Thursday night heroes

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/09/2015 (3380 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Day 5 of our Fall TV Preview features a show that will be huge news for a certain segment of the TV audience, and a complete non-event for the rest. Heroes Reborn, which restarts NBC’s cult-hit 2006-10 series with a new set of specially talented outsiders living in a much more dangerous world.

And speaking of special talents, how about an angelic presence with hellishly bad manners? It’s like Sue Sylvester died and went to… wherever.

 

NBC, Global / Sept. 24 / 7 p.m.

HEROES REBORN

Starring: Jack Coleman, Ryan Guzman, Zachary Levi, Robbie Kay, Danika Yarosh, Henry Zebrowski, Kiki Sukezane

Premise: A 13-episode “event series” that revives the Heroes (2006-10) franchise with a storyline set one year after a terrorist attack that made “Evos” — people with extraordinary abilities — the target of vengeance-fuelled violence.

Lowdown: Like the series that inspired it, Heroes Reborn is a complex yarn set in multiple locations and focused on a large roster of characters with unique powers and problems. The two-hour pilot is necessarily jammed with character introductions and storyline establishment, but it moves smartly and some of the “powers” subplots feature very cool effects.

Bottom line: Despite the enthusiastic support of its small but rabid following, the original Heroes never mustered the ratings clout to justify a long TV run; maybe this limited-series format will prove to be the franchise’s saviour.

 

NBC / Sept. 24 / 9 p.m.

THE PLAYER

Starring: Philip Winchester, Wesley Snipes, Charity Wakefield, Damon Gupton

Premise: A former special-forces operative, now working as a security expert in Las Vegas, is drawn into a secret world of high-stakes gambling where ultra-wealthy individuals bet on the outcome of life-or-death criminal investigations.

Lowdown: This heightened-reality drama from the producers of The Blacklist travels a familiar path — trying to solve crimes before they happen, as in Person of Interest and fellow rookie arrival Minority Report — but adds Vegas-style wagering to sweeten the pot. The show’s Sin City setting adds an element of flash, and Snipes really gets into his role as the secret game’s pit boss. The overall impression though is of a drama that’s a bit too out-there to be accepted by a large audience.

Bottom line: Don’t bet on it.

 

CBC / Oct. 1 / 9 p.m.

FIRST HAND

Premise: A new series from CBC’s digital-productions unit that showcases the work of some of Canada’s most talented documentary filmmakers.

Lowdown: In its call for submissions, CBC asked filmmakers to submit pitches focused on issues of social relevance, unexplored aspects of Canadian life, exposing injustice in order to prompt social change and providing access to previously unexplored places and people.

Bottom line: Further solidifies CBC’s Thursday-night schedule as a home for non-fiction programming.

 

— CBS, Global / Nov. 5 / 8:30 p.m.

ANGEL FROM HELL

Starring: Jane Lynch, Maggie Lawson, Kevin Pollak, Kyle Bornheimer

Premise: A brash, colourful and possibly homeless woman insinuates her way into a young doctor’s life, claiming to be her guardian angel — which she just might turn out to be.

Lowdown: If you were a big fan of Lynch’s over-the-top antics as Glee’s Sue Sylvester, but always wished she could be a bit more inappropriate and a bit less mean, this might be the show for you. Otherwise, its fantastical premise is clumsily introduced and unamusingly explained in a pilot episode that seems illogical even for a wildly fanciful tale. The important foundation-setting reveal at the episode’s end is presented in the most obvious way possible, and it’s sure to leave viewers wondering where the heck this thing goes from there.

Bottom line: Not a snowball’s chance in…

 

RETURNING SHOWS:

Saving Hope (Sept. 24, CTV)

Grey’s Anatomy (Sept. 24, ABC/CTV)

Scandal (Sept. 24, ABC)

How to Get Away with Murder (Sept. 24, ABC/CTV)

The Nature of Things (Oct. 1, CBC)

Bones (Oct. 1, Fox)

The Blacklist (Oct. 1, NBC)

Sleepy Hollow (Oct. 1, Fox)

The Vampire Diaries (Oct. 8, CW)

The Originals (Oct. 8, CW)

Mr. D (Nov. 5, Citytv)

Mom (Nov. 5, CBS/Citytv)

The Mindy Project (Nov. 5, Citytv)

Elementary (Nov. 5, CBS/Global)

brad.oswald@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @BradOswald