Mondays in Primetime Version 3

Mondays is actually a pretty uninteresting night on television. NBC shows the Voice and Blindspot during the main year at least. ABC airs Dancing with the Stars in the spring and fall, The Bachelor in the winter, and The Bachelorette during the summer. The Bachelor series was voted at www.tvseriesfinale.com at the number one popular series that should be cancelled. Castle ends the ABC schedule during the main year. CBS shows dramas at this time. FOX has been known for showing popular dramas at this time, although this is also a bad night some of those shows. Anyways, here are my reviews for Monday shows that are on the air right now.

Gotham: Status- Currently on FOX at 8/7 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in it and it worked out well for me to watch it. Noteworthiness- The show can best be described as a Batman origins story, even though he’s not in it as much as he could be as Jim Gordon is the main character and Bruce Wayne is a child and supporting character who has not yet become Batman. Description- A story set in the world of Batman that largely focuses on Jim Gordon helping fight crime back when the characters were much younger. Notable People- Bruno Heller, the creator of the Mentalist, helped develop this show. Ben Mackenzie, who was in Southland and the OC, is the main character, Jim Gordon. Morena Baccarin, who was on Firefly, V, Homeland, and other shows and movies, is a character on the show. Pros- I like this show for the most part. It is pretty interesting. It can probably keep you interested even if you aren’t that big a Batman fan. Cons- It seems more police procedural than actually about the Batman characters we know and love. Some of those characters aren’t as recognizable as others. I’m sure that Batman not being as big as he probably should be in this show. Note to Parents- This show typically airs with a content advisory so it isn’t for younger viewers. Recommendation- I’d say that this show is good, even if Batman is more of a side character. Prediction- This will probably last a good long while. It probably will have two more seasons after this one. Reception: positive. Grade: A. New review

Supergirl: Status- Currently on CBS at 8/7 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- I thought that it looked good and I watch every show on CBS at least once. Noteworthiness- This is adapted from DC comics. It was said to be, or at least planned at one point to be set in the same world as The Flash and Arrow. I don’t know if that’s still the case or not. Meanwhile, this does make you wonder if there’s the possibility of this ending up on the CW if the ratings get low on CBS. Description- Superman’s cousin, a female, becomes a superhero herself fighting various alien outlaws and other supernatural creatures. Pros- This show is quite good and interesting, seeing a previously unknown superhero get her own story. Cons- There could be potential flaws with trying to appeal to feminists and being politically correct. Note to Parents- From what I’ve seen thus far, this show is pretty acceptable to a younger audience, although there still might be more violence than they would need. Recommendation- I think that this is a good show and worth watching. Prediction- It has good ratings so it would probably last a good while. Meanwhile, it could wind up on the CW if it doesn’t do well on CBS after all. Reception: highly positive. Grade: A-. New review

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Status- This show is on the CW at 8/7 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- My promise to watch a new fall show on each network a season and the fact that this was the only new show on the CW during the fall. Description- A woman randomly moves to where her ex-boyfriend lives in hopes of winning him back. There’s more to the show as needed. Pros- There are some good parts about it. It can be funny at times. Cons- While this wasn’t bad, I didn’t like it. It was strange and didn’t seem to have much of a point to it. Note to Parents- Having only seen the pilot, there is not much advice to offer here. I’d say this is probably good for teen and preteens but not younger than that. It may be safe for some ages, but I wouldn’t think that. Recommendation- I’d pass on this. Mostly it’s a toss-up between good and bad, so I’ll pass. Prediction- I don’t think that it will last, but it just as easily could. I’ve been wrong about things before. Reception: positive. Grade: D. New review

Lucifer: Status- This show is on FOX at 9/8 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- Promise to watch one midseason show from each network and the thought that it might be interesting. Noteworthiness- This is adapted from a comic book. Description- For some odd reason, the devil, known as Lucifer, decides to help people solve crimes. Pros- The show is different than the usual show. It can also be kind of interesting. Cons- It is hard to tell entirely what this show is about. It seems kind of dumb and lame. Note to Parents- This is probably safe for teenagers, but not much younger. I can’t give good advice to parents having not seen most episodes. Recommendation- I wouldn’t watch it. Prediction- I’d put it at a toss-up for now. It might last into a second season, but I’m not sure yet if it will or not. Reception: mixed to positive. Grade: D. New review

Jane the Virgin: Status- This show is on the CW at 9/8 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- A dream of mine implied that I should watch it. Description- Based off of a Spanish telenovela, a woman named Jane, who’s a virgin, is accidently artificially inseminated and becomes pregnant. There are others in the cast that make this interesting. Pros- If you actually watch the show, you’ll probably find something very interesting and worthwhile. Cons- It’s hard to tell what to make of this show. I mean, the premise itself seems kind of strange and the promos make it look more than weird. Also, the recurring storyline can drag on throughout the show. Note to Parents- This has some serious topics in it that could be useful discussing with teenagers. I’d say that young kids shouldn’t watch this, but preteens and teens can watch this. Recommendation- I would say that you should watch it, but only if you can see it all the time. Prediction- I think that it will be here for awhile. Reception: critically acclaimed. Grade: B-.

Scorpion: Status- It is currently on CBS at 9/8 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- I thought that I might like it. Noteworthiness- This is inspired by the real life of Walter O’Brian. How much of it is fictionalized is unknown, but guessed to be a lot. Description- This show is about Walter O’Brian and a team of geniuses that he leads. Notable People- Robert Patrick from the Unit is on this show. Pros- It’s a pretty interesting drama and it not being the typical drama makes it better. Cons- The show has a predictable format. It can be overdramatized. Note to Parents- This probably isn’t full of objectionable material that you’d typically see in a primetime drama. Sex is usual not present and violence in it is typically at a minimum. Recommendation- I like it and suggest that other people watch it. Prediction- I think that this show will last a while. Reception: mixed. Grade: A. New review

Blindspot: Status- It is currently on NBC at 10/9 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in the idea of it. Description- For mysterious reasons, a woman has amnesia and tattoos all over her body and there are crimes solved based off of this. Pros- The show is intriguing and interesting. Cons- The show may seem a bit scatterbrained and it seems like they are trying to do a female version of Jason Bourne. The show can seem similar to other types of dramas in a way. It can also be more violent than it needs to be. Note to Parents- I’d say that this is something that teenagers can watch, but not any younger than that. I think that all the episodes I’ve seen thus far were TV14. Recommendation- I’d say that this is worth watching. Prediction- I’d say that it has a good chance of lasting right now. It will be around at least until next season. Reception: positive. Grade: B+. New review

NCIS: Los Angeles: Status- It is currently on CBS at 10/9 Central on Mondays. It has been sold into syndication. Why I’ve seen it- I watch NCIS so I figured that this would be good as well. Noteworthiness- It is a spin-off of the popular NCIS. The agency it is based off of (office of special projects) does not really exist in real life (although the information I have on that could be wrong). Description- The office of special projects of NCIS which is located in Los Angeles investigates different crimes. Notable People- Chris O’Donnell, known for different movies, is the lead agent G Callen. LL Cool J, a rapper and also known for different movies is Sam Hanna. Linda Hunt, known for different movies as well, is Hetty. There are probably others I’m forgetting about. Pros- This is different from NCIS, but still good enough to keep you watching. The undercover assignments are funny and interesting. Cons- It is not as good as NCIS and unrealistic at points. Note to Parents- I’d say this has the usual amount of what you would expect from a primetime drama. I’d say that you could let high schoolers watch this, but probably not younger than that. Recommendation- I say that you should watch this show if you like it, but not if you aren’t already into NCIS or military dramas like that. Prediction- It might get cancelled before NCIS ends. I’m not sure if it will. The ratings have been bad lately so it might not last that much longer. Reception: mixed. Grade: B.

Castle: Status- Currently on ABC at 10/9 Central on Mondays. Why I’ve seen it- Recommended by my brother and not that great a devotion to any other show at the time. Noteworthiness- Tie-in novels under a character’s name that are referenced on the show have been published in real life. Description- A writer of novels assists the police in solving murders and other crimes in New York City. It is also about the love of the two main characters who work together and will stop at nothing to solve any case. Notable People- Nathan Fillion, known for his work on Firefly, and other shows, is the title character, Richard Castle. Pros- It is a semi-unique drama with good comedy and recurring storylines. Cons- It can take a while for some plots to be returned to in the storyline. Basic plots get repeated constantly. Note to Parents- This has the same amount of what you’d expect from a primetime show. I’d say that teenagers can watch this, but not much younger. Recommendation- Watch this show. It is very good. Prediction- The ratings are not doing as well as they used to, so the show might be ending pretty soon, unfortunately. At least it has lasted as long as it has. Reception: positive. Grade: A.