Here Are The New Network Shows For Next Season

Who’s in it? Kennedy McMann, Scott Wolf, Leah Lewis, Maddison Jaizani, Tunji Kasim, Alex Saxon, Alvina August

Who's making it? Noga Landau, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage (pictured above), Melinda Hsu Taylor, Lis Rowinski, Larry Teng

What's it about? Nancy Drew (McMann) is about to leave for college when a "family tragedy" forces her to become enmeshed in "a ghostly murder investigation." You know, as always happens to Nancy Drew. This project has been attempted a few times in recent years, but I guess the CW is happy with this one.

First impression based on the trailer: I don't know, guys: This show looks like a real mishmash. Is it really necessary to introduce a supernatural element to Nancy Drew? And does this show's aesthetics have to look exactly like Riverdale? I'm hoping for the best, because I would love a good Nancy Drew in my life, but, as I said: I don't know, guys.

Who’s in it? Ruby Rose, Dougray Scott, Meagan Tandy, Elizabeth Anweis, Nicole Kang, Camrus Johnson, Rachel Skarsten

Who's making it? Caroline Dries, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Geoff Johns, David Nutter, Marcos Siega

What's it about? Rose plays Kate Kane, lesbian superhero of Gotham, and Bruce Wayne's cousin. Audiences first saw Rose's Batwoman in the CW's annual Arrowverse crossover, during which Deadline wrote that her "dark charisma and calculating gaze make her pitch-perfect as a believable relative of the obsessive Batman." The character is the first openly LGBT lead in any DC or Marvel movie or TV adaptation. She is being played by a queer actor. And that is something to celebrate, and not have this bullshit backlash happen again!

First impression based on the trailer: As with all of the Berlanti superhero shows, Batwoman looks great, and seems to know what the world is already. Will Rose be dynamic enough for this show to revolve around, and make it fun and exciting and smart? I hope so. There's a high bar for superheroes these days, since there are so many of them. This trailer got an enthusiastic reaction at the CW upfront, and I felt excited about it myself. I'm rooting for this one.

Who’s in it? Lucy Hale, Ashleigh Murray, Julia Chan, Jonny Beauchamp

Who's making it? Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Michael Grassi, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Jon Goldwater, Maggie Kiley

What's it about? Another Riverdale spinoff! If you watch that show — and I am hostage to it myself — you have seen that Josie (Murray) will soon be leaving Riverdale permanently to pursue her singing career. She heads to New York apparently, where she'll meet Katy Keene (Hale), an aspiring designer; the socialite Pepper Smith (Chan); and Jorge Lopez (Beauchamp), a Broadway aspirant and drag queen.

First impression based on the trailer: There was an actual trailer shown at the upfront that gave more of a sense of what the show will be like. I did laugh at the number of times it showed Lucy Hale walking with the three other women characters, because it seemed to be designed to evoke Pretty Little Liars. (You can see it once in the teaser below.) This show looks less like a Riverdale spinoff than Nancy Drew does! Which is a compliment.

Who’s in it? Billy Gardell, Folake Olowofoyeku, Christine Ebersole, Matt Jones, Maribeth Monroe, Shola Adewusi, Barry Shabaka Henley, Travis Wolfe Jr.

Who's making it? Chuck Lorre, Eddie Gorodetsky, Al Higgins, Gina Yashere

What's it about? After having a heart attack, a white, middle-aged businessman from Detroit falls in love with his nurse, who is from Nigeria. I find this premise possibly interesting, but I do worry! Let's see how it unfolds. And it's a multi-camera. Oh, and this show has a "heart" emoji in its official title, but I couldn't get that to work, so...just picture it.

First impression based on the trailer: What a strange-seeming show. The two leads — Gardell of Mike & Molly and newcomer Olowofoyeku — have zero chemistry, which is sort of the point. And by the third time he comes to see her after he's out of the hospital, I wondered whether she should get a restraining order, possibly. Is there a sweetness to this show, and will it seem like less of a stretch in the pilot? Also, are there black people and first-generation immigrants on the writing staff? There really should be.

Who’s in it? Simone Missick, Wilson Bethel, Jessica Camacho, Marg Helgenberger, J. Alex Brinson, Lindsay Mendez, Ruthie Ann Miles

Who's making it? Greg Spottiswood, Len Goldstein, Mike Robin

What's it about? A drama about the lives of the judges and lawyers, and bailiffs, clerks, and police at the hectic Los Angeles courthouse. (Is this an Upstairs/Downstairs sort of thing? Unclear from the logline!)

First impression based on the trailer: The reporter I was sitting next to at the CBS upfront said to me as we were watching this trailer, "I feel like I'm at the ABC upfront." And All Rise absolutely feels like an ABC show — perhaps even a Shonda Rhimes show — with its black woman lead kicking ass while also being a slight klutz. The logline was, it seems, kind of misleading, in that this show seems to revolve around Missick's character, Lola Carmichael, who is brand new to a judgeship. I'm interested in seeing more — and I'm interested to see how All Rise works on CBS!

Who’s in it? Walton Goggins, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Omar Benson Miller, Maya Lynne Robinson, Ruby Jay, Makenzie Moss

Who's making it? Bill Martin, Mike Schiff, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor, Wendi Trilling, Peyton Reed

What's it about? In another CBS comedy (a single-cam this time), father of two daughters is buoyed by his close friends after his wife dies.

First impression based on the trailer: Disclosure! My friend John Hamburg directed this pilot, but I haven't talked to him about it at all, so I don't feel biased, but you should know this fact going in. Which is all to say: The Unicorn is another show that does not seem like a CBS comedy at all, and also makes me curious how it will fare on the network. Walton Goggins is such an unlikely CBS comedy star, but I like that the network has taken a chance on him. (Love Goggins in The Shield and Justified — dark dramas!) Judging from this charming cutdown — which feels lived in, and like a real world with real people in it — I hope The Unicorn pilot is as good as it appears to be.

Who’s in it? Patricia Heaton, Kyle MacLachlan, Ito Aghayere, Jean-Luc Bilodeau, Sabrina Jalees

Who's making it? Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Patricia Heaton, Adam Griffin, David Hunt, Rebecca Stay, Aaron Kaplan, Dana Honor

What's it about? A retired teacher and empty nester decides to become a doctor, her lifelong dream. P.S. Multi-cam!

First impression based on the trailer: Now this feels like a CBS-branded comedy, and one that seems well-executed. Heaton, who did nine seasons on Everybody Loves Raymond, and then eight on The Middle, is a true TV star, so I would bet on this show being a hit.

Who’s in it? Katja Herbers, Mike Colter, Aasif Mandvi, Michael Emerson, Brooklyn Shuck, Skylar Gray, Maddy Crocco, Dalya Knapp

Who's making it? Michelle King and Robert King, Liz Glotzer

What's it about? A woman forensic psychologist, a priest-in-training, and a carpenter...walked into a bar? No! They decided to look into the Catholic Church's backlog of "supposed miracles, demonic possessions, and unexplained phenomena." OK! I will follow the Kings, who created The Good Wife and The Good Fight, anywhere. Same with Mike Colter. In!

First impression based on the trailer: This looks so good, and so scary, but I also have questions. Like...is this show going to come down on the side of demonic possession being real? Not to be a Scully, I'm just asking! I do not believe in demonic possession, though even as I type those words I worry that a demon will know I wrote that and possess me to prove me wrong. Also, what's the creature in the bed with her? I'm more scared of the normal-looking murderer guy. I'm also curious about what Emerson's role in this is. Basically, I'm desperate to watch this pilot.

Who’s in it? Edie Falco, Michael Chernus, Adelaide Clemens, David Fierro, Russell G. Jones, Olivia Lucy Phillip, Joseph Lyle Taylor

Who's making it? Paul Attanasio, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey

What's it about? Falco plays Abigail “Tommy” Thomas, a former NYPD bigwig who becomes Los Angeles's first woman police chief. Like Bill Bratton, but a woman, I guess?

First impression based on the trailer: Love Edie Falco, but is she sleepwalking through this show? This looks as rote as it gets. And that East Coast–y mobster-ish guy would never be elected mayor of Los Angeles (you'll see what I mean when you watch). But I will say no more until I see the actual show.

Who’s in it? Julian McMahon, Alana de la Garza, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Kellan Lutz, Roxy Sternberg, Nathaniel Arcand

Who's making it? Dick Wolf, Rene Balcer, Arthur W. Forney, Peter Jankowski

What's it about? Wolf's FBI, his first show for CBS, has already gotten a spinoff — about the crew that finds those on the FBI’s Most-Wanted list.

First impression based on the trailer: This cutdown is so short (56 seconds) that I wonder whether there will be a bunch of changes before the show premieres in midseason. But regardless, it is what it is —  though prettyboy McMahon strikes me as an atypical male lead for a Dick Wolf show.

Who’s in it? Jaime Camil, Pauley Perrette, Natasha Leggero, Izzy Diaz, Antonio Corbo

Who's making it? Alex Herschlag, Jennie Snyder Urman, Joanna Klein, Ben Silverman, Guillermo Restrepo, Gonzalo Cilley, Maria Lucia Hernandez

What's it about? Another multi-cam comedy from CBS. When a trust fund guy gets cut off from his riches, he and his wife move in with her sister in Reseda.

First impression based on the trailer: Another very CBS-y sitcom, this show's premise is a real stretch. But I wouldn't write off anything by Urman, the genius behind Jane the Virgin (in which Camil has been one of the leads). I'm also always intrigued by Perrette, who always seems to be up to something odd (google "pauley perrette homeless man" and you'll see what I mean).

Who’s in it? Arica Himmel, Tika Sumpter, Christina Anthony, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Ethan Childress

Who's making it? Peter Saji, Kenya Barris, Tracee Ellis Ross, Randall Winston, Brian Dobbins, Laurence Fishburne, Helen Sugland, Anthony Anderson

What's it about? This is another Black-ish spinoff! Bow — Tracee Ellis Ross's Black-ish character — looks back on her childhood during the ’80s, and what it was like to grow up in a mixed-race family after her parents move from a commune to a suburb.

First impression based on the trailer: Hmm! So this pilot was made as a backdoor pilot, meaning it was going to air as an episode of Black-ish had it not been picked up to series. But now they'll retool it — like, Anders Holm, who plays Bow's dad, is being recast — and it will air next season. So it's hard to say how much like the actual show this will be: Is Bow really narrating every episode, or was it just for the trailer? I find it hard to believe this will be bad, given the quality of Black-ish and Grown-ish. But...I don't know: This doesn't look good yet. I also saw some pushback on Twitter about Tika Sumpter being so much darker than Anna Deavere Smith, who plays Bow's mother on Black-ish, and a few tweets critical of the trailer's assertion that mixed kids didn't have biracial role models in the '80s. I personally thought it was strange, given the world we're living in right now, to see a child character waving a water gun around and yelling, "I love the Second Amendment!" Maybe that will be gone by the time this show actually exists.

Who’s in it? Allison Tolman, Alexa Swinton, Owain Yeoman, Ashley Aufderheide, Robert Bailey Jr. as Offi, Zabryna Guevara, Donald Faison, Clancy Brown

Who's making it? Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, Paul McGuigan

What's it about? Tolman (love her!) plays police chief who takes in a kid involved in an accident who doesn't remember what happened. According to the logline, "the investigation draws her into a conspiracy larger than she ever imagined." Every year at this time, I have to say to myself, Don't get excited, don't get excited, this probably won't last more than a season. And yet — GAHH. I want to see this!

First impression based on the trailer: OK, I've calmed down — because what I can predict with 95% certainty — don't ask how I know that number, I just do! — is that this show will fail in the ratings. I am basing this assertion on how ABC genre shows in the past have fared (Lost excepted). Emergence has a touch of Stranger Things, and it reminds me of a bit Fox's The Passage, which just got axed. I'm still curious about it, and it seems effectively creepy. But let's face it: 95% chance of cancellation.

Who’s in it? Cobie Smulders, Tantoo Cardinal, Cole Sibus, Adrian Martinez, Camryn Manheim, Michael Ealy

Who's making it? Jason Richman, Ruben Fleischer, David Bernad, Greg Rucka, Matthew Southworth, Justin Greenwood

What's it about? This show is based on the, uh, Stumptown graphic novel series, which were written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Matthew Southworth and Justin Greenwood. Smulders plays Dex Parios, an Army vet turned private investigator, who lives in Portland, Oregon. She has, according to the logline, "a complicated love life, gambling debt, and a brother to take care of." She's also often at odds with the police — Manheim and Ealy play cops — despite her excellence at her job.

First impression based on the trailer: I want to like Stumptown, because I love procedurals and a Pacific Northwest setting, but this trailer left me cold. All of her mic drop moments felt forced, like... Random guy: "I'm going to have to check for a wire." Dex: "Well, it's good I wore my second best bra." ABC entertainment president Karey Burke said that every network wanted Smulders this year, and I'm sure that was true. The actor Mark Webber was supposed to be in Stumptown but is being recast, because, he wrote on Twitter, he wasn't "handsome enough for the executives." In another one of his DGAF tweets, he alluded to "Contrived 'diverse' female empowerment shows by stale white men, created for the sole purpose of making them money and giving them more power. Contributes nothing to the cultural development of the world." Webber is certainly pissed, but I wonder if Stumptown will prove to be exactly that.

Who’s in it? Nicholas Pinnock, Indira Varma, Joy Bryant, Glenn Fleshler, Dorian Missick, Tyla Harris, Mary Stuart Masterson, Boris McGiver

Who's making it? Hank Steinberg, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Doug Robinson, Alison Greenspan, Isaac Wright, Jr.

What's it about? Based on the of Isaac Wright, Jr., For Life follows the story of a wrongfully convicted prisoner who becomes a lawyer, advocating for himself and other inmates.

Who’s in it? Will Sasso, Christina Vidal, Jane Curtin, Jason Michael Snow, Ella Grace Helton

Who's making it? Julius “Goldy” Sharpe, Seth Gordon, Julia Gunn

What's it about? A generic-sounding multicamera sitcom, United We Fall is about Bill (Sasso) and Jo (Vidal) who are the "parents of two young kids, as they try to make it day-to-day as a functioning family." Curtin plays Bill's live-in mother, but there's also "Jo’s large Latinx Catholic family will never hesitate to let our couple know they’re seemingly screwing up." This will fit in well with the ABC comedy brand, but I miss Speechless already!

Who’s in it? Victor Rasuk, Nathalie Kelley

Who's making it? Dean Georgaris, Becky Hartman Edwards, David Frankel

What's it about? A Cuban-American baker from Miami meets a famous fashion mogul, and gets swept up into her wild life. This is based on an Israeli show.

Who’s in it? Tom Payne​, Michael Sheen​, ​Bellamy Young​, Lou Diamond Phillips​,​ Halston Sage​, Aurora Perrineau​, Frank Harts​, Keiko Agena

Who's making it? Chris Fedak, Sam Sklaver, Lee Toland Krieger, Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter

What's it about? Tom Payne plays Malcolm Bright, a criminal psychologist whose father (Michael Sheen) was a serial killer called "The Surgeon" before he got caught. Bellamy Young plays Malcolm's mother! This is the one millionth (actual number) Greg Berlanti-produced show on TV next season. It sounds more fun to me than the usual crime procedural?

First impression based on the trailer: Keep this in mind as you read this: I like the serial killer genre, and I am a fan of Berlanti productions. Therefore, I want to see this pilot! It's derivative, as all I'm haunted by a serial killer shows are, but perhaps the wild-eyed Sheen will set it apart. (What's up with him? He has been totally over-the-top on The Good Fight too: Wasn't he once understated as an actor?) All I want from a mystery is a well-written, well-acted drama that has interesting characters. I don't ask much!

Who’s in it? Brittany Snow​, Megalyn Echikunwoke​, ​Emily Osment​, ​Mustafa Elzein​, ​Mo​ ​McRae​, ​Victoria Cartagena​,​ Timothy Hutton

Who's making it? Annie Weisman, Jason Katims, Jeni Mulein, Imogen Banks, Sharon Levy, Leslye Headland

What's it about? A famous fertility doctor (Timothy Hutton) reveals to his daughter (Brittany Snow​) that he has used his own sperm in his practice, and has hundreds of children — including two sisters. This is based on an Australian show called, fittingly, Sisters.

First impression based on the trailer: This trailer was more interesting seeming — and potentially charming — than I thought it could be based on the logline. Which is why we get trailers, and then eventually entire shows! Anyhoo...anonymous sperm and egg donation in the age of 23 and Me is certainly an interesting topic these days. So why not.

Who’s in it? Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jillian Bell, Ike Barinholtz

Who's making it? Emily Spivey, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Kristen Wiig, Seth Cohen

What's it about? The Harts are a poor family in North Carolina, and Spivey — the first woman to create and run a Fox animated show — said at the winter Television Critics Association press tour that they're inspired by her family. Spivey also said that Bless the Harts is set in the same universe as Mike Judge's King of the Hill. This show received a straight-to-series order in September when Fox was proving that it's still committed to scripted television.

Who’s in it? Kim Cattrall, Gerald McRaney, Aubrey Dollar, Corey Cott, Benjamin Aguilar, Mark L. Young, Melia Kreiling, Steve Harris, David Denman, Olivia Macklin

Who's making it? Tate Taylor, Brian Grazer, Francie Calfo, John Norris

What's it about? After the bazillionaire patriarch of a famous Southern family who is also the founder of a Christian TV network, his family finds out that he has three additional children. And he's written them into his will! What a great soapy premise. Plus Kim Cattrall and Gerald McRaney? This sounds fun as hell.

First impression based on the trailer: I had not realized that Cattrall is playing not only the widow of the bazillionaire, but also is on-air talent on the Christian network? This trailer was less campy than I would have wanted, but let's just wait for the show itself. It would seem to have hilarity in its bones.

Who’s in it? John Slattery, Fernanda Andrade, Michael Mosley, Jason Butler Harner, Eve Harlowe, Aaron Moten, Gerardo Celasco, Elizabeth Cappucino, Evan Whitten

Who's making it? Manny Coto, John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Charlie Gogolak

What's it about? A thriller about how AI is going to destroy the world — sounds stressful! A tech visionary teams up with a "cybercrime agent" (whatever that is) to prevent that from happening. Again...stress! Also, according to Fox, the spelling of this show is neXt, but the BuzzFeed style guide does not adhere to bullshit vanity spellings. But I'll watch at least one episode of anything with John Slattery.

First impression based on the trailer: OK, I did NOT know that this show is premised on the question of What if Alexas turned evil? Now I'm need to see this!

Who’s in it? Stephen Dorff, Yara Martinez, Brian Van Holt, Siena Goines, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Shane Paul McGhie, Mark Moses

Who's making it? Will Beall, David Ayer, Chris Long, Barry Schindel, Cedar Park

What's it about? An unlikely candidate for the job becomes the Los Angeles County Sheriff — a position I remember having to vote for — in this "modern cop drama that blends the spirit of a classic Western." Creator Will Beall is a former LAPD detective, and David Ayer wrote and directed the excellent End of Watch in 2012, but...we'll see!

First impression based on the trailer: I...look, The Shield is one of the best dramas of all-time, so if you're going to attempt to do a gritty LA antihero cop story, you just have to do better than this, I think. But the show does know that being LA County sheriff is an elected position, so I was wrong about thinking it didn't. That's not nothing!

Who’s in it? Jason Biggs​, Maggie Lawson​, Connor Kalopsis​, Ashley Boettcher​, ​Jack Stanton​, ​Oakley Bull​, ​Tisha Campbell-Martin

Who's making it? Lon Zimmet, Jonathan Judge

What's it about? A multi-camera comedy about working class parents in New Jersey who have four children — and three of them are geniuses.

First impression based on the trailer: This looks fine? It looks like a perfectly good companion to Tim Allen's Last Man Standing, which it will be paired with in 2020? But I do continue to marvel that there are still, like, sitcoms like this in which no one is trying hard at all. But my marveling doesn't make it the wrong decision for Fox to air this show!

Who’s in it? Rob Lowe

Who's making it? Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Tim Minear, Rob Lowe

What's it about? In a spinoff of 9-1-1, Lowe plays a New York police officer who moves to Austin with his son to start a new life. (This show was picked up straight to series, so there's no trailer yet.)

Who’s in it? Amy Poehler, Rashida Jones, Wiz Khalifa

Who's making it? Amy Poehler, Mike Scully, Julie Scully, Dave Becky

What's it about? In another straight-to-series animated comedy, Poehler will voice both the character of Duncan, a "spectacularly average" 15-year-old boy, and his mother, Annie. (There's no trailer yet for Duncanville.)

Who’s in it? Nick Offerman, Jenny Slate, Megan Mullally, Paul Rust, Aparna Nancherla, Will Forte, Dulcé Sloan

Who's making it? Wendy Molyneux, Lizzie Molyneux, Minty Lewis, Loren Bouchard

What's it about? In another animated series for Fox (see below, there are a bunch!), Alaskan single dad Beef (Nick Offerman), a fisherman, wrangles his kids. Beef is a good name for an Offerman character. (There's no trailer yet for The Great North.)

Who’s in it? Jimmy Smits, Caitlin McGee, Scott Shepherd, Barry Sloane, Michael Luwoye, MaameYaa Boafo, Stony Blyden, Jayne Atkinson

Who's making it? Dean Georgaris, Michael Aguilar, David Janollari

What's it about? Smits and McGee play Elijah and Sydney Strait, respectively, father/daughter attorneys who worked together in his do-gooding Memphis law firm until they fought too much and she quit. Now, after they lose Sydney's mother, they try to reestablish their relationship — and work together again. No idea whether this show will be good, but Smits became a TV star playing lawyer Victor Sifuentes on Steven Bochco's LA Law in the mid-'80s —and he's great at it!

First impression based on the trailer: As generic as it gets, but genre isn't a bad thing when you're lying around watching TV. Let's wait for the pilot to see if there's literally any tiny thing that sets this legal procedural apart.

Who’s in it? Bradley Whitford, Anna Camp, Tymberlee Hill, Rizwan Manji, Will Greenberg, Geno Segers, Spencer Allport

Who's making it? Lesley Wake Webster, Jason Winer, Bradley Whitford, Adam Anders, Jon Radler

What's it about? Whitford plays a former Princeton music professor who "unexpectedly stumbles into choir practice at a small-town church." Hmm. I'm going to assume that Whitford's character is lost, and the choir is too, and together they try to create...Perfect Harmony? I want to be hopeful about this show, because I love Bradley Whitford, particular in his recent character actor turns in Destroyer and The Handmaid's Tale. But I feel too burned by Rise.

First impression based on the trailer: OK, as you can tell, I assumed that Bradley Whitford plus this show's subject matter equaled a drama. I was wrong: It's a comedy! Meaning, whew, I can erase the Rise flashbacks. This show looks...fine? A less earnest Glee with adults?

Who’s in it? Kal Penn, Diana Maria Riva, Joel Kim Booster, Kiran Deol, Poppy Liu, Moses Storm, Samba Schutte

Who's making it? Kal Penn, Matt Murray, Michael Schur, David Miner, Dan Spilo

What's it about? Penn plays Garrett Modi, a former New York City Council member who ended up partying too hard and leaving office in disgrace. Then, according to the logline, "a diverse group of hopefuls who dream of becoming American citizens" hire him to help them, possibly leading him back on the right path. Considering what a good job Schur and Murray have done with redemption comedy on The Good Place — also a single-camera show — this seems promising.

First impression based on the trailer: The Good Place leads into this new comedy, and the NBC press release is calling it "the Mike Schur Hour," which makes me think Schur is finally going to get the branding he deserves. Sunnyside appears to include Schurian elements that usually work: a racially diverse ensemble who grow together. And even when they're mean or bitchy (the brother and sister in the trailer) they aren't too mean or bitchy. Bring it on!

Who’s in it? Jane Levy, Skylar Astin, Peter Gallagher, Alex Newell, John Clarence Stewart, Carmen Cusack, Mary Steenburgen

Who's making it? Austin Winsberg, Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson, Kim Tannenbaum, Eric Tannenbaum, David Blackman, Daniel Inkeles, Richard Shepard

What's it about? Jane Levy plays Zoey, a twentysomething computer coder, in San Francisco who begins to hear the hopes and desires of the people around her in songs. This hourlong musical dramedy sounds ambitious and hard to pull off! Universal Music Group — in partnership with Lionsgate — is a producer, so fingers crossed.

First impression based on the trailer*: This show looks as delightful as one would hope, and I'm trying not to get too excited about it because it will probably be disappointing. I couldn't quite picture how the music would be incorporated, but it turns out that the people just sing little snippets of songs to her face. (At least in the cutdown we saw at the NBC upfront presentation.)

*NBC doesn't put trailers for its midseason shows on YouTube, which is annoying every year.

Who’s in it? Russell Hornsby, Arielle Kebbel, Brían F. O'Byrne, Tate Ellington, Courtney Grosbeck, Ramses Jimenez, Brooke Lyons, Roslyn Ruff, Michael Imperioli

Who's making it? VJ Boyd, Mark Bianculli, Seth Gordon, Avi Nir, Peter Traugott, Rachel Kaplan

What's it about? Hornsby, who is so good in everything, plays Lincoln Rhyme, a brilliant detective who is bedbound after being severely injured. He meets Amelia Sachs, a young police officer, who can work with him, and not only carry out his detective work, but help him with her own ideas. Jeffrey Deaver's book The Bone Collector came out in 1997, and the hit movie adaptation — which starred Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie — was released in 1999. So I assume there's a reason why a TV version of this story took so long?

First impression based on the trailer*: This looks exactly as you'd think based on the premise. Which, to be honest, made me excited to see this pilot. Hornsby's Lincoln appears to be less angry about his disability than I remember Washington's character being? But I haven't seen that movie in a long time, and I haven't yet seen this show, so I don't want to extrapolate meaning from that.

*NBC doesn't put trailers for its midseason shows on YouTube, which is annoying every year.

Who’s in it? Adam Pally, Abby Elliott, Steven Weber, Fran Drescher

Who's making it? Dan Levy, Doug Robinson

What's it about? Dave and Rebecca, a couple just about to get their lives back after getting through the baby gauntlet, are shocked when it turns out that Dave's parents are broke and need to move in with them. This sounds fine. But can I say that I'm excited that Fran Drescher is going to be on TV?

Who’s in it? Kenan Thompson, Punam Patel, Dani Lockett, Dannah Lockett, Andy Garcia

Who's making it? Jackie Clarke, Chris Rock, Kenan Thompson, Lorne Michaels, Andrew Singer

What's it about? A family comedy centered on Kenan Thompson, who tries to balance his work life and home life as he "strives to be a super dad to his two adorable girls."