With September coming up, one thing is certain in the entertainment industry: fresh crops of pilot shows are ready to please the audience. Granted, before you can settle in and have your TV routine set, be wary of cancellations by the time October comes.
To save you the heartache, here’s a compiled list of shows that are worth checking out and have a shot of sticking around.
Red Band Society (FOX) Sept. 17
In a pediatric wing of a Los Angeles hospital, a group of teenagers bond through heartbreak and laughter, with some facing life-threatening health issues. Think “Glee,” but minus the singing and with more heart.
Gotham (FOX)Sept. 22
Instead of reworking the story of Batman, this background story focuses on the future commissioner of Gotham City, James Gordon, played by Benjamin McKenzie. The anticipated noir crime drama features a young Bruce Wayne along with new villains, including one played by Jada Pinkett Smith.
Black-ish (ABC)Sept. 24
With Anthony Anderson starring and serving as a executive producer, be sure to give this show a chance after you’re done watching the latest “Modern Family.” Faced with a mission to reestablish what it means to be black for his middle-class family, Anderson dishes out his comedic chops while touching on hot cultural topics. Tracee Ellis Ross, best known for her work on “Girlfriends,” also acts in the sitcom as his wife.
How to Get Away with Murder (ABC) Sept. 25
Trust Shonda Rhimes’ new Thursday night show to add to your love of her fast-paced, complicated, drama-filled plots. If you haven’t heard of the creator and executive producer, look to “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” for her previous success in TV dramas. This newbie follows Viola Davis as a no holds barred lawyer and professor who selects her top students to work at her law firm, where the group learns the ups and downs of law.
The Affair (Showtime)Oct. 12
Despite the title, there’s more to this show than meets the eye. An affair between a Hamptons diner waitress and a teacher staying at his in-laws estate leaves psychological scars on the pair. Dominic West and Ruth Wilson play the love struck duo with Joshua Jackson and Maura Tierney playing their respective spouses.
Jane The Virgin (CW)Oct. 13
New star Gina Rodriguez will be one to watch as she portrays the show’s namesake. A loose adaptation of a Venezuelan telenovela, Jane is a young religious Latina who gets accidentally inseminated by her doctor. The problem doesn’t stop there; the sperm’s donor is not only her childhood crush but is also married and owner of the hotel she works at.
Fresh Off the Boat (ABC)
No specific air date
Based on chef Eddie Huang’s memoir, the Asian-American-focused sitcom is the first in 20 years, the last being Margaret Cho’s Korean-American comedy, “An All-American Girl,” which was canceled after just one season. Set in the 1990s, young Eddie and his Taiwanese family experience culture shock after moving from Washington, D.C. to a predominantly Caucasian Orlando, Florida neighborhood.
