2016 Paley Preview Parties

For the past ten years the Paley Center for Media has been hosting what they call the Paley Preview Parties. Much like their annual Paley Fest, which salutes specific TV shows over the course of two weeks, the Preview Parties allows the major networks to spotlight some of their new fall programming, giving attendees the chance to see an advanced screening of pilot episodes as well as moderated panels featuring some of the stars of those new shows: comedy and drama alike.

This year the Paley Preview Parties started at the end of last week with FOX bringing the dramas Pitch and Lethal Weapon – and their respective cast members and creative minds – to the screen and stage to talk about their shows.

Then over the weekend ABC and The CW shared the day, bringing their dramas Notorious and Designated Survivor and Frequency and No Tomorrow (respectively) to the screen and stage.

As of the time I am writing this article (which is early in order to have it posted by my deadline), CBS and NBC will take to the stage with Pure Genius and Bull and This Is Us and Timeless (respectively).

Out of all of these dramas – please remember that I am not a fan of comedies and prefer not to cover that type of programming – I have seen all of the drama pilots except Bull and Pure Genius. My favorites so far are Designated Survivor on ABC and This Is Us on NBC.

Here is a run-down of the dramas that are part of the Paley Preview Parties. Check them out when they premiere and judge for yourself:

Designated Survivor, which debuts on September 21 at 10 PM on ABC, stars Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman, a lower-level cabinet member who unexpectedly becomes President after a devastating attack on Washington.

This Is Us, which debuts on September 20 at 10 PM on NBC, follows a unique ensemble whose paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways. We find several of them share the same birthday, and so much more than anyone would expect.

Pitch, which debuts on September 22 at 8 PM on FOX, follows Ginny Baker, a young pitcher who becomes the first woman to play Major League Baseball.

Lethal Weapon, which debuts on September 21 at 8 PM on FOX, is the small screen adaptation about Martin Riggs (Clayne Crawford from Rectify) and Roger Murtaugh (Damon Wayans, Sr. from My Wife and Kids), who are working a crime-ridden beat in modern-day Los Angeles.

Notorious, which debuts on September 22 at 9 PM on ABC, is inspired by the true-life stories of famed criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos and cable news producer Wendy Walker with Piper Perabo (Covert Affairs) and Daniel Sunjata (Graceland) in the lead roles.

Frequency, which debuts on October 5 at 9 PM on The CW, is set in 2016, focusing on NYPD Detective Raimy Sullivan (Peyton List), who discovers that she is able to speak to her deceased father Frank Sullivan in 1996 via his old ham radio.

No Tomorrow, which debuts on October 10 at 9 PM on The CW, follows a woman who becomes involved with a free-spirited guy who inspires her to make an “apocalyst,” a list of things to do before the world ends—which he claims will be in eight months and twelve days.

Pure Genius, which debuts on October 27 at 10 PM on CBS, is about James Bell, a Silicon Valley billionaire who dreams of building a hospital with ultimate cutting-edge technology to treat rare and incurable diseases. He partners with a maverick surgeon, Dr. Walter Wallace, who leads the effort in clearing out the bureaucracy of medicine.

Bull, which debuts on September 20 at 9 PM on CBS, is inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, the founder of one of the most prolific trial consulting firms of all time. Brilliant, brash and charming, Dr. Bull (former NCIS star Michael Weatherly) is the ultimate puppet master as he combines psychology, human intuition and high tech data to learn what makes jurors, attorneys, witnesses and the accused tick.

Timeless, which debuts on October 3 at 10 PM on NBC, chronicles the unlikely team of history professor Lucy, soldier Wyatt, and scientist Rufus, who are tasked to stop a time-traveling criminal from rewriting American history.