ABC thinks The Kids Are Alright, just like its fall lineup
We’re still deep in upfront presentations, which means the trailers just keep on comin’. So here’s the latest Trailer Happy Hour: Upfronts Edition, which boasts appearances from Nathan Fillion, James Roday, and, for all you Mentalist fans out there, Robin Tunney.
ABC took the stage today to offer advertisers glimpses of its new lineup, as well as to reiterate that Freeform is the hip new place for younger viewers to congregate—sorry, “chill.” Wait, that’s Netflix. In any case, Freeform’s ordered Besties, a new multi-cam sitcom from Kenya Barris that will explore identity, race, and class via one longtime friendship. The sister network’s also tapped I. Marlene King to return to the world of Pretty Little Liars—they’re still beautiful and deceitful, but now they’re Perfectionists.
For its part, ABC previewed five new dramas and two new comedies. First, did you ever wonder what veteran TV writer and producer Tim Doyle’s childhood was like, and how it might tie into current national discussions? Okay, well, did you at least wonder if someone who worked on Last Man Standing AND Roseanne could squeeze a fake news reference into a show set in the ’70s (we think)? Then watch the trailer below!
New Girl ends tonight, but take heart—creator Liz Meriwether and writer J.J. Philbin have a new sitcom coming to network TV. Single Parents stars Taran Killam, Leighton Meester, Brad Garrett, Kimrie Lewis, and Jason Choi as singletons who are raising children all by their lonesome. As the new arrival, Killam’s character is the most pathetic of the bunch, but everyone rallies to make him a little less piteous.
Public trust in law enforcement might be at an all-time low, but new drama The Rookie hopes we like Nathan Fillion, who’s practically an ABC fixture, enough to overlook the questionable nature of featuring an unqualified person in such a position of authority, as well as the staleness of the larger premise—a midlife crisis.
After watching ABC’s presentation, we now know A Million Little Things about this new drama from producer DJ Nash, like who’s in the cast—Ron Livingston, Stephanie Szostak, James Roday, and Romany Falco, among others—as well as the fact that the series has already been picked up by the network. Check out the trailer to discover some of the show’s sad secrets for yourself.
Whiskey Cavalier sounds like it’s either the code name of a Statesman operative, or a hot new nightclub Stefon is pitching on Weekend Update. But it’s actually a spy-versus-spy drama from Bill Lawrence and Dave Hemingson. It’s also Scott Foley’s post-Scandal home, as well as the reason why Lauren Cohan might have to step back from running the Hilltop on The Walking Dead. What it isn’t—judging by this trailer, anyway—is a refreshing twist on the old odd-couple cops/detectives/government operatives story.
The People Vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story was some of the most riveting television in recent years, so ABC’s reworking the trial of the century in this new drama with some help from executive producer Marcia Clark, who prosecuted O.J. Simpson in real life. Robin Tunney plays the Clark stand-in, while Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje co-stars as an obviously fictionalized version of Simpson.
If you’ve made it this far, first of all, we’re happy you’re here. To show our gratitude, we have this trailer for Grand Hotel, a sexy, soapy drama from executive producer Eva Longoria. It’s part Empire, part Dynasty, and already ordered to series.
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