Welcome back to our TV Preview series! Over the next couple of months, we’ll be taking a look at the shows we highlighted in our TV Preview: New Friends posts, and voicing our opinions on what’s good, what’s bad, what’s meh, and what you can avoid at all costs.
Warning! Possible spoilers ahead.
Premiered: Sept. 22 on Fox (Watch online.)
Twitter Pitch
Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne and Gotham’s finest villains before they were stars. #nanananananananaBatman #sadbatman
Familiar Faces
David Mazouz as Bruce Wayne
Donal Logue as Det. Harvey Bullock
Ben McKenzie as Det. James Gordon
Sean Pertwee as Alfred Pennyworth
Richard Kind as Mayor Aubrey James
Jada Pinkett Smith as Fish Mooney
Erin Richards as Barbara Kean
John Doman as Carmine Falcone
Faces That Might Become Familiar (If You Keep Watching)
Camren Bicondova as Selina Kyle
Victoria Cartagena as Renee Montoya
Andrew Stewart-Jones as Crispus Allen
Zabryna Guevara as Capt. Sarah Essen
Cory Michael Smith as Edward Nygma
Robin Lord Taylor as Oswald Cobblepot
Clare Foley as Ivy Pepper
Redeeming Qualities
Emily: It's Batman. As a kid. That's awesome. It was funny and shocking (I knew the Waynes were going to be killed, but I still gasped), and stylized in just the way a dark comic book TV show should be. I think Donal Logue (Det. Harvey Bullock) steals the show in a major way, and as long as he remains at the forefront, I'm going to be entertained.
Mandy: Although I more of a Marvel girl, I’m a sucker for superheroes. And DC does tend to do better at TV shows than they do at movies. Gotham is particularly interesting, because the main character is not a superhero, at least, not in the comic book sense of the word. I’ve always liked Commissioner Gordon, and I think it’s cool that he’s getting more air time. I also really liked the glimpse at all the villains who aren’t villains … yet.
It's Not Me, It's You
Emily: I'm a Ryan Atwood, er, Ben McKenzie fan, but does he have to talk like that? And what about Jada Pinkett Smith? There are some interesting character choices happening here that I'm not sure I quite agree with, but I'm also reminding myself it's the pilot and therefore might take the actors a little bit to find their footing. At least for now, I choose to believe that.
Mandy: Unsurprisingly, Gotham is dark. Both literally and figuratively. I’m not sure I can really come to love a show in which there is only one really good guy, a few somewhat decent ones and then a bunch of bad guys who don’t seem like they have any redeeming qualities. The showrunners have also gone the way of Tim Burton’s Penguin with Oswald—i.e., pasty skin, dark hair and general slimyness—that’s just really gross to have to look at in HD. (Don't get me wrong, Burton's Penguin is an awesome character. He's just really gross.)
Let's Do This Again
Emily: I love a good origin story, and the fun part of this one is that I don't necessarily know who all of these characters turn out to be. I think the writing is solid, and I love the way it's shot. My hesitation is I've heard the season is heavy on the procedural side, which is not my thing. But that being said, I can handle a "monster of the week" as long as I have a "big bad" to follow pilot to season finale. And I repeat: Donal Logue steals the show!
Mandy: I’m going to keep watching, if in part because I feel like I have a duty to support “nerdy” pop culture. I’m also really interested to see how they can work in all the villains without pulling a Spider-Man 3. I might really come to enjoy the show, but I’m not entirely on board yet.
Premiered: Sept. 22 on CBS (Watch online.)
Twitter Pitch
Adorable geniuses save the world/help the mother of a kid (who's smarter than all of them) connect with her son. #ItsSurprisinglyEmotional
Familiar Faces
Robert Patrick as Cabe Gallo
Elyes Gabel as Walter O’Brien
Katharine McPhee as Paige Dineen
Eddie Kaye Thomas as Toby Curtis
Patrick St. Esprit as Captain James Pike
Alimi Ballard as Co-Pilot
Ernie Hudson as Brooks
Faces That Might Become Familiar (If You Keep Watching)
Ari Stidham as Sylvester Dodd
Jadyn Wong as Happy Quinn
Redeeming Qualities
Emily: I got surprisingly emotional while watching the pilot. I have no feelings either way on Katharine McPhee, but the scene when Walter tells her that her son is a genius and that he paints her nails because he wants to hold her hand but doesn't know how … my eyes were starting to get quite watery. And I was definitely along for the intense, down to the second, ride that the show took me on. It felt like watching a fun action movie where I laughed and tensed up at all the right moments without feeling emotionally manipulated at all.
Mandy: I’m a big procedural fan, and I love a good “outcasts do well” kind of story, so Scorpion is right up my alley. I think the cast is really intriguing, too, and it’ll be fun seeing how they work together, and with the government, to solve problems. I’m sure there will be hijinks. Plus, the suspense was palpable.
It's Not Me, It's You
Emily: The hook of this episode was the life or death stakes are thrown at you from the beginning. I have no idea how they keep that up for 22 episodes a season, and can see how that could be exhausting for the viewer after awhile. However, that's a skepticism for where the show might go, not what it is.
Mandy: Although the outsiders are the main characters, I can see this show turning them into stereotypes. (And we already have enough of that with, ahem, certain other shows.) I also don’t really get how Katharine McPhee’s character will turn out to be anything but “the pretty, normal, love interest,” but I will happily admit I’m wrong if she turns out to be more well-rounded.
Let's Do This Again
Emily: I really enjoyed the pilot, more than I thought I would. I like that it's fun and emotional, and with Ralph (Katharine McPhee's genius son) in the center of the chaos, a lot of potential to add understanding to characters that think and act different from the "norm." As long as it's not just about the case of the week, and we have some season arcs/themes, I'll stick around for the foreseeable future.
Mandy: Scorpion feels new, if not entirely original. I like the idea, and I’ve recently given up on a bunch of my other similar shows, so I have a hole in my schedule that this will fit nicely. Will I stick with it for the long haul? I’m not sure yet. But I’m going to keep watching for now.
Did you watch either of these shows? If so, let us know your thoughts below!