Fall TV Freshman Report Card: Here Are 20+ Ways To Improve 9 New Shows

We're well over a month into the new fall TV season, and it's time for an early assessment of broadcast television's rookies — including an actual Rookie, in fact!

Now that this fall's nine newbies have each aired at least three episodes — double that, in a few cases — TVLine is taking stock of the areas where Quantum Leap, Fire Country, Alaska Daily and more shows could stand to improve. In the list below, we've brainstormed more than 20 suggestions for how the freshman class can work out its kinks, while also recognizing what these series have been doing well during their first few weeks on the air.

How can NBC's Quantum Leap revival become more like the original series? Why isn't anyone questioning Walker Independence's Abby? Which Fire Country romance isn't quite smoldering?

Does a certain So Help Me Todd relationship feel forced? Is The Rookie: Feds giving Simone too much credit? Can't The Winchesters spare some clues about one of its biggest mysteries? (And we mean no disrespect to Fox's Monarch, but our list of tweaks... isn't short.)

Keep scrolling down to review all of our suggested improvements for this fall's new broadcast shows, then drop a comment below with your own recommendations!

WHAT WORKS: This quietly gripping crime drama has a surprising prestige TV sheen to it, thanks to Hilary Swank's gritty lead performance and smart scripts from Oscar winner Tom McCarthy, of Spotlight fame. (It's definitely giving us Mare of Easttown vibes.) We're enjoying the nuts-and-bolts look at how local journalists chase down a story, and it's also spinning a genuinely compelling central mystery in the death of Gloria Nanmac, shining an overdue light on the rash of missing and killed Indigenous women.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: The goofy fish-out-of-water comedy bits don't really fit with the overall tone, and the quaint local stories don't measure up to the central mystery. It also gets a smidge preachy at times about the virtues of local journalism — although we agree!

WHAT WORKS: Amanda Warren effortlessly commands our attention as Deputy Inspector Regina Haywood, Jimmy Smits sparkles in every scene as Chief John Suarez, and Richard Kind is atypically yet wonderfully cast as Haywood's No. 1, Capt. Stan Yenko. The weekly cases, which are often tied to themes of police reform, vary enough from regular cop show fare, even if they aren't entirely original.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: Patrol officer Quinlan (the one who volunteered to live in a local housing project) seems genuinely scrappy and is nicely played by Olivia Luccardi, but we aren't yet feeling a connection with Detectives Morales and Killian, who are clearly seen as the show's secondary leads.

WHAT WORKS: The show has a great hook ripe with storytelling opportunities — "black sheep" son unexpectedly finds himself back in hometown, working as part of a prison chain gang firefighting unit, haunted by the very tragic death of his sister, and navigating tense relationships with both his dad and his sister's ex. A pretty solid cast counts Billy Burke and Diane Farr among its brightest spots. The fire sequences have been sufficiently thrilling and sometimes informative (if not 100 percent accurately dealt with).

WHAT NEEDS WORK: For a convict ostensibly on a short leash (and who couldn't make an urgent phone call upon being stationed), Bode seems to spend a lot of time jawing with family and friends. (As one fellow inmate even remarked, "Why does this guy get all the special privileges?") Speaking of which, the mood seems remarkably hunky-dory amongst the convicts, not one squabble to be had! Also, it's hard to see how the teased Bode/Gabriela/Jake love triangle will ever (sorry) "catch fire."

WHAT WORKS: The country music drama is an excellent vehicle for Gossip frontwoman Beth Ditto, who has captured our attention and stolen our hearts as Gigi. Anna Friel and Trace Adkins are also doing what they can to keep the show afloat.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: Where do we begin? Using Susan Sarandon in the show's marketing, knowing she would die in the premiere and only show up in unmemorable flashbacks throughout the season, was a huge mistake. No one in the family really seemed to care that she died, which is just as well, because none of them have chemistry as supposed family members anyway. And what's with all the covers? If you want viewers to believe that these characters are country music stars, they need more original music of their own.

WHAT WORKS: The show's diverse ensemble, which includes Raymond Lee's Ben Song and Ernie Hudson's Magic Williams, is a delight. Plus, the addition of a home team brings a fresh new element to the show and works well to keep the audience invested as Ben travels through time and space.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: While we appreciate the show for diving into serious topics such as PTSD, Ben's jumps haven't been as fun as we'd hoped. That element could use more levity, which was one of the things we really enjoyed about the original series.

WHAT WORKS: If you like The Rookie, there's a similar, "light procedural" vibe happening here, and the crossovers between the shows have thus far been copious. If there's a standout on the cast of very familiar faces, it's arguably former Las Vegas resident James Lesure, who has made Special Agent Hope a perfect blend of staunchly rule-abiding yet affable.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: Feds makes The Rookie look like The Wire, the way it presents its fairytale version of the FBI. Garza's "fast response" team seems to operate in a vacuum (where's Courtney Ford's whip-cracker we saw in Episode 1?), even a laser-focused agent like Britt Robertson's Laura is regularly distracted by life stuff, and Niecy Nash-Betts' Simone — a former guidance counselor, did you know? — is given a lot of leeway for a new agent. Perhaps one TVLine reader put it best: "If they don't stop trying to convince us that Simone has some special insight into a murderer because she once talked to a 15-year-old that was tardy to class, it's going to get really bad really fast."

WHAT WORKS: Though far from groundbreaking, Skylar Astin and Marcia Gay Harden's goofy son/uptight mom dynamic feels natural, infusing this by-the-numbers procedural with more charm than you might expect.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: The show obviously wants us to care about Todd's siblings, but the verdict is out on that one. And are we supposed to be rooting for Todd to end up with ex-girlfriend/coworker Susan? Again, we feel like the show wants us to, but we're not really feeling the chemistry on our own. And while we understand that Todd doesn't like Lyle, one of the investigators at the firm, watching him repeatedly bully a Black coworker who's just trying to follow the rules and do his job feels unnecessary.

WHAT WORKS: A diverse cast makes for a refreshingly different take on the much overdone Western format, with Apache tracker Calian (played by Justin Johnson Cortez) an early standout, especially in his unlikely partnership with outlaw Hoyt and the widowed Abby. Speaking of Hoyt, it's possible that no one on TV is having more fun than his portrayer Matt Barr, who oozes rascally charm. Add in throwback action/horse chases, beautiful vistas and the intrigue of what the dastardly Sheriff Davidson is plotting, and you've got a genuinely entertaining hour of TV.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: With so many characters and mysterious intentions — in addition to Davidson, there's also the question of what dancer Kate Carver is up to — it can sometimes feel like there's one too many plot threads threatening to overwhelm the show. We also have to wonder how no one in town is suspicious of newcomer Abby Walker, an educated woman who seems to have arrived in Independence with no possessions and no real explanation for why she's there.

WHAT WORKS: In its first three episodes, the prequel spinoff has introduced some fresh and horrifying monsters reminiscent of Supernatural's early days, when the series was a true monster/urban legends show, while also piquing our interest with a mysterious Big Bad. And although they're new to the universe and longtime Supernatural viewers, Mary's hunter pals, Lata and Carlos, already feel like wonderful old friends, thanks to charismatic performances from Nida Khurshid and Jojo Fleites. Also, the use of classic rock music has been *chef's kiss*.

WHAT NEEDS WORK: The most recent episode started to deepen the connection between Mary and John, but considering this is supposed to be the love story of Dean and Sam Winchester's parents, we expected to feel more chemistry and an irresistible pull between the main characters. And we know Episode 13 is being billed as the one that will answer all our questions about how this different version of Mary and John's past is happening, but a few breadcrumbs along the way would be nice.