From X-Men to the Mendendez brothers: the 10 best new US trailers
The main American networks have already begun to release the trailers for their Autumn TV shows, and it's an eclectic line-up. From a new Marvel series to a Ghostbusters-esque buddy comedy, this is our guide to the most promising of the bunch:
Will and Grace
Channel: NBC Creators: David Kohan, Max Mutchnick Cast: Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, Megan Mullally
Did somebody say encore?! #WillAndGrace is back this fall on @NBC. pic.twitter.com/uKOxtYGJCP
— Will & Grace (@WillAndGrace) 15 May 2017
In a nutshell: After the wild reception for their one-off US election skit, the cast of the unashamedly camp sitcom are back for another full series after an 11 year gap – and nothing has changed. Karen is still boozing, Jack is still picking up handsome young strangers and Will and Grace are still winding each other up. This clever, self-aware trailer segues into a La La Land-esque musical number, and bodes well for the new season.
The Orville
Channel: Fox Creators: Seth MacFarlane, John Favreau Cast: Seth MacFarlane, Adrianne Palicki, Scott Grimes, Penny Johnson Jerald
In a nutshell: Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane wrote and stars in this cartoonish Star Trek spoof, which looks set to retread the same cosmic comic beats that Galaxy Quest hit almost two decades ago. MacFarlane is a hapless starship captain Ed; Adrianne Palicki is his First Officer (and ex-wife) Kelly. MacFarlane is comedy Marmite, and his new show is unlikely to win over either his critics or earnest Trekkies. But for fans of Family Guy, this space romp looks like Ed's phaser: set to stun.
The Gifted
Channel: Fox Creators: Bryan Singer, Matt Nix Cast: Stephen Moyer, Amy Acker
In a nutshell: The umpteenth new Marvel series is a high-school X Men reboot helmed by Bryan Singer, who has previously directed three of the better films in the superhero franchise. Stephen Moyer plays a shady government agent responsible for rounding up the super-powered mutants, who's shocked to discover his own teenage children are among them. Judging from this bold, dramatic trailer, it looks like it shares the some of the same mutant DNA as NBC's Noughties hit Heroes.
GLOW
Channel: Netflix Creator: Liz Flahive, Carly Mensch Cast: Alison Brie, Betty Gilpin, Marc Maron
In a nutshell:GLOW is written and produced by a clutch of Orange is the New Black alumni, and you can tell it is instantly. Although Netflix's new ensemble comedy-drama has a different setting (the women's prison is swapped for an all-female wrestling group), this trailer shows it shares the same quotable dialogue and whipsmart humour.
Law and Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders
Channel: NBC Creator: Dick Wolf Cast: Edie Falco
In a nutshell:Following the Emmy-winning success of American Crime Story, Law and Order has launched its own true crime anthology series, based on the 1994 trial of Cuban-American brothers Lyle and Erik Menendez, who murdered their own parents before using the money to go on a spending spree. Edie Falco plays the lawyer defending them, urging both the jury and the viewers to ask not what the brothers did, but why they did it.
Salvation
Channel: CBS Creator: Liz Kruger, Craig Shapiro Cast: Santiago Cabrera, Charlie Rowe, Jennifer Finnigan
In a nutshell:One character in the trailer for Salvation sums up the premise in three words: "asteroid, earth, boom". It's not the most original set-up, and risks becoming Armageddon without the Hollywood budget, or You, Me and the Apocalypse without the laughs. But this sleek and stylish trailer still creates a frisson of tension – hopefully, this world will be going out with a bang, not a whimper.
The Resident
Channel: Fox Creator: Amy Holden Jones Cast: Matt Czuchry, Manish Dayal, Bruce Greenwood, Emily VanCamp
In a nutshell:Finally, a medical drama that looks set to break out of the House mould ("he's a tough-talking maverick, but he always pulls through at the last minute"). The Resident tackles the thorny subject of medical malpractice: these tough-talking mavericks actually put lives at risk, cause preventable deaths and work hard to cover up their blunders. It's also an window into the strange world of American healthcare – a world where hospitals pay for showbiz-style marketing, and the faces of top doctors are splashed on posters across buses.
The Crossing
Channel: ABC Creators: Dan Dworkin, Jay Beattie Cast: Steve Zahn, Natalie Martinez, Sandrine Holt
In a nutshell: It's hard to glean much from this tense, enigmatic 15-second teaser, but the official synopsis hints at a promising premise: "Refugees from a war-torn country seek asylum in a small American fishing town, only the country these people are from is America… and the war they are fleeing hasn’t happened yet." A refugee crisis drama with a time-travel twist, it looks guaranteed to generate debate.
Ghosted
Channel: Fox Creator: Tom Gormican Cast: Adam Scott, Craig Robinson
In a nutshell: Ghostbusters meets Men in Black. This buddy comedy sees a down-to-earth security guard (Robinson) and an alien-hunting goofball (Robinson) abducted by a shady government agency, and tasked with protecting the world from eldritch supernatural weirdness.
LA to Vegas
Channel: Fox Creator: Lon Zimmet Cast: Kim Matula, Ed Weeks, Dylan McDermott
In a nutshell: Airplane! meets The Hangover. LA to Vegas is a single-camera comedy set almost entirely in the confines of a charter flight, making the titular trans-American journey. The pilot (McDermott) is drunk and disorderly, and the air hostess (Matula) is starting to develop feelings for a frequent flyer (Weeks). It's a solid, claustrophobic premise for a sitcom: this one looks ready to take off, if you'll pardon the pun.
