Far too late to do any good: NBC new show roundup

I thought I'd start a new section reviewing TV shows and movies, but since I don't see them until they are about to expire on Hulu, they are really out of date.  That being said, this year I decided to try out a few new NBC shows, mostly because they expire first on my Hulu.  It's pretty much how I determine most of what I watch.  Anyway, I figured I would test drive Go On, The New Normal, and Revolution.  My expectations going into each series were pretty low.  I expected to see Go On as another failed post-Friends cast member series, which didn't look very appealing at all, the New Normal, as a Modern Family knock off, which it probably is, and Revolution as another attempt to recreate Lost magic.
    

Go On

Go On actually is a strange mix, in my mind, of Community and sentimentality.  The group element is apparent with Matthew Perry playing the Joel McHale role of too cool for the group, but sees he might be a leader, but finally sees that he needs the group as much as anyone else.  However, Go On has the twist of this being a support group and Matthew Perry's character is trying to overcome the death of his wife.  I'm not sure if the mix works well.  There are many interesting characters in the support group as well as John Cho (Harold and Kumar) and Allison Miler (Terra Nova) who make up Perry's work unit.  Most of these characters seem like one note quirks, but it seems that there will be more layers added in future episodes.  Like I said before, I'm not sure the mix of comedy and sentimentality works like it did in shows like Scrubs.  The episodes so far seem very formulaic, Perry does something that everyone in the group likes, everything goes horribly wrong, Perry is apologetic with Laura Benati's character (Group therapist) fixing what she told Perry would go wrong, and finally Perry does something inspirational and good for someone in the group. Not that I don't appreciate formula but the first two episodes seemed too similar for me.  Anyway,  I've seen three episodes so far and I'm not sure if I'll continue.  It's loaded in my Hulu queue, but I'll probably let it expire.

The New Normal

This show was the show I was most reluctant to see because I'm not a big Modern Family fan and I heard that this was a knockoff.  After watching, I thought that this series might have the best chance of surviving.  Contrary Go On, this show has a better mix sentimentality and comedy.  The show is driven on Justin Bartha and Andrew Rannells' characters anxiety about become fathers.  These anxieties, at least to me, seems sincere.  Their experience through the pregnancy of their surrogate mother forms a solid storyline for the show. Their support of Georgia King's character, who is carrying their child, forms the emotional center of the show.  The comedy comes from these characters interactions with King's intolerant grandmother played by Ellen Barkin, King's daughter played by Bebe Wood who also provides sweetness and comedy, and  NeNe Leakes, as Andrew Rannells' assistant.  She plays against Rannells inattentiveness and Barkin's racist, homophobic attitude.  That being said, much of the comedy is based on making fun of stereotypes and many of the characters themselves are bordering on stereotypes themselves.  I'm not sure if I'll continue watching, but of the three new series I've seen, this had the most solid base with a good storyline.   

Revolution

I've only seen two episodes of Revolution, but I'm sure to be disappointed.  Revolution is another Lost-style show with a concept, nobody has power and doesn't know why it went out, and a lot of mysteries,  does somebody know how to turn the power on?  I can tell this show is designed to suck you in with mystery after mystery, in which you are continually seeking answers.  I actually like shows with a concept, I thought Terra Nova could have eventually made it even if the first 3/4s of the series weren't great, but I don't know if any storyline in Revolution really holds my interest.  I'm interested vaguely interested to see how they explain the power, but I'm not sure Tracy Spiridakos' journey to find her brother, which is driving the plot right now is a sufficient engine for this vehicle.  Giancarlo Esposito is excellent, but nothing else really stands out.  I can see certain plot lines already developing for better or worse and I'm tempted to cut myself off before I get sucked into too many weak episodes by last minute cliff hangers.