Created by Nick Santora (The Sopranos), Scorpion follows computer genius Walter as he brings together a group of fellow geniuses in order to solve complex global problems that those lacking their intelligence might not be able to. The series stars Katharine McPhee (Smash), Robert Patrick (True Blood), Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie), Jadyn Wong (Being Erica), and Ari Stidham (Huge).

In addition to her role on the FOX thriller, Aghdashloo has appeared on the likes of Grimm, FlashForward, and The Mob Doctor. Her next series regular role is on Syfy’s upcoming The Expanse, where she’ll be playing Chrisjen Avasarala. She’s the second Scorpion guest star announced recently, with NCIS: Los Angeles‘ Linda Hunt confirmed to be appearing on the show come October.

Scorpion is slated to premiere Monday, September 22nd at 9:00 on CBS.

Will you be watching Scorpion? What type of impact do you think Dr. Davis will have on Walter and the rest of the team? Who else would you like to see guest star on Scorpion?

The post Scorpion: 24 Alum Shohreh Aghdashloo to Guest Star appeared first on TVHackr.

Crossovers have become fairly commonplace for series within the same universe, e.g. Dick Wolf’s Chicago series for NBC, the NCIS-verse that has birthed two spin-offs, the CSI-verse that will see its third spin-off come midseason, etc. They’re a way to exploit the ties that exist between certain series and create an inter-network synergy that will hopefully help shows get sampled in their early days (Scorpion) or in a new situation (NCIS: Los Angeles); however, crossovers from shows that don’t have direct ties are rarer, meaning that Hetty’s appearance on Scorpion will be especially interesting to see in terms of how well she’s integrated into the episode and whether this could pave the way for a mutually beneficial relationship between Scorpion and NCIS: Los Angeles.

Created by Nick Santora (The Sopranos), Scorpion follows genius computer expert Walter O’Brien (Elyes Gabel) as he recruits other geniuses to help solve complex, global crimes that those without their respective skill sets wouldn’t be able to crack. In addition to Gabel, Scorpion stars Katharine McPhee (Smash), Robert Patrick (True Blood), Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie), Jadyn Wong (Being Erica), and Ari Stidham (Huge).

You can check out a behind the scenes look at Scorpion below. The series is set to premiere Monday, September 22nd at 9:00 on CBS.

Do you think it’s too early to be crossing new dramas over with established series? If you’re on the fence about watching Scorpion, will a guest appearance from Linda Hunt change your mind? How do you think the CBS Monday lineup will do now that the network is no longer going with four comedies?

The post Scorpion to Stage a Crossover with NCIS: Los Angeles appeared first on TVHackr.

Are these the only new shows that could face difficulty in finding an audience? Not at all, but in the interest of brevity, TVHackr only looked at what they believe to be the most vulnerable new show on every broadcast network at this point in time. The positives and negatives of each show’s respective situation were weighed, with appropriate scheduling advice and extended trailers included, as well.

Jane the Virgin (The CW)
Premiere Date: Monday, October 13th
Premise: An ambitious 20-something gets accidentally inseminated with her boss’s baby.
The Bright Side: Jane the Virgin is one of the more distinct offerings of the fall with its clean, pastel-flavored color palette and unique (to say the least) premise, so it could get a decent amount of people curious about how this will all come together. Plus, with its diverse cast, it could tap into an underserved audience.
However: It’s unlike anything else on the network and it’s not as if genres lacking supernatural/genre elements have been doing gangbusters on The CW, anyway. There’s also the matter of its incompatible lead-in and the fact that people could reject it based on the premise alone.
Where It Should Have Been Scheduled: Fridays, along with America’s Next Top Model. The Originals might have a higher W18-49 rating than America’s Next Top Model, but that might not matter considering the smothering competition on Mondays, something that could keep Jane from gaining any traction. Top Model seems likely to have a better audience flow with the telenovela-inspired dramedy and Jane could stick out even more on Fridays, which are heavy on procedurals and family comedies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgDz0s7xw8A

Scorpion (CBS)
Premiere Date: Monday, September 22nd
Premise: An IT genius recruits other geniuses to help solve complex crimes.
The Bright Side: Scorpion looks to be a younger-skewing take on the tried-and-true CBS crime drama. After falling in the 18-49 demo last season and with their major franchises not getting any younger, CBS needs to de-age while remaining true to itself, which Scorpion could provide.
However: Scorpion has the unenviably task of being the series that caused CBS to shrink the Monday comedy bloc that’s been in place for decades, so the network could get a little gun-shy about the change if ratings don’t seem especially promising, especially since Mike & Molly is on the bench. Plus, CBS doesn’t have as much luck when it tries to step outside its dramatic comfort zone, meaning that Scorpion might not have as high a ceiling as other series.
Where It Should Have Been Scheduled: Summer. It could be a decent fit alongside Hawaii Five-0 on Fridays, but it would disrupt the night due to the incompatibility with Blue Bloods; as a whole, the show just isn’t prototypically CBS enough to work in-season, as Sundays are very female-skewing and Tuesdays through Thursdays are set. CBS has attempted to expand their portfolio in the summer with genre fare like Under the Dome, so an male-skewing action-y drama like Scorpion wouldn’t have been too much of a reach.

Bad Judge (NBC)
Premiere Date: Thursday, October 2nd
Premise: A hard partying judge is tasked with raising a little boy whose parents she put behind bars.
The Bright Side: Kate Walsh is a television star; Bad Judge lead-in The Biggest Loser found new life last season in a similar one-hour format; and NBC has a success in About a Boy that is basically a gender-flipped version of this premise.
However: NBC learned firsthand with Michael J. Fox and Sean Hayes that television stars can’t carry a series on their name alone; The Biggest Loser might not be as potent without The Voice pre-tune in; and Bad Judge will be running up against red hot Scandal, a female viewer magnet that could drastically lower the NBC comedy’s ceiling. Plus, Bad Judge is already scheduled to be moved from Thursdays in February, so NBC might not have it on a long ratings leash.
Where It Should Have Been Scheduled: Either Tuesdays with About a Boy or sometime midseason. As mentioned, it’s similar in premise to About a Boy and Bad Judge seems broad enough to take advantage of the hefty lead-in from The Voice; if it were to fail, Boy has shown itself sturdy enough to protect Chicago Fire. But with The Blacklist lingering over NBC Thursdays, Bad Judge might have been better off if NBC has slotted the final season of Parks & Recreation at 9:00 and jumped into the best available slot come January/February. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lF3vxmJsDIk

Utopia (FOX)
Premiere Date: Tuesday, September 7th
Premise: Fifteen people leave their lives behind and attempt to build the perfect society.
The Bright Side: Utopia is getting a jump on the fall season with its early premiere, which could help with casual tune-in and allow it to have some breathing room to find itself. It has a splashy enough concept to make some noise, particularly if FOX were to get behind it and not panic if it’s not a breakout hit.
However: Utopia is airing two nights a week and not even two consecutive nights – Tuesdays and Fridays. Big Brother can manage that in the summer because of the lack of competition and its dedicated audience, but asking people to sample a new show two nights a week that far apart? It doesn’t help that the Tuesday edition runs head-on into NCIS and The Voice or that FOX Tuesdays collapsed last season, so Utopia will be paired with an ailing New Girl and The Mindy Project, hits only when you look at sub-demos and L+7 ratings.
Where It Should Have Been Scheduled: Fall Wednesdays, with two-hour episodes. Summer would’ve also been an acceptable option, but FOX needs something to make noise in the fall and the way to do that isn’t to split up a show that could generate buzz if treated properly. Keeping it confined to fall Wednesdays for a first season would concentrate its audience and allow the show to act as a seat warmer for the next season of American Idol; the format might be designed for a continuous string of episodes, but it’s a show that would benefit from a truncated order and a concrete ending, even if it were to expand for a potential second season.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3fu7j02Mks

Manhattan Love Story (ABC)
Premiere Date: Tuesday, September 30th
Premise: A new couple’s internal monologues get exposed.
The Bright Side: Manhattan Love Story seems like something ABC audiences could take to, as the network isn’t afraid of a little romance or of simply focusing on the relationships that exist between two people. The counterprogramming against NCIS and The Flash could end up working, especially if lead-in Selfie manages to properly self-start.
However: Manhattan Love Story won’t have the luxury of compatible pre-tune in thanks to its Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD lead-out and it doesn’t seem like a series loud enough to cut against the cluttered television landscape and stand out against a full network slate, not without some help from either side of its night. The voiceover gimmick feels like something that will be polarizing at best and the thing that keeps the show from being sampled at worst. The show has a less known cast (Jake McDorman, Annaleigh Tipton) and creator (Jeff Lowell) than Selfie and if it comes down to saving one comedy from the Tuesdays-at-8:00 death trap, ABC will more than likely save the much louder Emily Kapnek comedy over Manhattan Love Story.
Where It Should Have Been Scheduled: Midseason Mondays following The Bachelor. ABC continues developing romantic comedies and sticking them on the wrong night, for some reason, so while comedy at 10:00 is extremely risky, something like Manhattan Love Story seems tailor-made for a pairing with the venerable reality-dating series. It could be a little edgier than it’ll be able to at 8:30 and it would be solid counterprogramming to what the other broadcast networks will be offering in the same slot, thus allowing Castle to use its remaining strength in a more pressing time period.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21llS2xvRTM

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