Fall TV has me hooked

It's been a while since I've gotten hooked on television shows.  The last time I watched TV religiously was Thursday nights back when Private Practice was on. I would watch Grey's Anatomy at 9PM and then Private Practice at 10PM. Those two hours of Thursday night TV were not to be missed, especially Private Practice.  That was my show mainly because I absolutely LOVED the cast.  Come on, you've got Kate Walsh, Audra McDonald, Amy Brenneman, Paul Adelstein, Tim Daly, KaDee Strickland, Brian Benben and late series addition Caterina Scorsone.  I was sad when the show got cancelled.

 I blame my getting hooked on Fall TV because of me being on maternity leave.  Three years ago when I was on leave my guilty pleasure was cable and specifically watching "Keeping Up With the Kardashians." I know, I know, the show is complete garbage but I was home and what can I say, I wanted to watch something. Yes, I could have watched Netflix but there was cable and the show just happened to be on during multiple hours of the day.

Fast-forward to this year and I'm home with Logan.  It's been almost a year since the cord to cable was cut so Allan and I are now relying more on streaming our shows.  As Allan puts it, we're watching the shows we want to watch now.  And if we miss them, that's what Hulu is for, which is what we both have been relying on more and more because the kids demand most of our attention during the evenings.  As for Netflix, I've spent this maternity leave binge watching "The West Wing" and I also watched the first half of the latest season of "The Fosters".

So, what have I been watching so far? Let's start with new shows:

1. This Is Us

I am completely hooked on this show.  It all started the moment I saw the trailer months ago.  The premise had me intrigued and when the series premiered last month, I was sold.  The twists are unexpected and each episode so far has not disappointed me.  The writing is excellent and the premise is pretty complicated given how the series jumps back and forth in time to tell the story of all of the characters. It isn't every day you've got a show that tells a story about a family in both the past and present.  

2. Designated Survivor

So the draw for me on this show is Kiefer Sutherland.  I only watched one season of 24, the final one (not the continuation that was only 11-12 episodes) and all I could think was that Jack Bauer is in the White House now.  Clearly, he is nothing like Jack Bauer in this show. Kiefer instead plays Tom Kirkman, a cabinet member suddenly promoted to POTUS when the Capitol is bombed during the State of the Union address.  This show is no West Wing, but I'm enjoying the drama on a weekly basis and it's bee interesting to see how Kirkman is navigating his way through the presidency amid a crisis of epic proportions.  

3. Pitch

This new show on FOX was one I only found out about through reading Fall Previews in Entertainment Weekly. Kylie Bunbury plays Ginny Baker, a young pitcher who becomes the first woman to play in the Major Leagues.  The show also stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Ali Larter, Mark Consuelos, and Dan Lauria. Ginny gets called up from the Minors to play as a starter for the San Diego Padres.  The show is really about showcasing the challenges Ginny has to face both on and off the field as a woman playing on a man's turf.  She's seen as a role model for girls, but is also faced with expectations of being good enough to hang with the boys.  Ginny wants no special treatment and wants to be treated like all the other guys. That's no surprise there and in the first three episodes, she's had her challenges.  If this show sticks, it'll be interesting to see where things go.  I say "if" simply because this is FOX we're talking about.  The network has a reputation for canceling shows without really giving them a true chance unless your name is "The Simpsons."

4. Conviction

I never watched Agent Carter, so I wasn't familiar with Hayley Atwell as an actress going into this show.  Honestly, I'm not sure what pulled me into watching other than seeing the promos.  I decided to give the show a chance and while it isn't a thriller kind of show, I still enjoy watching.  Conviction also stars Merrin Dungey, Shawn Ashmore, and Eddie Cahill.  Hayley Atwell plays Hayes Morrison, former First Daughter and a bit of a wild woman who gets blackmailed into running NYC's Conviction Integrity Unit. She and her team are tasked to investigate cases where the people may have been wrong convicted and they only have five days to do it.  The show's premise is a hard sell, considering the Monday, 10PM slot used to be Castle's timeslot before cancellation.  Hopefully ratings pick up or else Conviction is going to last one season, if lucky to make it to May.  Perhaps the one thing I enjoy about the show is Hayley Atwell and Merrin Dungey's wardrobe for their characters. 

5. Timeless

The premise for Timeless is simple.  It's time travel and each episode has viewers traveling to a different event in history.  Goran Visnjoc plays Garcia Flynn, the show's  antagonist who is traveling through time altering different moments in history.  A team of three, Lucy Preston, Wyatt Logan, and Rufus Carlin, played by Abigail Spencer, Matt Lanter, and Malcolm Barrett chase him through time in an effort to catch him while also trying not to alter the events in history.  This is a big challenge for them since any little change affects what happens in present day.  And after two episodes, history has already been altered and viewers see evidence of it in Lucy's life. She had a sister in beginning of episode 1 and by the end of the episode, her sister ceased to exist.   I will admit, I'm only watching the show to see Sean Maguire appear as Ian Fleming in one episode, which has yet to air.  Still, the premise is interesting and I like traveling through history.  So let's see if this show sticks.

The above are the new shows I've been watching and hopefully I can keep up with them after I go back to work next month. Then again, that's what streaming at my desk is for while I get stuff done.

As for the other shows I am still watching:

• Once Upon a Time
• Grey's Anatomy
• Fresh Off the Boat
• Modern Family
• Black-ish
• How to Get Away With Murder
• Madam Secretary
• Big Bang Theory
• The Middle

 That's lot of TV, isn't it? I'll let you know in May which shows I kept up with.