In the merry, merry month of May each year, VanRamblings looks forward to two singular events: the Cannes Film Festival — which we’ll write about when, in August, the fine folks at the Vancouver International Film Festival announce the Cannes 2018 films that’ll play the 37th VIFF — and the annual “upfronts” roll-out. Upfronts, you say? What in tarnation is that?
Each May, the five major broadcast television networks in the U.S. announce their ‘hopeful new hits’ set to début in the fall, the action-packed dramas, the star-studded tug at your heartstrings programmes, and the laugh-riot comedies the networks hope you’ll tune into each week. There’s advertising money to acquire to contribute to the networks’ bottom line.
We’re talking a multi-million dollar business here, where your eyes on the screen translates into hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for the networks — broadcast networks that are not dead yet, despite the emergence of Netflix, cable networks like FX, and online programming.
If you’re a pop culture fanatic as we are, this is a salutary time of year.
A story. In 1975 VanRamblings began our first full-time, permanent job as a teacher. We loved teaching, thought the kids (and their parents) were great, and enjoyed and appreciated every moment of the time we were privileged to spend inside a classroom, imparting wisdom and hope, a love for learning and the acquisition of knowledge, and the building of character.
VanRamblings pictured above with our two children, baby Megan Jessica & Jude Nathan
So, there we were: bearded, a sort of long-haired hippie (pictured above with our kids), teaching in the Interior. Kids fantastic. Parents great. Having the time of our young life. Go to the teacher’s lunchroom at recess and lunch. What does everyone talk about? Last night’s hilarious episode of All in the Family, Happy Days or the Mary Tyler Moore show.
Had we seen any of those programmes while we were attending university? Did Cathy and I have a TV? Is the Pope Polish (no, he’s not)?
First acquisition upon receiving our September mid-month cheque? Yep — a brand, spanking new and pretty darn skookum colour television set.
And, why not? Owning a TV provided an inroad into discussions with my students, on values, on different kinds of humour, on how television shows were made, and the dilemmas their favourite TV characters were experiencing in their ‘lives’. Same thing in the teacher lunchroom — talking about last night’s television programme quickly developed into a friendly and open camaraderie, and the development of rapport and closeness.
VanRamblings is no pointy-headed intellectual, no ideologue for whom television represents the opiate of the masses. Please. A life, you want a life — you’ll find one right over there. VanRamblings? We seek human connection, and respect for those around us, if they’ll give us half a chance.
This autumn, there are 18 new programmes that are set to début on TV, and invade your consciousness.
Last year’s breakout hit was ABC’s The Good Doctor, which films at Surrey City Hall. The year before it was NBC’s This is Us, which remained a ratings generating powerhouse throughout its second season.
What can’t miss television show will break out in the fall and keep you glued to your television set? We’re not really going to know until July, when TV critics from across North America travel to Los Angeles for the annual star-infused junket overdose of all the new broadcast network programmes set to début two months later.
Okay, now to the good stuff. Trailers for all — well, six anyway, of — the new programmes. We’re not sure how they’ll render on your smart phone or tablet, so you may want to take at look at the trailers on your computer at home, if you’ve got one — which fewer and fewer people do these days.
Setting itself up to be the first new show to be cancelled in the fall, Manifest is a time travel via turbulence programme. Like they always work. As Kristen Baldwin in Entertainment Weekly said, “So it’s kind of like Lost meets all those shows where people come back from the dead and haven’t aged.” Yep. Pretty cast, though, and heart-tugging trailer. Manifest is up against NBC’s The Good Doctor — like we said, first to be cancelled.
Here’s one we like, which the critics seem not to. Maybe it’s because FBI stars Canadian actress Missy Peregrym, and we kinda liked her on Rookie Blue, ABC’s now cancelled summer replacement programme.
FBI will be broadcast on Tuesday nights on CBS, at 9pm, although one of the Canadian networks is bound to pick up the programme. Our Canadian CBC, CTV, Global and City television networks will announce their autumn schedules at press conferences to be held in Toronto next month.
The target market for the upstart CW network (owned by CBS) are young people, thus a new ethnically diverse Wednesday night programme with a driving beat, good looking young folks, with a PG-rated taste of sex and violence meant to appeal to a younger demographic. Could work.
All American will début in September on the CW, Wednesday’s at 9pm.
Ah yes, the first comedy to make our list — which, although we’re not a big fan of television comedies, looks like it could do fine, with a lot of relatability, and that cast. Bad time slot, though — I Feel Bad is going to have to break out early, and top the ratings in its time slot if its gonna survive, not an easy thing to do on the half hour, when you’re up against two programmes that started at 9 o’ clock. Still and all, I Feel Bad looks like it has potential, and Thursday’s are the most-watched television night of the week — which has been the case for a long, long time. American actress Sarayu Blue seems like a winning lead, too, so you never know.
Friday night television is for the sad and lonely senior citizen. Hey, that’s us! CBS has a lock on Friday nights with McGyver (never watched it), Hawaii Five-O (which is getting a little long in the tooth), and Blue Bloods, which we never miss! Hey, it’s soothing — and not too over-the-top right wing. Youse takes your pleasures where you find ’em, we always say.
There is one new programme on Friday nights (see above), a comedy starring Martin Mull, who we haven’t seen a very long time, titled The Cool Kids. Ah, thanks Fox — calling us old geezer kids. You shouldn’t have.
No, really — you shouldn’t have.
Sundays. Heck, we’re just glad that CBS didn’t cancel Madam Secretary. There’s something vaguely reassuring watching a TV show depicting an engaged, involved American President gifted with wit and political acumen, who actually cares about the state of the world. And Téa Leoni as the keenly intelligent Secretary of State, with Tim Daly as her supportive and bright husband — and those kids, I want to adopt ’em all. Wow! Otherwise, it’s pretty thin gruel on Sunday nights, cuz of that darned NBC Football — like whoever watches that? Oh. Tens of millions. Okay, sorry about that.
Remember how we mentioned heart-tugging at the top of today’s column. Yeah, me too. Sundays on CBS at 8pm, God Friended Me (trailer above), we’re thinking break-out hit. Already, we’re in love with Violett Beane as Cara Bloom. And Brandon Micheal Hall as conflicted Miles Finer — looks like he’s landed on his feet just fine after ABC cancelled The Mayor last May.
Hey, God Friended Me — a decent programme to watch at 8pm on Sunday nights, if you’ve got nothing else going on, or you just want to lay back, and get yourself in the head space to return to work on Monday.
