Sep 26, 2016 4 min read

Here’s the good news. The first seven new series that premiered last week – “Kevin Can Wait,” “This Is Us,” “The Good Place,” “Bull,” “Designated Survivor,” “Speechless” and “Lethal Weapon” – had solid ratings.

The bad news? Some of them didn’t deserve it.

Even worse news, though, is that the best of those seven, and perhaps TV’s entire freshman class, might not survive.

We have yet to see “Lethal Weapon,” so we’ll concentrate on the remaining six.

“Bull” is a fitting title for a mostly unbelievable, by-the-numbers legal drama that mirrors almost every other CBS procedural show. As with the other dramas, it centers on the weekly one-upmanship of a quirky, but evidently brilliant man and the team of minions that worship him. With slight variations, we’ve seen it all before.

The same network also unveiled “Kevin Can Wait,” a barely serviceable and totally lazy and predictable Kevin James sitcom. Hard to believe it’s being asked to dance in the same ballroom as the network’s significantly classier “Big Bang Theory” and “Mom.”

As the highest profile new entry this fall, ABC’s “Designated Survivor” surprisingly exceeded the hype. Keifer Sutherland is a good fit as a low-level Cabinet member who becomes president after a catastrophe wipes out just about every other politician. (And credit the writers for resisting the obvious wink). Sutherland adapts a “presidential” demeanor a bit too quickly; otherwise, the premiere laid the groundwork for at least a dozen intriguing episodes. While it’s doubtful it will become “The West Wing II,” “Survivor” certainly has the possibility of being compelling drama.

“Speechless,” the latest in ABC’s expanding group of diverse family sitcoms, centers on a family with a special needs child. It’s particularly well-written. Although some critics have blasted Minnie Driver’s mom character as being too shrill, she’s pitch perfect, as any put-upon parent of a special needs child will attest. Even if the Driver criticism has merit, she’s surrounded by a talented cast that should balance the sitcom well.

NBC’s “The Good Place” has been labeled an instant hit, but with what demographic? Its high-concept, lowbrow humor and comic-book set don’t mesh well. And Ted Danson is horribly miscast as the “Michael” guardian character. Let’s hope they open a “Cheers” at the “Good Place” – and soon.

The best of the first batch of new shows was easily “This Is Us,” which is both a blessing and a curse. It’s important for networks to have appointment TV series, and “This Is Us” hit bull’s-eyes in acting, directing and writing. But like “Parenthood” before it, it may well have difficulty finding an audience that appreciates television that is thoughtful without being condescending or overly sentimental. For audiences that appreciate real “reality TV,” however, “This Is Us” promises to be mesmerizing.

Just one new series inched its way into the top 10 network summer shows, reality show “Better Late than Never,” which landed at No. 10. There are no surprises elsewhere on that list, headed once again by “America’s Got Talent” (Tuesday), followed by “The Bachelorette,” “America’s Got Talent” (Wednesday), “Big Brother” (Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday), “American Ninja Warrior” and “Bachelor in Paradise” (Monday, Tuesday). All 10 shows will be returning.

“America’s Got Talent,” by the way, had its highest ratings in five years, which is being attributed to adding Simon Cowell as a judge, spotlighting more singers and the attraction of 12-year-old singer-songwriter Grace VanderWaal. As much of the ratings’ increase came in the 18- to 34-year-old group, odds are that Grace, who was also a big hit online, was the primary draw.

With reality shows capturing all 10 top slots of the summer, and ABC’s considerable success with four revived game shows, it’s likely the networks’ short flirtation with scripted summer series is over. Given this summer’s ratings and trends, it’s unlikely CBS will ever again consider an expensive venture such as “Under the Dome” (which was a hit for its first two years) or “American Gothic” and “Braindead” (which both faded quickly).”

Some industry executives seemed to be shocked that the Emmy Awards posted its worst ratings ever, which simply shows how out of touch they are with TV audiences. Award shows work when there’s robust competition, but with so many niche series nominated from a wide spectrum of sources, the most common response was probably “never heard of it,” followed by a quick search for the remote control.

To be fair, “The Emmy Awards” was still the highest-rated nonsports show of the week in the all-important 18- to 49-year old group. The top sports matchups, in order, were Packers-Vikings (NBC), Jets-Bills (CBS), Steelers-Redskins (ESPN), Rams-49ers (ESPN) and “Football Night in America” (NBC).