ABC’s ‘The Catch’: A pretty good one, actually

One in a series of Media Life previews of the new shows debuting this midseason.

Show

ABC’s “The Catch”

Timeslot

Thursdays at 10 p.m.

Plot summary

Private investigator Alice Vaughan (Mireille Enos) has taken down a lot of bad guys. Little does she realize that her fiancé, Benjamin Jones (Peter Krause), is one of them.

He disappears, and Alice realizes he took millions of hers with him. She sets out to solve her toughest case – how she managed to fall for a con man.

The show’s executive producers include Shonda Rhimes and Betsy Beers, the team behind ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Scandal” and “How to Get Away with Murder.”

Outlook

It’s foolish to bet against a Shonda Rhimes show, especially one that’s airing on a night she owns.

Thursdays have belonged to Rhimes for the past year and a half, and “Catch” matches the playful, outrageous tone of the early years of “Scandal.”

In fact, this is being billed as a dramedy. While Rhimes’ shows always have a dry wit, this dabbles more with comedy than she’s tried before.

“Catch” will air behind “Scandal,” giving it a solid lead-in, though the long-running drama has been down in recent weeks.

Still, with two Rhimes shows airing beforehand and ABC flooding the night with promotions for “Catch,” it’s hard to imagine the show not at least matching what former timeslot occupant “Murder” has averaged in recent weeks.

What media people are saying

Buyers love Rhimes.

She’s one of the smartest people in television, and they like the demo she delivers – women 18-49.

Though no one sees “Catch” being quite the draw of “Grey’s” or “Scandal,” they think it will be a good place filler for “Murder,” which ended its season last week but has already been renewed for next year.

“The show seems poised to continue ABC’s appeal to women on Thursday nights,” one buyer says.

What critics say

“There are few flaws to be found in the cast, particularly the perfectly chosen leads. Enos evinces just the right blend of tenacity and vulnerability, as does Krause, who has to make Ben look torn between his craft and the genuine feelings he developed for Alice during the long con.” – Joshua Alston, The A.V. Club

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