The TV Column

NBC keeps only one freshman show, orders 14

Kiki Sukezane stars as Miko Otomo in NBC’s Heroes Reborn.
Kiki Sukezane stars as Miko Otomo in NBC’s Heroes Reborn.

Beginning today, The TV Column will take a look at the networks' recently announced new fall shows and review the list of those series that got the ax or called it quits this season.

First up is NBC.

Cancellations: It was a bad year for the NBC freshman class. Only one series, The Mysteries of Laura, has been invited back for a sophomore year, and that was a last-minute deal.

Tossed on the ignominious scrapheap of 2014-2015 were A to Z, Allegiance, Bad Judge, Constantine, Marry Me, One Big Happy, The Slap and State of Affairs. Remaining in limbo at press time are A.D. The Bible Continues and American Odyssey.

Retired to reruns are the long-running Parks and Recreation and Parenthood.

All of the above leave lots of holes in the schedule, and NBC has ordered 14 (!) new series for the fall and midseason. They consist of six comedies, seven dramas and one variety show. Six of the 14 will start off in the fall.

NEW FALL SHOWS

Blindspot: A vast international plot unfolds when a beautiful Jane Doe is discovered naked in Times Square, completely covered in mysterious, intricate tattoos. She has no memory of who she is or how she got there.

But there's one tattoo that is impossible to miss: the name of FBI agent Kurt Weller. He's on the case because the tats are clues to crimes and her identity.

Jaimie Alexander (the Thor franchise) stars as the tattooed hottie. Hunky Sullivan Stapleton (300: Rise of an Empire) is Weller.

The Player: From the executive producers of The Blacklist, this action thriller stars Wesley Snipes as a former military operative turned security expert in Las Vegas. He gets drawn into a high-stakes game where an organization of wealthy individuals gambles on his ability to stop some of the biggest crimes imaginable from playing out.

Philip Winchester (Strike Back) is along for the ride.

Heroes Reborn: The saga behind the 2006-2010 series Heroes continues as creator Tim Kring returns with new layers to his original superhero concept.

The 13-episode miniseries will reconnect with the basic elements of the show's first season, where ordinary people were waking up to the fact that they had extraordinary abilities.

Original cast member Jack Coleman will reprise his role as H.R.G., Jimmy Jean-Louis returns as The Haitian, and Masi Oka will be back as Hiro Nakamura. The cast also includes Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Kiki Sukezane (Death Yankee 3).

People Are Talking: A sitcom about two couples who are neighbors and best buds. They obsess a lot. Mark-Paul Gosselaar stars.

This will be one of only two comedies on NBC in the fall. The other is Undateable. That's quite a change for the network that gave us Cheers, Seinfeld and Friends. But NBC's sitcom situation has sucked eggs in recent years.

Heartbreaker: A medical drama with Melissa George as an outspoken, world-renowned heart transplant surgeon who marches to her own drum and has "a racy personal life" that's a full-time job in itself.

Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris: Harris heads a variety series with comedy sketches, musical numbers, mini game shows, hidden camera pranks on celebrities and appearances by guest stars.

The series is based on Britain's hugely popular Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway. Will it translate? We'll see.

MIDSEASON

Coach: Craig T. Nelson reprises Coach Hayden Fox from his 1989-1997 ABC sitcom.

Shades of Blue: Jennifer Lopez stars as a New York detective and single mom forced to rat on dirty cops.

Crowded: Comedy about a couple (Patrick Warburton, Carrie Preston) whose two grown daughters (Miranda Cosgrove, Mia Serafino) and the husband's parents (Stacy Keach, Carlease Burke) move in.

Hot & Bothered: Eva Longoria in a series about backstage life at a Hispanic soap opera.

Superstore: Ugly Betty's America Ferrara in a comedy about employees at a megastore.

You, Me and the End of the World: The Earth is on a collision course with a comet. What now? The hour-long comedy-drama will feature Rob Lowe, Jenna Fischer and Megan Mullally as three in an eclectic group of seemingly unconnected characters around the world whose lives begin to intersect.

Chicago Med: Another Dick Wolf-produced drama. This one is about life at a chaotic Chicago hospital and features Oliver Platt and S. Epatha Merkerson.

Game of Silence: A drama about an Atlanta lawyer whose childhood friends reappear with a deep, dark secret.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 05/19/2015

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