Ranking the New Midseason Shows
So...let's cut to the nitty gritty. 25 new midseason TV shows have premiered, or about to premiere, and clearly, not all of them are worth your time. So which ones should you even bother with?
We've watched all 25 of the new series and have ranked them, from least promising to watch-the-crap-out-of-it-right-now.
Click to see which show is our #1! Hope you agree...
25. Weird Loners
WHAT IT IS: Four loners, with varying levels of weirdness, all come together in this sort of rom-com starring Ugly Betty's Becki Newton and Happy Endings' Zachary Knighton.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Woof. Nothing against Becki Newton, whom we will always love and champion, but look at your career choices. This is not a good one. Painfully bland and pretty unfunny…yeah.
24. The Odd Couple
WHEN IT'S ON: Thursdays at 8:30 p.m. on CBS, premiering Feb. 19
WHAT IT IS: A modern reboot of the classic 1965 play and '70s sitcom, with Friends star Matthew Perry as the slobby Oscar and Thomas Lennon as the snobby Felix.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Mr. Sunshine...Go On...Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, sadly, this rather unfunny, stale sitcom is probably going to be added to the pile of "Failed Shows Starring Friends' Chandler."
23. The Messengers
WHEN IT'S ON: Fridays at 9 p.m. on the CW, premiering April 10
WHAT IT IS: A group of people who might be the only hope for preventing The Rapture, or causing it.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Too many characters, too convulated...just too much muchness. And that timeslot? Not a good sign.
22. CSI: Cyber
WHEN IT'S ON: Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS, premiering March 4
WHAT IT IS: Exactly what you think it is...the latest CSI spinoff centering on cyber-terrorism.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Patricia Arquette was SO good in Boyhood. We'd much rather see her do something than this procedural. Alas, it will probably outlive more than half of these other shows.
21. Odyssey
WHEN IT'S ON: Sundays at 10 p.m. on NBC, premiering April 5
WHAT IT IS: It's sort of like Homeland-lite, with Anna Friel playing a soldier at the center of a major government conspiracy.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: It's hard to get invested in this drama with so many moving parts and that's a huge problem. It asks for a lot from the viewer and doesn't immediately give anything in return.
20. American Crime
WHEN IT'S ON: Thursdays at 10 p.m., premiering March 5
WHAT IT IS: Starring Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton, the drama from 12 Years a Slave's John Ridley, centers on the players involved in a racially charged trial whose personal lives are examined as their worlds are turned upside-down.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: American Crime felt very off-brand for ABC. We're not really compelled by the story at all…despite some solid actors in here.
19. Bloodline
WHEN IT'S ON: TBD on Netflix
WHAT IT IS: A hardworking family in the Florida Keys is rocked by the return of its black sheep son, threatening to expose secrets and demons.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: With a cast this good (Kyle Chandler aka Coach Taylor aka the most perfect man ever!) and the creators of Damages behind it, we wanted to love this a lot more. Perhaps the more we see the more we'll like? For Coach Taylor, we will endure.
18. A.D.
WHEN IT'S ON: Sundays at 9 p.m. on NBC, premiering on April 5
WHAT IT IS: A sequel to the smash hit The Bible, which aired on The History Channel, it centers on the days after Jesus' betrayal and death
WHAT WE THOUGHT: If you liked The Bible, you'll like A.D. Ya know?
17. Backstrom
WHEN IT'S ON: Thursdayss at 9 p.m. on Fox
WHAT IT IS: Another anti-hero joins the "he's a d--k, but he's brilliant" trend. The Office's Rainn Wilson stars as the offensive, mean, racist and rather unlikable Detective Backstrom in this procedural from Bones' Hart Hanson.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Even with the hilarious Wilson at the helm, Backstrom sort of feels like an mish-mosh of other TV shows, including House, Bones, and most recently, the quickly-canceled Rake. Still, if it's able to really showcase its ensemble, especially Thomas Dekker, Kris Polaha and Dennis Haysbert, there could be potential.
16. Secrets and Lies
WHEN IT'S ON: Sundays at 9 p.m. on ABC, premiering March 1
WHAT IT IS: Ryan Phillippe stars as a man who is about to go from Good Samaritan to murder suspect, after he discovers the body of his neighbor's young son in the woods. Juliette Lewis is on the case...and scowls a lot.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: It could benefit from the recent success of Gone Girl, as we're not quite sure of Phillippe's innocence or guilt, or it could be hurt by the recent failings of shows featuring dead kids at the center, like Gracepoint. Still, we think viewers might get wrapped up in the small town drama.
15. Wayward Pines
WHEN IT'S ON: Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox, premiering on May 14
WHAT IT IS: A 10-episode event series from M. Night Shymalan that follows a secret service agent (Matt Dillon) who finds himself in a bizarre Idaho town...where no one can leave and no one speaks of the past.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: It's weird. Like, really, really weird. Twin Peaks-weird. But right now, we can't tell if it'll all mean something or it's just weird for the sake of being different. Time will tell, so we're renting, not buying, a place in Wayward for now.
14. One Big Happy
WHEN IT'S ON: Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m. on NBC, premiering March 17
WHAT IT IS: BFFs Lizzy (Elisha Cuthbert) and Luke (Nick Zano) decide to have a baby. Except she's a lesbian and he's married.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Ellen DeGeneres is an executive producer on this sitcom and some more of her charm would be nice…but One Big Happy is kind of been there, watched that, will binge a few episode while I do my laundry over the weekend.
MIDDLE OF THE PACK: 13. Togetherness
WHEN IT'S ON: Sundays at 9:30 p.m. on HBO
WHAT IT IS: The latest project from brothers (and Mindy Project guest stars) Mark and Jay Duplass, that follows Mark's character Brett's messy life as husband, parent, friend and human being. Amanda Peet and Melanie Lynskey also star.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Our sub-title for this show? #HipsterParentProblems. But really, the Duplass brothers are our new favorite Hollywood brother set. Another comedy win for HBO!
12. The Whispers
WHEN IT'S ON: TBD on ABC
WHAT IT IS: In this new drama, Earth is being threatened by a mysterious entity...who is using a most unlikely resource to achieve world domination—our children. Lily Rabe, Milo Ventimiglia and Barry Sloane star.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: There is A LOT going on in this one. We're talking creepy children...government cover-ups...love triangles...possibly aliens?! But you know what, we're kind of intrigued and want to know what the hell is going on!
11. Battle Creek
WHEN IT'S ON: Sundays at 10 p.m. on CBS, premiering on March 1
WHAT IT IS: Dean Winters and Josh Duhamel star as a veteran detective and a new-to-town FBI agent who team up to solve crimes in the titular Michigan town.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: With House's David Shore and Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan teaming up, we were intrigued. But the show falls a little too much on the Shore side of the fence for us. It's not a bad thing, just a little different from what we were expecting. It's a lot lighter. Still, there's great chemistry between the leads and a whole lot of potential moving forward.
10. Allegiance
WHEN IT'S ON: Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC, premiering on Feb. 5
WHAT IT IS: An espionage thriller about a rookie CIA agent discovering his own family are his first case as his parents (Scott Cohen and Hope Davis) and sister are actually Russian spies. And you thought you had family issues.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: It's hard not to think of this dramedy as broadcast's modern version of The Americans, but there is something here…it just needs a little more time…hopefully.
9. Fresh Off the Boat
WHEN IT'S ON: Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on ABC, premiering Feb. 10
WHAT IT IS: Based on chef Eddie Huang's memoir, it follows a Taiwanese family's move from Washington, D.C. to Orlando in the '90s.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: First, kudos to a primetime sitcom deftly and successfully tackling a racial slur in its pilot episode. Secondly, this was some darn good joke-writing, with more than a few laugh-out-loud moments (though it did try a bit too hard at times). Most of them come from breakout star Constance Wu, who just kills it as the Jessica, the family matriarch, who is fiercely protective and ferociously funny. Little Eddie, played by newcomer Hudson Yang, is totally charming, too.
8. The Slap
WHEN IT'S ON: Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC, premiering Feb. 12
WHAT IT IS: Based on the Australian series of the same name, it follows one family's fallout (and downfall?) after a man slaps a child whose not his own at a family gathering.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Holy all-star cast, Batman! We're talking Peter Sarsaard, Thandie Newton, Zachary Quinto, Melissa George, Brian Cox and Uma Thurman. Fortunately, the script, which is very cable (in a good way), is worthy of the talent. The quiet moments are deafening, and the moment of "the slap" will have people talking and debating for awhile.
7. Galavant
WHEN IT'S ON: It just wrapped its first season on ABC, with a decision yet to be made about season two
WHAT IT IS: A medieval musical, think The Princess Bride, that follows a hero's journey to defeat an evil king who's stolen his one true love. The music comes from Oscar winner Alan Menken.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: This could've been a disaster. A big one. Fortunately, it wasn't, and the show managed to charm and delight us with its cheeky tone and irresistible tunes. Our fingers are crossed for a second season!
6. Last Man on Earth
WHEN IT'S ON: Sundays at 9:30 p.m. on Fox, premiering on March 1
WHAT IT IS: Will Forte is the last man on Earth. That's about it!
WHAT WE THOUGHT: This is, hands down, the riskiest sitcom in years. A show with just one actor?! Fortunately, the SNL vet is the perfect actor for the job as you want to keep spending time with him. And spoiler alert: there will be more actors popping up! So end of the world, we welcome you with open arms.
5. Better Call Saul
WHEN IT'S ON: Sundays at 10 p.m. on ABC, premiering Feb. 8.
WHAT IT IS: Sorry, there's no Walter (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse (Aaron Paul) to be seen in Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan's prequel, centering on the duo's shady lawyer Saul Goodman (Bob Odenkirk) on his life before blue meth.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: The words "Breaking Bad" and "spinoff" inspire a few feelings: excitement and dread. Thankfully, the former wins out because Bob Odenkirk as Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman remains aces. And more Mike (Jonathan Banks) is always a good thing. Always.
4. Agent Carter
WHEN IT'S ON: Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on ABC
WHAT IT IS: Captain America's Hayley Atwell reprises the role of Peggy Carter for ABC's latest Marvel series, which centers on her trying to clear Howard Stark's (Dominic Cooper) name while dealing with the misogyny in her workplace.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Peggy Carter is the hero we all need in our lives. She's whip-smart, kicks a ton of ass and is charming as hell. We've fallen hard for Peggy—and Hayley Atwell—and have no regrets.
3. iZombie
WHEN IT'S ON: Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on the CW, premiering on March 17.
WHAT IT IS: based on the DC Comic's property of the same name, this quirky drama centers on a med student-turned-zombie who ends up working in a coroner's office in order to gain access to gain access to the brains she reluctantly eats to maintain her humanity. However, with each brain she consumes, she also takes in the corpse's memories.
WHAT WE THOUGHT: Veronica Mars fans, welcome home. From VM creator Rob Thomas, iZombie is a totally worthy successor, with fun mysteries, snappy dialogue and snark...just with the added bonus of zombies. And star Rose McIver set to become your new favorite tiny and quippy blonde. It's just F-U-N.