Hump day of premiere week has some surprisingly light pickings, with just two new network shows. The only day with fewer is Saturday.
Some, like ABC and NBC are just fine with their offerings, unchanged from last year. We’re taking a night by night look at the new season all this week, so here’s what’s on tap for Wednesday, with just a couple of generic “new” offerings that look like old ones, a slew of returning titles and funnier comedies and genre shows on cable.
NEW SHOWS
“Rosewood” (Fox, 9 p.m., starts tonight) is another generic police show employing special skills of an outsider, this time Morris Chestnut as a pathologist who is much more active on the job than most. Jaina Lee Ortiz is part of the series, which has nothing to do with Vonnegut and everything to do with TV procedurals, where it’s all about outlandish, hard to believe action, and tying up the bow in 44 minutes each week. An especially weak pairing with the network’s sole blockbuster series, “Empire.”
“Code Black” (CBS, 10 p.m., starts Sept. 30) rounds up a hospital full of names, including Marcia Gay Harden and Luis Guzman, to staff the latest ho-hum procedural, where things are always frantic. The acting may be of a better quality, but the focus is always on action. You’ve seen a few too many of these kinds of shows before.
RETURNING SHOWS
“Empire” (Fox, 8 p.m.), “The Middle” (ABC, 8 p.m., tonight), “Survivor” (CBS, 8 p.m., tonight), “The Mysteries of Laura” (NBC, 8 p.m., tonight), “Arrow” (The CW, 8 p.m., Oct. 7), “The Goldbergs” (ABC, 8:30 p.m.), “Modern Family” (ABC, 9 p.m.), “Supernatural” (The CW, 9 p.m., Oct. 7), “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC, 9 p.m.), “Criminal Minds” (CBS, 9 p.m., Sept. 30), “Black-ish” (ABC, 9:30 p.m., tonight), “Nashville” (ABC, 10 p.m., tonight), “Chicago P.D.” (NBC, 10 p.m.).
OF NOTE ON CABLE
“American Horror Story: Hotel” (FX, 10 p.m., Oct. 7). Going down? Ryan Murphy’s blood-letting franchise moves its troupe indoors where Lady Gaga joins Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson, among others, as a hotel owner who is also a vampire.
“The League” (FX, 10 p.m., started Sept. 9). The final season of the funny fantasy sports series is already under way.
“You’re the Worst” (FX, 10:30 p.m., started Sept. 9). The second season of the abrasive romantic comedy is a little softer than the first, but maybe because we like it more.
“South Park” (Comedy Central, 10 p.m., started Sept. 16) The 19th season started last week. There is apparently no stopping it.
“Moonbeam City” (Comedy Central, 10:30 p.m., started Sept. 16). The companion cartoon for “South Park” this time around is an “Archer”-like spy caper with Rob Lowe providing the voice. It started last week too.
‘Kingdom” (DirecTV, 9 p.m., Oct. 14). The second season of the macho ultimate fighting drama isn’t really on cable at all, and the company would probably hate to see it listed as such.