Grey's Anatomy
Scandal
How To Get Away With Murder
Heroes Reborn
What do these shows have in common? They all premiered last Thursday, 9/24/15.
The first three are all on ABC and all written under the Shonda Rimes umbrella. I'm not sure what I think about that umbrella. And still... I can't stop watching. I'm not sure what that says about ME.
Let's tackle them one at a time.
GREY'S ANATOMY (8:00pm, ABC)
We've seen so many main characters leave this show. Each time, I think to myself, "Well, this is gonna be bad." And it is. It always IS. I remain firm in my opinion that this show was best in its first three seasons. In fact, I think it was stellar in its first three seasons. After that... it's had stellar moments. When Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd) decided he wanted out of his contract last season, and the show decided to kill off his character (as opposed to... well, anything else), I just wasn't sure that this show would survive his loss (in a long string of losses). And my jury is still out. I'm not convinced that we can resuscitate this show with that sort of hit. The opener hinted at what made Grey's great (IMO it was the bizarre medical cases that came through the ER/hospital... and the ways those cases impacted or intersected the lives of our favorite characters) with two girls who were hit by a train. Yes, I said a train. And then it took a turn for the PC and I felt an agenda slammed down my throat. I'm really tired of that. I just want good story. So, I give it a C.
SCANDAL (9:00pm, ABC)
This show has been guilty of slamming agenda since Day One. I mostly watch it to see what TPTB want me to think about things so I can take a hard turn in the other direction. That... and this show has Scott Foley on it. I'll put up with a lot to watch Scott Foley. Just sayin'. There was very little Scott Foley in the premiere. I give it a D+. I know you can do better people.
HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER (10:00pm, ABC)
I like this one least of all. Last season it was all confusing with flashbacks. I think Viola Davis consistently gives an amazing performance... but everyone else... meh. This season they are really bringing out the "cray cray" (that would be Crazy) in all of the characters. If the goal here is to convince America that lawyers are all whacko, they are succeeding. I give it a solid D.
HEROES REBORN (8:00pm, NBC)
I was really looking forward to this one. Before I can address what I saw on Thursday night, I must say just a few words about this show's predecessor, Heroes. Heroes had an amazing first season. Really Phenom. After that, it went into a steady decline that became a train wreck in Season 4 (and led to cancellation). I really hope that Tim Kring has written beyond Season One this time. That said, I think I went into this one with unrealistic expectations. Based on the trailers, I was expecting more familiar faces. Turns out, it ain't so. Ergo, I would've liked it better if I wasn't misled with the trailer. Now that I've readjusted my expectations, I think I'll like this better. I was very disappointed right after (probably earning this one a "D" a few days ago). Now, I give it a B, with crossed fingers... because it could go either way.
My wife and I are fans of "Scandal" and were fans of "Grey's Anatomy." However, we think the latter show finally jumped the shark with Eric's death last season. I don't watch it any more. I'm still watching "Scandal" just to see how the hell everyone manages to get out of the corners the writers have painted them into. This is a show where trap doors and hidden panels appear in the scripts, so it's possible. As for "slamming agenda," well, isn't that the point?
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