How To Get Away With AWESOMENESS…Or…Return of Shondaland…Or Thursdays Night Fall TV Preview.

So Thursday night, much like Wednesday, is all about returning shows for me.  Thursday night’s lineup hasn’t really changed from last season.  It’s still TGIT or Shondaland Thursday on ABC and new classics like Elementary on CBS, Blacklist on ABC, and Bones on FOX.  The newest addition to TGIT, is Sleepy Hollow, now on after Bones on FOX.

Of all the returning shows, I started off watching at least the first of each one.  I got behind on Blacklist and Elementary after the first season, and so eventually, I dropped them off my DVR queue, but still kept up with new happening and plot points and plot twist, but I never really got to the point of watching them LIVE or even watching them at later days in the week.

There are a few new broadcast net shows premiering on Thursday, but only two of them on on my radar.  The Player on NBC, starring Wesley Snipes and Heroes Reborn on NBC, a sort of  “spin-off” of the original Heroes tv shows.  So how is Thursday shaping up for yours truly?  Welp, I’m truly only here for Annalise Keating and her “Scooby Gang”.

Returning Shows

First up, Scandal.  When left off last season, Olitz was back on.  Fitz kicked out Mellie, and Cyrus.  Jake, from State Farm, was till alive.  And Poppa Pope was in jail.  So what’s gonna happen in Season 5?  Well, to be honest, I don’t really care.  I was on the Scandal train for season 1 and 2, I stayed on the Scandal train, but hanging off the sides, cause I love me some Jake (Scott Foley, #TeamNoah), but I’ve never been there for Olitz.  I’m not a fan of that pairing.  I know, I know it the “backbone” of the show, the Burton/Taylor-esque EPIC love that is Fitz and Olivia, but meh…I ain’t here for it.  Besides which, if any fan of the show was honest with themselves, Scandal was hella uneven this past 2 seasons.  I mean maybe it’s because of Olitz being separated?  Maybe cause Shonda has too much on her plate, maybe…I don’t know, I don’t really care, but either way, Scandal is NOT must see tv for me.  I can’t help but keep track of it though cause it’s on right before
#DatMurda (h/t/ @BlackGirlNerds) and my social media fam, all still love it, so like Titanic and Speed, even though I’ve never watched either of them, I know every darn thing that happened cause folk I know won’t stop talking about them, so Scandal is still on my radar, what are you gonna do?

Joining the TGIT lineup this season is Sleepy Hollow, moving from Mondays to Thursday opposite Scandal, or the place one goes to die a quick death!  I know Sleepy Hollow had fallen off this past season.  It basically became the Crane Family Drama, all about the Ichabod and Katrina and Henry saga.  Our lovely heroine Abby basically seemed to be delegated to “sidekick” status, and the continued “Struggle Witch” storyline pushed in the front of the relationship of partners in the Apocalypse Abbie and Icahbod.  Add to that the sidelining of fan favorites like Abbie’s sister Jenny and former Captain Irving, and Sleepy Hollow was a hot mess and the fans let the producers and writers know it.  So my the end of last season, they attempted a course correct, with one casualty that a majority of the fans wanted (to Katrina and Henry –>) and another that was bittersweet (by Orlando Jones…but Irvings story was basically done).  The new season is adding 3 recurring regular cast members (including the hot, hot, hot…Lance Gross) .  So here’s hoping Sleepy Hollow can get back to where it was before the mess of last season, but being opposite Scandal, says to me that it probably only has one season in it, and this may be it.

Returning at its regular time is Elementary on CBS.  The one Thrusday night show I truly regret letting fall off my radar is Elementary.  If you don’t know, I’m a bit of a Sherlock Holmes fanatic.  I own the books, I’ve read them a number of times.  I love the movies both on tv and the big screen.  I actually like both of the current Sherlock Holmes shows. I let Elementary fall away, but I keep up with Sherlock on PBS, almost religiously.  It’s a shame cause I really do love both.  The only real reason I can think of for watching one over the other.  Sherlock unlike Elementary is literally only ever maybe 4, hour and half long episodes, while Elementary is a full season of 22 episodes.  I guess it’s just easier to watch Sherlock and be done.  Whatever the case, I hate that I dropped Elementary.  This season makes me even more frustrated, because one of my fav actors is joining the Elementary cast as Sherlock Holmes father…hello John Noble!  Anyway, one of these days, I will catch up to Elementary!  It’s definitely on my vaykay binge watching list (along with maybe Hannibal, Grimm…etc).

Returning for season 12 on ABC is Grey’s Anatomy sans McDreamy.  Grey’s is weird for me.  I never really consistently watched the show.  I followed maybe, but I never was caught up in it.  Then all of a sudden I was watching it, during the Burke and Christina hey day…I was all in on Burke, Christina, McSteamy, Callie George hell, I even like Katherine Heigl’s Izzie.  Then about the time when the whole Isaiah Washington “scandal”, Heigl’s bitchy antics, and just life, I soured on Grey’s and I never watched it again.  I still don’t.  I still kinda kept up with it, but I literally have not in years.  Still, I was as shocked as everyone else when Shonda killed off McDreamy…no more Meredith an Derek…what will they do…
Back on NBC is The Blacklist.  I’m sorry, but I haven’t watched Blacklist since half way through the first season.  I barely keep up with it, and it’s a shame that it fell off for me, cause I love me some James Spader, but ugh, can’t stand the actress playing Lizzie.  I could literally care less what happens to her character.  Unfortunately, Lizzie is the main character other than Spader…whatever.

Anchoring the ABC’s TGIT Shondaland lineup is the 2nd season of freshman drama How To Get Away With Murder, or HTGAWM or #DatMurda.  Now this is the show on Thursday night’s that I’m most excited for and that I’m anticipating the premiere. Annalise Keating and her Scooby gang are back for another season of  “M-ur-der”!
At the end of last season, we had the arrest of Hawt Cop Nate and the death of bitchy goth girl Rebecca.  From what I’m hearing, the death of Rebecca and the trial of Hawt Cop will be what leads the season.  Can’t wait.  I’ll have more to say about #DatMurda the closer we get to TGIT!

New Shows

The only two new shows on my radar is The Player and Heroes Reborn on NBC.  Of these two shows,  I guess I’m more inclined to check out The Player’s premiere.  It does star Wesley Snipes and I love me some Wesley Snipes.  I’d need to see more though to truly decide if I want to give a chance.  As for Heroes Reborn, well I never watched the original series so this spinoff is not for me.  But I know folks who loved Heroes will want to see what Reborn has going for it.  If I had to choose which of these two shows will survive –>

So…what Thursday night returning shows or new shows are you looking forward to most?  And don’t forget to check out the Entertainment Weekly’s Fall TV Schedule Grid for the full list of Fall TV shows.