Commentary

Critic's Notebook: The New TV Season Is Off To An Okay Start


The new "traditional" television season (if such a thing truly exists anymore) is off to a relatively slow start, with fiery political debates, scrappy news analysis, thrilling baseball games (OMG! Let's Go Mets!) and a tantalizing preview of an upcoming new series atop the short list of attention-getters.

Oh, and let's include the start of season 50 for "Saturday Night Live." There have only been two telecasts so far, and in both the extended cold openings have been better than anything that followed.

It's almost as if Maya Rudolph (as Kamala Harris), Andy Samberg (as Douglas Emhoff), Dana Carvey (as Joe Biden) and Jim Gaffigan (as Tim Walz) -- not one of whom is a member of the current official cast -- are starring in a little show of their own.  They have brought so much comic energy to their performances that it has been downhill after the opening credits.

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It seems to me that NBC could do worse than to produce a prime-time telecast or two with this outstanding guest cast, along with "SNL" regulars Bowen Yang (as JD Vance) and James Austin Johnson (as Donald Trump).  Tis the season, after all.

Meanwhile, early episodes of two of my scripted favorites -- "9-1-1" on ABC and "9-1-1 Lone Star" on Fox -- have been reliably action-packed and entertaining.

I wish ABC would rescue the latter, as they are equally well done, and they belong on the same network. They both come from Ryan Murphy's ever-expanding production empire, home of what has arguably been the most talked-about program of recent weeks, "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story," over on Netflix.

There are two bona fide breakout stars from this controversial hit -- Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle Menendez and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez -- and interestingly, one of them (Chavez) is fresh off ABC's remaining daytime drama, "General Hospital," where his portrayal of conflicted youth Spencer Cassadine earned him two Emmy nominations and one win.

Once again, I can't help but wonder why the broadcast networks never viewed their daily soap operas as invaluable incubators for primetime talent.  Soap opera success stories like that of Chavez have always seemed to be happy accidents rather than the result of careful career development.  And they often come with a ready-made loyal audience.

If I had to choose one broadcast series right now that I am excited to watch every week, while it is on, it would be ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." Why? Because even when it is not particularly well cast (the jury is still out on its current season) it is always excitingly well-produced.

For many years I have thought of "DWTS" as one of -- if not the most -- dazzling and dynamic prime-time variety series in the history of television. But also, unlike other powerhouse competition series including NBC's "The Voice" and "America's Got Talent" and ABC's "American Idol," it is live right from its first episode.

The scheduling is smart as well. It launches in the fall, concludes during the holidays, and then goes away until the following September. It leaves us wanting more and makes us wait approximately eight months to get it.

There is nothing quite like live television to generate an instant level of engagement with viewers. As I have said before, and will continue to emphasize, I think it fosters the kind of societal connectivity rarely experienced anymore in series programming.

As an instant shared experience, it brings people together in the best way, even when they are watching alone or apart from others.

And it is even better when it is appointment television, as "DWTS" is today.  Such programming just isn't the same when it is watched a day or more later on a streaming service.  

    

     

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