TV viewers can be forgiven for having a few basic questions:
When will the TV season start? Will it ever start? Wait, did it start already?
The answers finally become clear when CBS has its “premiere week,” Oct. 12-19, three weeks later than usual. It includes:
— One situation comedy, a fun one. “DMV” has its sprightly start at 8:30 p.m. Monday (Oct. 13).
— Two cop shows, both spin-offs that are high-octane, slickly produced and a bit overstuffed. “Sheriff Country” and “Boston Blue”(shown here) start at 9 and 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17.
— A promising reality competition, “The Road,” at 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19.
— And lots of returning shows, starting with “Matlock” and “Elsbeth” borrowing the slots at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. (8 and 9 on the West Coast) Sunday, Oct. 12 . In an eight-day week, 11 of them open their seasons.
That’s modestly ambitious … or immense, compared to others, which have been trimming back due to drooping ratings.
The other top broadcast networks have no new sitcoms and only one new drama (ABC’s “9-1-1: Nashville”). CBS will have 15 scripted, primetime shows; that compares to seven on NBC, six on ABC and (cartoons excluded) two on Fox.
Even CBS has to scrimp at times. It canceled two shows (“FBI: International” and “FBI: Most Wanted”) that were doing fairly well — but not well enough to justify their cost. It’s also turning over its best drama slots — after “Tracker” on Sundays — to a reality show and a rerun.
But the rest is ambitious, including these newcomers:
— “DMV” is in the style of “Superstore” — a workplace comedy that zips quick, clever bits with the patrons, alongside ongoing stories of the staff.
That staff is instantly likable. There are “Saturday Night Live” alumni Tim Meadows and Molly Kearney, plus Tony Cavalero and Gigi Zumbado.
And the best parts go to two folks from the other hemisphere. Harriet Dyer has her own first-rate comedy (“Colin From Accounts”) in Australia; in this show, she’s instantly attracted to Alex Tarrant, the New Zealand native (with Maori roots) who starred as Kai in “NCIS: Hawaii.”
Occasionally, that goes overboard. More often, it’s both sweet and funny,.
— The two dramas follow a common habit of overloading the openers.
“Sheriff’s Country” offers three generations: Mickey (Morena Baccarin) ia the no-nonsense sheriff; she has a wayward daughter and a more-wayward father … a pot-dealer long before that was legalized.
Then the show adds her ex-husband (a lawyer) and lots of others, including some who are borrowed from “Fire Country.”
We expect that in a pilot, but this gets worse in the second episode, with lots of screaming adults trying to “protect” one overwhelmed teen.
“Boston Blue” also has generations tangled up. The top police and prosecutors are all related by birth or marriage. Many have converted to Judaism, but a family patriarch is a Baptist minister.
We accept this at first, because pilots are like that. Besides, this is a taut and well-made hour, with strong emotions and action. And it skips the cliche of two colleagues feuding at first; these two (played by Donnie Wahlberg and Sonequa Martin-Green) differ in style, but recognize each other’s skill.
In the second episode, however, the show tries to stuff all of those people into one case, spurring a weak story tangent. We’ll hope both shows settle down.
— CBS started this reality-show rush 25 years ago, with “Survivor” and “The Amazing Race.” It still has both, on Wednesdays; now it adds a potential hit.
In “The Road,” 12 emerging country singers tour as opening acts for Keith Urban; eventually, one will get a record deal and $250,000.
Blake Shelton and Gretchen Wilson are also involved, along with Taylor Sheridan, the “Yellowstone” producer. Mix them together and CBS may or may not have a winner.