Rueben's Ramblings

Thanks to the folks over at TV Line, here is the fall TV schedule as it stands right now.

Please keep in mind the networks will, assuredly, make changes to the line-up by the time September rolls around.

But here is your 2016-2017 TV schedule for the major networks (click on the grid to enlarge it):

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The following is the proposed CBS line-up for the new fall 2016-2017 TV season:

Monday:

8 PM – Supergirl (Shifting from CBS to The CW)
9 PM – Jane the Virgin

Tuesday:

8 PM – The Flash
9 PM – No Tomorrow (NEW)

No Tomorrow focuses on Evie Callahan (Tori Anderson from Open Heart), a risk-averse quality-control assessor, appreciates order. Whenever she’s making a list, “make a list” is both the first thing on it and the first thing crossed off. Such a regimented life has its drawbacks. Her on-again/off-again romance with the sweet, but soft-spoken Timothy (Jesse Rath from Defiance) has sputtered out. Her career has stalled. Her boss, Deirdre (Amy Pietz from The Nine Lives of Chloe King and Caroline in the City), a petty tyrant with breath that could kill a plant, laughs off her ambitions. Then Evie meets charming, free-spirited Xavier Holliday (Joshua Sasse from Galavant and Rogue), and the attraction is immediate and electric. He brings a jolt of joyful, rollicking romance into her life. Xavier encourages Evie to carpe that diem, because it’s more fun that way and because, well, the apocalypse is, you know, nigh. He believes humankind has a mere eight months and twelve days until a runaway asteroid smacks us all into stardust. That’s why he made an Apocalyst – a tally of every last thing he wants to do before the world goes kaput. So with the help of her friends – Hank (Jonathan Langdon from Game On), a diehard conspiracy theorist, and Kareema (Sarayu Blue from Monday Mornings and The Real O’Neals), a droll nihilist – Evie must decide whether Xavier is certifiable and whether that even matters, if being with him means living her life more fully.

Wednesday:

8 PM – Arrow
9 PM – Frequency (NEW)

Frequency focuses on Detective Raimy Sullivan (Peyton List from The Flash and The Tomorrow People) has always wanted to prove that she is nothing like her father. In 1996, when Raimy was eight years old, NYPD Officer Frank Sullivan (Riley Smith from Nashville) left Raimy and her mother, Julie (Devin Kelley from Resurrection and Covert Affairs), behind when he went deep undercover, got corrupted, and got himself killed. Or so the story has always gone. Few people knew about the secret undercover sting operation Frank was really charged with, led by Stan Moreno (Anthony Ruivivar from Banshee and Revolution), who has now risen to Deputy Chief of Police. Frank’s former partner, Lieutenant Satch Reyna (Mekhi Phifer from ER and The Divergent franchise), is now Raimy’s mentor and friend, and he has urged her to let go of the hurt and anger she still feels about Frank’s disappearance and death, but the old pain still lingers. Raimy can barely bring herself to discuss Frank, even with her devoted boyfriend, Daniel (Daniel Bonjour from The Walking Dead), or her childhood friend, Gordo (Lenny Jacobson from Nurse Jackie). Now, twenty years later, Raimy is stunned when a voice suddenly crackles through her father’s old, long-broken ham radio – it’s Frank, somehow transmitting over the airwaves and through the decades from 1996. They’re both shocked and confused, but Raimy shakes Frank to the core when she warns him that the secret sting he is undertaking will lead to his death. Armed with that knowledge, Frank survives the attempt on his life. But changing history has dramatically affected Raimy’s life in the present – and there have been tragic consequences. Separated by twenty years, father and daughter have reunited on a frequency only they can hear, but can they rewrite the story of their lives without risking everyone they love?

Thursday:

8 PM – DC’s Legends of Tomorrow
9 PM – Supernatural (New Night)

Friday:

8 PM – The Vampire Diaries
9 PM – Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (New Night)

NOTE: iZombie, The 100, Reign and The Originals will all return mid-season.

The one new drama that will debut later in the season is:

Riverdale focuses on what happens as a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom – and nothing feels the same. Archie Andrews (newcomer KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer’s events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music – not follow in his dad’s footsteps – despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel from Rush and Underemployed). Which means Archie doesn’t have anyone who will mentor him – certainly not singer Josie McCoy (newcomer Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It’s all weighing heavily on Archie’s mind – as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse from The Suite Life on Deck). Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart from The Kings of Summer) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she’s not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty’s nerves – which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother Alice (Mädchen Amick from Twin Peaks) aren’t the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge (newcomer Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols from Teen Wolf and NCIS), there’s an undeniable spark between her and Archie, even though Veronica doesn’t want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there’s Cheryl Blossom (newcomer Madelaine Petsch), Riverdale’s Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty, and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows.

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The following is the proposed CBS line-up for the new fall 2016-2017 TV season:

Monday:

8 PM – The Big Bang Theory
8:30 PM – Kevin Can Wait (NEW) [Moves to 8 PM in October]
8:30 PM – Man With a Plan (NEW) [Starts in October]
9 PM – 2 Broke Girls (New Time)
9:30 PM – The Odd Couple (New Time)
10 PM – Scorpion (New Time)

Tuesday:

8 PM – NCIS
9 PM – Bull (NEW)
10 PM – NCIS: New Orleans (New Time)

Bull stars Michael Weatherly as Dr. Jason Bull (inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time). Dr. Bull is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick. Bull employs an enviable team of experts at Trial Analysis Corporation to shape successful narratives down to the very last detail. They include his quick-witted brother-in-law, Benny Colón (Freddy Rodriguez from Six Feet Under), who plays a defense attorney in mock trials; Marissa Morgan (Geneva Carr from SVU), a cutting-edge neurolinguistics expert from the Department of Homeland Security; former NYPD detective Danny James (Jaime Lee Kirchner from Mercy and The Mob Doctor), the firm’s tough but relatable investigator; haughty millennial hacker Cable McCrory (Annabelle Attanasio from The Knick), who is responsible for gathering cyber intelligence; and Chunk Palmer (Chris Jackson from Oz), a fashion-conscious stylist and former All-American lineman who fine tunes clients’ appearances for trial. In high-stakes trials, Bull’s combination of remarkable insight into human nature, three Ph.D.’s and a top-notch staff creates winning strategies that tip the scales of justice in his clients’ favor.

Wednesday:

8 PM – Survivor
9 PM – Criminal Minds
10 PM – Code Black

Thursday:

8 PM – NFL Thursday Night Football (Starting September 15)

8 PM – The Big Bang Theory (New Night) (Starting October 27)
8:30 PM – The Great Outdoors (NEW) (Starting October 27)
9 PM – Mom (Starting October 27)
9:30 PM – Life in Pieces (New Time) (Starting October 27)
10 PM – Pure Genius (NEW) (Starting October 27)

Pure Genius is a cutting-edge medical drama about a young Silicon Valley tech titan who enlists an exceptional veteran surgeon with a controversial past to run a state-of-the-art hospital with an ultramodern approach to medicine. Billionaire genius James Bell (Augustus Prew from The Borgias and Kick-Ass) built Bunker Hill Hospital determined to revolutionize healthcare and treat the rarest and most challenging medical mysteries, at no charge. Bell persuades maverick surgeon Dr. Walter Wallace (Dermot Mulroney) to be his Chief of Staff, who believed medicine is a human endeavor, not technological, until a “eureka” moment at the hospital convinced him otherwise. Bell’s team of trailblazers includes Dr. Zoe Brockett (Odette Annable from The Astronaut Wives Club), an exceptional, fearlessly frank physician; Dr. Talaikha Channarayapatra (Reshma Shetty from Royal Pains ), an idealistic, maddeningly literal neurosurgeon who believes the hospital is a beacon for change; Dr. Malik Verlaine (relative newcomer Aaron Jennings), a former gangbanger now spearheading efforts to provide 24/7 health monitoring in poor neighborhoods via computer; Dr. Scott Strauss (Ward Horton from One Life to Live), an intense neurologist with an Ivy league pedigree; and Angie Cheng (Brenda Song from The Suite Life), an enthusiastic 3-D printer programming whiz. At Bunker Hill, Bell pairs the most brilliant minds in medicine with the most forward thinkers in technology, and cuts bureaucracy out of the equation, all in the interest of saving lives, including his own.

Friday:

8 PM – MacGyver (NEW)
9 PM – Hawaii Five-0
10 PM – Blue Bloods

MacGyver, a reimagining of the classic series, is an action-adventure drama about 20-something Angus “Mac” MacGyver (Lucas Till from the X-Men franchise) who creates a clandestine organization within the U.S. government where he uses his extraordinary talent for unconventional problem solving and vast scientific knowledge to save lives. Joining his team on high-risk missions around the globe is maverick former CIA agent Lincoln (George Eads from CSI). Under the aegis of the Department of External Affairs, MacGyver takes on the responsibility of saving the world, armed to the teeth with resourcefulness and little more than bubble gum and a paper clip. The cast includes Addison Timlin (Zero Hour), relative newcomer Joshua Boone and Michelle Krusiec (Hawaii Five-0).

Saturday:

8 PM – Crimetime Saturday
9 PM – Crimetime Saturday
10 PM – 48 Hours

Sunday:

7 PM – 60 Minutes
8 PM – NCIS: Los Angeles (New Night and Time)
9 PM – Madam Secretary (New Time)
10 PM – Elementary

NOTE: Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders will also return, but it is not on the schedule right now.

The new dramas that will debut later in the season include:

Doubt stars Katherine Heigl as Sadie Ellis, a brilliant attorney at a boutique firm who starts to fall for her charismatic client, Billy Brennan (Steven Pasquale from Rescue Me), an altruistic pediatric surgeon recently accused of murdering his girlfriend 24 years ago. Sadie is hiding her growing feelings from everyone, including her close friend and colleague, Albert Cobb (Dulé Hill from Psych and The West Wing), who thinks he knows everything about her. Working on other cases at the practice is Cameron Wirth (Laverne Cox from Orange Is the New Black), a transgender Ivy League graduate who fights passionately for her clients since she’s experienced injustice first hand; Tiffany Simon (Dreama Walker from The Good Wife and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23), a second-year associate who is quickly learning the ropes from Wirth; and Nick (Kobi Libii from Madam Secretary), a former felon who earned his degree while serving time. They all consider it a privilege to work for Isaiah Roth (veteran actor Elliott Gould), a revered legal lion and “lefty” legend, whose approval is their holy grail. Sadie’s decision to become involved with her client could put her career, as well as her happiness, at risk if Billy is found guilty, which means she needs to work all the harder to prove reasonable doubt, even if she has some herself.

Training Day is a crime thriller that begins 15 years after the events of the feature film, about a young, idealistic police officer who is tapped to go undercover in an elite squad of the LAPD where he partners with a veteran, morally ambiguous detective. Detective Frank Rourke (film star Bill Paxton) is the maverick head of the Special Investigation Section (S.I.S.) that hunts the city’s most dangerous criminals, and is one of the finest investigators the department has ever produced. However, when the LAPD brass notices Rourke’s penchant for operating in a gray area to fight the war on crime, they assign Kyle Craig (newcomer Justin Cornwell), a heroic, untarnished cop, to pose as Frank’s trainee to spy on him and report on his off-book methods. The members of Frank’s loyal team include Rebecca Lee (Katrina Law from Arrow), a formidable officer with killer aim and a dark past, and Tommy Campbell (Drew Van Acker from Pretty Little Liars), a former pro surfer who follows Frank’s orders without hesitation. Providing Frank with intel is his girlfriend, Holly Butler (Julie Benz from Defiance and Dexter), a well-connected, unapologetic Hollywood madam. While LAPD Deputy Chief Joy Lockhart (Marianne Jean-Baptiste from Blindspot) coolly puts Kyle in danger in her mission to take down Frank, Kyle’s schoolteacher wife, Alyse (Lex Scott Davis from Toni Braxton: Unbreak My Heart), worries her husband’s resolve to avenge the murder of his father, a cop, may be his undoing. As Frank starts teaching his principled trainee the way of the streets, where the ends often justify the means, they form an uneasy alliance that will irrevocably change the course of both their lives.

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