‘Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders’ and ‘The Brave’: NBC Fall Trailers, Reviewed

It’s official: NBC is only launching three new shows this fall, and one of them isn’t technically new — it’s the return of “Will & Grace,” the full trailer for which will premiere on Monday morning. But with the reveal of its fall schedule, NBC also debuted trailers for its two other new originals, which we’ve reviewed and ranked below.

“The Brave”

One of those unfortunate upfronts trailers that spells out the entire plot of the pilot episode, twist by twist (right down to the happy ending). But given that the premise of the series formally known as “For God and Country” hinges on a more procedural approach — every week, theoretically, there will be another victim in a dangerous part of the world for this elite military unit to save — that’s not too grievous an offense. And what this trailer does do well is establish some of the team’s quirks, setting up a few intriguing characters in between the cliches. Plus, I have a soft spot for Anne Heche, and Mike Vogel looks good with the beard. Most important thing this trailer does: Reveal that this show knows exactly who its audience is.

Grade: B-

“Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders”

“The true story will finally be told,” promises this trailer, which brings a great deal of visual flair (dramatic closeups, slow motion, red blood swirling down a white drain) to reminding us about the infamous 1989 murders. We also get the added treat of seeing Edie Falco in character as defense attorney Leslie Abramson (that is some perm), promising that this will be more than just a basic cable reenactment drama. The one downside — the final “Chung Chung” reminder that this is unnecessarily branded as a “Law and Order” series. If there’s no Sam Waterston or Ice-T, then does it even count as “Law and Order”?

Grade: B+

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