ABC are the latest network to present at Upfronts week. In a surprising move, they only released 3 promos. However, they definitely proved the “quality over quantity” rule as each trailer was excellent in its own way, none scoring below 4/5 on Nerdgeist’s Excitement Factor scale. 

Emergence

What’s it about: A police chief is drawn into a conspiracy after she takes in a child found at the site of a mysterious accident with no memory of what happened. 

What we think: These supernatural dramas often get cancelled after one season (see The Crossing and The Whispers) so I didn’t want to get invested in this. Unfortunately, the promo was so good that I couldn’t help it. It started off a bit slow trying to set up the premise but by the end I was hooked. It did a great job in establishing the bond between the police chief and the little girl, and put enough twists and turns in to keep viewers guessing. There are a lot of unanswered questions but that’s just made me more eager to watch the pilot. If the pilot matches the promo, it may beat the odds and secure a second season. 

Excitement Factor: 4.5/5

Mixed-ish

What’s it about: A spinoff from the TV show Black-ish, it follows the matriarch Rainbow when she was a child growing up in a mixed race family who have just left a cult and have to assimilate to normal life. 

What we think: I’ll be honest – I’m not a fan of Black-ish, I could never quite get into it. As a result, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to like the promo for this spinoff. I’m never been happier to be wrong. Charming, funny, and relatable; this trailer had the perfect balance of comedy and heart. It tackles the very important topic of being mixed race and the feeling of not fitting in, which I feel will really resonate with audiences. Also, it doesn’t feel like the same old family comedy that we’ve seen a hundred times before, which will make it stand out against the seemingly infinite number of comedies on television right now. 

Excitement Factor: 4.5/5

Stumptown

What’s it about: Follows an army veteran turned private investigator with a complicated love life, a gambling debt and a brother to take care of. 

What we think: Whilst I love “Sweet Caroline” and the use of music in this promo, the opening sequence felt far too long. So much time was spent on it that we didn’t get to see as much of the show as we could have. However, what was shown was good. Cobie Smulders is a great choice for the lead and her character feels like a darker version of Veronica Mars, which I am completely here for. Just like Veronica Mars, there seems to be a good balance of drama and humour which should prevent this from being just another boring procedural.