comic-Wrecker (CW). This is no “Smallville,” although it has a similar low-budget feel and the reused motion blur from that hit ten season show.
Also seemingly reused from other superhero media is Grant Gustin, who bears a striking resemblance to the puppy-dog mug of Andrew Garfield. There are almost scene-for-scene takes where Barry Gordon, as the Flash, looks longingly to his love interest from afar that caught me scanning in-frame for a balding Jamie Foxx. Unfortunately not carried over was “Spiderman’s” quality of writing. The puns based off of superhero lore seem forced and the acting is as bland as only CW acting can be.
Flashback scenes that should be the source of intense emotion were washed out in both picture quality and acting prowess. When the detective’s partner dies, he lets out a muffled “hang in there” and the scene cuts immediately back to boring, still powerless Barry. No one begs for the partner to live, and no one mourns. I doubt anyone will grieve if this gets canceled mid-season.
“Selfie”
Eliza Dooley is insta-famous. She has, by her own account, 237,000 conglomerated Facebook friends, Twitter followers and “insta-acquaintances.” But she has no social skills. When an airline mishap nets her bad online rep, she turns to an introverted and social-media-despising PR whiz, Henry, for a publicity makeover. He tries to teach her basic manners and compassion, and she tries to make her way through the pilot episode without spewing internet acronyms and #trendy references.
The writing is at times cringe-inducingly try-hard and I don’t really know which demographic it’s trying to cater to: older viewers won’t understand the lingo or pop culture drops and teens and young adults will probably find the references dated. In one quick monologue, Eliza, says “epic fail” and makes an explicit “let it go” “Frozen” reference. It reads like the writers went through last year’s Twitter for keywords and wrote jokes around the resulting #trending stew.
However, Karen Gillan’s self-aware delivery manages to save a lot of these awful jokes and John Cho as Henry gives a punchy counterbalance to the show’s social media myopia. Although slightly preachy, the theme is something we can all get behind. Selflessness makes for better people than selfies.
“Black-ish”
“Black-ish” may not be the next “The Fresh Prince,” but it has potential to be the “Modern Family” of black-white issues. “Black-ish” plays it edgier and more “modern” than “The Cosby Show” could ever have hoped. “Jesus Walks,” by Kanye West, plays over the opening scene in which Andre, our racially conflicted black father, wakes up to peruse his hype-beast shoe collection.
At his predominantly white advertising agency, he is dismayingly given the position “Head of the Urban Division” and his boss asks him to “put your swag into” his first presentation. Andre’s father, played by Laurence Fishburne, criticizes his son for being the white man’s puppet. Andre in turn makes fun of his son for trying out for the school’s field hockey team and wanting a bar mitzvah for his 13th birthday party.
In the end, he finds a balance between the encroaching white culture of suburban LA and keeping it real by throwing his son a “bro mitzvah” with rap music and red Adidas track suits. I came into “Black-ish” skeptical, but this atheist turned into a believer.