This week in the world of TV, a lot of new ones aired. It ranges from a beloved reality show coming back to one centered around an illusionist helping out the FBI. To start, we return to the newly revived version of American Idol. To finish off the week, we got the newest addition to the Shondaland universe: For the People. Here’s the full rundown on everything you may have missed.
American Idol
First off, we have the new American Idol, which premiered on Monday night. Overall, it captures the same spirit of the iconic American Idol we’ve all come to know and love. But there weren’t as many bad auditions that I would’ve liked to see. Plus, I don’t think we’ve seen enough to know what kind of judges each judge is. On its original run, we had Simon Cowell, the blatantly honest and unapologetic one. Then there was Paula Abdul, the “nice” judge. And last but definitely not least, Randy Jackson, who was a nice mix of the two. Even if he did say “dawg” a little too many times. This time around, we have Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie. While they’re great artists, there isn’t anything too distinctive about them as judges thus far.
Deception
Next, we got Deception, which conveniently aired right after American Idol on Monday night. It’s about an illusionist that ends up working with the FBI. In its premiere, he helps find an illusionist criminal, who also framed his twin brother. The concept is interesting as it plays off the idea of magic connecting to major criminal organizations. The woman who’s seemingly behind it all is mysterious. And it’ll be interesting to see what her overall motive is later on. But I’m left wondering if these deceptive tricks are actually used in real life. Or if it’s all just TV magic.
Rise
On Tuesday night, we had the premiere of Rise, which centers around Lou, a passionate high school drama teacher, and his students. In my opinion, Josh Radnor, who plays Lou, was born to play a teacher. He’s done it before as a college professor in How I Met Your Mother but this time around, it’s a vital part of the story. Not only that, but he’s the kind of teacher that any good student would want in their life. He’s not just smart, he’s passionate. He genuinely cares about his students and what he’s saying. Plus, the creator also made the ever-so-emotional Parenthood, so I already know it’ll be emotional.
For the People
Lastly was the premiere of For The People, a new addition to the Shondaland universe. It’s about newly graduated lawyers working at “The Mother Court”. For the record, “The Mother Court” is really the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Federal Court. The show takes a look at high-profile cases and we see how both sides of the courtroom intertwine. Specifically, the prosecutors and the public defenders. Overall, it’s an interesting take on the courtroom with some classic Shondaland drama. But when compared to other Shondaland shows, it’s definitely a little tamer. But my guess is it’ll heat up later on.