2013 FOX drama previews: what the Magic Eight Ball says

So far this week, CliqueClack has previewed the new upcoming drams from ABC, CBS and The CW. We’ll be finishing up the week with both Fox and NBC’s new offerings. Fox developed quite a bit more this year than last, where only The Mindy Project and The Following survived from the slate (The only other drama, The Mob Doctor premiered to horrid ratings and was put out of its misery in short order). The four new dramas this year are diverse, though do fit in to the “high concept” craze that affected all of the networks.

I was particularly impressed with Sleepy Hollow, probably because I came in with no expectations whatsoever. Almost Human is a show I was destined to love. Rake will probably do well enough, but I’ve got some questions about Gang Related.

Almost Human (late Fall — after baseball)

A year or so ago, I was complaining about the distinct lack of science fiction programming on network television. Looking at this year’s slate of new shows, it looks someone was listening in on my conversation NSA-style. Almost Human is a show that was built for me to like: Sci-Fi? Check. Actors I really like (Karl Urban, Minka Kelly, Michael Irby)? Check. J.J. Abrams nerd quotient? Check. Michael Ealy in particular stands out; I’m not sure we’ve seen this level of a well-conceived android character since Brent Spiner’s Data.

Verdict: I think there’s enough “special” in the first hour to reach a wider audience but, like I said, I’m the show’s demographic so I’m probably a bit biased.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: As I see it yes.

Gang Related (Midseason)

I think if Gang Related premiered 11 years ago, it would be called The Shield. In 2013 however, it isn’t nearly as gritty as it would have been years ago. There’s really only two reasons to watch this show: Terry O’Quinn and Cliff Curtis. TV fans are likely much more familiar with O’Quinn’s work after Lost, but Curtis has done some phenomenal under-the-radar work in a couple of roles in the past couple of years, especially NBC’s Trauma. Beyond those two, however, there was little that earned my interest in the first hour; the “double-agent” aspect that’s been played up in the show’s previews wasn’t nearly as interesting as it should have been.

Verdict: Yeah … not so much.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: Very doubtful.

Rake (Midseason)

I know Rake is an Americanized version of an Americanized version of a popular Australian show — which is apparently loosely based on a real guy — but it feels like it is supposed to be a spin-off of House, MD. Just trade doctors for lawyers and drug addiction for a gambling problem, rinse and repeat. However, the pilot does have two very good things going for it: the “case of the week” is as unique has anything you’ll see on network television, and the defendant is played by the always-great Denis O’Hare. I’m also interested in how the show is going to be exploring Rake’s relationship with the myriad women in call-girl Nikki.

Verdict: I haven’t been truly interested in a lawyer show since Eli Stone went off the air, and Rake certainly shares Stone‘s love of quirk. I’ll probably give it a short leash. However, I think audiences will like it much more than I did.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: Signs point to yes.

Sleepy Hollow (Mondays 9:00PM)

Other than ABC’s Betrayal, Sleepy Hollow was one of the biggest surprises of the whole slate. I went in with no expectations; I wanted to like Grimm but wasn’t really able to connect with it, and I expected the same from Hollow. Considering how the story spans history — Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horsemen have been mysteriously transported to our present — the pilot shows considerably more “depth-of-mythos” than most new shows generally attempt in their first episode. There’s also a Di Vinci Code quality to the story, which includes witches and George Washington (Yes, that George Washington).

Verdict: More than anything, this is a show I didn’t think that I’d watch but now will probably give it a full season to convince me otherwise.

Eight Ball Chances of a Second Season: Reply hazy try again.