Fall TV Preview: Can Katherine Heigl make ‘State of Affairs’ work?
NBC is investing quite a bit right now into Katherine Heigl’s big return to TV. “State of Affairs” is premiering during November sweeps, it has the timeslot following “The Voice,” and they are even willing to move “The Blacklist” to give it a shot.
We feel like Heigl’s name thanks to “Grey’s Anatomy,” and some of the headlines around her, are going to be enough to make people want to check this out at least once out of curiosity. The more interest debate (which we’re going to get into in this Fall TV Preview piece) is whether or not they want to come back after that.
Cast – Katherine Heigl, Sheila Vand, Adam Kaufman, Alfre Woodard, Cliff Chamberlain, and Leslie Odom Jr.
Producers – Alexi Hawley (writer / executive producer), Joe Carnahan (writer / director), and Robert Simonds, Sophie Watts, Henry Crumpton, Rodney Faraon, Julia Franz. and Katherine and Nancy Heigl (executive producers).
Logline – “Centers on a key CIA attaché who counsels the president on high-stakes incidents around the world. She balances her intense political responsibilities with a complicated personal life.”
Timeslot – Mondays at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. A spot that is ripe for the taking, given that “The Blacklist” dominated here, and while “Castle” and “NCIS: Los Angeles” each have their fan followings, both tend to skew old. That leaves some room for this show to develop a following in the 18-49 demographic.
Our take – Upon watching the trailer, we get the sense that there was some effort put into the show, and Heigl really wants and even needs this show to succeed. The problem that we’re running into right now is what makes this show different from “Homeland,” “Covert Affairs,” and “Scandal” rolled into one package. This is an overplayed genre of television right now, and the similarities grow even more substantial when you think that all three of the shows we just mentioned have female leads, and two of them are also blondes around the same age as Heigl. There could be too many similar cooks in the kitchen.
Tell us: For now, is this a show that intrigued you at all, or do you watch the trailer and think “just another CIA show”? Share below, and head over here to read the other entries in our Fall TV Preview series. You can also sign up today to grab some other updates on all we cover now via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: NBC