Previously: We watched our first batch of pilots and marveled at many a good cast.
—
Agatha All Along on Disney+
Recapped: Kathryn Hahn returns as Agatha Harkness as she seeks to regain the powers Wanda stripped her of with maximum chaos and… singing?
What Mari thinks: We brought our live streams back for this if that hints at how much we were predisposed to love it. The first two episodes that dropped were delightful. It felt like an excellent continuation of WandaVision, playing with format and shows within shows but quickly establishing its own tone. It hit all the right notes (if you will) while assembling its rag-tag coven and putting forth its mission. The cast is stacked, the mysteries are interesting, and I am seated.
A.
What Nicole thinks: WHAT A DELIGHT. We said this a few times in the last recap, but it absolutely must be repeated here: THAT CAST. This whole thing exists because Kathryn Hahn is so compelling that they couldn’t be done with her just yet (very Tom Hiddleston’s Loki), but the supporting cast here is also so phenomenal and charming I don’t entirely care what they do as long as they’re all together. I loved the nods to the TV meta elements of WandaVision, but in a way that still felt natural to this new show. I actually have TOO MANY WORDS for how much fun I had. I could talk about this show all day.
A++.
Overall Grade: A+
The Penguin on HBO
Recapped: Colin Farrell puts the latex back on to reprise his role as Oswald Cobblepot navigating the aftermath of The Batman.
What Mari thinks: I spent most of this pilot thinking about how I wanted to rewatch The Batman. That I liked. This? Not so much. To be fair to The Penguin, it suffers mostly for being so many things I don’t enjoy: a mobster show, a villain-centered show, and an entry into Very Serious Batman, where I prefer my Batman media to lean campy. The one highlight for me was Cristin Milioti’s performance as Sofia Falcone. In a pilot that progressed in incredibly predictable ways, Milioti’s slightly wide eyes also gave tropey crazy lady, but she nailed it. Overall, this felt a little soulless to me, and if I had to pick only one comic-based villain show to watch this TV season, I’d pick the one with the singing.
C.
What Nicole thinks: I also have too many words for this, except the words are all about how unhappy I was the whole time. To be fair to this show, I knew I would be. My expectations were on the floor, and those expectations were met. It’s really interesting to have these two shows back to back in our list because they are both essentially villain spinoffs. The thing about Agatha, though, is that she (again, like Loki) is enough of a mixed bag herself (in that she is canonically both friend and foe) and, critically, immediately becomes part of a little team of misfits that gives you good reason to root for her. Watching Penguin psychologically torment that kid for an hour did not make for a charming duo. This is just an Everyone Sucks Here experience, which can make for good TV, but the shows that do that well have something to say. Admittedly, I am a hard sell on that genre of show, but I can at least respect it when it feels purposeful. Everyone Sucks Here, and then what? Just a bunch of comic book assholes being assholes, the end? I fully agree that Cristin Milioti was the only source of light in an otherwise miserable experience.
D- (Ds get degrees, and I’ll pass this show for Cristin Milioti alone).
Overall Grade: D+
Twilight of the Gods on Netflix
Recapped: Zack Snyder brings Norse mythology to animated life.
What Mari thinks: The last thing I suffered through from Zack Snyder was his cut of the Justice League. I tried not to hold that against this show too much, but it was a lot of suffering. This pilot did get immediate credit for being less than 30 minutes long. And while I did love that for me, I do also think it was too short to introduce this story sufficiently. Over the course of the pilot, we are meant to set up a great love and invest in it enough that by the time Thor murders an entire village of people, we care to tune into the main character’s vengeance tour. Or, I mean, you either needed to care or tune in because, regardless, you wanted to see the animated tits and gore Snyder was always going to deliver.
I wish I had anything else to say here. The pilot was fine, the animation was fine, and the voice actors did fine. One episode was enough for me.
C.
What Nicole thinks: I also don’t care for Zack Snyder, but I went into this much more favorably just because I was happy to no longer be watching The Penguin. I had no idea what I was getting into, though, so I agree that everything came at me pretty fast, and then it was over. I finally have very few words because I didn’t have enough time to form real thoughts. I might actually watch more of this in a “have it on in the background” kind of way, but I probably won’t sit down for a focused, active viewing.
C.
Overall Grade: C
Matlock on CBS
Recapped: Kathy Bates stars in this reboot in which the original exists in-universe, and the reboot doesn’t have much to do with the original, except that it is about a lawyer (kind of) named Matlock.
What Mari thinks: I almost didn’t watch this one because, to me, Matlock is nothing more than a boring-looking show I was vaguely aware of. (Sorry, Matlock fans. I was a CHILD.) We’ll credit those low expectations for being very easily pleasantly surprised by this legal drama that, as we are here to review pilots, did a solid job of introducing the big cast of characters, the premise, the stakes, and the twist. Bates is expectedly great in her role as the matronly lawyer everyone underestimates. My one lingering question was about how this show would keep up interest over many episodes beyond the case of the week, and the pilot answers with a twist at the end that, sure, lacked all subtlety but did indeed dangle some bait for continued watching.
B-.
What Nicole thinks: I also knew nothing about Matlock, but I was genuinely very charmed by this. It’s a bit hollow but very charming. One thing about these roundups that’s tricky is trying to judge things by what they attempted to do. I think there are sort of two parts to that: how worthwhile or appealing the project itself feels and how well they executed that vision. Something like this does not feel super appealing to me as a project, but they absolutely did the thing they set out to do. Kathy Bates is a national treasure, and if this show exists to give her something to do, I respect it.
B+.
Overall Grade: B
Rescue: HI-Surf on Fox
Recapped: A team of elite lifeguards patrol the beaches of Hawaii, rescuing both tourists and locals from all sorts of watery peril. Welcome to the North Shore (bitch).
What Mari thinks: It’s probably fitting that I follow up talking about not watching Matlock with admitting that I had a big Baywatch era. My sisters and I were glued to the TV anytime Baywatch was on. This? Feels like Baywatch, shot in 4k, perhaps a little more gritty to match the times, but this is still network TV. It’s not that gritty. It’s soapy, a little cheesy, and hits all the notes you’d expect from a show about a group of hot lifeguards. Is it the best pilot I watched? No. Was it effective and watchable? Yes. I’ll be tuned in and rooting for everyone to kiss in the weeks to come.
B.
What Nicole thinks: Unlike Mari, I am 0 for 2 on the call backs because I did not watch Baywatch. Using my same metric for Matlock: I’m gonna say this project feels notably less appealing/worthwhile to me, personally, but similarly successful in achieving the hollow nothing they were going for! I do love rooting for everyone to kiss, though. Whether or not I watch more of this show depends entirely on random chance, and if I do watch more, I don’t expect to remember a single minute of my viewing experience.
C+.
Overall Grade: B-
Did you watch any of these pilot episodes? Tell us your grades in the comments!
Next time on our Fall TV Roundup: Brilliant Minds, Murder in a Small Town, Penelope, Doctor Odyssey, and Nobody Wants This.
