Golden Globes: TV Nominations

The Golden Globes are this Sunday and so I just wanted to give brief thoughts on the nominations and give some half-hearted predictions. First the TV nominations!

Best TV Series, Drama

• Empire
• Game of Thrones
• Mr. Robot
• Narcos
• Outlander

God bless the Globes love for new things. It just keeps things fresh. I think the only repeat from last year is this year's Emmy champ Game of Thrones. Weirdly enough I don't think it'll win here though. I'll place my bet with Empire or Mr. Robot. But new shows mean older shows like Mad Men, The Good Wife or The Americans don't get deserved love. Or how about The Leftovers?

Will Win: Empire
Should Win: Mr. Robot

Best Actor, Drama

• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
• Wagner Moura, Narcos
• Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
• Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

It's been years since the Globes has honored Mad Men so will they repeat the miracle at the Emmys to give Hamm a farewell win or will they honor one of the new kids on the block? I personally think Malek is the frontrunner here and SHOULD win, but I can easily see Moura or Odenkirk take it as well.

Will Win: Rami Malek
Should Win: Rami Malek

Best Actress, Drama

• Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
• Viola Davis, How to Get Away with Murder
• Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
• Taraji P. Henson, Empire
• Robin Wright, House of Cards

Last year they didn't nominate the previous year's winner (Tatiana Maslany) and they do the same this year not nominating Ruth Wilson. With that said, even with the quirky choices (Outlander and Penny Dreadful? Wow!), like the Emmys this is Davis vs. Henson and either one could win. I do think Davis edges Henson out since she's more of a MOVIE STAR and also they probably regret NOT picking her last year.

Will Win: Viola Davis
Should Win: Viola Davis

Best TV Series, Comedy

• Casual
• Mozart in the Jungle
• Orange Is the New Black
• Silicon Valley
• Transparent
• Veep

What did I say about keeping it fresh? Despite a severe lack of network TV love (Parks and Rec, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, black-ish, Fresh Off the Boat), this is an inspired list that makes the Emmys and even SAG look so tired. Last year's winner Transparent looks likely to win again, but I'm hoping Veep or Orange is the New Black could win their first.

Will Win: Transparent
Should Win: Orange is the New Black

Best Actor, Comedy

• Aziz Ansari, Master of None
• Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
• Rob Lowe, The Grinder
• Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk
• Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

This has been such a weak category usually, but that's mostly because of award bodies' inability to think outside the box. So at least the Globes have done that specially with the inclusion of Ansari, Bernal, and Stewart. Of course they all will still likely lose to Tambor.

Will Win: Jeffrey Tambor
Should Win: Aziz Ansari

Best Actress, Comedy

• Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
• Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens
• Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
• Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
• Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Even without Amy Poehler for her farewell season or Ellie Kemper or Constance Wu or the Broad City girls, I am in love with this category. Kudos for them nominating last year's winner again Rodriguez and I would very much love her to repeat, but it's more likely Louis-Dreyfus will finally win her first Globe for this show. Newcomer Bloom (that's two for the CW!) and Tomlin could surprise though.

Will Win: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Should Win: Gina Rodriguez

Best Mini-Series or TV Movie

• American Crime
• American Horror Story: Hotel
• Fargo
• Flesh and Bone
• Wolf Hall

I've only seen Fargo and it was amazing so I'm rooting for it. It's probably the likely winner as well, but I have no idea.

Will Win: Fargo
Should Win: Fargo

Best Actor, Limited Series or TV Movie

• Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero
• Patrick Wilson, Fargo
• Idris Elba, Luther
• David Oyelowo, Nightingale
• Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall

Sorry to be crass, but man this is one fuckable category. And the funny thing is I have no earthly idea who will win. By default, I'm rooting for Wilson since his is the only performance I've seen, but Isaac has Star Wars heat right now and is everyone's boyfriend. Then again Elba. Also Oyelowo. Also Rylance. I DON'T KNOW!

Will Win: Idris Elba
Should Win: Patrick Wilson

Best Actress, Limited Series or TV Movie

• Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
• Queen Latifah, Bessie
• Felicity Huffman, American Crime
• Sarah Hay, Flesh and Bone
• Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel

As much as I would like for Dunst to win this for her super fun role, this is obviously going to be a battle between a Queen and a Lady. One is a recent Emmy winner while the other is Lady Gaga. I just think the Globes won't be able to help themselves and vote for Gaga.

Will Win: Lady Gaga
Should Win: Kirsten Dunst

Best Supporting Actor

• Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
• Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
• Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
• Tobias Menzies, Outlander
• Christian Slater, Mr. Robot

I haven't seen many of these, but I think these nods are still great. Again with all the new fresh names. I have no idea who will win or even should win honestly.

Will Win: Ben Mendelsohn
Should Win: Alan Cumming

Best Supporting Actress

• Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black
• Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
• Regina King, American Crime
• Judith Light, Transparent
• Maura Tierney, The Affair

Not sure why Froggatt keeps getting nominated, but even with that, this list is pretty great. Tierney's and Emmy winner King's nominations are pretty inspired and I hope either one wins. I love you still, Uzo!

Will Win: Regina King
Should Win: Maura Tierney

Check out my thoughts/prediction for the film nominations, here.

End-Of-Year: Favorite 2014 TV Shows, Part 1

2015 is over three weeks old already and there are already fantastic NEW TV shows I've been obsessing over. All of that just means is that it's about time I finally post my list of favorite TV shows from 2014. So here's the first part...

Though a few honorable/dishonorable mentions first:

HONORABLE MENTION to Transparent which is technically a 2014 TV show, but I literally just saw it this weekend so I feel weird about including it in a list I finalized a couple of weeks ago. In any case, Tambor and cast are great and everyone should watch it.

DISHONORABLE MENTION to Gracepoint because even though I only managed to see its pilot and finale, it was still crystal clear what an unnecessary remake it was. Just watch Broadchurch, people!

DISHONORABLE MENTION to How I Met Your Mother whose rocky final season could've been completely salvaged by sticking the landing and instead they tripped and fell into a fire pit. If they had just aired the 'alternate' ending I'm pretty sure the show would've ranked for me.

HONORABLE MENTION to all the awesome reality TV shows (since I decided to stick with only scripted shows in my list) such as American Ninja Warrior, Amazing Race, Face Off, Fake Off, Masterchef, Masterchef Jr., So You Think You Can Dance, and The Quest. The latter was REALLY fun. Google it!

DISHONORABLE MENTION for networks cancelling good or potentially good comedies such as Enlisted, Trophy Wife, Selfie, A to Z, Suburgatory, The Crazy Ones, Benched, etc. Comedy isn't dead, but there's certainly been a lot of comedy murders lately.

Finally, HONORABLE MENTION to the brilliant actors in not-so-great (but still good) shows like Hayden Pannetiere in Nashville, Matthew McConaughey/Woody Harrelson in True Detective, Allison Janney in Mom, and Ian McKellen/Derek Jacobi in Vicious. I dedicate this to Cristin Milioti.

And now my list... starting with a shameless tie for #35!

35. Elementary/Sherlock - I kept going back and forth between the two Conan Doyle adaptations. Elementary is still my preferred Watson/Holmes duo, but Moriarty's brief appearance and Mary's introduction in Sherlock were hard to forget.

34. Once Upon a Time - There's still a large swath of the show I personally don't care for, but Regina as the reformed villain, Hook's sincere dedication to Emma, and the inspired Frozen arc made this an easy inclusion on my list.

33. Silicon Valley - A strong sense of place and characters helped overcome my hesitation over the weak pilot and in the end I honestly just wanted to keep following their journey.

32. Masters of Sex - Its pedigree and quality acting kept this in my list, but a muddled second half and an increasingly dull (to me) relationship between the two leads knocked this down a bit; the supporting characters are still aces.

31. You're the Worst - Got to this show late, but the critical love to this unlikely comedy gem is totally warranted. Full of heart and sarcasm in equal measures and isn't that always the best formula especially for comedies?

30. The Walking Dead - People have dismissed this as either too bleak or too disposable and while the former is true, the latter isn't. There were some nice character studies last year and all without sacrificing action and tense sequences the show is duly known for.

29. Orphan Black - The inimitable Tatiana Maslany was brilliant throughout, but the season as whole didn't quite reach up to her level despite some surprising developments to the increasing mythology of the show.

28. Homeland - It wasn't a home-run season like days of yore, but it was immensely improved from whatever last season was. Getting out of the US and having an actual mission to focus on helped a lot. And unlike most, I dug the quiet finale.

27. Downton Abbey - I particularly found the current season airing in PBS (and aired in UK in 2014) quite good especially in terms of my favorite characters. Still wish the beats were slightly more unpredictable, but this show is hardly going to win prizes for being groundbreaking now.

26. The Affair - The unique structure is a little gimmicky and sometimes got distracting and repetitive while the two leads together is probably my least favorite thing about the show. With that said, the acting is unimpeachable and the compelling family drama were the reasons it's on my list. Oh, and Pacey. With a gun.

25. Enlisted - God, this show was so damn good with a wonderfully quirky ensemble and lots of heart. I still don't understand why this didn't get more viewers, but at least its finale was pitch perfect. Hands on heads forever.

24. The Mindy Project - They did a reverse Moonlighting curse as the show improved greatly once they put Mindy/Danny together. The show finally had a stable focus and in the process gave Chris Messina more to do, which is always a good thing. Especially when it involves dancing/stripping.

23. House of Cards - I actually think they delivered a strong sophomore season with both Spacey and Wright going deeper and darker with their characters than even I expected them to. I'm already fearing what the third season will bring with them currently on top!

22. Black-ish - While the pilot was slightly heavy-handed, the series so far has been quite delightful and most of that has to do with the great family ensemble they've assembled. The youngest kids especially are too adorable for words.

21. Broad City - Apart from how ridiculous and funny the two leads are (and they're plenty both I assure you), I  think I just love the show because it just feels so authentically New York City. Plus I just envy their relationship with each other.

20. How to Get Away with Murder - It was my favorite pilot of the fall season and while a lot of the show falls under "hot mess," it's still incredibly fun to watch especially when it's Viola Davis chewing scenery or when literal gay sex is happening on screen. Both occur quite a lot thankfully.

19. Mad Men - If they had continued with their final season, I have no doubt this would be ranked higher in my list because I felt the season was JUST starting to rev up towards the end. I still have high hopes for it and I'm confident they'll deliver.

18. Looking - This show was highly anticipated for me since I expected it to pretty much be the TV version of Weekend and it pretty much was with the adorable Jonathan Groff as the looking-for-love lead. I was bound to love it.

17. Vikings - They did not withhold anything with this sophomore season! If anything, they just did everything bigger and better from amazing battle sequences to heart-wrenching drama; the season had it all. I mean they crucified one of the characters! Also, Lagertha is my queen forever.

16. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - This show (barely) made my list last year mostly due to my undying love for Whedon and my appreciation for Marvel. Thankfully since then it has gotten SO MUCH better with the writers/actors clearly more in sync with most of the characters as well as the welcome throughline of an actual mission driving the plot forward. Hope they can keep this up!

Part 2 aka my top 15 shows of 2014 soon!

End-Of-Year: 2014 TV Winners

2015 has been a week old and there are already a few of TV shows and performances that have set the bar for the upcoming year. With that said below are my top performances of the year in their respective categories starting off with my pick for Best Ensemble...

Best Ensemble: Jane the Virgin
Runner-Up: Orange is the New Black
Other Nominees: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Fargo, Game of Thrones, The Good Wife, The Leftovers, Parks and Recreation, Shameless, Veep

The cast of freshman show Jane the Virgin is from top to bottom excellent. From the delightful title character played by Gina Rodriguez to the wonderful unseen narrator. The women are the MVPs and yet the men are pretty damn wonderful as well in what could've been trickier roles. In any case, I realize I had to pick this cast considering I wanted to nominate ALL of them below and I nearly did. Meanwhile my pick last year Orange is the New Black is still the prime example of diverse female characters on the air (or streaming, in this case) right now and their sophomore season just solidified how great they all are.

Best Actor, Drama: Hugh Dancy, Hannibal
Runner-Up: Mads Mikkelsen, Hannibal
Other Nominees:
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Luke Pasqualino, The Musketeers
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

The one-two combination of Dancy and Mikkelsen enabled the sophomore season of Hannibal to reach the next level as their escalating cat and mouse games really heat up. Mikkelsen has been predictably delicious as the cannibal mastermind, but it's Dancy who really dug into a much darker place to match and even surpass his co-star last year. Hamm and Rhys expectantly did well in their solid shows by falling headlong into their fatherly ennui while Spacey chews scenery like no one else. Finally, Pasqualino is pretty and charming befitting someone playing d'Artagnan. Honorable mentions go to the McConaughey/Harrelson team in True Detective and Justin Theroux's penchant for shirtlessness and not wearing underwear in The Leftovers.

Best Actress, Drama: Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Runner-Up: Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Other Nominees:
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Keri Russell, The Americans
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Davis' line delivery alone of her show's title in the pilot is enough to push her to the top of this stacked category, but she also followed that up with her wig-removing crackling delivery of "Why is your penis on a dead girl's phone?" that had everyone talking. Meanwhile Maslany yet again does double, triple, sextuple, octuple duties playing god knows how many characters and does it so superbly. It's literal sorcery! Margulies went through a ringer this past year with her character going through a loss and building herself up to an almost different character while Wright delved deeper into her character's dark past in order to forge ahead even stronger. Russell and Moss continue to excel as well. Honorable mention goes to Ruth Wilson doing her best to make us believe that anyone could find Dominic West more attractive than Joshua Jackson in The Affair.

Best Actor, Comedy: Chris Messina, The Mindy Project
Runner-Up: Jonathan Groff, Looking
Other Nominees:
Andy Samberg, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation
Martin Freeman, Fargo
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley

I honestly think I'm giving Messina the win just for this scene alone as he channels his stripper past for all of our delights. But his elevated role on the show as Mindy's now boyfriend has been a wonderful delight through and through. Groff, meanwhile, like the other nominees, are playing a version of awkward/dorky that I find very endearing and it's nice to see this from him especially after his slight miscasting in Glee a few years ago. Samberg is a lovable doofus, Scott is sexily dorky, Middleditch is funnily awkward, and Freeman is hilariously disturbed. Honorable mentions go to the new and older Doctor Peter Capaldi, the queen bees of Vicious Ian McKellen and Derek Jacobi, and the horse-riding sexily dorky king himself John Cho in Selfie.

Best Actress, Comedy: Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback
Runner-Up: Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Other Nominees:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation
Emmy Rossum, Shameless
Rita Volk, Faking It

To be honest, this category is as close as to a 6-way tie for me as it gets since these six wonderful actresses deliver six such indelible and incredible performances that I really hesitated picking a winner, but Kudrow's biting and welcome return to television takes my top honor especially after that absolutely breathtaking (series?) finale. Of course, I can't talk enough about how fantastic newcomer Rodriguez is on her show which seems like the perfect match of actor and program, both so full of heart and charm. I've talked about the awesomeness of Rossum, Poehler, and Louis-Dreyfus before (all previous winners of mine) so I'll just say watch Faking It if you haven't and you'll see how great Volk is in it as well. Honorable mentions go to the very funny ladies of Broad City and Tracee Ellis Ross' colorful Rainbow on Black-ish.

Best Supporting Actor, Drama: Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Runner-Up: Dylan O'Brien, Teen Wolf
Other Nominees:
George Blagden, Vikings

Matt Czuchry, The Good Wife
Jack Falahee, How to Get Away With Murder
Joshua Jackson, The Affair

Yes, I know what you're thinking. I just created a Guys I'd Like to Fuck List. There are some very, very attractive men here not going to lie. My top pick is of course the brilliant Dinklage who was constantly on the defensive this past season until he went on the offensive and blew everyone away. O'Brien was my next pick since I highly enjoyed his time possessed by an evil spirit enabling the actor to really stretch himself in new, fun ways. As for the others... all talented, all cute. Blagden was crucified, Jackson was cuckold, Czuchry was framed, and Falahee was rimmed... a lot. Honorable mentions go to Jordan Gavaris' ass, Josh Charles' dramatics, Robin Lord Taylor's limp, and Iain De Caestecker's hallucinations.

Best Supporting Actress, Drama: Melissa McBride, The Walking Dead
Runner-Up: Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Other Nominees:
Annaleigh Ashford, Masters of Sex
Carrie Coon, The Leftovers
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Katheryn Winnick, Vikings

Sure McBride played such as bad-ass hero in the fifth season premiere, but it was her gut-wrenching scenes in the late fourth season episode "The Grove" which haunted me all year. She's also been a consistent highlight this season and it's been great seeing her character's development most of all. Then there's Panettiere who is literally the best thing about her show and she handles all of its soapiness with such real emotion that you just feel for her. Ashford's role was thankfully expanded this season though I wish she was actually in more while Williams, Coon, and Winnick all displayed such resiliency amidst sucky circumstances. Honorable mentions go to the most sympathetic Evil Queen Lana Parilla in Once Upon a Time, the fiercest fish Jada Pinkett Smith in Gotham, and the liveliest zombie Emily Bevan in In The Flesh.

Best Supporting Actor, Comedy: Jaime Camil, Jane the Virgin
Runner-Up: Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Other Nominees:
Reid Scott, Veep
Jeremy Allen White, Shameless
Michael J. Willett, Faking It
Parker Young, Enlisted

Braugher should get all of the awards, but he's had a season and a half to delight us all with his increasingly more expressive Captain Holt so that's why I gave this to Camil who, in just a handful of episodes, turned what could have been such an irritating one-dimensional character into someone completely opposite of that. He has great writers, of course, but there's just something so natural and straightforward in how he plays his ego-driven telenovela superstar making it so much fun to watch. White really doesn't belong in the Comedy category, but he was SO affecting this season that I would've nominated him in Best Actress. Young, Willett, and Scott are witty bon-mots machines in already fantastic shows. Honorable mentions go to steamy Raúl Castillo in Looking, Tony Hale's bathroom scene in Veep, and Billy Bob Thornton's weird hair in Fargo.

Best Supporting Actress, Comedy: Cristin Milioti, How I Met Your Mother
Runner-Up: Samira Wiley, Orange if the New Black
Other Nominees:
Anna Chlumsky, Veep
Andrea Navedo, Jane the Virgin
Chelsea Peretti, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Lorraine Toussaint, Orange if the New Black

While the final season of HIMYM was largely a failed experiment, it at least gave us Milioti. My favorite episodes last year where ones that featured her, especially the 200th episode where we saw 9-years worth of her stories condensed in one beautiful, way-too short episode. As I was making my picks for this category, I realize I could've easily filled this up with actresses from Jane the Virgin, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Orange is the New Black. I split the difference picking one for each show (two for OITNB). Wiley is my MVP last year as she really stepped up though Toussaint came so close playing such a great villain. Navedo's scenes with Gina Rodriguez are my favorite aspects in that show and Peretti is always, always a highlight. Chlumsky as Selina's campaign manager was expectantly hilarious. Honorable mentions goes to ALL of the other ladies from the aforementioned shows, because seriously wow.

Best Limited Role, Actor: Pedro Pascal, Game of Thrones
Runner-Up: Michiel Huisman, Orphan Black/Games of Thrones/Nashville
Other Nominees:
Noel Fisher, Shameless
Anthony Mendez, Jane the Virgin
Conrad Ricamora, How to Get Away With Murder
Andrew Scott, Sherlock

Damn, I made a sex list again. I mean, yes all of these men caught my attention for one reason or another. Pascal was the easy top pick for me as he was unforgettable in the role, but Huisman did his best appearing briefly in three shows the past year with hot and bothered ladies in his wake. Mendez's role as the unseen, but sassy narrator in Jane the Virgin is a delight as is Ricamora's brief (usually shirtless) scenes in his show. Scott probably appeared not even 30 seconds all season and yet he still made the requisite impact. Fisher's character's evolution was my favorite part of the show last year. Honorable mentions goes to the Super Bowl Prince in New Girl, Michael Pitt eating his face on Hannibal, and Russell Tovey's huge... ears in Looking.

Best Limited Role, Actress: Julianne Nicholson, Masters of Sex
Runner-Up: Gillian Anderson, Hannibal
Other Nominees:
Ann Dowd, True Detective/Masters of Sex/The Leftovers
Rhea Perlman, The Mindy Project
Carrie Preston, The Good Wife/True Blood
Barbara Rosenblat, Orange is the New Black

We get to the final category and like last year I'm giving it to a veteran actress playing sick on Masters of Sex. Nicholson's plight wasn't any less harrowing than last year's Allison Janney and I truly was so emotionally attached to her character that when she left midway through the season I kinda stopped caring about the show. My runner-up I think only appeared in two episodes, but her brief scenes with the two leads crackled and popped all the same. Preston is an old-hat in this category and every day I wonder why no one has given her a leading role of her own. Perlman is as refreshing an addition to her show's ensemble as Rosenblat is needed. Finally, Dowd was busy, busy, busy this year with three very different and complicated characters. Honorable mentions go to the other ladies--"alive" or dead--on Hannibal, Palicki's heroic hair flip on Agents of SHIELD, Natalie Dormer's mischievous half smile, and Kate Walsh for sexily slaying it on Fargo.

Whew! And now all is left is my ranked list of TV shows which I hope to get posted before this weekend's Golden Globes. Refresh your memories on my pick for Best Drama, Comedy, and New Show here. Happy watching all!

AFI Top Ten Films/TV Programs of 2014

Early tomorrow morning will be the announcement of the SAG Awards nominees and the following day will be the Golden Globes nominations so awards season is ramping up! well the American Film Institute (see the jury this year) chimed in with their picks of their favorites in film and TV this year. They are...

MOVIES OF THE YEAR

• American Sniper
• Birdman
• Boyhood
• Foxcatcher
• The Imitation Game
• Interstellar
• Into the Woods
• Nightcrawler
• Selma
• Unbroken
• Whiplash

This year the group has picked 11 films to honor and it's mostly the usual suspects give or take Into the Woods and perhaps American Sniper and Unbroken, all of which by the way has NOT been seen by the general audience because year-end film awards don't care about the audience at all. Neither here nor there though! I am curious at the momentum for a film like American Sniper as well as the lack of one for Gone Girl, which unrelatedly is looking to make over $165 million. Also missing is The Grand Budapest Hotel (came out forever ago), Wild (but it's about a woman), Theory of Everything (it's TOO British/not eligible?) and NBR's top pick A Most Violent Year (yeah, I don't know).

TV PROGRAMS OF THE YEAR

• The Americans
• Fargo
• Game of Thrones
• How to Get Away With Murder
• Jane the Virgin
• The Knick
• Mad Men
• Orange is the New Black
• Silicon Valley
• Transparent

The absence of The Good Wife is giving me an allergic reaction, but this list is not baf at all. At least they didn't include True Detective, right? I haven't seen The Knick, Silicon Valley, and Transparent, but the other freshman shows on the list are excellent especially Jane the Virgin which is probably my favorite new show this year. Nice to see a couple of last year's freshman class hold fort (The Americans and Orange is the New Black) as well as some old standbys in Game of Thrones and Mad Men. Like last year, I'm just going to assume Orphan Black isn't "American" enough for this group.

Pilot Thoughts: Black-ish and How to Get Away with Murder

Even though it was Premiere Week this past week, I actually only saw two new shows so don't think I'm putting them together now just because they happen to feature people of color as lead characters (though that isn't unimportant in the least). Let's go...

Black-ish is the first sitcom pilot I've seen this season and it looks like I started out on a good note. Dre Johnson, played slightly over-the-top by Anthony Anderson, is a marketing executive who is on the verge of a promotion and is generally high on life until he realizes that his family for all of their success have forgotten their black roots. His identity crisis and paranoia about them being black-ish is compounded by his son wanting to play field hockey and have a Bar Mitzvah and his company asking him to lead the "urban" division. He's put to the paces by his bi-racial doctor wife played by Tracee Ellis Ross and his father played by Laurence Fishburne as well as his other kids and predictably all's well that ends well as things do for sitcoms. The focus on race may have been too sledgehammer-y (or at least too broad) for a few, but it gives this show a solid base for the rest of its life. Plus it was funny (Ross and the young twins provided a lot of the laughs for me). I do hope that the show is more family comedy than work comedy because I generally found all of the latter slightly dull. Now let's all take a black break and get some white yogurt.

Grade: B
Willingness to continue: High. It has tons of potential and the family characters are great. Plus being sandwiched between two shows I already watch helps A LOT.

How to Get Away with Murder was my most anticipated show of the fall season so I'm super happy that it lived up to my already high expectations. First of all, Viola Davis as the brilliant and intimidating law professor Annalise Keating is just superb. Her role feels familiar already in the well-worn TV trope of smart and tough teacher who mentors her students in an unorthodox way (in the first episode she pits her students against one another to come up with the best defense on a case she's currently working on with four of the best to intern at her firm) and yet in Davis' hands she also feels fully fleshed out already in spite of still so many unanswered questions about her. I understand people saying she wasn't in the pilot enough, because from the first time she enters the frame to write the title of the show on the blackboard, you just never wanted her to leave and you definitely miss her when she's not on. The rest of the show though intrigued me if not in equal measure, then enough. It revolves around the young folks she's taken under her wing led by the baby-faced Wes Gibbins, adorably played by Alfred Enoch, a character you can easily root for in this dog-eat-dog world/show. In flash-forwards, we see Gibbins with three of his classmates literally trying to hide the evidence of a murder that's been committed. We get small clues in the pilot about what could've led to this dark moment in their lives (the tenuous relationships between all of the characters, the origin of the murder weapon, the identity of the victim, etc.) and I have to say I'm hooked. There's also so many other things I loved about the show such as having a gay character who is actually shown to have sex and of course seeing Liza Weil (Paris in Gilmore Girls) on my TV again. The week wait for the next new episode is murder.

Grade: A
Willingess to continue: A murder mystery and a chance to see Viola Davis weekly? HELL TO THE YES.