A Look Back at Fall Network TV: Were Any of Those Shows Worth Watching?

Why Stumptown, Evil, Prodigal Son, and The Unicorn are worth your time, and which other shows you can skip altogether

WINTER IS BRUTALLY COLD AND ETERNALLY LONG, and you surely need something new to watch on TV. And you’re in luck! (Sorta.) Network television always has something new, after all, with a handful of new winter shows soon and at least 15 new fall shows you might have missed.

Nowadays, folks typically like to wait to find out if a show is any good before diving in. Well each of these new fall shows has had a few months to find its footing, so are any of them worth catching up on and watching?

I trust you can figure out when and where these shows are on TV or how to stream the episodes you missed, so I’ll leave that to you. For today, the question is simple: Did any of these fall network shows live up to the hype, and are any of them worth your time now?

DON’T EVEN BOTHER

Carol’s Second Act

Do you enjoy laugh tracks, obnoxious studio applause, stilted characters, and endless old people jokes about millennials? If so, this show might be for you but this article probably isn’t. Sorry.

Almost Family

This was DOA in 2019 with its icky premise, a fertility doctor “helpings” clients by secretly using his own sperm to impregnate hundreds of them.

The doc isn’t the main character, rather his daughter and two new “sisters” she meets, and those three women are quite interesting with real chemistry, worth following in a Jason Katims world. They’re bright and likable and fun.

Remove the premise and this might be worth watching, but remove the premise and there’s no show.

Sunnyside

Sunnyside is the only show on this list that’s already cancelled, and it’s been gone quite awhile. NBC only aired a few episodes before canning the show and putting the rest online, and that’s a shame because this had promise.

Kal Penn works as a leading funny man, and the surrounding cast is fun and interesting, different than the same old characters as non-white immigrants Penn is trying to help find their way. Michael Schur always maximizes the entire cast so I’m disappointed NBC didn’t give him time here.

Nancy Drew

Basically CW had a lot of success with Riverdale and thought to themselves, “Hmm, what other familiar story can we reboot and turn into a teen soap opera with lots of pretty actors and ridiculous drama” and voila, Nancy Drew.

The ratings are abysmal but that never matters at CW, so Drew should stick around. If you love Riverdale, this is a watered-down knockoff you’ll probably enjoy enough. Otherwise, don’t bother.

Emergence

Really disappointing. I was skeptical of Emergence in my preview after being burned by endless Lost knockoffs and failed sci-fi mysteries through the years. Every one of them has an interesting premise but no idea how to pay it off, and every time they get cancelled before they have a chance to figure it out.

Then I started watching and I was in. More than the mystery, the characters themselves were intriguing. Allison Tolman is wonderful as the lead, and mystery kid Piper is cute and creepy and interesting. The show thrived early as it let the mystery play out in the background and focused on the character dynamics.

And then as it continued, it delved deeper and deeper into the mystery and… it’s not working. It’s weird and doesn’t make sense and only gets more and more twisted, like every other show of this genre. And just like all the others, it’s going to get cancelled after one season before we ever find out Piper’s deal or what happens to all the big baddies.

I’m annoyed I invested 10 episodes into this show, and I don’t think I’ll bother to finish the season because I know there won’t be answers anyway. Biggest disappointment of the fall for me.

I GUESS IF YOU NEED SOMETHING TO WATCH

Kids Say the Darndest Things

If you’re bored on a Sunday night flipping channels (do people still do that?) or just need an occasional show to throw on in the background while you’re folding laundry, Kids Say is a perfect filler.

Remember the old Art Linkletter show? Yep, it’s that. Tiffany Haddish hosts and has a little opening monologue, and then there’s just precocious little kiddos saying adorable things. Who doesn’t love that?

Bob ❤ Abishola

This is a CBS Chuck Lorre show, so you know it’s going to stick around. I gave B❤A a few episodes before checking out in the fall but recently saw a few more with my parents.

And you know what? It’s not bad. It’s fine. Bob is charming enough, and he and Abishola have good, growing chemistry. I’m always on board with folks like Folake Olowofoyeku (hint: not Bob) getting a shot as the lead, though both characters’ mothers are a bit kooky.

This is fine. I’m not mad that I saw a few more episodes, and I won’t mind missing the rest of the season either.

all rise.

I didn’t give this much of a shot in the fall but have been pleasantly surprised. Not overwhelmed, mind you, and if I was listing off 25 current TV shows I’m watching this wouldn’t even cross my mind. But actually, I quite like it.

I called all rise. something like For the People with less Shonda, and that turned out to be a decent comparison. The best thing all rise. has going for it is the cast. Simone Missick is fascinating as the lead, and all the main characters are likable and interesting. And, ya know, not white, so that’s nice too.

There’s a formula here, and a little heavy on the ethics and morality like any law procedural, but the formula works for a reason. I’m always happy to throw this on in the background each week.

Perfect Harmony

I’d have ranked Perfect Harmony top tier except its ratings are brutal and it’s destined to a one-season cancellation like many other sitcoms gone before. No matter. I can’t say I’ll really miss it, but I’ve enjoyed its run nonetheless.

Bradley Whitford is sort of mailing in the lead, though his character is doing the same so it’s tough to distinguish them. But I really like Anna Camp and the quirky characters around Whitford! This backwoods Kentucky crew has instant chemistry. This show is exactly what you think — and that’s fine!

Mixed-ish

Honestly, Mixed-ish has been somewhat disappointing. I’m all-in on kenya barris’s world. I love Black-ish as both a fun watch and a show that’s constantly teaching me something I need to learn, and I’ve enjoyed the Grown-ish spinoff on Freeform. So far, Mixed-ish is easily the worst of the three.

The problem is the cast. They’re just all so bad. Every adult character is a massive caricature and doesn’t seem even remotely believable. Mark-Paul Gosselaar is a bit much as the dad, and the grandpa and aunt are way over the top. Siblings Santi and Johan are too much at times too, but cute at least.

But then there’s 12-year-old Rainbow, the main character. Bow is brilliant. She’s sweet and winsome, thoughtful and fascinating. They found a winner in Arica Himmel, and anytime the show focuses on Bow, it’s really quite compelling. Those eyes and that smile just draw you in, and the Tracee Ellis Ross voice-over never hurts.

Bow is interesting, and her story is fresh and new. Like the rest of the Kenya Barris universe, I learn something from this show, and I want more of that. I binged a bunch before Christmas and was surprised to find myself looking forward to Bow after the holidays, and this first episode about the juxtaposition of a new school crush and the real life pain of the Challenger explosion was really good. It made me think. More of that, please.

YOU MIGHT ACTUALLY NOTICE IF THEY WERE GONE

Stumptown

Stumptown is my favorite new fall network TV show. That’s nice and all, but mostly just an indictment of the terrible fall offering.

Stumptown is better than fine but far short of great. I’m not even sure it’s one I’d think of as a recommendation. But I like it! Cobie Smulders, Jake Johnson, and Michael Ealy are all great, basically playing the same characters we know and miss from other beloved shows. The Portland backdrop is fresh, the music is super fun, and they do some unique cinematography stuff.

Honestly, I just like Stumptown because it’s fun. It’s popcorn and it makes me smile every week. And sometimes that’s enough.

Batwoman

If you were going to watch Batwoman, you’re probably already watching. This is the latest installment in the CW Arrowverse, and it’s a quality version in the genre. I finally got out of a long on-again-off-again relationship with The Flash this fall so I’m staying away, but this is another show that’s pretty much exactly as promised. If you like DC and CW and the Arrowverse, you should watch Batwoman. And again — you probably already are.

Evil

This is the biggest new fall show by ratings, and it’s easy to see why. For people that enjoy the X-Files genre, Evil does a pretty good job filling the void.

I’ve been through the roller coaster on this one. At first glance, I had no interest whatsoever but then became intrigued by the exploration of the problem of evil and the whole science versus supernatural aspect. Then I started watching and knew immediately it wasn’t for me. Too much Monster of the Week and too weird demons and other X-Files-y characters, despite the quality dialogue and interesting scientific explorations.

Evil is a bit too creepy for me, and I was disappointed in their limited use of Michael Emerson. But I could be talked into trying again at some point, and I think it’ll stick around and be a very good fit for people into this genre.

The Unicorn

The Unicorn is the only half-hour show in my top five, so I guess that makes it the best new fall sitcom. Yay? Nothing about Unicorn is particularly unique or memorable. It’s cute and fun and very sitcommy, and it will remind you of 15 other shows you’ve watched before. I just happen to like those 15 shows, so I like The Unicorn too and will be happy to see it stick around.

Walton Goggins plays a single widower dad trying to find his way in this crazy world, and he’s fine. His friends are mostly fine too, though they’re believable with good chemistry. The best thing the show has going for it are Goggins’s two daughters. The girls are charming and well-acted and add a lot of depth and realism to the show, and The Unicorn is at its best when they focus on the family dynamics rather than Goggins’s lack of charm and dating life.

Look, that’s not the most raving review, but that’s where we’re at with network TV. If you enjoy a good sitcom, you’ll like The Unicorn, and that’ll have to be enough.

Prodigal Son

None of these fall network shows have a snowball’s chance of an Emmy, but if one were to win something, it would definitely be this. Prodigal Son is unquestionably the most well-made show on the list. The cinematography is excellent. The writing is creepy and layered. The musical score is terrific and adds another element. This is a genuinely good television show.

Tom Payne is the haunted son of serial killer father Michael Sheen, and Prodigal Son is an exploration of those family dynamics and of Payne’s vacillation between NYPD crime profiler and future sociopath. Think something in between Hannibal and Dexter, with a little Grimm thrown in for good measure.

Prodigal Son was the best new network TV show this fall by any measure, destined to be discovered a year from now on Netflix and binged by countless folks who wonder why it never got attention on TV. This one wasn’t for me, and the acting got a little stilted and over the top before I chose to opt out, but there’s a pretty good television show here.

Go ahead and give it a shot. And if you don’t like it, don’t worry — a new season is just around the corner and there will be 15 new spring shows to hate too! ■

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