ABC's Kevin (Probably) Saves the World Series Premiere: Grade It!

martin

7 years ago

In ABC’s fantastical new dramedy Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Jason Ritter’s titular reluctant hero is tasked with — you guessed it — saving humanity. But are you going to save Kevin a season pass on your DVR?

Before you weigh in with your thoughts, a recap of the pilot: The high-concept story opens with meteors crashing all over Earth, including outside of Austin, Texas, where Kevin has recently arrived to stay with his widowed twin sister Amy (Once Upon a Time‘s JoAnna Garcia Swisher) and her teenage daughter Reese (Liv and Maddie‘s Chloe East) after a failed suicide attempt. (“Didn’t take,” Kevin wryly jokes to his niece). Amy is concerned about her brother, but detached Reese gives her absentee uncle — who showed up late to her dad’s funeral and then left early — the cold shoulder.

Back to those meteors… One lands not too far from the family’s home, so Kevin and Reese rush off in the middle of the night to check it out. Meanwhile, aeronautical engineer Amy is whisked off via helicopter by the government to weigh in as a weapons analyst. But the only weapon involved is the blast that propels Kevin when he touches the meteorite. When he comes to, he’s in the car with no recollection of driving home and taking the rock with him. A little later, he sees a blinding light coming from its spot in the backseat — and then “warrior for God” Yvette (Vice Principals‘ Kimberly Hebert Gregory) exits the vehicle.

It takes some convincing to get Kevin on board with his higher calling, even after Yvette, as his protector, sends a truck flying overhead so it won’t hit him. In order to find the other righteous souls, she suggests that he build up his spiritual power with acts of kindness and selflessness, like helping his angsty niece.

Sensing that something is going on with her brother, Amy confronts Kevin about his weird behavior. When he tries to tell her the truth, he just ends up spilling long-held secrets, infuriating Amy. Unable to bridge the rift between them, Kevin decides to pack up and leave, but at the airport, he starts to notice signs leading him to another passenger.