The Fall 2015 TV season is here, and we’re predicting which shows will win over audiences, which ones will leave people on the fence, and which ones will leave them reminded of Fox’s Utopia (Fall 2014’s first cancelled show).
Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the early candidates for ADTV Death Watch 2015.
What Will Thrive
| Show | Network | Cast/Plot | Reason |
| Code Black | CBS | This medical drama follows an understaffed and overcrowded emergency room in Los Angeles. Stars Marcia Gay Harden. | CBS thrives on medical and cop dramas. And this is definitely in that wheelhouse. |
| Crazy Ex-Girlfriend | CW | A musical/comedy about a woman (Rachel Bloom) who moves to California to be with the high school boyfriend who dumped her. | With the success of Jane the Virgin, CW is on a roll. And early buzz says they may have another hit on their hands. |
| The Man in the High Castle | Amazon | An alternate history of the world if the Axis powers would have won World War II. | The January pilot was the most-watched episode in the history of Amazon programming. |
| Quantico | ABC | It’s “How to Get Away with Terrorism,” following a group of FBI recruits, one of which masterminded a terrorist attack. | Early reviews says it is very Shonda Rhimes-esque. And that’s never a bad thing. |
| Red Oaks | Amazon | A young tennis player works at a country club during the summer between college years in the 1980s. | David Gordon Green of Eastbound & Down directs. This could be a sleeper hit. |
| The Player | NBC | A group of rich people gamble on whether a team can stop crime. Stars Wesley Snipes. | If people are crazy enough to make a James Spader show a hit, they’re crazy enough to make this Wesley Snipes series a watercooler show. |
| Scream Queens | Fox | A sorority is terrorized by a murderer. Stars Emma Roberts, Ariana Grande, Jamie Lee Curtis, and anyone else who’s ever met Ryan Murphy. | This series mixes two other successful Ryan Murphy show ideas: Glee and American Horror Story. It looks like scary fun! |
What Will Be on the Bubble
| Show | Network | Cast/Plot | Reason |
| Blood & Oil | ABC | It’s a soap opera in Williston, N.D., and stars Don Johnson as an oil tycoon. | With Revenge now over, ABC needs a sudsy drama for fans to gravitate to. This could be it. |
| Blindspot | NBC | A naked tattooed lady is found in Time Square and her body offers clues to crimes. | NBC may keep this show around because of similarities to the network’s only other hit show: The Black List. |
| Grandfathered | Fox | John Stamos plays a man who finds out he has a son. . .and a granddaughter. | John Stamos plus a cute kid usually means gold. Well, ‘80s/early ‘90s gold. |
| The Grinder | Fox | Rob Lowe stars as a former TV star who was on a lawyer show called The Grinder. | This is Rob Lowe’s first major TV role since he left Parks & Recreation, so it, lit-ra-lly, has to be somewhat good, right? |
| Life in Pieces | CBS | CBS’ answer to Modern Family, starring Dianne Wiest, James Brolin, and Colin Hanks. | It’s a little like Modern Family. AND The Slap, with its unique multiple POV format. |
| Wicked City | ABC | Set in 1982, it’s about two LA detectives trying to track down two romantically linked serial killers. | It has an interesting premise, and it’s an anthology series. But can it be as good as its premise? |
What Will Die a Horrible Death(Watch)
| Show | Network | Cast/Plot | Reason |
| Bastard Executioner | FX | Sons of Anarchy’s Kurt Sutter created this series about a knight who wants to lay down his weapon, until he gets the executioner’s sword. | Reviews have been pretty bad. And with an SOA spin-off coming, maybe some Sutter fans will just wait until that one comes out. |
| Best Time Ever | NBC | It’s Neil Patrick Harris’ hour-long variety show. | It’s an hour-long variety show. And it’s 2015. |
| Dr. Ken | ABC | Based on Ken Jeong’s previous career as a doctor, this sitcom stars and is created by the actor/comedian. | Ken Jeong is hilarious, but might work best with the right people to play off of. Imagine a Community spin-off of just Chang. |
| Heroes Reborn | NBC | A reboot of the NBC superhero show that went off the air in 2010. | . . .that no one was asking for. |
| Limitless | CBS | A TV show based on the Bradley Cooper movie from 2011. A man takes a pill that makes him infinitely smarter. | Was this movie notable enough to be made into a TV show? |
| The Muppets | ABC | It’s a behind-the-scenes look at The Muppets, told documentary style. | This is, like, the third time ABC has tried to reboot The Muppets in some capacity. And this series is more divisive in reception than the others. |
| Minority Report | Fox | A reboot of Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi film starring Stark Sands and Meagan Good. | It’s basically nothing like the film. The pre-cog program has been abolished and now pre-cogs are in hiding because of their special abilities. |
| Rosewood | Fox | Stars Morris Chestnut as a private pathologist who also has a heart condition where he will probably die before he hits 40. | The previews make it look like Dexter, if it were boring. So basically, the last season of Dexter. |
| Supergirl | CBS | Melissa Benoist stars as Supergirl, cousin to Superman, who must learn to embrace her newfound powers. | The super-long preview makes it look like a romantic comedy. Think: Marvel’s Manhattan Love Story. |
| Truth Be Told | NBC | Follows the lives of diverse couples and their feelings on everything from sex to race relations.Stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tone Bell, Bresha Webb, and Vanessa Lachey. | NBC looks to be still seeking the next Friends. And this still ain’t it. |
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