I can’t remember a new Fall TV Season that was filled with so many actors/actresses much better known for their work in movies. While many (such as Robin Williams) began their careers on TV they later found stardom on the big screen. Here’s just a few of the big names who you can now watch, each week, on the small screen: Williams, James Caan, Toni Collette, Anna Faris, John Lithgow, Rebel Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, James Spader – and that doesn’t even count the occasional Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. cameos (Samuel L. Jackson’s appearance as Nick Fury this week will be tough to top).
Will all this star power bring TV audiences back to the networks? Clearly that’s the plan, as executives have to be sick of getting their butts kicked by cable competitors HBO, Showtime, AMC, Comedy Central, FX and now, even Netflix.
The early results were promising, but they may not last. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s week 2 rating dropped more than 30%, and while Williams’ “The Crazy Ones” pulled a nice 15.6 million viewers in it’s first week, it’s hard to imagine that number not dropping significantly as well.
As usual, it all comes down to quality. And even the biggest names won’t keep viewers coming back if the shows themselves are not good enough. And, unfortunately, as least they ones I’ve seen so far will have a tough time holding an audience.
The good news: at least most of these stars have movie careers to fall back on.