The Forgettables: Crooked Cops, Doctors, and Bad Dates

If you missed the May 22nd premiere of Fox's new show Gang Related, don't get too upset.  I saw it and was upset with the bad acting and boring plot.  The only redeeming quality was the acting by Terry O'Quinn, which is always on the mark.  What set my off was the death of the main character's partner and friend at the start of the first episode (I would say SPOILER ALERT, but who really cares?).  This plot device has been overdone. If you want to do something unique, save this scene for the end of the season or even the end of the series as was done in Southland.  Then you have something different for the audience (and mind-blowing in the case of Southland). 

And this week we have a new medical show on NBC called The Night Shift, premiering May 27, and another dating show on NBC called Undateable, premiering May 29. 

Here is the quick set up for The Night Shift (it goes on and on, but this is the highlight on the main characters):

At San Antonio Memorial, the men and women who work the night shift are an irreverent and special breed, particularly adrenaline junkie TC Callahan (Eoin Macken, "Merlin"). After three grueling tours of duty in Afghanistan, TC is about to learn that his toughest battles will be fought right here at home.

He and his irreverent team of late-night docs, including his best friend Topher (Ken Leung, "Lost") and protégé Drew (Brendan Fehr, "Roswell"), know how to let off steam with the casual prank or two, but when lives are at stake, they are all business.

The New York Times did not have much praise for the new show, stating: 

In short, don’t look for the depth of “House,” “Grey’s Anatomy” or other top-flight medical dramas here. But if preposterous, pulse-pounding pileups of bizarre accidents and obscure medical conditions appeal to you, sure, put the trashy beach novel aside and help yourself.

As far as Undateable, it is still debatable if this is worth getting off the couch or even reaching for the remote (getting it online is even more work, so just forget about it).  Here is how NBC tries to sell the new show:  "Whether it's due to a lack of style, the wrong job or even just a bad haircut, everyone goes through a time in their lives when they're undateable."  Really?   All I can add is:  Whether it's due to a lack of good writing, the wrong actors or even a bad camera angle, every show goes through a time in its life when its unwatchable.  Enough said.