We’re into November now, which means that the kind of releases we’re getting are starting to shift. The end of the year brings a strange end to the Fall TV season. Most of the networks are winding down—or shifting to specials—while streamers and cable outlets try to get a few more event series in. What of these new shows is worth your time to check out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new shows this Fall. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks.

Wednesdays:
Down Cemetery Road, Streaming Wednesdays on Apple TV (Premiered October 29)
About: Apple TV has had good luck with the works of Mick Heron. The writer’s books inspired the Slow Horses franchise, and now they’re the inspiration for Down Cemetery Road. The adaptation comes from Morwenna Banks, a writer on the other Heron-inspired series. This one focuses on an art restorer Sarah (Ruth Wilson) whose neighborhood is rocked by an explosion. She turns to a private investigator to help her find a little girl whose family was killed in the blast. When he turns up dead, she teams with his wife, Zoe Boehm (Emma Thompson), to try and find out what happened, leading them into a bigger conspiracy. The first two episodes here were solid. It’s an eight-episode season, each about 45 minutes. The first two episodes dropped Wednesday, with subsequent episodes dropping weekly. I like the cast and the style. Wilson and Thompson are good and make for an interesting team. I’m curious to see where this one is going.
Pilot Grade: C+
Second Episode: C+

Sundays:
IT: Welcome to Derry, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered October 26)
About: This is the prequel series for the classic films, set in Derry, Maine in 1962. The pilot laid out the world and some of the ongoing stories, offering a gory opening sequence and closing sequence. The second episode, which got an early drop on Halloween, picked up those threads to drive the plot of this eight-episode series forward. Of course, the pilot spent plenty of time introducing a group of kids that didn’t survive the pilot. So, the second episode had to spend plenty of time introducing more characters. In that sense, it feels almost like an extension of the pilot. Of course, a few other storylines get some forward momentum. And I do mean some, not a lot. There are a few more scare sequences to keep things going but it’s possible that the things that make for a good TV series, such as character and world building, are antithetical to a horror movie experience. The films have backstory and world building, but within a two-hour frame everything is resolved. The first two episodes of this have felt like an increasingly long prologue to the horror that’s to come. The style and the look of the series is solid. And Andy Muschietti knows how to build the tension of this world after his work on the films. But this feels like it’s moving at a glacial pace. Hopefully the payoff will be worth the journey. Also, I could use some Pennywise.
Pilot Grade: C
Second Episode: C

I Love LA, Sundays at 10:30 p.m. on HBO (Premiered November 2)
About: This new series is paired with The Chair Company to form a Sunday night comedy block. This one comes from Rachel Sennott, who is part of the ensemble cast along with Josh Hutcherson and Odessa A’zion, among others. The pilot introduces the characters and the world. This feels like it joins a long line of HBO comedies that were mostly hang out shows for characters of a certain age in a certain walk-of-life. I like Sennott, so I want to give this a chance, but the first episode is more vibe than hook. We’ll see where it goes from here. It also feels like a bit of a hard turn from the vibe in its lead-in, but maybe that will work for some.
Pilot Grade: C

Streaming Series:
Son of a Donkey, Now Streaming on Netflix (Premiered October 30)
About: This new comedy comes from Theodore and Nathan Saidden, who star in a couple of roles each. It’s a family comedy, of sorts. Focused mostly on son Theo (Nathan) who is at odds with his mother (Nathan) and father (Theodore) while hanging out with his friend Johnny (Theodore). If that sounds like a lot, it is. The episodes are brisk, only about 20 minutes each. There are only six episodes in the first season, so it’s a quick binge. But you’d have to like it in order to binge it. Comedy is subjective to a certain extent. What works for you might not work for others. That being said, this comedy didn’t work for me at all. The pilot and second episode were painfully unfunny and I’m not even sure what the series is going for as this feels like a big miss for me.
Pilot Grade: D
Second Episode: D

Crutch, Now Streaming on Paramount+ (Premiered November 3)
About: This new comedy is streaming on Paramount+ but it feels like the kind of sitcom you’d find on CBS. All eight episodes are available to stream, with the season dropping Monday. It stars Tracey Morgan as a father whose adult kids have moved back in with him. It’s produced by Cedric The Entertainer, who actually appears as his character Calvin Butler from the long-running CBS series The Neighborhood along with his TV wife Tina (Tichina Arnold). His kids are played by Jermaine Fowler and Adrianna Mitchell. His son is a legal aid lawyer short on cash, while his daughter is going through a divorce and needs a place for her and her kids. The pilot sets up the central premise. It feels like the kind of show that was created for CBS, but they changed their mind. It’s fine as a sitcom but doesn’t feel like a great binge. Still, all eight episodes are available online, each about 25 minutes. If you’re a sitcom fan, this will probably work fine for you.
Pilot Grade: C-
Second Episode: C-

Matthew Fox is a graduate of the Radio, Television and Film program at Biola University, and a giant nerd. He spends his free time watching movies, TV, and obsessing about football. He is a member of the FSWA. You can find him @knighthawk7734 on Twitter and as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast.