Fall TV Preview: Does CBS’ ‘Scorpion’ have any sting to it?

For our latest entry in the Fall TV Preview series, we are focusing on a series about powerful geniuses working to stop serious government problems that could either be like a genius version of “X-Men,” or something that tries to be too “super-serious CBS drama” that never finds an audience.

We’ll save our full take on the show until the end of this article, but we’ll start this off by saying that the ball is really in the producers’ court with this one. With the right handling, this could either be outstanding or one of the first shows canceled.

Logline – “An eccentric genius and his international network of super-geniuses form the last line of defense against the complex threats of the modern age.”

Cast – Robert Patrick, Elyes Gabel, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Ari Stidham, Ernie Hudso

Producers – Nick Santora (wrtier / executive producer), Justin Lin (director / EP ), Alex Kurtzman (EP), Roberto Orci (EP), Walter O’Brien (EP), Heather Kadin (EP), Scooter Braun (EP), Danny Rose (co-EP), Danielle Woodrow (co-EP). For those who are interested, that is the same Scooter Braun who happens to be the manager for Justin Bieber. He’s gotten more into producing lately. Also, you likely know Kurtzman and Orci from “Sleepy Hollow” and a variety of other things.

Timeslot – Mondays at 9:00 p.m. Eastern. This is a risky one, given that you’re up against “The Voice” and “Dancing with the Stars,” and also some solid dramas over on Fox. This also marks the first time in a very long time that CBS has not aired comedies at this spot on a Monday.

Our take – This feels like a combination of “Numb3rs,” “Chuck,” and “The Big Bang Theory” all rolled into one with an extra layer of seriousness. The production values are clearly there in the trailer, but after the super-serious “Intelligence,” this isn’t necessarily what the doctor ordered. With Patrick being the only reasonably well-known cast member, we could see this struggling against the competition.