The fall season is barely a month old, but viewers have already indicated what shows they like to watch. They love “Blindspot” on NBC. They like “Limitless,” “Life in Pieces” and “Code Black” on CBS. “Quantico” and its beautiful star Priyanka Chopra have received a thumbs-up on ABC, as has “Dr. Ken.”
But five or six shows is hardly a good success rate — and this fall’s lineup is being called one of the least impressive in years by critics, and certainly by audiences. Barring an incident of divine intervention, it’s looking like the following shows are road kill.
‘Grandfathered’ (Fox)
Kicking off its Tuesday night lineup with this extremely dated comedy has turned out to be a boneheaded maneuver for Fox. Many people love John Stamos from his “Full House” days. Alas, that’s how they prefer to remember him, as his subsequent TV ventures have all flopped. Sad.
‘Blood & Oil’ (ABC)
Any new show up against football has a tough road — and this Dakotas saga looks like it’s headed for extinction. Maybe programmers at ABC thought Don Johnson (“Miami Vice,” “Nash Bridges”) was enough of a draw — and was due for a revival of sorts — but it’s more likely that the plot (kinda silly) just hasn’t grabbed enough viewers.
‘The Player’ (NBC)
Another year, another show that’s singing the 10 p.m. blues, that DVR-heaviest of hours. With its energetic display of testosterone, “The Player” was intended to attract the male audience already watching “The Blacklist” — which precedes it on Thursday nights — but the concept may have been too high-concept to keep them coming back for more. Either that, or people really don’t want to see star Wesley Snipes, who did almost no publicity for the show.
‘The Grinder’ (Fox)
Rob Lowe’s comedy about a crazy actor who thinks he can practice law because he played a lawyer on TV deserves a bigger audience than the measly 3 million it’s pulling in, but the hand of corporate mercy is going to have to find this clever comedy a new timeslot if it’s going to make it past Christmas. Problem is nobody — not even someone as handsome as Lowe — can beat Mark Harmon (“NCIS” on CBS). He owns Tuesday nights. Still.
‘The Muppets’ (ABC)
There’s something wrong in a world where Kermit and company are not welcome. Perhaps it was the introduction of that hussy, Denise, who took Miss Piggy’s place in Kermit’s heart, that put people off. Perhaps it was the attempt, royally rebuffed, to turn a children’s show into an adult show. ABC tries to turn everything into a soap opera. Memo to head honcho Paul Lee: If it’s not out of the Shonda Rhimes factory, don’t bother.
‘Minority Report’ (Fox)
Did we really need a remake of the Tom Cruise movie from the last decade? As it turns out, no. Despite the fancy technology and the comely cast, viewers have rejected this futuristic crime drama. We already have “Person of Interest,” which has ably covered the “Let’s Stop the Bad Thing from Happening” beat for years now. “Minority Report” star Stark Sands would be better off finding another Broadway vehicle to showcase his considerable musical talents.