Fall TV Preview: Will ABC’s ‘Quantico’ be perfect spy thriller?

“Quantico” is a series that is coming your way on ABC this fall, and it is probably not going to take a whole lot of time for you to figure out what the show is about. It’s about many recruits who arrive to the famed base for training, only for it to be revealed later that there may have been something far more sinister at work. The show’s official logline below sets us up:

“A diverse group of recruits have arrived at the FBI Quantico Base for training. They are the best, the brightest and the most vetted, so it seems impossible that one of them is suspected of masterminding the biggest attack on New York City since 9/11.”

We’ve analyzed the trailer and all of the information that is out there for our latest chapter of the Fall TV Preview series; take a look below!

What works – The show seems almost perfect for ABC. You have a strong lead, a huge ensemble cast, and some significant stakes. It’s very much like “Scandal” or “How to Get Away with Murder” without Shonda Rhimes aboard. Add in a little bit of “24” and “Covert Affairs,” you have the show pinned down. Also, Quantico is a name that is probably pretty familiar to people at this point now because of spy shows.

What doesn’t – Basically, take out the first minute of the trailer. We’ve seen that whole “guy you randomly slept with is actually at the same destination” shtick so many times before. It’s tired. The rest of this is much more interesting since you have elements of a conspiracy thriller and a mystery rolled into one. We’re also worried about ABC’s faith in the show overall, given that they have stuck it in a really touch timeslot Sunday nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. There is potential for a hit there, but it has to premiere with splash. It may not have much in the way of a lead-in.

Our verdict – “Quantico” feels very familiar, but at the same time, it is doing enough that is new that it could start off very strong much in the way that “How to Get Away with Murder” or “The Blacklist” did. Most importantly, there are few 10:00 p.m. shows out there right now that tend to cater to women just as much as men. It has a chance.

What do you think about “Quantico” based on what you’ve seen? Share below.