Premiere

The Knick has returned for its second season, and anyone fearing that the grotesquely involving surgery scenes might take a backseat during a plot heavy premiere need not hold their breath.

One thing that you have to love about The Walking Dead is that every season there’s a new stake and a higher cost to consider for our survivors.

Right from the opening moments of Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan’s highly anticipated prequel to his aforementioned AMC hit, brows will furrow and heads will be scratched.

Coming off a bloody and shocking season finale, the final stretch of Sons of Anarchy kicks things off with nothing less than a bloody and shocking premiere. The actual action takes up less than a third of the episode, with most of the super-sized premiere ending up as time spent watching various gangs and family members talk in circles about last season’s events. With only a handful of episodes to iron out all of the conflicts from last year’s denouement, set up a proper season arc, and tie everything up in a satisfying manner, one would think Sutter and co. would have a sense of urgency when it comes to moving the plot along. Instead, a small number pieces on the chessboard are shifted a few spaces while everybody else stands around and observes the events unfolding.

There’s a new Doctor on the TARDIS, one with the energy and gravitas to bring significant and much-needed change to the series, and on the whole, this episode is a promising start for the Twelfth Doctor. Unfortunately, as big a difference as the Doctor’s regeneration has on the show, in the end, he is only the lead—the buck stops with the showrunner, and if Moffat’s unwilling to step away from his favorite and at this point, very overused toys, it seems unlikely the series will get the fresh start it deserves.

Legal crime dramas with ace lawyers as their lead are pretty easy to come by nowadays. Most though don’t have David Tennant as that ace lawyer. The Escape Artist, airing for three weeks on Masterpiece Mystery, is a somewhat predictable thriller aided by great performances.

In the return of the History Channel’s Vikings, viewers will expect to be reacquainted with all the savagery and remorselessness of writer-creator Hirst’s compelling universe. Pitiably, the second season’s first offering, “Brother’s War”, is a patchwork of the first season’s dramatic elements, and one that’s shot through with lead-footed dialogue. In it, Ragnar (Travis Fimmel) remains where he was last left, the newly appointed leader of his people, despite opposition from his Loki-esque brother, Rollo (Clive Standen). Considering this complex relationship, Rollo’s surrender to Ragnar on the battlefield (and his later release by virtue of some anticipated divine plan) feels unwieldy, the narrative buckling under the need to save an intriguing character from an anticipatable fate. The title of the episode’s a little a bit of a misnomer then; tonight’s focus is upon Ragnar’s ongoing connection to the sea, and all the ties that come with it: personal, spiritual, and fortuitous.

With a dash of L.A. Confidential and a heavy dose of brutal, graphic violence, Frank Darabont’s new limited series Mob City could have enough juice to push TNT into relevant drama territory.

Grimm, Season 3, Episode 2, “PTZD” Written by David Greenwalt and Jim Kouf Directed by Eric Laneuville Airs Fridays at 9pm EST on NBC This week, on Grimm: Nick has one hell of a hangover, Capt. Renard makes a call, and Adalind plays with flowers Grimm came out of the gate strong this season with …

The Grimm premiere picks up right where last year’s finale left off. Actually, that’s not quite right- it rewinds a bit, replaying those final moments with the added perspective of Renard, who apparently was just off camera, lurking and overhearing enough of his brother’s dastardly scheme to be able to thwart it, at least somewhat. There’s a bit too much retread, but this is more understandable in a premiere. Otherwise, the setpiece at the docks works very well, giving each of the characters enough to do and providing an entertaining, engaging backbone for the episode.

Arrow Season 2, Episode 1 “City of Heroes” Written by Greg Berlanti (story), Andrew Kreisberg & Marc Guggenheim (teleplay) Directed by John Behring Airs Wednesday nights at 10pm on The CW   Often, dramatic season finales feature Big Events that end up being inconsequential when the show returns a few months later, backtracked over or simply replaced …

On this week’s Scandal premiere, Olivia’s father reveals himself to be the worst human monster (“I am the Hell AND the high water.”) on a show filled with moral ambiguity, Olivia pulls the proverbial fire alarm to plot with Fitz and Mellie, and Pope and Associates (minus the “Pope”) sacrifice one woman’s career to save their faltering leader.

Eastbound and Down Season 4, Episode 1 “Chapter 22” Written by Haynes Davenport, Jody Hill & Danny McBride Directed by Jody Hill Airs Sunday nights at 10pm ET on HBO   At the end of season three, it appeared Kenny Powers had finally let go. He walked away from baseball, dyed his hair blonde, and embraced …

Every season of The Good Wife begins with a resounding reminder of just how great this show is and how much television has missed it over the course of the summer. The Good Wife is a whip smart, lightning quick legal procedural with dramatic heft and a sense of humor. It has also developed serialized elements over the course of its run that put it on par with the best of what television has to offer. Few shows are as great at building out their world with recurring characters and developing plotlines and at its best, The Good Wife has enough on the stove that something is always sizzling.

The Amazing Race, Season 23, Episode 1: “We’re Not in Oklahoma No More” Aired Sundays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Phil Keoghan appears and tells us it is high noon, and that we are in an old western movie ranch. This is merely an excuse for fun music as nothing is really accomplished here, even …

Homeland, Season 3: Episode 1 – “Tin Man is Down” Written by Alex Gansa & Barbara Hall Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter Airs Sunday nights at 9pm ET on Showtime On a night when Breaking Bad – one of the most viscerally engaging series in television history – completes its run, it’s hard not to notice …

At the close of the second season, the writers of Once Upon a Time set our heroes (and villains) up for a nice journey to Neverland. We know, given how everything was described last season, that Neverland isn’t going to be what we grew up with and with this premiere, we are proven right. In a much more dramatic introduction than we’re used to, the third season of Once Upon a Time gets off to an intense start with the killing of Tamara and Greg mere minutes after they arrive in Neverland.

Parenthood, Season 5, Episode 1: “It Has to be Now” Written by Jason Katims Directed by Lawrence Trilling Airs Thursdays at 10pm (EST) on NBC “It Has to be Now” picks up a few months down the line from last season’s emotional finale, “Because You’re My Sister” and, in typical premiere fashion, checks in on …

Jumping into a series partway through its run can be a tricky endeavor. There’s a lot you miss- nuances of meaning in character interaction, thematic development, and stylistic callbacks to previous significant moments, to name a few. It does, however, provide an often underrepresented perspective, that of the more casual viewer, and sometimes, fresh eyes are useful in examining a show’s strengths and weaknesses.

Across America, parents are taking their children to the mall and office supply stores, getting ready the start of the school year. In the world of television, the fall means the start of the 2013-2014 television season, with the broadcast networks rolling out their new and returning series over the next few months. The landscape …

The ever erudite Simon Howell will have a review of the midseason premiere of Breaking Bad later tonight, but until then, here’s a quick look at the most anticipated return of the year. From the opening shots of a seeming skateboard ramp to the closing ones with Walt and Hank, “Blood Money” is fully aware …

It’s no secret- last season’s Hell on Wheels had a lot of issues, mainly the forced relationship between Cullen and Lily Bell (after all, this is not a show conducive to a dewy romance). Fortunately that arc wrapped up in the season two finale and judging by the premiere season three promises to be one heck of a year.

The Amazing Race Review, Season 22, Episode 1 “Business in the Front, Party in the Back” Airs Sundays at 8pm (ET) on CBS Each new premiere of The Amazing Race brings its own share of excitement and questions. Will the cast have exciting characters? Will the challenges stand apart from the standard formula? Will the …