CBS is fortifying its fall 2017 schedule with comedy and military-crime, including the new Big Bang Theory spinoff Young Sheldon and two new military dramas, SEAL Team and SWAT.
SUPERIOR DONUTS
Season 1, Episode 13 – In its first season, Superior Donuts has revealed itself to be a lazy show relying on cheap sentimentality, with an unwillingness to actually engage with any of the issues it brings up. Why should the finale be any different?
Season 1, Episode 12 – Superior Donuts delivers a dull episode heavy on cheap sentimentality and light on jokes that completely wastes the comedic talents of guest star Cedric the Entertainer.
Season 1, Episode 11 – This week was one of the better episodes of Superior Donuts. It wasn’t ambitious or hilarious, but it was entertaining. Franco takes a job as Fawz’s assistant in order to make some extra cash.
Season 1, Episode 10 – It’s another muddled, misguided attempt to address gentrification on Superior Donuts, resulting in an episode with many issues the show’s writers seem ill-equipped to handle.
Season 1, Episode 9 – Superior Donuts hits a low point, with a boring episode plagued by lazy writing, barely discernible attempts at jokes, and an ill-advised attempt to add depth to a character mainly used for easy comedic relief.
Season 1, Episode 8 – Franco gets injured on the job, but can’t afford to see a doctor. There’s some funny moments, but the show’s reliance on low-brow humor and insistence on going for the most obvious joke possible makes it a very disposable half-hour.
Season 1, Episode 7 – Superior Donuts tries to teach a lesson on unconscious racial bias. It’s hard to fault a show with such good intentions, but in its attempt to be inoffensive, it created a muddled, boring mess.
Season 1, Episode 6 – Superior Donuts delivered one of its funniest episodes yet, leaving behind the social critiques for a straightforward, amusing plot involving Franco running the store while Arthur takes his first day off in three years.
Season 1, Episode 5 – This week’s episode has good intentions, as the show addresses racism and xenophobia once Fawz’s dry-cleaners is vandalized with an anti-Arab message, but is hindered by lazy jokes and inconsistent characterization.
Season 1, Episode 4 – This week’s episode highlighted the show’s problems—Arthur and Franco’s inconsistent relationship, the underdeveloped minor characters, and the tired humor. It’s four weeks in and there’s no signs of improvement.
Season 1, Episode 3 – Superior Donuts tries to teach a lesson this week, but ends up delivering its weakest episode so far. Arthur buys a gun to protect himself, prompting Franco to teach him that guns are bad. It’s an obvious message and the jokes aren’t any better.
Season 1, Episode 2 – Franco invents a new donut flavor that has hipsters lining out the door, making Arthur question whether or not he can keep up in a changing world. It’s funny enough, but the show’s reliance on stereotypes is already wearing thin.
Season 1, Episode 1 – CBS’s new sitcom, centering on a millennial artist (Jermaine Fowler) who teams up with an aging donut shop owner (Judd Hirsch) to help keep his business current in a gentrifying neighborhood, premiered tonight, with an uneven but promising episode.
After a long hiatus for many series, 2017 is bringing back favorites and debuting new series in a search for the next watercooler hit. The Tracking Board has you covered with a guide to every premiere and return date for Spring 2017.
After receiving a great amount of criticism for the lack of diversity in their new fall shows, CBS has ordered Superior Donuts starring Jermaine Fowler. The multi-camera show was up this past development season but missed a pick up and was instead reshot.
Anna Paquin will topline the ABC’s drama pilot Broken from executive producer Reese Witherspoon; David Koechner, Megyn Price and Sarah Stiles bring the funny to Superior Donuts; Gossip Girl Leighton Messter join Lord and Miller’s new comedy and more in our daily casting round-up!
Starz’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods has landed Ian McShane to star opposite The 100‘s Ricky Whittle. Bryan Fuller and Michael Green are writer/showrunners of the series.
