"MacGyver," "Designated Survivor" and More: Fall Arrivals from ABC and CBS

For better or worse – and despite a general lack of interest by a growing percentage of the available audience – the traditional fall television season has begun, bringing with it the usual mix of promising and problematic new shows. Collectively, this group seems to be an improvement over recent autumn crops. Sampling them will not make anyone’s brain hurt, but it won’t tear anyone away from his or her Netflix fix, either.  Regardless, the renewal bar is now so low that it is likely most of these newcomers will be with us longer than they might have been five or ten years ago.  For now, here’s the first part of a first-pass take on most of them. (The second part will run tomorrow.) My personal favorites from each network are pictured throughout.