The TV Column

New shows crowd lineup for today, Wednesday

Kiefer Sutherland returns to TV as the accidental president following a terrorist attack on the Capitol. Designated Survivor premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.
Kiefer Sutherland returns to TV as the accidental president following a terrorist attack on the Capitol. Designated Survivor premieres at 9 p.m. Wednesday on ABC.

Today and Wednesday are the busiest of this first week of the new fall season. I suggest you clear your DVR of all those shows you know you're never going to watch so you'll have plenty of room.

Before we get to the overview, here are a couple of last-minute scheduling changes CBS made after Sunday's column ran.

The Case of: JonBenet Ramsey docuseries was trimmed from six hours to four and concluded Monday. That means NCIS: Los Angeles will now open Season 8 this coming Sunday at 7:30 p.m. (a week earlier than planned) with two episodes coming after the CBS NFL doubleheader.

The networks occasionally play fast and loose with the schedules with so much at stake.

TODAY

New shows:

Bull, 8 p.m., CBS. Fans of Michael Weatherly, who played Anthony DiNozzo on NCIS, will see a similar personality in Dr. Jason Bull, his new character on Bull, which debuts after NCIS tonight.

The series is inspired by the early trial consultant career of TV's Dr. Phil McGraw, who was a co-founder in 1990 of a consulting firm in Texas.

Weatherly certainly has better hair than Dr. Phil, and plays Bull as brilliant and charming, yet troubled. CBS describes the character as "the ultimate puppet master."

This Is Us, 9 p.m., NBC. This provocative comedy/drama stars Mandy Moore (A Walk to Remember), Milo Ventimiglia (Heroes, Gilmore Girls) and Sterling K. Brown (American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson) as three of the people whose lives intersect in a most unusual way.

To reveal any more would spoil the big surprise that comes at the end of the first episode.

Returning shows:

NCIS, 7 p.m., CBS. Duane Henry, Jennifer Esposito and Wilmer Valderrama fill the Tony DiNozzo void for Season 14.

The Voice, 7 p.m., NBC. Season 11 kicks off with Miley Cyrus and Alicia Keys joining the judges' swivel chairs.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine, 7 p.m., Fox. It's Season 4.

New Girl, 7:30 p.m., Fox. Season 6 for Zooey Deschanel and crew.

Scream Queens, 8 p.m., Fox. Season 2 is set in a hospital with the same characters returning.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., 9 p.m., ABC. Season 4.

NCIS: New Orleans, 9 p.m., CBS. Season 3 finds Zoe McLellan (Agent Brody) gone "for creative reasons," and Vanessa Ferlito joining the cast as Special Agent Tammy Gregorio.

WEDNESDAY

New shows:

Lethal Weapon, 7 p.m., Fox. If you liked the Mel Gibson/Danny Glover buddy cop movies in this action franchise (there were four films between 1987 and 1998), you'll probably like the reboot starring Clayne Crawford (Rectify) and Damon Wayans (My Wife and Kids) as Martin Riggs and Roger Murtaugh.

The TV series doesn't mess with success -- what you've seen is what you get.

Speechless, 7:30 p.m., ABC. Score one for more diversity on TV. This refreshing family sitcom features a lead character with cerebral palsy and manages to mine the humor beyond the stereotypes.

Much of the credit goes to the marvelous Minnie Driver, who plays Maya Dimeo, the fierce, compassionate and protective mom to three kids, including speechless 16-year-old J.J., played by Micah Fowler (who has cerebral palsy in real life).

Designated Survivor, 9 p.m., ABC. Don't tune in expecting to see Kiefer Sutherland playing his taciturn 24 character Jack Bauer as the president.

In this promising dramatic thriller, Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman, secretary of Housing and Urban Development, who is the administration's designated survivor and kept away from the Capitol during the State of the Union speech in case the unimaginable happened.

Which it does.

There's a massive terrorist attack, the building is reduced to rubble, and everyone from the president on down is killed. Kirkman now finds himself the leader of the free world and charged with keeping the country and his own family from falling apart. It's a nail-biter and well worth your time.

Returning shows:

Blindspot, 7 p.m., NBC. Season 2 time slot premiere.

Survivor, 7 p.m., CBS (90 minutes). The 33rd (!) season is a generational battle with younger Millennials vs. older Gen Xers on Fiji.

The Goldbergs, 7 p.m., ABC. Season 4 for the sitcom.

Empire, 8 p.m., Fox. Season 3.

Law & Order: SVU, 8 p.m., NBC. It's Season 18 for the venerable workhorse.

Modern Family, 8 p.m., ABC. Season 8.

black-ish, 8:30 p.m., ABC. Season 3 for the hit comedy.

Chicago P.D., 9 p.m., NBC. Season 4 for the Windy City police procedural.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email: mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 09/20/2016

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