"Bull," "Atlanta," "Luke Cage," "This Is Us": The 2016-17 TV Season to Date

Meanwhile CBSamp8217 widely panned new Monday comedies Kevin Can Wait and Man with a Plan amp8211 the kind of uninspired sitcoms that I thought were only distantly visible in our cultureamp8217s collective rearview mirror are doing just swell I understand the instant popularity of Bull and MacGyver even if they arenamp8217t shows that I appreciate but I cannot begin to explain how these two comedies achieved sudden success I can only marvel at CBSamp8217 skill at defying expectations while steadfastly behaving like a traditional broadcast network and continuing to come out on topThe other new drama that is enjoying critical and ratings success amp8211 and is the biggest buzz builder of all new freshman series this fall is NBCamp8217s sublime family drama This Is Usamp160 As in its magnificent pilot this series continues to play with time and subvert sequential storytelling without ever feeling forced or gimmicky It has been reported that This is the top new broadcast drama among adults 1849 the demographic advertisers wrongly continue to value above all others I could care less I should hope NBC would keep This going even if its audience were olderamp160 Like The Good Wife The Blacklist and the many ABC series produced by Shonda Rhimes This is the kind of risktaking entertainment that is keeping broadcast drama competitive with cable and streamingOn the subject of streaming Amazonamp8217s Good Girls Revolt pictured aboveamp160is easily the seasonamp8217s most rewarding new series in that arena though many would argue that Marvelamp8217s Luke Cage on Netflix is similarly sensationalI respectfully disagree Luke Cage might have felt like something brand new had it premiered before both seasons of Marvelamp8217s Daredevil and the first season of Marvelamp8217s Jessica Jones but when compared to those shows it feels sluggish and unremarkable with perpetual plot developments one can see coming hours before they happen Mike Colter as the title hero is as commanding here as he was when he introduced the character on Jessica Jones and when he portrayed the lethal drug kingpin Lemond Bishop on The Good Wife but the supporting characters in Cage are not as vividly drawn as those in Daredevil and Jones Of most concern its first 13hour season is like almost everything else on Netflix at least three hours too longGood Girls Revolt on the other hand pulses with life amp8211 and it shows that there is still plenty of entertainment to be had in further exploring the time period in which much of Mad Men took place Set in 1969 it is a smart sexy and colorful light drama about young female researchers seeking equal treatment and respect while working in the maledominated newsroom of a major newsweeklyamp160 It is engaging and insightful especially in its rewarding presentation of women who arenamp8217t afraid to challenge the tone of their times and assert themselves at work and in their relationshipsOver in cable we have had the emergence of the best new sitcoms of the season if not the year in HBOamp8217s trippy High Maintenance which features a different set of characters in every episode connected only by the presence in their lives of the same drug dealer and FXamp8217s Atlanta pictured above about poor African Americans in the title city trying like hell to survive their lives and maybe get aheadLike the dramatic HBO limited series The Night Of earlier in the year the unassuming High Maintenance has caught on as a mustsee signature series for the cable giant with far less advance fanfare than other new series it has debuted this year including period drama Vinyl since cancelled sciencefictionwestern hybrid Westworld despite its perpetual violence a slowmoving saga about artificial intelligence not yet run amok and the comedies Divorce a dramedy about marital misery starring Sarah Jessica Parker who is also an executive producer and Insecure featuring one of the breakout stars of the season Internet sensation Issa Rae Who would have thought a disjointed comedy about the misadventures of a pot seller would be more rewarding than shows from Martin Scorsese Vinyl JJ Abrams Westworld and Sarah Jessica Parker But thatamp8217s the way it is Maintenance is a marvelAs for Atlanta not since the Norman Lear classicamp160All in the Familyamp160and some episodes of Lear39samp160Good Times has a comedy reflected with such unapologetic realism the challenges people face when they have little or no money amp8211 a situation most television writers and showrunners choose not to touch and an issue far greater today than it was back then when even people with exceedingly modest incomes could maintain modest homes and feed their families But Atlanta is something more at least in most episodes somehow finding distinctive humor in an uncomfortable environment where life isnamp8217t very funny at all This show has already earned a place in television history as the first advertisingsupported series to drop Fbombs with authentic abandonamp160 Frankly at this point the show would feel utterly fraudulent without themClick the social buttons above to share this content with your friends and colleaguesThe opinions and points of view expressed in this article are exclusively the views of the author andor subjects and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggersamp160

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"Bull," "Atlanta," "Luke Cage," "This Is Us": The 2016-17 TV Season to Date

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"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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"Bull," "Atlanta," "Luke Cage," "This Is Us": The 2016-17 TV Season to Date

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"About That with Carl Mayer": Involved Media Connected Audience Fall 2024 Report (Episode 5) - By Carl Mayer

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