SERIES PREMIERE: Last night, the Emmys were televised live. Tonight, it’s the official start of the 2019 fall TV season – but rather than list all the new and returning shows, I’ll limit mentions on
Bianculli’s Best Bets to the shows I’ve actually enjoyed, or expect to. That makes it a much shorter list, and eliminates some smaller pleasures: hoping to see Sean Spicer eliminated on ABC’s
Dancing with the Stars (would an old tape clip from
The Apprentice have Donald Trump seeing him off with a vintage “You’re fired”?), or welcoming Jimmy Smits back to yet another TV series, in NBC’s otherwise unremarkable
Bluff City Law. Even Fox’s
Prodigal Son, with the talented actor Michael Sheen, is a disappointment. So where, tonight, is the promise? Believe it or not, it’s with Chuck Lorre’s latest CBS sitcom. Billy Gardell from
Mike & Molly stars as a heart patient who falls in love with his nurse, a Nigerian immigrant played by Folake Olowofoyeku. His interactions with her are sweet and funnier – and when he meets her friends and family, even more so.
For a full review, see Ed Bark's Uncle Barky's Bytes.