With network television on a hiatus until after the new year, I thought it would be a good time to check in on a few sophomore seasons.
Let's start with Matlock. It might sound odd to call a show starring a nearly 80-year-old actress that takes its title from a 1980s crime procedural starring Andy Griffith subversive, but from its first episode, Matlock defied conventional wisdom. What appeared to be a legal drama reboot turned out to be something much different. This Matlock is not out to do courtroom gymnastics on behalf of wrongly accused clients, although there is plenty of that, but rather, a revenge story, of a woman who seeks vengeance against the lawyers and law firm who buried an incriminating report about the risk of opioid addiction, a disease that took her daughter. Through the first season, Maddy got herself into and out of a number of close calls where her true identity (and purpose) was almost revealed until finally her supervisor and friend Olympia finally put the pieces together. The season finale ended on a cliffhanger of learning that Olympia's former husband Julian hid the incriminating report in a safety deposit box at the direction of his father, the managing partner of the firm where they all work.
That first season balanced nicely the standard courtroom drama you expect in network procedurals with the main storyline but the second season has been far less consistent. For one, the Wellbrexa storyline is dragging on interminably, with Maddy and Olympia wrestling with the betrayal each feels about the other but unable to untangle themselves from the mess they find themselves in. The stories have leaned more heavily into Maddie's backstory, introducing her grandson Alfie's father (a recovering addict) into the mix while attempting to ask deeper questions about what constitutes justice and whether its even worth pursuing when the fallout could hurt people you care about.
Still more, a pall has hung over the show with a report that the actor who plays Billy, one of the young associates who are on Olympia's team, was fired from the show for allegedly assaulting a co-star, the actress who plays Sarah. Watching the first part of the season knowing Billy would be written out of the show (which he was in the "fall finale" - off screen, taking care of his fiancé, who had just suffered a miscarriage) took away from those episodes and you can almost see the custody battle between Maddy and Edwin on one side and Alfie's father on the other coming from a mile away, but to me, it's the least interesting part of the show.
The real problem is the Wellbrexa story lingers, now, with Julian actively working against his ex-wife (and Maddy) to curry favor with his father and redeem himself in his father's eyes. It just feels like so much navel gazing, but the other problem the show has is that once this storyline is wrapped, and the show runner indicated it would (thankfully) be done by the end of this season, what more is there to say?
Then there is Watson, another in a long list of entertainment products from the rather fruitful tree that is Sherlock Holmes. Yes, this procedural follows Holmes's sidekick in modern day Pittsburgh where Dr. John Watson (played by Morris Chestnut) is a world-renowned geneticist working with a team of fellows to solve medical mysteries. I have often thought of Watson as a bizarro House, M.D. Where House was misanthropic, Watson is nurturing. House belittled his fellows, Watson lifts them up. There are similarities. Both men have messy personal lives, as do their fellows, there is a female boss (in Watson's case, his ex-wife) and the episodes all have a weird medical problem requiring the doctor's singular brilliance to solve.
But where House focused (at least in its early seasons) on the medical mysteries and filled in the blanks with B and C stories about the characters' personal lives, Watson is the opposite. The first season was uneven to say the least, toggling between Holmesian lore (the evil Moriarty flits in and out of the season before a final showdown with Watson) and the deep seated problems of the fellows (two of whom are twins, one, an addict, the other, a depressive; a third a prim overachiever in a bad relationship, the last, a sociopath). It often felt like a muddle and I was actually a little surprised the show was renewed for a second season; perhaps they should have left well enough alone.
The second season has been mid, at best. It did not take long for the writers to introduce the actual Sherlock Holmes, played as a sort of middle aged imp but who has zero chemistry with the guy who is supposed to be his best friend. Holmes's brother, Mycroft, a sort of shadowy CEO/obnoxious jerk has also made an appearance or two, trying to bigfoot Watson into doing his bidding. Episodes have included topics like the danger of chat bots and the tried and true crazy guy who takes over the hospital demanding help (something House did in its sixth season). It's all quite unfocused. You can see the writers' disinterest in the medicine because they keep tossing out new storylines and characters completely unrelated to the work in the hospital. Watson's sidekick Shinwell, now also a nursing student (because reasons?) is starting a romance with one of his supervisors, Dr. Derian (the sociopath) is in therapy but has attracted a fellow sociopath who is toying with Dr. Lubbock (the overachiever) and the twin brothers are just sort of ... there. Shows are supposed to get better in their second seasons, but this just feels like throwing a bunch of stuff against a wall and seeing what sticks (which, in my view, is not much).
Finally, let's talk about High Potential. A police procedural with the hook that the star is a savant with a no BS attitude played wonderfully by Kaitlin Olson. Morgan Gillory sports a 160 IQ and notices things at crime scenes mere mortals do not and is hired by the LAPD as a consultant. The first season had a great blend of snark and sass, humor and heart, that really won me over. The supporting cast in the fictional precinct was solid and the stories were your standard TV fare. In the background loomed a second story about a boyfriend (and baby daddy to Morgan's oldest child) who disappeared 15 years ago.
Sure enough, toward the end of season one, this who-cares backstory bubbled closer to the surface and has taken on more weight in season two. The episodes themselves have been darker, particularly the two-part season premiere which wrapped (too quickly, in my view) what could have been an interesting cat-and-mouse plot between Morgan and a killer referred to as the Game Master. The other episodes have lost some of the lightness and wit that marked the first season; it's just not as much fun as the first season even as yet more new characters (all three of these shows seem to think more is more and it's actually not true!) like the new precinct captain who both has the hots for Morgan (seemingly every man in this show wants to sleep with her) and, if I had to predict, will likely be the key to unlocking the mystery of what happened to Morgan's long lost boyfriend (which again, who cares?)
In sum, a lot of disappointing television from shows that started out strongly but appear to already be running out of ideas.
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