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The Reactor – New Offerings from Fox TV for Fall 2016

By: Boukenred

Editor’s note: Recently, Boukenred attended a Fox Preview event where three new television shows were screened. Below is his reaction to each program.

Lethal Weapon
Adapted to a modern television series from the classic hit movie, two experienced cops with different training backgrounds team up for an action-comedy series. Starring Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford, the new Lethal Weapon duo delivers action-packed comedy, playing two characters who are polar opposites from each other, even when catching criminals, using different methods and styles.

While the Lethal Weapon program doesn’t exactly have the charm of the original movie from which it was adapted, it does, however, prove to be a potentially good action-comedy series. The dynamic between Damon Wayans and Clayne Crawford works perfectly, both with the dialogue between the two and the action they both face. In the end, this may not be a series to replace the original movie, but it does have potential to be hit among viewers.

Son of Zorn
New for Fox’s animation line up, Son of Zorn, is a mix between animation and real-life comedy. The show focuses on the life of Zorn, an animated warrior from the island nation of Zephyria, who travels to Orange County to reunite with his teenage son. In order for Zorn to bond with his son, he decides to settle down and get a job in Orange County, using his experiences from his home island to fit into Modern America.

The premise of the show has promising potential of comedy in store for the viewers. With Jason Sudeikis voicing Zorn, the show will focus on Zorn interacting with everyone in a comedic manner, through a relevant perspective, while the rest of the cast will be played by live actors. The interactions between the cast members feels very natural, despite the fact that their main character is an animated character, as well as a plot-device used throughout the entire show. Fans of animation and comedy will appreciate this program the most, both for its presentation and for the dynamic between the cast members.

The Exorcist 
As with Lethal Weapon, The Exorcist is a new Fox program that was adapted from the movies series to television. The show uses many psychological thriller and horror element themes for which The Exorcist is famous and delivers a bone-chilling, horrifying show. The series follows two priests who are tracking down a family who are suspected to be possessed by a supernatural demon. The priests do whatever they can to perform an exorcist to dispel the demon from the family.

Starring Geena Davis, Alfonso Herrera and Ben Daniels, the cast delivers a performances that will either frighten you or simply be uninteresting, depending on your tastes. As with Lethal Weapon, the show doesn’t deliver the high quality of the original movie. Perhaps this may be because the pilot started out at a slow pace, causing the plot  to stretch out and drag the audience along for little reward, for their time investment of watching.

Recommendation:

For the Fox Fall line-up, if you’re a fan of animation, Son of Zorn may be the program you’ll most enjoy for both its animation and jokes. Lethal Weapon is another series that may become a fan favorite; while it may not live up to the original movie in its adapted from, the performance from Damon Wayans may prove to be enough to keep viewers entertained.

The Exorcist, on the other hand, seems to have started too slowly. Perhaps it may improve later on as the series progresses, although being a Fox series, it may not have enough time to do that. In the end, it may be best to avoid it, or simply wait until the show pick ups its pace and then binge it in its entirety.