HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

VS

BLACK-ISH

See the bracket at challonge.com/popfilter

Today’s installment of the Fall TV challenge pits two ABC shows against one another. Black-ish is kind of a modern Jeffersons. It’s a 30 minute family comedy in the vein of Modern Family. It stars Anthony Anderson as the father who struggles to maintain a black identity for his family while raising his children in the comfort of the upper-middle class. The pilot episode did all the things that all pilot episode needs to do but you wish it wouldn’t, most of which can be attributed to pilotitis (i.e issues that are present in almost all pilots.) The premise was pushed so hard that it flattened the story. It’s jokes aren’t as tight as they could be. This is clearly a Anderson vehicle, and the episode relies on him just a hair too much. The best moments in the show come from these little moments he shares with the other cast resulting in some crackling chemistry. Given its problems, it’s a really solid debut. It’s likeable and has strong potential for the future. This one comes out of the gate with a strong voice that actually has something to say.

How to get Away with Murder is a whole other Oprah. It’s an hour long legal drama from Shonda Rhimes, a screenwriter best known for show running Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. This is an well done pilot. Rhimes knows how to form a well paced, nuanced narrative that manages to do all the things a pilot is suppose to do without bogging down the audience with too much information. Viola Davis turns out an insane performance as the law professor whose students become entwined in a mysterious murder. She manages to be both scary powerful and believably vulnerable. Give the woman her emmy, already.

Murder’s pilot had so much going for it. A great performance in a well crafted episode. But Murder lacks layers, and though it’s compelling and will probably remain a quality show, it’s about as deep as a swimming pool. It relies on clever hooks to keep audiences addicted. That isn’t a bad thing. Compelling TV can be great. What I can say about Black-ish that I can’t say about Murder is that Black-ish is better than the sum of its parts. And comedy is a lot harder than drama. And I’m sure if these two shows went head to head in the third, or even the second round, Black-ish would come out on top because it’s going to be the better show. It has something legitimate to contribute and all the kinks will be worked out starting with the next episode. But this Fall TV Challenge isn’t about potential nor does it award bonus points  to the more difficult job. It’s about which episode was better. In this round, though it pains me to take it away from a show that I believe is better, Black-ish’s pilot was just out matched by Rhimes and her writing staff’s incredibly proclivity for writing a tight story that leaves the audience wanting just a little bit more.

Next up:

TRANSPARENT VS HAPPYLAND

-Stephanie Rose