As someone who has been captivated by the golden age of television and the iconic series “The Love Boat,” I must say that the latest offering, “Doctor Odyssey” on ABC, feels like a delightful throwback to those glamorous days at sea. Having sailed through the waters of many a network procedural in my time, I can confidently declare that this new show is a refreshing and fun addition to the genre with its unique twist.
There’s a certain warmth in the genre of network procedurals. They’re reliably present during primetime television hours, ready whenever a desire to watch strikes. With endless repeats and an abundance of episodes to select from, shows like “Law & Order” and “Blue Bloods,” among others, are readily available for viewing pleasure.
2024 might be the year when everyone’s eyes are glued to the streaming platforms, but us cinema enthusiasts can’t help but notice the captivating new procedurals that broadcasting giants like ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox are still churning out. Each of these shows offers a unique spin on the genre, keeping viewers hooked. The best part? Even if you’ve severed ties with your cable subscription, you can still catch these fresh series on their streaming partners. Over the past few years, there have been five shows that truly shine for those seeking a top-notch procedural experience. Some of these gems were even introduced quite recently!
High Potential (ABC) Has, Well, Potential
Showing Great Promise, as depicted in the 2021 French show HPI, has been warmly welcomed since its debut on mid-September 2024. The crime drama presents Kaitlin Olson portraying Morgan, a hardworking single mom who moonlights as a cleaner at a police station to provide for her three kids. However, she boasts an extraordinary IQ of 160, photographic memory, and exceptional problem-solving skills. Intriguingly, while tidying up, she stumbles upon evidence related to cases and instinctively rearranges the police board to reflect her discoveries. This action lands her in trouble until Selena (Judy Reyes), chief of the Major Crimes Division of the LAPD, appreciates Morgan’s potential and extends a consulting position to her.
As a cinephile, I’ve got to admit, my knack for getting myself into tricky situations, whether it’s in my personal life or professional one, is something I can’t seem to shake off. And that’s exactly what happens when I’m paired up with Karadec, the hard-boiled detective, on this new case. He’s always grumbling about having me tag along, but as time goes by and he sees the real value I bring to the table, helping us crack cases left and right, his attitude softens. Despite my flagrant disregard for legal niceties, my bold fashion choices, and the chaos I inevitably stir up, he tries to look past it all.
A series with a lot of fan appeal, like High Potential, possesses all the essential ingredients found in procedurals: an intriguing protagonist with peculiar traits and exceptional abilities, frequent disputes, and progressively bizarre case-of-the-week plots. Additionally, it includes an ongoing narrative, a common feature of this genre. Years ago, Morgan’s husband, Roman, mysteriously vanished, and she harbors a strong intuition that he didn’t simply abandon his family but encountered some terrible fate. Eager to help uncover the truth, Morgan persuades Selena to investigate as part of her job agreement. As Selena delves deeper, she starts to uncover evidence supporting Morgan’s suspicions.
The series High Potential consistently improves with each subsequent episode, garnering a commendable 92% rating from critics and an 82% approval from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes. What makes this show stand out is the compelling interplay among its characters, the empowering female protagonist, and its authentic portrayal of the trials faced by single working mothers. It’s one of the most captivating fresh series currently airing on network television.
Stream High Potential on Hulu.
Found’s (NBC) Intriguing Twist Grips You From the Start
In the ocean of rehashed network procedurals, Found has found its niche by offering something unique. The narrative revolves around Gaby Mosley (played by Shanola Hampton), who survived a long-term kidnapping as a teenager and has channeled that experience into a lifelong mission to aid others. She’s assembled a group of outcasts, each with distinct abilities, to tackle missing persons cases that have been overlooked by law enforcement. However, there’s a catch: she harbors a secret.
As a devoted cinema enthusiast, nine months prior to the series’ commencement, I had managed to locate my captor – a charismatic high school professor named Hugh “Sir” Evans, portrayed by Mark-Paul Gosselaar. Since then, I’ve been holding him captive in a specially designed cell hidden deep within my basement. Each day, I engage with him and leverage his expertise to dissect cases and delve into the psyches of potential suspects. This clandestine arrangement remains undisclosed to all, and the tension that permeates every episode as I strive to safeguard this illicit secret is electrifying. If the truth were to surface, it would spell my downfall.
In its second run, the series Found persists in breaking new ground, delving into cases that involve underserved communities, such as minorities, sex workers, and homeless individuals. The show carries a powerful underlying theme, highlighting instances where law enforcement may overlook missing persons whose circumstances don’t warrant their time or effort to search for them.
The ensemble cast is talented, though Hampton steals every scene. Each case is more ridiculously unbelievable than the next, as is the access Gaby manages to get thanks to her detective friend Mark (Brett Dalton). Each character has their own chilling backstory, like Margaret (Kelli Williams), who has developed keen observational and deductive reasoning skills following the obsessions she has developed as a result of the kidnapping of her son years prior. Suspend belief and enjoy every minute of this procedural, which has a decent 70% Rotten Tomatoes score and 66% audience score.
Stream Found on Peacock.
Will Trent (ABC) Is One of the Most Endearing TV Leads
In spite of his distinctive accent, Will Trent, portrayed by Ramon Rodriguez on the show “Will Trent”, is undeniably one of the most charming characters on television. Having spent his childhood as an orphan, moving from one harsh institution or temporary foster home to another, he finds comfort in detective Angela Polaski (Erika Christensen), who shares a similar background with him through the foster care system. Their relationship is marked by an intermittent romantic connection.
Despite concealing his dyslexia from most people, Trent possesses unique characteristics. However, he is exceptionally skilled at his profession. He has the ability to step onto a crime scene and immediately visualize and mentally reenact the events. More often than not, his assumptions prove accurate, which frequently frustrates colleagues such as Michael Ormewood (Jake McLaughlin), who grow irritated when he assumes control over their crime scenes and cases.
Each installment in this show presents a fresh mystery, all while Trent’s personal journey unfolds as he delves deeper into understanding his life and past connections. In the first season alone, he uncovers the identity of his biological mother and encounters his biological uncle. However, many more questions remain unanswered, waiting to be explored further.
The captivating series, Will Trent, has been granted a third season renewal and boasts an exceptional ensemble cast consisting of Sonja Sohn from The Wire, Mark-Paul Gosselaar from Found, Greg Germann from Grey’s Anatomy, John Ortiz from Bad Monkey, and LisaGay Hamilton from The Practice. In the upcoming season, Gina Rodriguez, famously known for her roles in Jane the Virgin and Not Dead Yet, will be joining the cast. The audience’s consensus is resounding: Will Trent is one of the top-tier network procedural shows on television today, with a 89% Rotten Tomatoes score from critics and an 84% rating from viewers.
Stream Will Trent on Hulu.
Every Episode of Tracker (CBS) Is Like a Mini Action Movie
In a marked departure from his role in “This Is Us”, Justin Hartley stars as the lead in this action-packed drama about Colter Shaw, a survivalist who utilizes the skills his father imparted during their off-grid upbringing to find missing persons for a living. Living in an Airstream and traversing the country, he accepts various jobs assisting families and individuals in locating their lost loved ones. Alongside his small, distant team, they respond promptly to these calls, and Shaw quickly gets down to business to track down the missing person. He doesn’t receive payment until he successfully completes the task.
Each installment of the series “Tracker” delves into a new mystery, with our protagonist, Colter, embarking on thrilling adventures across the nation. He engages in extraordinary activities such as infiltrating classified government facilities, parachuting into remote wilderness, and breaching diverse types of secure locations. Each case seems increasingly perilous, yet it appears that Colter possesses formidable combat abilities to navigate these hazardous situations.
Featuring Jensen Ackles in its second season, the series Tracker promises an even more captivating narrative. The underlying plot revolves around a case that Colter has been unable to resolve or move past: the mysterious death of his father. There are lingering questions and hidden truths about his father’s work, and Colter suspects there is much more to the story, especially since he believes his older brother Russell (Ackles) was responsible for his father’s killing, a person initially thought to be someone else.
The general consensus among critics is that they are highly fond of Tracker, giving it an overall rating of 89% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, audiences seem less impressed with a score of 64%. In terms of episodic procedurals, Tracker can be compared to the popular Jack Reacher character, but for network television. The series effectively brings the character from Jeffery Deaver’s novel The Never Game to life on screen.
Stream Tracker on Paramount+.
Doctor Odyssey (ABC) Is This Generation’s The Love Boat
The reception for “Doctor Odyssey” hasn’t been as fantastic compared to other shows, but it’s a lively network procedural with an unexpected twist, often compared to “The Love Boat”. In this series, Dr. Max Bankman, played by Joshua Jackson, takes on the role of a new doctor aboard a luxury cruise ship. As he settles into his position and meets the nursing staff and ship’s captain, Robert Massey (Don Johnson), he uncovers that medical treatment in this maritime setting is unlike anything he’s encountered before.
Each week, the cruise ship features a unique theme, ranging from Singles Week to post-cosmetic surgery relaxation, all the way to Halloween. Of course, every week also brings fresh challenges to handle, such as unusual injuries and health issues that supposedly afflict long-time employees. Think of sexually transmitted diseases, people falling overboard, and severe iodine poisoning from consuming too much shrimp.
In each episode, fresh actors join the cast as they embark on the ship, such as Shania Twain, Rachel Dratch, Chord Overstreet, Gina Gershon, John Stamos, and Cheyenne Jackson. This keeps viewers guessing about who will appear in the next installment. The main plot revolves around Max’s romantic pursuits towards nurse Avery Morgan (Phillipa Soo), Tristan Silva’s (Sean Teale) feelings for Avery, and Dr. Bankman confronting his past traumas. He chose to work on the ship as a result of a near-death experience: he was Patient Zero for COVID-19 and is now cherishing every moment of life.
Dr. Odyssey hasn’t accumulated enough critical reviews on Rotten Tomatoes to earn a rating yet, but viewers have only given it a disappointing 38%. Despite this, its pilot episode attracted an impressive 13.6 million viewers, and the Rotten Tomatoes audience score has been gradually increasing. In terms of guilty pleasures, it’s definitely one worth mentioning.
Stream Doctor Odyssey on Hulu.
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2024-10-25 04:32