New CBS Shows Coming in January 2020

New CBS Shows Coming in January 2020

With most of the TV shows either showing reruns or on hiatus after airing their fall finales, it’s a great time to look forward to all the new shows that premiere in 2020.

There are a lot of them too and viewers can find themselves a bit overwhelmed.

It’s also important to note that viewers may become emotionally invested in a show only to have their network cancel them suddenly. It can be a little frustrating.

So lets just take it one step at a time and look at the new shows coming on the CBS network.

What’s coming on in 2020? We’re glad you asked.

Here’s what’s to look forward to you are still in the throws of holiday overload:



FBI: Most Wanted

January 7, 2020

·       Created by: René Balcer

·       Starring: Julian McMahon as Jess LaCroix  (Red, Home & Away, The Profiler, Charmed, Nip & Tuck); Keisha Castle-Hughes as Hana Gibson (Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, The Walking Dead, The Almighty Johnsons, Game of Thrones); Kellan Lutz as Ken Crosby (The Twilight Saga: New Moon, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 Parts 1 & 2, The Expendables 3, 90210); Roxy Sternberg as Sheryll Barnes (Emerald City); Nathaniel Arcand as Clinton Skye (Black Summer, Heartland, Smallville, Blackstone).

Premises: A spin-off of CBS’ hit show, FBI, the show features FBI agents of the Fugitive Task Force who are charged with tracking and capturing the nation’s most notorious criminals.

The Boob Tuber review: When the cast appeared on an FBI episode last season, nothing special about them really stood out.

The episode was flat and the plot was uninspiring.

Where the show FBI got started with an exhilarating sprint, FBI: Most Wanted took off with a stroll.

It was thought that CBS may have jumped the shark by giving a show that was still in its infancy stage a spin-off.

The challenges that lie ahead for this show are not being compared to Criminal Minds, the CSI franchise or the NCIS franchise.

Hopefully the showrunners will be able to separate themselves from the pack of the nine crime/law enforcement dramas that they already have.



Tommy

·       February 6, 2020

·       Created by: Paul Attanasio

·       Starring: Edie Falco as Abigail "Tommy" Thomas (Oz, The Sopranos, Nurse Jackie, Homicide: Life on the Streets, Law & Order, 30 Rock); Michael Chernus as Ken (Men in Black 3, Captain Phillips, Mercy, Orange is the New Black, Manhattan, Patriot); Russell G. Jones as Cooper (Motherless Brooklyn, Detroit, Godless, Last O.G., Law & Order, The Americans); Olivia Lucy Phillip as Kate (Bull); Adelaide Clemens as Blake (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Rectify); Joseph Lyle Taylor as Dudik (Summer of Sam, The Dark Knight Rises, Justified, House, Dexter, Lie to Me); Thomas Sadoski as Buddy (John Wick, John Wick Chapter 2, As the World Turns, Law & Order: SVU, The News Room, Life in Pieces)

Premises: Tommy is a former high-ranking detective of the NYPD who then takes the job as the first female Chief of Police for Los Angeles.

As a native New Yorker she also brings with her a personality that has become stereo-typical for TV characters (Danny Reagan-Blue Bloods, Mike Logan-Law & Order, Mary Beth Lacey-Cagney & Lacey, Captain Frank “Pizzaman” Furillo-Hill Street Blues, and Tony Baretta-Baretta); one that is unapologetically honest, with uncompromising tactics and a lack of politically correct subtlety. 

She uses these tools to deal with the myriad of issues that come with the job such as political and social that affects law enforcement in Los Angeles.

The Boob Tuber review: Does this premise sound familiar? It should. Remember The Closer which starred Kyra Sedgwick as Brenda Leigh Johnson a driven, hard-nosed law enforcement officer from the South?

Even the description of the show sounds oddly familiar if you read the premises of The Closer (which also took place in Los Angeles and centers around the LAPD).

The creator, Paul Attanasio, comes with a TV pedigree full of successes (Homicide: Life on the Streets, Bull and House) which were successful as well as cutting edge, so the show has that going for them. However, the female characters on all three of his shows are typical of Hollywood: one-dimensional cardboard cut-outs while the male characters are multifaceted.

Casting Edie Falco in the lead role was genius. She has a proven track record of performances on long running series and has the Emmys (four of them) to prove it. Besides women like her and see themselves in her.

Whether Tommy can step out of the shadows of characters like Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (Law & Order), Brenda Leigh Johnson (The Closer) or Jenny Shepherd (NCIS) remains to be seen.

If the show runners can do this Tommy may have a long run on CBS.



Star Trek: Picard

·       January 26,2020

·       CBS: All Access

·       Created by: Alex Kurtzman

·       Starring: Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard (Dune, L.A, Story, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Star Trek Generations, Star Trek: First Contact, X-Men, X2, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Nemesis, X-Men Origins: Wolverine,  X-Men: The Last Stand, Ted, Ted:2, Star Trek Next Generation, Family Guy, American Dad); Isa Briones as Dahj (Blind Date, American Crime Story/Versace Assassination), Alison Pill as Agnes Jurati (The Newsroom, The Family, American Horror Story: Cult); Santiago Cabrera as Cristobal Rios (Empire, Heroes, Merlin, Anna Karenina, The Musketeers, Big Little Lies); Michelle Hurd as Raffi Musiker (Another World, New York Undercover, Malcolm & Eddie, Law & Order: SVU, ER, Gossip Girl, Hawaii 5-0, Blindspot); Harry Treadaway as Narek (Penny Dreadful, Mr. Mercedes).

·       Recurring cast: Brent Spiner as Data, Jonathan Frakes as William Riker, Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine, and Marina Sirtis as Deanna Troi.

Premises: The show picks up 20 years after the end of the destruction of the planet Romulus which was seen in Star Trek: Nemesis and centers on former captain, Jean-Luc Picard who has been deeply affected by what happened to Romulus and the death of Data who sacrificed himself in order to save Picard and the crew of the Enterprise.

To fully understand what has happened and how it has affected Picard, The Boob Tuber suggests that you watch Star Trek: Nemesis prior to the show’s debut.


The movie is available through Amazon Prime Video or iTunes to either rent or buy. On December 10 and 11, the cable channel IFC is airing the movie.

The Boob Tuber Review: This is the eighth installment of the Star Trek franchise and, with possibly the exception of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, they have all been pretty successful.

This is almost entirely due to their devout fan following and the Science Fiction genre.

It is this franchise that opened the doors for shows/movies such as Battlestar Galactica, Star Wars, Alien, Buck Rogers in the 25 Century and Stargate SG-1.

The good news is that the show is bringing back a favorite in the form of Jean-Luc Picard so the probability of it being around for awhile is a good one.

The bad news is that it won’t be shown on CBS, but on CBS: All Access which means including the absorbent amount you’re already paying for cable, you’ll have to shell out more money to see the show.

For die hard Star Trek fans, the $59.99 per year is worth it.

The Boob Toober TV Show Review of the Week:

The Boob Toober TV Show Review of the Week:

Fast Facts:


The Walking Dead


Season 10, episode 7, ‘Open Your Eyes’ 


Director: Michael Cudlitz


Written by: Corey Reed


Air date: November 17, 2019 


Network: AMC



Every episode of The Walking Dead usually has a couple of storylines in it and this week’s episode, entitled, ‘Open Your Eyes’ was no exception.


Probably the main storyline was that of Siddiq (Avi Nash) because this was officially the end of his Good-bye Tour which actually began in episode 3 (‘Ghosts’) and ended in the latest episode (‘Open Your Eyes’).

Although Siddiq’s tour seemed longer than previous characters, it was extremely well written and acted especially when it came to his newly acquired PTSD due to being forced to watch the Whisperer’s decapitation of several characters such as Enid, Tara and Henry.

Not only was Siddiq forced to watch their murders, but he was left as the lone survivor of the group that The Whisperers had abducted.

Hollywood has adopted an uncomfortable obsession with PTSD too often glamorizing it and portraying it as something heroic. 


The Walking Dead took the time to show the truth of the syndrome; something ugly and crippling right down to the flashbacks and Siddiq waking up in places where he couldn’t remember how he got there.


The character suffering while trying to appear normal is what many PTSD survivors go through every day.


Siddiq’s Good-bye Tour was especially intense and heartbreaking.

All writers, regardless of the venue in which they write, have a tell. It is almost like a type of fingerprint.


The writers and production staff on The Walking Dead are no exception.


Their tell for the last 10 seasons are what the Boob Toober refers to as the Good-bye Tour.


The Good-bye Tour is used whenever they’re about to kill off a character that has been an integral part of the story.


For characters that were just written off, as was the case with Morgan Jones (Lennie James); Dwight (Austin Amelio); Jadis/Anne (Pollyanna McIntosh); Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln); and Heath (Corey Hawkins), there was no real tour for them.


Of course there was a storyline that led up to their disappearance, it just didn’t contain the typical ingredients that are required for a Good-bye Tour.


These ingredients are a type of storyline that covers their journey on the show as well as conversations with other characters that were important relationships with the soon-to-be-deceased characters.


The show has done these tours from the very beginning of its inception, starting with the death of Ed Peletier (Adam Minarovich) in season 1, episode 4, ‘Vatos’.

Sometimes the show will try and do a fake Good-bye Tour as was the case in season 6, episode 1, ‘First Time Again’ when they tried to lead viewers into thinking Glenn Rhee (Steven Yeun) was not long for this apocalyptic world.

They used props like the watch Herschel gave Glenn and Glenn calling Rick dumbass as he did in episode 2 of season 1. The show even had Glenn and Nicholas (Michael Traynor) engage in numerous dialogues going from enemies to friends.

The ruse worked as fans took to social media to debate and dissect whether Glenn was actually dead.

Of course he wasn’t, but his real Good-bye Tour began in season 6, episode 12, ‘Not Tomorrow Yet’ and ended in season 7, episode 1, ‘The Day Will Come When You Won't Be’.

The second storyline is the continuing descent into hell of fan favorite Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) who has gone from abused and passive wife to a care-giver of two parentless girls to a one-woman war machine to Greta Garbo impersonator (“I just want to be left alone”) to doting queen-wife and mother.

She has added another personality to the overcrowded cast in her head: that of a sociopath.


Once the loyal best friend of everyone’s favorite redneck, Darryl Dixon (Norman Reedus), Carol has taken to using him to justify her actions and shield her from reality. 

When everyone was writing her off as delusional, Carol needed Darryl to believe her which he begrudgingly said he did. Even though his brusque "Yep." didn't sound all that convincing, it was all she needed to justify her actions.


At this point, it appears that Darryl’s friendship is only valuable as long as he can provide her with what she wants; his silence and his loyalty.



Once Carol learned that the Whisperer (James Parks) she had captured did have one tidbit to offer her, that Alpha had told the group that she killed Lydia, he was no longer any use to her. 

However, Lydia was another story.

Her insane obsession with Alpha (Samantha Morton), the leader of The Whisperers, for killing her adopted son Henry made her feel justified to not only use Alpha’s daughter Lydia (Cassady McClincy), but to inflict as much emotional pain on her as the physical and emotional pain Lydia experienced at the hands of her mother.

As is typical with a sociopath, she was convincing when it came to making people believe that she truly cared for the young girl and actually had Lydia believing that she identified with the abuse; that they were both survivors of cruelty by someone they trusted.

 
The third storyline is about secrets. Secrets are never a good thing especially when it involves a character like Darryl Dixon. Secrets, as was the case of the type of dysfunctional family that he grew up in, are destructive.

As the saying goes, sociopaths don’t have relationships, they have victims.


Darryl knows only too well that secrets are as sick as the people who keep them and as the secrets he’s had to keep lately start piling up, there won’t be a happy ending.


So let’s look at some of those secrets.


Michonne and Darryl have kept it a secret how they got their matching scars on their backs. This is understandable.


Michonne has also sworn him to secrecy over the agreement she made with Alpha; to keep Lydia safe. 

This agreement has not kept their people safe. It is also a secret they agreed to keep from certain people like Aaron (Roscoe Marquand), 

Eugene (Josh McDermitt),

and Father Gabriel (Seth Gilliam). 

All three hold leadership positions and having this knowledge is necessary in order to strategize their next move in order to survive.


Keeping a secret like that from other members of Alexandria who lost loved ones at the hands of The Whisperers isn’t going to go over well for Michonne once they find out.

Darryl, in return, has kept Carol’s behavior a secret from Michonne because deep down in his good ol’ boy southern heart he knows she’s nuts and can’t be trusted. He also is worried what Michonne will do because now there is an empty cell or two.


His lack of trust was evident in episode 6, ‘Bonds’ when he insisted on going out with her and when he searched her bag while she went to relieve herself. Which was a little un-Darryl of him.

It’s likely Darryl also knows who let Negan out of his cage which he intends on keeping that little gem to himself.


He’s also keeping it a secret that Magna (Nadia Hilker) and Kelly (Angel Theory) have been stealing food and other supplies from the Hilltop. 

This secret may be a little more understandable because he has warm fuzzy feelings for Kelly’s sister Connie (Lauren Ridloff).

People may underestimate Darryl.  They think because he’s quiet, he’s good at keeping secrets. Darryl also has a moral code that he lives by and it’s a matter of time before he decides he doesn’t want to be the gatekeeper anymore.


And when he gets to that point, it ain’t gonna be pretty.


Another secret that impacted both Gamma (Thora Birch), who is Alpha’s newest victim/devotee, and Lydia was the fact that Alpha told the group that she had killed Lydia.

The reality of Alpha’s duplicity has destroyed Gamma’s trust in her.


Now the issue is, what is Gamma going to do about this new information especially after seeing Lydia still breathing with her own two masked eyes?

She has basically two options:

1      Gamma could leave and go out on her own or join the people at Alexandria. After becoming captivated by not only Aaron’s stories, but Aaron himself, going to live at Alexandria is a possibility. There is also a part of her who wants to see her nephew again and maybe then she can began to heal from the guilt she now feels over killing her sister in order to protect Alpha.

2       She may decide to narc on Alpha, but she’ll need proof as she knows only too well how well Alpha has the other Whisperers under her control. Gamma also has to take into account the loyal and formidable Beta that would become a big problem for her survival. 

      The one obvious option is for her to team up with her newest kindred spirit, Lydia, as they are both stumbling around the forest crying and alone. They would possibly need two other Whisperers who want to leave group and Gamma would know who they are. Unbeknownst to Gamma, Lydia has Negan in her corner who is now a member of the Whisperers. It is also a possibility that there may be more Whisperers willing to take up their cause if some of them were actually at one point members of the Sanctuary.

Finally, Dante (Juan Javier Cardenas) was finally outed as a Whisperer even though most fans already knew this. 

Although he is probably confident that his secret will remain intact, he has underestimated Rosita (Christian Serratos) and the depths of her relationship with Siddiq who was baby daddy to her daughter Coco. Nothing is more dangerous than a fierce mama bear. 

Although it is doubtful she will immediately entrust her latest paramour Father Gabriel, she will definitely go to her BFF Eugene Porter

 and her favorite go-to-guy Darryl Dixon.

Here’s a tip Dante: doctors don’t seem to live long during this particular zombie apocalypse. 

On Sunday, November 24, The Walking Dead will air one final episode before taking their break so don’t expect the showrunners to tie everything up in a nice little bow just in time for the holidays.

They don’t tend to do anything like that because, after all, we’re still waiting to find out what the hell happened to Heath and it’s been two years. 

Reference: All pictures the courtesy of AMC and The Walking Dead

Television Review: Evil

Quick facts:

• Premiered on CBS, September 26, 2019

• Cast: Mike Colter as David Acosta (Million Dollar Baby, The Good Wife, The Good Fight, Luke Cage), Katja Herbers as Dr. Kristen Bouchard (Divorce, The Americans, Westworld), Aasif Mandvi as Ben Shroff, who refers to himself as Ben the Magnificent, (Die Hard With a Vengeance, Analyze This, Law and Order, ER, Blue Bloods, A Series of Unfortunate Events), Dakin Matthews as Father Augustus (My Two Dads, Gilmore Girls, Charmed), Christine Lahti as Dr. Bouchard’s mother Sheryl Luria (And Justice For All, Running on Empty, Chicago Hope, Law and Order: SVU, Hawaii Five-0, The Blacklist), Michael Emerson as Leland Townsend (The Practice, Lost, Person of Interest, Arrow), Boris McGiver as Monsignor Matthew Korecki (The Wire, House of Cards, Turn: Washington Spies, Boardwalk Empire), Kurt Fuller as Dr. Boggs ( Psych, Rosewood, The Good Wife, Providence, AllyMcBeal)

• Creators: Robert and Michelle King (The Good Wife, The Good Fight, BrainDead)

• Genre: Drama, Supernatural, Thriller

The premise of the show is about a team of professionals (Dr. Bouchard and Ben Shroff) led by David Acosta that investigates alleged supernatural occurrences for the Catholic Church to determine if an exorcism is necessary.

David Acosta is a former journalist who is currently studying to be a priest and lives at the church. He works as an assessor; someone who investigates and then reports back to the church whether or not there are possible demonic situations or miracles.

Dr. Bouchard is a forensic psychologist who, after being fired from the District Attorney’s office, is hired by Acosta to work with him on cases. While David is devout in his beliefs, Bouchard is skeptical of any religion; where David uses his faith to guide him towards answers, she uses science.

Leland Townsend is Bouchard’s nemesis. He masquerades as a fellow forensic psychologist, but is actually an occult expert who uses mind control techniques in order to get people to commit crimes for his own pleasure.

In the pilot, Bouchard discovers that Townsend was somehow able to get his hands on notes her therapist took during their sessions and uses it against her to discredit her during a trial. It was David’s take on demons and their connection to evil people that encourages her to work for him.

This is a really good show.

It places itself within the supernatural/thriller television genre without being too scary or too complicated. The storylines are interesting and easy-to-follow without being condescending.

Once you watch one episode you can’t wait for the next episode. Yes, it is that addictive and it will become a binge-worthy show in the future.

 It has also been renewed for a second season.

The writers have made the characters interesting. 

They were careful not to make the typical mistake many television writers make either by disclosing the characters’ background too fast or not at all. Every episode viewers learn more about their backgrounds and personalities  which makes you want to continue to watch.

The show is able to perfectly walk the fine line of not being disrespectful to those viewers who have religious beliefs while not be too church-y to those who aren't religious. You also don't need a cheat sheet to understand the church aspect and you don't need a PhD for the scientific approach.

In addition, the show doesn't over-dramatizes the church's connection to exorcisms to tell a good story.

The problems that the show has is Bouchard’s daughters are just loud and undefined. There’s not a lot of depth to them other than being a scene filler and an annoying one at that.

The writers seem to try too hard to show the differences between Bouchard's controlled professional life and a private life that is overly chaotic.

In real life, unless there is some underlying dysfunction, doesn't happen or at least isn't as obvious such as the case of the Bouchard family.

The emotionally dysfunctional power surge seems to be Bouchard's mother and learning more about who she is will well be worth the wait.

There is also no real information about Bouchard’s husband who works as guide escorting mountain climbers on Mount Everest.

Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but he is a dynamic within the Bouchard family and is referenced a lot.

While viewers are becoming familiar with Bouchard and Acosta, Ben is a bit of an enigma and you can feel that there is a lot more to this character. 

All these problems are minor when it comes to the overall dynamics of this show.