The penultimate presentation of Upfronts week came from CBS. Last year CBS wowed us with some very high quality promos and we wondered if they could match it this year. Fortunately they delivered some great promos including two comedies, a medical drama, a superhero origin story and a film adaptation. Let’s take a look.

Angel from Hell

What’s it about: When an eccentric woman named Amy enters Allison’s life claiming to be her guardian angel she’s sure she’s crazy. But as the two women begin to bond Allison begins to wonder if Amy is telling the truth.

What we think: Jane Lynch is fantastic. We all know this. So it’s great to see her comedic talents being put to use. However the promo for Angel from Hell was slightly underwhelming. That’s not to say it doesn’t have potential, it does, the premise alone is enough to garner a lot of viewers. And there were some funny moments in the trailer; the highlight being Lynch’s character flirting with Allison’s brother.  But there is obviously room for improvement between now and the pilot. On a more positive note David Denman and Liza Lapira are seriously underrated actors so it’s always nice to see them on our screens.

Excitement factor: 3/5

Code Black

What’s it about: Set in the busiest ER in the nation, it follows the lives of the doctors struggling to do the best with the little resources they have and ultimately save their patients’ lives.

What we think: I know we’re meant to be focusing on the inspirational stories of the doctors performing miracles and saving patients, and that’s done very well in the promo. But let’s talk about what we really took from the trailer: Luis Guzman is amazing. He manages to bring the comedy whilst remaining endearing in a rather intense drama. I predict he’ll be the saving grace when the show gets too dark. And it looks like it could get really dark, something which I’m relieved by as it actually seems to be showing the real side of medicine.

Excitement factor: 3.5/5

Life in Pieces

What’s it about: A comedy about one family told throughout the separate tales of its various family members.

What we think: It’s basically CBS’s answer to Modern Family. And there’s nothing wrong with that, I love Modern Family. The promo is light hearted, fun and entertaining- just what you’d expect from a family comedy. It delivers on all levels and is set to be a great addition to the CBS line-up. Plus the idea of holding a mock funeral for your 70^th birthday is pure genius and the writers deserve heaps of credit for this plot.

Excitement factor: 4/5

Limitless

What’s it about: A young man discovers the mysterious drug NZT which makes you smarter and stronger for a limited time. The FBI soon finds out about his abilities and coerces him into helping them solve their cases.

What we think: I’ll admit that I haven’t seen the film but the premise always intrigued me and now that it’s on the small screen I’m even more interested. Thankfully the promo wasn’t a disappointed and only got me more excited for the show’s premiere. The trailer is action packed and fast moving but it’s also intellectual and stimulating. Jake McDorman is a great lead and it’s good that Bradley Cooper is involved. Limitless is tying with Supergirl for CBS’s best promo.

Excitement factor: 5/5

Supergirl

What’s it about: After Kara Zor-El escaped from her home planet she chose to conceal her abilities and lead a normal life on Earth. But after saving a group of people from a disaster she decides to embrace her powers and become the superhero she is meant to be.

What we think: There’s been a mixed reaction to this promo- some are calling it too girly or arguing that it is trying to appeal to a teen market. I’d agree with some of those points, the choice of music was quite poor making it seem more like a high school movie than a superhero story. However let’s not forget that Kara is a young woman and she’s struggling with the same things every other young woman faces (like the dreaded blind date) as well as these amazing abilities. So although the trailer wasn’t what I was expecting, I too thought they’d focus more on the action, I actually thought they did quite a good job of capturing Kara’s journey. Also Calista Flockhart was magnificent- the speech about calling her “Supergirl” instead of “Superwoman” was just incredible and had me cheering along with her. I’m definitely super excited for this!

Excitement factor: 5/5