This was announced last week but I didn't really catch it until the weekend (and didn't get around to writing about it until now, obviously): that silly fall schedule NBC announced a couple weeks ago is history. In its place is a brand new schedule, a reaction to what the grown up networks announced after NBC dove headfirst into an empty pool. (Check out the network's spin here.)
Good Move: Obviously something had to be done about sending Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 to the slaughter opposite CSI and a relocated Grey's Anatomy on Thursday nights, and in the process NBC ditched its lame new-shows-at-9 "strategy." Studio 60 will now air Mondays at 10, following new series Heroes (the only new show that will air at 9). Studio has a better shot here—it was smart to capitalize on ABC's most obvious vulnerability: the returning What About Brian—but it's still doubtful to be a breakout hit, and CSI: Miami won't even have to break a sweat to dominate the hour.
Taking Studio's place in the nobody-wants-it Thursday at 9 slot is NBC's most popular show, Deal or No Deal. It probably won't stay NBC's most popular show in this new time but it should keep the network alive better than anything else would (like, say, The Apprentice, or, lord help us all, an hour of Scrubs). And DoND also airs Mondays at 8, where it should keep doing fine for the time being (and is a lot less embarrassing than previous timeslot occupant Fear Factor).
The other new series relocated before they even air are Kidnapped (moving to Wednesdays at 10 from Tuesdays at 9, which seems smart but could be risky if ABC's Lost helps its new lead-out The Nine become a hit) and the comedy block of Twenty Good Years/30 Rock (from Wednesdays at 9 to Wednesdays at 8; they'd be the only comedies on network TV in either hour but this takes them out of Lost's attack zone and avoids two full hours of new shows on Wednesday).
Bad Move: NBC clearly has no idea what to do with its Law & Order franchise anymore. Ratings may not be as strong as they once were but by moving the original series to Friday night (in a timeslot that claimed the only L&O spin-off casualty, Trial By Jury, and last season's L&O-variation Conviction) they essentially admit it's no longer anything more than a Crossing Jordan-type utility player. (Not coincidentally Crossing Jordan, which wasn't on NBC's original fall schedule, has been called back into action for the Friday at 8 slot. I think it's the first time the show has ever aired at such an early hour.)
And both L&O spin-offs, Criminal Intent and SVU, will air back-to-back on Tuesday nights. This is a really weird move but I expect one of the two will end up on Sundays after football ends anyway. (That's apparently also where NBC tentatively plans to put Medium, the only show removed from Fall Schedule Version 2.0.)
Showing posts with label Fall schedules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fall schedules. Show all posts
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Fall Schedules: The CW
And for our final new schedule of the week: the brand new network The CW. It looks a lot like The Brady Bunch starring UPN as Mike and The WB as Carol. Sure they had to kill a few kids on the way but now everyone will be happily coexisting… in mediocrity. (Press release here.)
Good move: Launching a new network is confusing enough so even though the debut schedule is deadly dull I think it’s smart to keep as many established shows in place as possible. People can still get their Heaven on Mondays, Gilmores on Tuesdays, Models on Wednesdays and Superboy on Thursdays.
The only significant shift—creating an "urban comedy block" on Sundays—is smart counter-programming for a tough night. And even though slating Everybody Hates Chris at 7 provides a more limited audience it saves the show from having to battle tough family-audience competition at 8 from The Simpsons, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and The Amazing Race.
Bad move: It’s tempting to call the renewal of Veronica Mars a poor decision since the show ranks 23rd in the ratings out of all WB/UPN shows (lower than any scripted show that wasn’t an instant disaster like South Beach or Bedford Diaries). But it will give the network some much needed support from TV critics (and pairing it with Gilmore could help expand its audience, although what sort of creative state the Girls will be in next season is anybody’s guess).
What’s really questionable is pairing the network’s one new drama—Runaway, another of those conspiracy thriller hours—with the back-from-the-dead 7th Heaven. The closest The WB ever came to finding a suitable match for Heaven was with Everwood (which The CW has rather improbably cancelled). Other than the fact that they’re both about families I can’t see any thematic or stylistic parallel between Heaven and Runaway. And Runaway will have the added obstacle of trying to find an audience against Fox’s easier-to-promote conspiracy thriller Vanished (and then 24 in January, if by some miracle Runaway lasts that long) and NBC’s new superhero hour. I know there’s nowhere else for a new show on the schedule (with Supernatural staying put Thursday at 9 and Sunday at 9 being an impossible slot), but why is it there at all?
I’m looking forward to…: The CW only ordered three series—Runaway, Girlfriends spinoff The Game and midseason teen soap Hidden Palms—none of them interesting.
…but not: See above.
What they didn’t pick up: The CW did not order a Nick Lachey/Lindsay Sloane/Lacey Chabert relationship comedy, a Wayne Brady workplace comedy, a teen drama from Aaron Spelling and the widely reported-on Smallville spinoff, Aquaman. Nothing else was even ordered to pilot.
Say goodbye to…: Who’s gonna miss UPN’s: Cuts, Eve, Get This Party Started, Half & Half, Love Inc., One on One, Sex Love and Secrets, and South Beach? Raise your hands! Yeah, I didn’t think so…
The WB’s casualties include: nonstarters The Bedford Diaries, Just Legal, Modern Men, Pepper Dennis, Related and Twins, and placeholders Blue Collar TV, Living With Fran and What I Like About You. Plus the leaving-on-its-own-terms Charmed and sacrificial lamb Everwood (sure to inspire much CW hate mail).
…but not: 7th Heaven, which aired a "series finale" over a week ago but will return for an 11th season anyway (apparently it’s still the most watched show on either WB or UPN, how scary is that?). And Reba, which was renewed for season six despite reports that The CW would cancel the show (which would’ve meant paying a penalty in the neighborhood of $20 million due to a two-year contract between The WB and Reba’s studio, 20th Century Fox Television). Now the network will have to find something to pair Reba with (it’s not gonna fit in on Sundays), or maybe they’ll just run back-to-back episodes for six weeks in that soon-to-be-open post-7th Heaven slot.
Good move: Launching a new network is confusing enough so even though the debut schedule is deadly dull I think it’s smart to keep as many established shows in place as possible. People can still get their Heaven on Mondays, Gilmores on Tuesdays, Models on Wednesdays and Superboy on Thursdays.
The only significant shift—creating an "urban comedy block" on Sundays—is smart counter-programming for a tough night. And even though slating Everybody Hates Chris at 7 provides a more limited audience it saves the show from having to battle tough family-audience competition at 8 from The Simpsons, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and The Amazing Race.
Bad move: It’s tempting to call the renewal of Veronica Mars a poor decision since the show ranks 23rd in the ratings out of all WB/UPN shows (lower than any scripted show that wasn’t an instant disaster like South Beach or Bedford Diaries). But it will give the network some much needed support from TV critics (and pairing it with Gilmore could help expand its audience, although what sort of creative state the Girls will be in next season is anybody’s guess).
What’s really questionable is pairing the network’s one new drama—Runaway, another of those conspiracy thriller hours—with the back-from-the-dead 7th Heaven. The closest The WB ever came to finding a suitable match for Heaven was with Everwood (which The CW has rather improbably cancelled). Other than the fact that they’re both about families I can’t see any thematic or stylistic parallel between Heaven and Runaway. And Runaway will have the added obstacle of trying to find an audience against Fox’s easier-to-promote conspiracy thriller Vanished (and then 24 in January, if by some miracle Runaway lasts that long) and NBC’s new superhero hour. I know there’s nowhere else for a new show on the schedule (with Supernatural staying put Thursday at 9 and Sunday at 9 being an impossible slot), but why is it there at all?
I’m looking forward to…: The CW only ordered three series—Runaway, Girlfriends spinoff The Game and midseason teen soap Hidden Palms—none of them interesting.
…but not: See above.
What they didn’t pick up: The CW did not order a Nick Lachey/Lindsay Sloane/Lacey Chabert relationship comedy, a Wayne Brady workplace comedy, a teen drama from Aaron Spelling and the widely reported-on Smallville spinoff, Aquaman. Nothing else was even ordered to pilot.
Say goodbye to…: Who’s gonna miss UPN’s: Cuts, Eve, Get This Party Started, Half & Half, Love Inc., One on One, Sex Love and Secrets, and South Beach? Raise your hands! Yeah, I didn’t think so…
The WB’s casualties include: nonstarters The Bedford Diaries, Just Legal, Modern Men, Pepper Dennis, Related and Twins, and placeholders Blue Collar TV, Living With Fran and What I Like About You. Plus the leaving-on-its-own-terms Charmed and sacrificial lamb Everwood (sure to inspire much CW hate mail).
…but not: 7th Heaven, which aired a "series finale" over a week ago but will return for an 11th season anyway (apparently it’s still the most watched show on either WB or UPN, how scary is that?). And Reba, which was renewed for season six despite reports that The CW would cancel the show (which would’ve meant paying a penalty in the neighborhood of $20 million due to a two-year contract between The WB and Reba’s studio, 20th Century Fox Television). Now the network will have to find something to pair Reba with (it’s not gonna fit in on Sundays), or maybe they’ll just run back-to-back episodes for six weeks in that soon-to-be-open post-7th Heaven slot.
Fall Schedules: Fox
Fox’s fall schedule attempts to demonstrate stability, but there’s only so much a network can do when they have to hold off two of their biggest guns—American Idol and 24—until January. (Press release here.)
Good move: For fall Fox has to rely primarily on House and its modest but solid performing Sunday schedule (and hope that fans will return to Prison Break when there’s no prison to break out of in second season). The network really isn’t trying to change up its game very much, just build on what it has and hold its breath until January.
That said it’s wise to pair its best looking new series (hostage negotiator drama Standoff) with its biggest hit (House), even if the new show has to lead off the night.
Bad move: Let’s see… renewing The Loop, hoping Bones develops into something that it never will (i.e. the next House), keeping The OC alive in a vegetative state. Fox has very quietly become the most boring network on TV (yes, even more than CBS). It used to be known for edgy, offbeat shows but the development slates for the past few seasons have been so inspiration-free (a law show titled Justice!?! You have to be kidding!) you have to wonder when exactly braindead zombies took over the network that gave us The Simpsons, The X-Files, Ally McBeal, 24, The Bernie Mac Show, Arrested Development and scores of noble failures (Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Profit, Undeclared, etc.). This is all the more puzzling since Fox President Peter Liguori knows good TV from his days running FX. I guess everyone sells out sometime.
I’m looking forward to…: Only one show really, and it may suck. But Standoff at least has a decent cast (including Ron Livingston and Gina Torres) and sells itself as a Mr. & Mrs. Smith-style look at hostage negotiators. As long as it isn’t too bogged down in procedure it may be interesting (although it's too bad Livingston and Torres aren't paired together as the central couple). Midseason comedy The Winner with The Daily Show’s Rob Corddry at least seems like a good Fox concept, but it’s from the Family Guy creators and has the look of desperate, not smart, comedy.
…but not: Everything else. Even the casts don’t inspire much confidence (although we’ll see who they get to replace Bruno Campos as the lead in The Wedding Album…not that I’ll be watching).
What they didn’t pick up: Hmm, I wonder if any of these shows were any good. Probably not. But I’d rather see a single mom bounty hunter comedy (with The L Word’s Erin Daniels and Annie Potts) and Sean Bean in a criminal underworld drama than most of what made the schedule.
Say goodbye to: Some veterans of better times (Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show, That 70s Show), a bunch of crap from recent seasons (Head Cases, Killer Instinct, Stacked, Free Ride, Reunion), a show that never lived up to its promise (Kitchen Confidential) and one of the best comedies TV has ever seen. Ever. Ever.
Good move: For fall Fox has to rely primarily on House and its modest but solid performing Sunday schedule (and hope that fans will return to Prison Break when there’s no prison to break out of in second season). The network really isn’t trying to change up its game very much, just build on what it has and hold its breath until January.
That said it’s wise to pair its best looking new series (hostage negotiator drama Standoff) with its biggest hit (House), even if the new show has to lead off the night.
Bad move: Let’s see… renewing The Loop, hoping Bones develops into something that it never will (i.e. the next House), keeping The OC alive in a vegetative state. Fox has very quietly become the most boring network on TV (yes, even more than CBS). It used to be known for edgy, offbeat shows but the development slates for the past few seasons have been so inspiration-free (a law show titled Justice!?! You have to be kidding!) you have to wonder when exactly braindead zombies took over the network that gave us The Simpsons, The X-Files, Ally McBeal, 24, The Bernie Mac Show, Arrested Development and scores of noble failures (Andy Richter Controls the Universe, Profit, Undeclared, etc.). This is all the more puzzling since Fox President Peter Liguori knows good TV from his days running FX. I guess everyone sells out sometime.
I’m looking forward to…: Only one show really, and it may suck. But Standoff at least has a decent cast (including Ron Livingston and Gina Torres) and sells itself as a Mr. & Mrs. Smith-style look at hostage negotiators. As long as it isn’t too bogged down in procedure it may be interesting (although it's too bad Livingston and Torres aren't paired together as the central couple). Midseason comedy The Winner with The Daily Show’s Rob Corddry at least seems like a good Fox concept, but it’s from the Family Guy creators and has the look of desperate, not smart, comedy.
…but not: Everything else. Even the casts don’t inspire much confidence (although we’ll see who they get to replace Bruno Campos as the lead in The Wedding Album…not that I’ll be watching).
What they didn’t pick up: Hmm, I wonder if any of these shows were any good. Probably not. But I’d rather see a single mom bounty hunter comedy (with The L Word’s Erin Daniels and Annie Potts) and Sean Bean in a criminal underworld drama than most of what made the schedule.
Say goodbye to: Some veterans of better times (Malcolm in the Middle, The Bernie Mac Show, That 70s Show), a bunch of crap from recent seasons (Head Cases, Killer Instinct, Stacked, Free Ride, Reunion), a show that never lived up to its promise (Kitchen Confidential) and one of the best comedies TV has ever seen. Ever. Ever.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Fall Schedules: CBS
The stable schedule announced today by CBS is worlds apart from what we’ve seen the last two days (full press release here). Four new shows are joining the network’s line-up and only four shows will change timeslots (two of them—How I Met Your Mother and Cold Case—are even staying on the same night). So yes, the C stands for confident.
Good move: The biggest concern for CBS right now is erosion in their current hits, something that may be exacerbated by the same-y feeling of so many of their procedurals. So it’s smart that their new series appear to depart from the CSI formulas but also appear to be good fits with the CBS brand.
And of course the network’s one big move—Without a Trace to Sundays at 10—looks like an excellent call (and gets rid of the unnecessary movie of the week in the process). Even if ABC had left Grey’s Anatomy on the night the appealing, established Trace would’ve been able to make its mark, but with Grey’s out of the picture it’s CBS’ timeslot to lose. Football may win some weeks but Trace should be able to take it on successfully the way CSI: Miami did on Monday nights (and there’s the added benefit that Trace probably won’t even compete with football most weeks on the West coast).
Bad move: Moving an already weakened Amazing Race against Extreme Makeover: Home Edition isn’t encouraging for the globetrotting show’s future but Race should put up some solid demos and contribute to an overall solid lineup.
It’s pretty hard to argue with any of the series CBS ordered, brought back or cancelled. Honestly, we should all be terrified of Les Moonves. First CBS, soon… the world.
I’m looking forward to…: CBS isn’t exactly my network of choice but they’ve actually ordered four pilots I want to see. The Spike Lee-directed, James Woods-starring Shark will have my attention for at least one episode. And I’m very interested in the ensemble heist drama Smith, which brings Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen to television with a solid supporting cast. The comedy pickup The Class may be no better than How I Met Your Mother but I’ll check it out, ditto disaster drama Jericho (except substitute Invasion for HIMYM).
…but not: Even if they don’t become a part of my schedule I honestly want to see all of these pilots (compared to last season when I only watched a few of the comedies and one of the dramas). Seriously, fear Moonves.
What they didn’t pick up: With only four pickups and three more for midseason there were several shows left out. Among the actors you won’t be seeing on CBS this fall (barring last minute tinkering): Tom Cavanagh, Bobby Cannavale, Johnny Galecki, Sara Rue, Jane Krakowski, Oliver Hudson, Teri Polo and Chris Elliott in their own comedies and dramas starring John Leguizamo, Joshua Jackson, Julia Ormond, Blair Underwood, Mena Suvari and Lena Headey (in a female superhero show that I was hoping would be shipped to The CW, but that doesn’t appear to be happening for the moment).
(And recent Lost victim Cynthia Watros was a co-star in the Cavanagh project, so without that she’ll be free for as many island flashbacks as necessary.)
Say goodbye to: Only four rookies (four is a big number for CBS this year): Courting Alex, Out of Practice, Threshold and Love Monkey. Plus outlasted-their-usefulness comedies Still Standing and Yes Dear.
Good move: The biggest concern for CBS right now is erosion in their current hits, something that may be exacerbated by the same-y feeling of so many of their procedurals. So it’s smart that their new series appear to depart from the CSI formulas but also appear to be good fits with the CBS brand.
And of course the network’s one big move—Without a Trace to Sundays at 10—looks like an excellent call (and gets rid of the unnecessary movie of the week in the process). Even if ABC had left Grey’s Anatomy on the night the appealing, established Trace would’ve been able to make its mark, but with Grey’s out of the picture it’s CBS’ timeslot to lose. Football may win some weeks but Trace should be able to take it on successfully the way CSI: Miami did on Monday nights (and there’s the added benefit that Trace probably won’t even compete with football most weeks on the West coast).
Bad move: Moving an already weakened Amazing Race against Extreme Makeover: Home Edition isn’t encouraging for the globetrotting show’s future but Race should put up some solid demos and contribute to an overall solid lineup.
It’s pretty hard to argue with any of the series CBS ordered, brought back or cancelled. Honestly, we should all be terrified of Les Moonves. First CBS, soon… the world.
I’m looking forward to…: CBS isn’t exactly my network of choice but they’ve actually ordered four pilots I want to see. The Spike Lee-directed, James Woods-starring Shark will have my attention for at least one episode. And I’m very interested in the ensemble heist drama Smith, which brings Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen to television with a solid supporting cast. The comedy pickup The Class may be no better than How I Met Your Mother but I’ll check it out, ditto disaster drama Jericho (except substitute Invasion for HIMYM).
…but not: Even if they don’t become a part of my schedule I honestly want to see all of these pilots (compared to last season when I only watched a few of the comedies and one of the dramas). Seriously, fear Moonves.
What they didn’t pick up: With only four pickups and three more for midseason there were several shows left out. Among the actors you won’t be seeing on CBS this fall (barring last minute tinkering): Tom Cavanagh, Bobby Cannavale, Johnny Galecki, Sara Rue, Jane Krakowski, Oliver Hudson, Teri Polo and Chris Elliott in their own comedies and dramas starring John Leguizamo, Joshua Jackson, Julia Ormond, Blair Underwood, Mena Suvari and Lena Headey (in a female superhero show that I was hoping would be shipped to The CW, but that doesn’t appear to be happening for the moment).
(And recent Lost victim Cynthia Watros was a co-star in the Cavanagh project, so without that she’ll be free for as many island flashbacks as necessary.)
Say goodbye to: Only four rookies (four is a big number for CBS this year): Courting Alex, Out of Practice, Threshold and Love Monkey. Plus outlasted-their-usefulness comedies Still Standing and Yes Dear.
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Fall Schedules: ABC
That A stands for Ambitious as ABC revealed a fall schedule complete with nine spanking new series (five of them scripted hours), plans for another to share a timeslot with an established hit, and a key timeslot change that will probably be the boldest, best scheduling move by any network this year. (Full press release here.)
Good move: Grey's Anatomy. Thursdays. 9 pm. After speculation for what seemed like the entire season that the network would move its biggest gun to Monday nights, ABC decided instead to stake a claim on arguably TV's most important night (and a night they haven't been a player on for years). Unless CBS does something unexpected it appears that Grey's will face off next season with TV's other most successful scripted hour: CSI. It's possible the competition will cause a dent in ratings for both series, but as previous seasons' Friends/Survior and ER/Without a Trace battles have demonstrated there is room on Thursdays for two massive hits. (This move also puts extra pressure on NBC to move its new series Studio 60 out of the 9 pm Thursday crossfire. If the show wasn't dead in the water before....)
Bad move: In a baffling renewal that echoes the mistake of bringing back John Stamos' Jake in Progress last season ABC will stick with the poorly performing What About Brian on Mondays at 10. The network seems to be taking its time in developing a strategy for post-football-era Monday nights, sticking with modest reality shows and a scripted hour that's already failed to entice viewers. Maybe it was a point of pride, because if ABC had cancelled Brian it would've meant death for every single show introduced this season.
Also, an abundance of new series is going to mean big headaches in marketing and promotion, but considering none of this season's new offerings caught on that move was necessary...ABC needs to start building on its blocks ASAP (or else they become a network whose most popular show is hosted by Howie Mandel).
I’m looking forward to…: ABC has had the best crop of pilots for two seasons running but hopefully this year's batch will be closer to the 2004-05 group than last year's (which were generally better pilots than they were series). I’m really looking forward to checking out all of these but the one I want to see first is Six Degrees which has a strong cast (Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Erika Christensen) and pedigree (producer J.J. Abrams, director Rodrigo Garcia) and gets the plum post-Grey’s slot on Thursday.
…but not: Well I’m looking forward to almost all of ABC’s pilots. I just can’t see Big Day—which follows the events of a single wedding day for an entire season—turning out all that good. In fact one of the more worrisome aspects of most of ABC’s pilots are the "high concepts." There’s a thriller where Taye Diggs wakes up on the same day every episode to try to solve a complex murder case (Day Break, which will occupy Lost's timeslot starting later this year), another conspiracy thriller where two young men are framed as terrorists by a friend (Traveler), a comedy series involving a season long attempt to rob Mick Jagger (Let’s Rob…), a drama following nine strangers united by a bank robbery (The Nine), etc. etc. Maybe it’s about time American television adapted the British model of short seasons and limited runs where these high concepts aren’t stretched beyond their natural lifespans.
What they didn’t pick up: Even with fifteen new series orders there was still quite a bit that ABC rejected, including comedy vehicles for Patricia Heaton, Bonnie Hunt, Kim Cattrall (costarring with Buffy’s Anthony Stewart Head for producer Elton John), Heather Locklear and Alicia Silverstone. Dramas that didn’t make the cut include two more conspiracy thrillers (one with David James Elliott and another with Jesse Bradford) and series with such actors as Dylan McDermott, Kelli Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Bryan Greenberg, Angie Harmon and Peter Facinelli.
Say goodbye to: Almost everything introduced this season including: Invasion, Freddie, Crumbs, The Evidence, Night Stalker, In Justice, Hot Properties, Emily’s Reasons Why Not, the once promising Commander-in-Chief and the too-good-for-network-TV Sons and Daughters. Also Hope & Faith, Rodney, Jake in Progress, Less Than Perfect… pretty much the only thing leaving ABC’s schedule with some dignity is Alias.
Good move: Grey's Anatomy. Thursdays. 9 pm. After speculation for what seemed like the entire season that the network would move its biggest gun to Monday nights, ABC decided instead to stake a claim on arguably TV's most important night (and a night they haven't been a player on for years). Unless CBS does something unexpected it appears that Grey's will face off next season with TV's other most successful scripted hour: CSI. It's possible the competition will cause a dent in ratings for both series, but as previous seasons' Friends/Survior and ER/Without a Trace battles have demonstrated there is room on Thursdays for two massive hits. (This move also puts extra pressure on NBC to move its new series Studio 60 out of the 9 pm Thursday crossfire. If the show wasn't dead in the water before....)
Bad move: In a baffling renewal that echoes the mistake of bringing back John Stamos' Jake in Progress last season ABC will stick with the poorly performing What About Brian on Mondays at 10. The network seems to be taking its time in developing a strategy for post-football-era Monday nights, sticking with modest reality shows and a scripted hour that's already failed to entice viewers. Maybe it was a point of pride, because if ABC had cancelled Brian it would've meant death for every single show introduced this season.
Also, an abundance of new series is going to mean big headaches in marketing and promotion, but considering none of this season's new offerings caught on that move was necessary...ABC needs to start building on its blocks ASAP (or else they become a network whose most popular show is hosted by Howie Mandel).
I’m looking forward to…: ABC has had the best crop of pilots for two seasons running but hopefully this year's batch will be closer to the 2004-05 group than last year's (which were generally better pilots than they were series). I’m really looking forward to checking out all of these but the one I want to see first is Six Degrees which has a strong cast (Hope Davis, Campbell Scott, Erika Christensen) and pedigree (producer J.J. Abrams, director Rodrigo Garcia) and gets the plum post-Grey’s slot on Thursday.
…but not: Well I’m looking forward to almost all of ABC’s pilots. I just can’t see Big Day—which follows the events of a single wedding day for an entire season—turning out all that good. In fact one of the more worrisome aspects of most of ABC’s pilots are the "high concepts." There’s a thriller where Taye Diggs wakes up on the same day every episode to try to solve a complex murder case (Day Break, which will occupy Lost's timeslot starting later this year), another conspiracy thriller where two young men are framed as terrorists by a friend (Traveler), a comedy series involving a season long attempt to rob Mick Jagger (Let’s Rob…), a drama following nine strangers united by a bank robbery (The Nine), etc. etc. Maybe it’s about time American television adapted the British model of short seasons and limited runs where these high concepts aren’t stretched beyond their natural lifespans.
What they didn’t pick up: Even with fifteen new series orders there was still quite a bit that ABC rejected, including comedy vehicles for Patricia Heaton, Bonnie Hunt, Kim Cattrall (costarring with Buffy’s Anthony Stewart Head for producer Elton John), Heather Locklear and Alicia Silverstone. Dramas that didn’t make the cut include two more conspiracy thrillers (one with David James Elliott and another with Jesse Bradford) and series with such actors as Dylan McDermott, Kelli Williams, Marcia Gay Harden, Bryan Greenberg, Angie Harmon and Peter Facinelli.
Say goodbye to: Almost everything introduced this season including: Invasion, Freddie, Crumbs, The Evidence, Night Stalker, In Justice, Hot Properties, Emily’s Reasons Why Not, the once promising Commander-in-Chief and the too-good-for-network-TV Sons and Daughters. Also Hope & Faith, Rodney, Jake in Progress, Less Than Perfect… pretty much the only thing leaving ABC’s schedule with some dignity is Alias.
Monday, May 15, 2006
Fall Schedules: NBC
Television’s most desperate network unveiled a wacky fall schedule that places most of its new offerings in 9 pm "tentpole" slots (full press release here). I’m not sure what the thinking behind letting unproven shows anchor each weeknight is, but NBC has to do something after placing fourth in the ratings for two seasons running.
Good move: Besides putting Fear Factor out of its misery (and finally giving up on Joey and holding off on the tired The Apprentice until midseason), I don’t see much to cheer in NBC’s announcement. One thing they have going for them next season is Sunday Night Football, which is likely to boost their ratings a bit and provide worry-free counter programming to two of TV’s biggest hits (Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, assuming both shows stay put on the night).
Bad move: All these new shows at 9. Why? And putting the heavily hyped Studio 60 (Aaron Sorkin’s TV satire featuring Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet) up against CSI is a risky no-guts-no-glory decision, as is bumping the My Name is Earl/The Office hour to 8 to serve as Studio’s lead-in. Earl and Office are often heralded as NBC’s hottest "hits" (despite the fact they don’t even threaten to hit the top 10) and if momentum is supposed to be on their side moving them around can’t be good. It’s obvious NBC wants to build a two hour block of "buzz TV" on Thursday. I applaud the effort but I wish I could say the same for the execution.
I’m looking forward to…: Studio 60 will get a lot of media attention (but not necessarily viewer interest) for its ballsy swipes at network television—especially when it comes to NBC and Saturday Night Live—but I’ve seen it and I’m not optimistic about where it will go (either creatively or in the ratings).
Since both the high-concept Heroes and half-hour-SNL-satire 30 Rock (yes there are two SNL satires on the same network’s fall schedule…) sound intriguing but could just as easily be disastrous, I’m thinking Kidnapped (with a cast that includes Dana Delany, Jeremy Sisto and Delroy Lindo) could be NBC’s best chance at a fun, successful show. (One problem: there are a lot of conspiracy thrillers in the works for next season and NBC’s won’t be the only one to make it to air, so it better stick out.)
Also, midseason’s Andy Barker, P.I., with Andy Richter playing private detective, just might work.
…but not: Surprisingly, none of NBC’s new series sound unbearable but I’m not sure it’s necessary to bring another seemingly generic sit-com about young people looking for love into the world (unscheduled midseason possibility The Singles Table).
What they didn’t pick up: Not a lot. Several weak sounding comedies (including one starring Jay Mohr) and only one drama (an offbeat hour produced by Conan O’Brien, starring Cary Elwes as a reincarnated corrupt politician).
Say goodbye to: Aforementioned Fear Factor and Joey (you won’t be missed). DOA rookies The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, The Book of Daniel, Conviction, E-Ring, Four Kings, Heist, Inconceivable, Surface, Teachers and Three Wishes. Retiring vets The West Wing and Will & Grace.
Good move: Besides putting Fear Factor out of its misery (and finally giving up on Joey and holding off on the tired The Apprentice until midseason), I don’t see much to cheer in NBC’s announcement. One thing they have going for them next season is Sunday Night Football, which is likely to boost their ratings a bit and provide worry-free counter programming to two of TV’s biggest hits (Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy on ABC, assuming both shows stay put on the night).
Bad move: All these new shows at 9. Why? And putting the heavily hyped Studio 60 (Aaron Sorkin’s TV satire featuring Matthew Perry and Amanda Peet) up against CSI is a risky no-guts-no-glory decision, as is bumping the My Name is Earl/The Office hour to 8 to serve as Studio’s lead-in. Earl and Office are often heralded as NBC’s hottest "hits" (despite the fact they don’t even threaten to hit the top 10) and if momentum is supposed to be on their side moving them around can’t be good. It’s obvious NBC wants to build a two hour block of "buzz TV" on Thursday. I applaud the effort but I wish I could say the same for the execution.
I’m looking forward to…: Studio 60 will get a lot of media attention (but not necessarily viewer interest) for its ballsy swipes at network television—especially when it comes to NBC and Saturday Night Live—but I’ve seen it and I’m not optimistic about where it will go (either creatively or in the ratings).
Since both the high-concept Heroes and half-hour-SNL-satire 30 Rock (yes there are two SNL satires on the same network’s fall schedule…) sound intriguing but could just as easily be disastrous, I’m thinking Kidnapped (with a cast that includes Dana Delany, Jeremy Sisto and Delroy Lindo) could be NBC’s best chance at a fun, successful show. (One problem: there are a lot of conspiracy thrillers in the works for next season and NBC’s won’t be the only one to make it to air, so it better stick out.)
Also, midseason’s Andy Barker, P.I., with Andy Richter playing private detective, just might work.
…but not: Surprisingly, none of NBC’s new series sound unbearable but I’m not sure it’s necessary to bring another seemingly generic sit-com about young people looking for love into the world (unscheduled midseason possibility The Singles Table).
What they didn’t pick up: Not a lot. Several weak sounding comedies (including one starring Jay Mohr) and only one drama (an offbeat hour produced by Conan O’Brien, starring Cary Elwes as a reincarnated corrupt politician).
Say goodbye to: Aforementioned Fear Factor and Joey (you won’t be missed). DOA rookies The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, The Book of Daniel, Conviction, E-Ring, Four Kings, Heist, Inconceivable, Surface, Teachers and Three Wishes. Retiring vets The West Wing and Will & Grace.
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Fall Schedule Wrap
Now that all six networks have finished outlining their plans for the fall it's worth reflecting on a couple of significant trends.
Quirky comedy is in - If your show was facing possible cancellation it helped to be a quirky, single camera comedy. NBC renewed The Office, ABC will bring back Jake in Progress and Fox said yes to more Arrested Development and Bernie Mac. Many low-rated traditional comedies weren't so lucky (8 Simple Rules, My Wife and Kids, Listen Up, Committed, Life on a Stick).
Low rated drama is out - Many of the season's unique but struggling dramas got the ax: Joan of Arcadia, Eyes, Kevin Hill, Jack & Bobby, American Dreams, Revelations, even Carnivale on HBO. Only UPN's Veronica Mars received a reprise. Maybe the mainstream success of Lost and Desperate Housewives has something to do with it. The networks probably appreciate that comedy is tough right now, but dramas can succeed. So tough luck if you don't.
Reality is on the wane... - For the second straight season all the networks tried to avoid reality as much as possible in selecting their fall schedules. Yes the usual suspects are all there (Survivor, Top Model, Apprentice, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), and ABC brought back Wife Swap and Supernanny as well, but NBC is holding off on Fear Factor, Bachelor fans will have to wait awhile for the next proposal and both Fox and WB have no reality on the fall schedule at all.
Only NBC seems hot on the genre with Three Wishes and Apprentice: Martha Stewart joining their line-up (and The Biggest Loser returning as well). If too much reality looks like a sign of weakness NBC's schedule isn't likely to change that perception.
... but no, sadly, it's not dead - Just check out the networks' summer schedule. The hot season for movies is the dumping ground for TV and it's filled with reality, reality and more reality (or as UPN calls Top Model: dramality). There's also plenty of unscripted projects standing by at each network to fill the holes left by next season's scripted failures.
TV's latest genre of choice is sci-fi/horror - No less than three alien invasion dramas (ABC's Invasion, CBS' Threshold, NBC's Fathom) will hit the airwaves next fall. And WB is promising scares with Supernatural, while ABC hopes to generate some X-Files sparks with The Night Stalker and CBS seems to be doing Medium Jr. with The Ghost Whisperer. All good news to me, TV has been seriously lacking in a good spooky hour since The X-Files left the air three years ago.
It's interesting that this has been widely attributed to the success of Lost. My guess is the most successful of these new shows will capture not only Lost's mysterious vibe but also its winning character development.
Desperate Housewives didn't start a trend - Although there had been quite a few in development there is barely a single soap opera or female driven comedy on the schedule. ABC has new half hour Hot Properties with four female leads and UPN is introducing Sex, Lies & Secrets (the crudest possible simplification of what makes Housewives a hit) but they seem more inspired by Designing Women and Melrose Place respectively.
Pushing it a bit further one could argue ABC's female President drama Commander-in-Chief or WB's four sisters in the city series Related fit the bill, and Fox's high concept Reunion features an ongoing murder mystery and soapy elements, but it looks like the producers of Housewives don't need to worry about crude knockoffs harming their baby.
Breaking it down day by day:
Sundays look almost as the same as they do right now, with West Wing entering the race as a wildcard. ABC is all but guaranteed continued dominance there.
Mondays at 8 will see Fox's quality combo of Arrested Development/Kitchen Confidential taking on CBS' more traditional King of Queens/How I Met Your Mother. NBC will try to counter with Fathom and ABC has somewhat oddly decided to slot Wife Swap before the final season of Monday Night Football. CBS is the obvious favorite but maybe a surprise is in store.
Tuesdays will have an interesting battle at 9 between Fox's hot House (without an American Idol lead-in), CBS' strong Amazing Race and ABC's wildcard Commander-in-Chief. NBC's combo of My Name is Earl and The Office seems poised to take a beating. And if Commander-in-Chief fails that would be bad news for Boston Legal which faces potentially strong CBS suburban crime show Close to Home and dominant Law & Order: SVU.
As I've been mentioning all week Wednesdays at 9 could be a bloodbath. As long as Lost doesn't face a sophomore slump the four new shows up against it (E-Ring, Criminal Minds, Head Cases and Related) will have a tough time finding viewers. And UPN is sending cult favorite Veronica Mars into the slot as well, a tough place to prove your network's surprise renewal was justified. Criminal Minds and Head Cases are probably headed for short runs but little stands in the way of NBC's Apprentice: Martha Stewart at 8 and that could help E-Ring.
CBS is sure to keep a strong hold on Thursdays but the 8 o'clock battle of Survivor/Joey/Alias/The OC/Smallville/Everybody Hates Chris is one of the most interesting across all six networks. None of the shows can top Survivor but the race for second place could be interesting. New shows Night Stalker and Reunion will have to work hard to pull viewers away from CSI and The Apprentice at 9.
Fridays are always dull but the 8 o'clock hour could generate sparks as CBS' Ghost Whisperer takes on reality on NBC (Three Wishes) and ABC (Supernanny).
Quirky comedy is in - If your show was facing possible cancellation it helped to be a quirky, single camera comedy. NBC renewed The Office, ABC will bring back Jake in Progress and Fox said yes to more Arrested Development and Bernie Mac. Many low-rated traditional comedies weren't so lucky (8 Simple Rules, My Wife and Kids, Listen Up, Committed, Life on a Stick).
Low rated drama is out - Many of the season's unique but struggling dramas got the ax: Joan of Arcadia, Eyes, Kevin Hill, Jack & Bobby, American Dreams, Revelations, even Carnivale on HBO. Only UPN's Veronica Mars received a reprise. Maybe the mainstream success of Lost and Desperate Housewives has something to do with it. The networks probably appreciate that comedy is tough right now, but dramas can succeed. So tough luck if you don't.
Reality is on the wane... - For the second straight season all the networks tried to avoid reality as much as possible in selecting their fall schedules. Yes the usual suspects are all there (Survivor, Top Model, Apprentice, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition), and ABC brought back Wife Swap and Supernanny as well, but NBC is holding off on Fear Factor, Bachelor fans will have to wait awhile for the next proposal and both Fox and WB have no reality on the fall schedule at all.
Only NBC seems hot on the genre with Three Wishes and Apprentice: Martha Stewart joining their line-up (and The Biggest Loser returning as well). If too much reality looks like a sign of weakness NBC's schedule isn't likely to change that perception.
... but no, sadly, it's not dead - Just check out the networks' summer schedule. The hot season for movies is the dumping ground for TV and it's filled with reality, reality and more reality (or as UPN calls Top Model: dramality). There's also plenty of unscripted projects standing by at each network to fill the holes left by next season's scripted failures.
TV's latest genre of choice is sci-fi/horror - No less than three alien invasion dramas (ABC's Invasion, CBS' Threshold, NBC's Fathom) will hit the airwaves next fall. And WB is promising scares with Supernatural, while ABC hopes to generate some X-Files sparks with The Night Stalker and CBS seems to be doing Medium Jr. with The Ghost Whisperer. All good news to me, TV has been seriously lacking in a good spooky hour since The X-Files left the air three years ago.
It's interesting that this has been widely attributed to the success of Lost. My guess is the most successful of these new shows will capture not only Lost's mysterious vibe but also its winning character development.
Desperate Housewives didn't start a trend - Although there had been quite a few in development there is barely a single soap opera or female driven comedy on the schedule. ABC has new half hour Hot Properties with four female leads and UPN is introducing Sex, Lies & Secrets (the crudest possible simplification of what makes Housewives a hit) but they seem more inspired by Designing Women and Melrose Place respectively.
Pushing it a bit further one could argue ABC's female President drama Commander-in-Chief or WB's four sisters in the city series Related fit the bill, and Fox's high concept Reunion features an ongoing murder mystery and soapy elements, but it looks like the producers of Housewives don't need to worry about crude knockoffs harming their baby.
Breaking it down day by day:
Sundays look almost as the same as they do right now, with West Wing entering the race as a wildcard. ABC is all but guaranteed continued dominance there.
Mondays at 8 will see Fox's quality combo of Arrested Development/Kitchen Confidential taking on CBS' more traditional King of Queens/How I Met Your Mother. NBC will try to counter with Fathom and ABC has somewhat oddly decided to slot Wife Swap before the final season of Monday Night Football. CBS is the obvious favorite but maybe a surprise is in store.
Tuesdays will have an interesting battle at 9 between Fox's hot House (without an American Idol lead-in), CBS' strong Amazing Race and ABC's wildcard Commander-in-Chief. NBC's combo of My Name is Earl and The Office seems poised to take a beating. And if Commander-in-Chief fails that would be bad news for Boston Legal which faces potentially strong CBS suburban crime show Close to Home and dominant Law & Order: SVU.
As I've been mentioning all week Wednesdays at 9 could be a bloodbath. As long as Lost doesn't face a sophomore slump the four new shows up against it (E-Ring, Criminal Minds, Head Cases and Related) will have a tough time finding viewers. And UPN is sending cult favorite Veronica Mars into the slot as well, a tough place to prove your network's surprise renewal was justified. Criminal Minds and Head Cases are probably headed for short runs but little stands in the way of NBC's Apprentice: Martha Stewart at 8 and that could help E-Ring.
CBS is sure to keep a strong hold on Thursdays but the 8 o'clock battle of Survivor/Joey/Alias/The OC/Smallville/Everybody Hates Chris is one of the most interesting across all six networks. None of the shows can top Survivor but the race for second place could be interesting. New shows Night Stalker and Reunion will have to work hard to pull viewers away from CSI and The Apprentice at 9.
Fridays are always dull but the 8 o'clock hour could generate sparks as CBS' Ghost Whisperer takes on reality on NBC (Three Wishes) and ABC (Supernanny).
Fall Schedules: Fox
It was already decided earlier this week that two shows that looked in danger of cancellation (Arrested Development and Bernie Mac) would in fact return to Fox's fall schedule, so the interest in the line-up itself is all about scheduling.
The network is taking some interesting risks with a line-up of several shows that are nearing the end of their run, a few that have yet to prove their ratings worth and a crop of new series that borrow from previous Fox success stories. And not a single regularly scheduled reality show.
Arrested heads to Monday where it will be paired with new Darren Star comedy Kitchen Confidential, a good sign of the perceived quality of that show since Arrested's renewal was said to have been decided partly on the network finding a suitable companion show. Bernie Mac stays on Fridays, now paired with a relocated Malcolm in the Middle, which is presumably in its last season.
With Malcolm, That 70s Show, King of the Hill and possibly even Bernie Mac all headed into alleged final seasons Fox will have some big gaps opening up in its schedule. Conveniently the network has already announced a January line-up (when American Idol and 24 return). That will likely shift somewhat if something hits or flops bigtime come fall.
In addition to Kitchen Confidential the other new comedy is The War at Home, which looks closer to traditional Fox dysfunctional family comedies.
New dramas also build on current staples. Following the success of House the network adds two procedurals: forensics drama Bones on Tuesdays before House, and twisted cop show The Gate (from a CSI producer) on Fridays at 9 (CSI's old timeslot).
And there's two high concept dramas no doubt inspired by the success of 24: Reunion, which follows The OC on Thursdays and tracks six people from high school graduation to a 20 year reunion with each episode representing a single year, and Prison Break, which occupies the 24 timeslot in the fall and details a season-long jailbreak.
Other new hour is quirky lawyer dramedy Head Cases (shades of Ally McBeal?). Unfortunately not only does the show have the misfortune of going up against Lost and two highly competitive new dramas on CBS and NBC, but it also stars Chris O'Donnell, Adam Goldberg and Rachael Leigh Cook.
Hopefully, for new entertainment president Peter Liguori's sake, a few of these new shows will catch on, and this fall won't be yet another case of "just wait until January!"
The network is taking some interesting risks with a line-up of several shows that are nearing the end of their run, a few that have yet to prove their ratings worth and a crop of new series that borrow from previous Fox success stories. And not a single regularly scheduled reality show.
Arrested heads to Monday where it will be paired with new Darren Star comedy Kitchen Confidential, a good sign of the perceived quality of that show since Arrested's renewal was said to have been decided partly on the network finding a suitable companion show. Bernie Mac stays on Fridays, now paired with a relocated Malcolm in the Middle, which is presumably in its last season.
With Malcolm, That 70s Show, King of the Hill and possibly even Bernie Mac all headed into alleged final seasons Fox will have some big gaps opening up in its schedule. Conveniently the network has already announced a January line-up (when American Idol and 24 return). That will likely shift somewhat if something hits or flops bigtime come fall.
In addition to Kitchen Confidential the other new comedy is The War at Home, which looks closer to traditional Fox dysfunctional family comedies.
New dramas also build on current staples. Following the success of House the network adds two procedurals: forensics drama Bones on Tuesdays before House, and twisted cop show The Gate (from a CSI producer) on Fridays at 9 (CSI's old timeslot).
And there's two high concept dramas no doubt inspired by the success of 24: Reunion, which follows The OC on Thursdays and tracks six people from high school graduation to a 20 year reunion with each episode representing a single year, and Prison Break, which occupies the 24 timeslot in the fall and details a season-long jailbreak.
Other new hour is quirky lawyer dramedy Head Cases (shades of Ally McBeal?). Unfortunately not only does the show have the misfortune of going up against Lost and two highly competitive new dramas on CBS and NBC, but it also stars Chris O'Donnell, Adam Goldberg and Rachael Leigh Cook.
Hopefully, for new entertainment president Peter Liguori's sake, a few of these new shows will catch on, and this fall won't be yet another case of "just wait until January!"
Fall Schedules: UPN
There's not very much of interest at UPN as the struggling network unveils the week's least inspired fall schedule.
With ten hours a week to program UPN has decided to fill one of those with reruns of their most successful show (America's Next Top Model) while two hours remain devoted to WWE Smackdown! (now on the move to Fridays).
Of the two shows the network was high on last season, they've brought back one (Veronica Mars, which is now heading into battle against Lost) and cancelled the other (Kevin Hill, which was light, fun and smart but never found much critical or audience traction).
I have a feeling the less said about new Silver Lake-set soap opera Sex, Lies & Secrets, the better (and yes that's the real title, at least for now).
That just leaves new comedy Everybody Hates Chris which kicks off a new comedy block on Thursdays. It sounds like Chris Rock's version of The Wonder Years.
Ok, so maybe UPN had one good idea after all.
With ten hours a week to program UPN has decided to fill one of those with reruns of their most successful show (America's Next Top Model) while two hours remain devoted to WWE Smackdown! (now on the move to Fridays).
Of the two shows the network was high on last season, they've brought back one (Veronica Mars, which is now heading into battle against Lost) and cancelled the other (Kevin Hill, which was light, fun and smart but never found much critical or audience traction).
I have a feeling the less said about new Silver Lake-set soap opera Sex, Lies & Secrets, the better (and yes that's the real title, at least for now).
That just leaves new comedy Everybody Hates Chris which kicks off a new comedy block on Thursdays. It sounds like Chris Rock's version of The Wonder Years.
Ok, so maybe UPN had one good idea after all.
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
Fall Schedules: CBS
Relatively few major changes for CBS next fall.
The biggest deal is probably the final nail in the coffin for Joan of Arcadia, a show which experienced a shockingly fast rise and fall in ratings, buzz and critical acclaim over just two seasons.
While most other networks are showing patience with struggling series CBS killed off Joan less than a year after the show earned Emmy nominations for best drama and lead actress Amber Tamblyn. Those nominations came at the end of a first season that started strong before showing signs of fatigue at the finish line. This year the show completely ran out of steam with a drastic decline in viewership and storyline complaints from major TV critics. Still, it's odd that such a promising (or at the very least once promising) show can't get a second chance, but that's the price of being at a successful network.
Instead CBS will focus on what they do best (ratings-wise): crime, crime and more crime (meanwhile I'll be watching ABC, Fox, HBO, FX, the WB, etc. etc.).
Icky new additions to the line-up include a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced suburban crime drama which takes over the timeslot Judging Amy vacates after six seasons (seems like a lot more, doesn't it?); a show about FBI profilerzzzzzzzz... sorry, I dozed off; and a series that honest-to-god is called The Ghost Whisperer and stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a woman who talks to ghosts.
(Incidentally, the three way battle that's brewing Wednesdays at 9 between ABC's established hit Lost and new series on CBS and NBC will no doubt lead to next season's first casualty: but will it be NBC's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced E-Ring or CBS' profiler show. The odds just might be with NBC on this one.)
Then there's promising sci fi drama Threshold which gets a questionable Friday night timeslot (at least it's the old X-Files slot) and will have to compete for buzz with similar projects at both NBC and ABC (and ABC's Invasion has the benefit of a Lost-lead in). And being the only show on all of CBS that isn't a crime drama, family comedy or reality show will either be very good or very bad. Don't expect the network to have much patience if it stumbles out of the gate ratings wise.
On the comedy side CBS killed Jason Alexander/Malcolm Jamal Warner "comedy" Listen Up after one miserable season and they have to fill the significant hole left by Everybody Loves Raymond.
So here come How I Met Your Mother (Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris) and Out of Practice (Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing) which in concept and cast both sound ok, but then again so did Center of the Universe last year.
A Jenna Elfman dating comedy and Shawn Ryan/David Mamet's special forces action hour are on deck for midseason. Supposedly the relationship dramedy Love Monkey (with Tom Cavanagh, Jason Priestley, Judy Greer and Larenz Tate) and Julia Louis Dreyfuss comedy Old Christine still have some chance of getting series orders at later dates.
The biggest deal is probably the final nail in the coffin for Joan of Arcadia, a show which experienced a shockingly fast rise and fall in ratings, buzz and critical acclaim over just two seasons.
While most other networks are showing patience with struggling series CBS killed off Joan less than a year after the show earned Emmy nominations for best drama and lead actress Amber Tamblyn. Those nominations came at the end of a first season that started strong before showing signs of fatigue at the finish line. This year the show completely ran out of steam with a drastic decline in viewership and storyline complaints from major TV critics. Still, it's odd that such a promising (or at the very least once promising) show can't get a second chance, but that's the price of being at a successful network.
Instead CBS will focus on what they do best (ratings-wise): crime, crime and more crime (meanwhile I'll be watching ABC, Fox, HBO, FX, the WB, etc. etc.).
Icky new additions to the line-up include a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced suburban crime drama which takes over the timeslot Judging Amy vacates after six seasons (seems like a lot more, doesn't it?); a show about FBI profilerzzzzzzzz... sorry, I dozed off; and a series that honest-to-god is called The Ghost Whisperer and stars Jennifer Love Hewitt as a woman who talks to ghosts.
(Incidentally, the three way battle that's brewing Wednesdays at 9 between ABC's established hit Lost and new series on CBS and NBC will no doubt lead to next season's first casualty: but will it be NBC's Jerry Bruckheimer-produced E-Ring or CBS' profiler show. The odds just might be with NBC on this one.)
Then there's promising sci fi drama Threshold which gets a questionable Friday night timeslot (at least it's the old X-Files slot) and will have to compete for buzz with similar projects at both NBC and ABC (and ABC's Invasion has the benefit of a Lost-lead in). And being the only show on all of CBS that isn't a crime drama, family comedy or reality show will either be very good or very bad. Don't expect the network to have much patience if it stumbles out of the gate ratings wise.
On the comedy side CBS killed Jason Alexander/Malcolm Jamal Warner "comedy" Listen Up after one miserable season and they have to fill the significant hole left by Everybody Loves Raymond.
So here come How I Met Your Mother (Alyson Hannigan, Neil Patrick Harris) and Out of Practice (Henry Winkler, Stockard Channing) which in concept and cast both sound ok, but then again so did Center of the Universe last year.
A Jenna Elfman dating comedy and Shawn Ryan/David Mamet's special forces action hour are on deck for midseason. Supposedly the relationship dramedy Love Monkey (with Tom Cavanagh, Jason Priestley, Judy Greer and Larenz Tate) and Julia Louis Dreyfuss comedy Old Christine still have some chance of getting series orders at later dates.
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
Fall Schedules: WB
With reduced viewership and greatly diminished buzz the WB is willing to try anything and their fall schedule features the biggest shake-ups so far this week. Almost every night will lose a signature show as the network tries to spread its wealth from two very strong nights (Mondays and Tuesdays) across the schedule.
7th Heaven kicks off Monday nights, as it has for the past forty years, but will now be followed by the WB's attempt at a procedural: a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced legal dramedy that teams Don Johnson with Jay Baruchel (the star on Fox's too short lived Undeclared and the mentally challenged Danger in Million Dollar Baby).
That displaces Everwood to Thursdays at 9. Its new lead in will be Smallville, which means the Superboy series will face off against Alias (a welcome relief after the unexpected Lost smackdown this season) and stalwart Survivor. It will be interesting to see how Fox shakes up its Thursday because The OC will be potentially the biggest direct competition for The WB on this night.
With Smallville off to Thursdays, One Tree Hill is all growns up and leading off Wednesday nights. The old Dawson's Creek timeslot should fit the teen soap pretty well, especially since ABC has moved Lost out of the hour. It's followed by Related, which looks like a remake of NBC's 90s drama Sisters with a slightly more WB-friendly cast. Ok counter programming for Lost I suppose, if it's good it could work. Laura San Giacomo was a lead in the pilot but is apparently being recast. Jennifer Esposito and Mean Girls' Lizzy Caplan remain.
In for Hill on Tuesdays is spooky drama Supernatural. The only reason this seems like a good match with lead-in Gilmore Girls is because of its star Jared Padalecki, who played Rory Gilmore's first boyfriend. At least, as of right now, it doesn't have any sci fi/thriller competition in the timeslot.
That's pretty much it, although Charmed is staying put on Sunday (with Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath joining the cast in part of his endless quest to have one of the weirdest careers in showbiz history) and the WB is putting a hour of Blue Collar Comedy into battle against Desperate Housewives, where it should do better than most things WB has tried there over the years. And the Friday line-up remains all comedies to which the only new edition is Twins which unites Melanie Griffith, Sara Gilbert, Perfect Strangers' cousin Larry and former Passions regular Molly Stanton. Hilarity no doubt ensues.
At midseason I might get the show I wanted to see, Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson's college drama The Bedford Diaries, and everyone else can watch Rebecca Romijn in the inane sounding Pepper Dennis. The only intriguing thing about that show is the possibility it could air Mondays at 9, against Jake in Progress on ABC.
7th Heaven kicks off Monday nights, as it has for the past forty years, but will now be followed by the WB's attempt at a procedural: a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced legal dramedy that teams Don Johnson with Jay Baruchel (the star on Fox's too short lived Undeclared and the mentally challenged Danger in Million Dollar Baby).
That displaces Everwood to Thursdays at 9. Its new lead in will be Smallville, which means the Superboy series will face off against Alias (a welcome relief after the unexpected Lost smackdown this season) and stalwart Survivor. It will be interesting to see how Fox shakes up its Thursday because The OC will be potentially the biggest direct competition for The WB on this night.
With Smallville off to Thursdays, One Tree Hill is all growns up and leading off Wednesday nights. The old Dawson's Creek timeslot should fit the teen soap pretty well, especially since ABC has moved Lost out of the hour. It's followed by Related, which looks like a remake of NBC's 90s drama Sisters with a slightly more WB-friendly cast. Ok counter programming for Lost I suppose, if it's good it could work. Laura San Giacomo was a lead in the pilot but is apparently being recast. Jennifer Esposito and Mean Girls' Lizzy Caplan remain.
In for Hill on Tuesdays is spooky drama Supernatural. The only reason this seems like a good match with lead-in Gilmore Girls is because of its star Jared Padalecki, who played Rory Gilmore's first boyfriend. At least, as of right now, it doesn't have any sci fi/thriller competition in the timeslot.
That's pretty much it, although Charmed is staying put on Sunday (with Sugar Ray's Mark McGrath joining the cast in part of his endless quest to have one of the weirdest careers in showbiz history) and the WB is putting a hour of Blue Collar Comedy into battle against Desperate Housewives, where it should do better than most things WB has tried there over the years. And the Friday line-up remains all comedies to which the only new edition is Twins which unites Melanie Griffith, Sara Gilbert, Perfect Strangers' cousin Larry and former Passions regular Molly Stanton. Hilarity no doubt ensues.
At midseason I might get the show I wanted to see, Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson's college drama The Bedford Diaries, and everyone else can watch Rebecca Romijn in the inane sounding Pepper Dennis. The only intriguing thing about that show is the possibility it could air Mondays at 9, against Jake in Progress on ABC.
Fall Schedules: ABC
ABC was the year's Big Story in TV land and the network's fall schedule is about building on their newfound success.
On paper it looks like a solid line-up, every show seems to have a compatible mate and it's clear the network will continue to go after large female audiences and hope the guys show up too.
Among the big decisions:
Lost will air one hour later, at 9, leaving more viewers available to sample NBC's Martha Stewart Apprentice but serving as a possible death blow to that network's Jerry Bruckheimer drama E-Ring. The castaway drama is followed by new sci fi series Invasion, which should be a good match and give Invasion a boost over the other new alien series on NBC and CBS. Since Lost doesn't need a lead in to generate ratings it doesn't much matter what airs before it but next season it will be the Latino comedy combo of George Lopez and Freddie (Prinze Jr.).
In fact, every ABC half hour is matched with a similar show. In addition to George and Freddie, the network is keeping its blue collar male combo of According to Jim and Rodney intact and shifting it to the 8 o'clock lead off position. The only other returning comedy, Hope & Faith, will be matched with Hot Properties, a real estate comedy with four female leads that sounds like Desperate Housewives meets Designing Women. That makes the Friday night schedule a lot less kid friendly than usual at ABC, but the night will wisely kick off with Supernanny (which will have to take on new NBC reality series Three Wishes).
One of ABC's biggest changes comes in January when Monday Night Football exits the schedule permanently. The network will be able to program the Monday night slot all season long and, at least initially, is opting to skew female. The proposed line-up of The Bachelor (couldn't they just put a bullet in that one?) followed by Sex and the City knock-offs Emily's Reasons Why Not (a new comedy starring Heather Graham) and Jake in Progress (yes, it's back, don't ask me why) followed by relationship drama What About Brian doesn't really look like it will do much damage to the strong line-ups at NBC and CBS on that night.
Boston Legal will air Tuesdays at 10 since the surprise success of Grey's Anatomy made its old Sunday timeslot unavailable. Legal's success will probably depend on just how good, and successful, its new lead-in is. That show is Commander-in-Chief starring Geena Davis as the first female President of the U.S.
And Alias is now forced to lead off Thursday nights, its trickiest timeslot yet. The network must figure it doesn't have much to lose since very little works on Thursday nights anyway. There's definitely room for growth there since the only show in the timeslot that's working in a big way right now is Survivor. Prospects for Alias' designated companion, supernatural detective drama The Night Stalker, look a little dicier since it faces the similar but wildly popular CSI. Stalker, which comes from X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz and is a loose update of Kolchak a show that directly inspired The X-Files, looks to be one of fall's most promising new shows so hopefully ABC will show some patience with it in the tough slot.
Of course in the unlikely event that all the new shows turn out to be disasters the network also has ordered several midseason options including two awful-sounding procedural dramas (The Evidence and In Justice) and a couple dysfunctional family comedies (Crumbs and Sons & Daughters).
Less Than Perfect will return (for some unknown reason) later in the season but Blind Justice and Eyes will not.
Among the pilots the network apparently passed on were comedies starring Brenda Blethyn, Peter Dinklage, Chris Kattan, Bernadette Peters, Kevin Sorbo and Tom Everett Scott. Also two J.J. Abrams produced shows (including his long in development The Catch which would have starred Abrams staple Greg Grunberg), a Desperate Housewives-ish detective show with Kristin Davis, a real estate soap opera and the twentysomething drama from Ed Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz.
On paper it looks like a solid line-up, every show seems to have a compatible mate and it's clear the network will continue to go after large female audiences and hope the guys show up too.
Among the big decisions:
Lost will air one hour later, at 9, leaving more viewers available to sample NBC's Martha Stewart Apprentice but serving as a possible death blow to that network's Jerry Bruckheimer drama E-Ring. The castaway drama is followed by new sci fi series Invasion, which should be a good match and give Invasion a boost over the other new alien series on NBC and CBS. Since Lost doesn't need a lead in to generate ratings it doesn't much matter what airs before it but next season it will be the Latino comedy combo of George Lopez and Freddie (Prinze Jr.).
In fact, every ABC half hour is matched with a similar show. In addition to George and Freddie, the network is keeping its blue collar male combo of According to Jim and Rodney intact and shifting it to the 8 o'clock lead off position. The only other returning comedy, Hope & Faith, will be matched with Hot Properties, a real estate comedy with four female leads that sounds like Desperate Housewives meets Designing Women. That makes the Friday night schedule a lot less kid friendly than usual at ABC, but the night will wisely kick off with Supernanny (which will have to take on new NBC reality series Three Wishes).
One of ABC's biggest changes comes in January when Monday Night Football exits the schedule permanently. The network will be able to program the Monday night slot all season long and, at least initially, is opting to skew female. The proposed line-up of The Bachelor (couldn't they just put a bullet in that one?) followed by Sex and the City knock-offs Emily's Reasons Why Not (a new comedy starring Heather Graham) and Jake in Progress (yes, it's back, don't ask me why) followed by relationship drama What About Brian doesn't really look like it will do much damage to the strong line-ups at NBC and CBS on that night.
Boston Legal will air Tuesdays at 10 since the surprise success of Grey's Anatomy made its old Sunday timeslot unavailable. Legal's success will probably depend on just how good, and successful, its new lead-in is. That show is Commander-in-Chief starring Geena Davis as the first female President of the U.S.
And Alias is now forced to lead off Thursday nights, its trickiest timeslot yet. The network must figure it doesn't have much to lose since very little works on Thursday nights anyway. There's definitely room for growth there since the only show in the timeslot that's working in a big way right now is Survivor. Prospects for Alias' designated companion, supernatural detective drama The Night Stalker, look a little dicier since it faces the similar but wildly popular CSI. Stalker, which comes from X-Files producer Frank Spotnitz and is a loose update of Kolchak a show that directly inspired The X-Files, looks to be one of fall's most promising new shows so hopefully ABC will show some patience with it in the tough slot.
Of course in the unlikely event that all the new shows turn out to be disasters the network also has ordered several midseason options including two awful-sounding procedural dramas (The Evidence and In Justice) and a couple dysfunctional family comedies (Crumbs and Sons & Daughters).
Less Than Perfect will return (for some unknown reason) later in the season but Blind Justice and Eyes will not.
Among the pilots the network apparently passed on were comedies starring Brenda Blethyn, Peter Dinklage, Chris Kattan, Bernadette Peters, Kevin Sorbo and Tom Everett Scott. Also two J.J. Abrams produced shows (including his long in development The Catch which would have starred Abrams staple Greg Grunberg), a Desperate Housewives-ish detective show with Kristin Davis, a real estate soap opera and the twentysomething drama from Ed Zwick & Marshall Herskovitz.
Monday, May 16, 2005
Fall Schedules: NBC
NBC is the first network to officially reveal its fall line-up and there are a few interesting moves:
The new series all look pretty terrible at first glance: a suspect sci-fi drama about a new water based life form, a white trash comedy, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama set inside the Pentagon and a medical soap set in a fertility clinic. Then there's two reality entries that follow popular models: inspiration (Amy Grant makes wishes come true!) and business competition (Martha Stewart gets an Apprentice spin off).
Surprisingly for a network that's bleeding viewers and losing buzz the schedule remains relatively stable. The only show switching timeslots is The West Wing which moves from Wednesdays at 9 to Sundays at 8.
Joey is staying put Thursdays at 8, followed by the "last season" of Will & Grace, and The Office will return to Tuesdays at 9:30. It will be interesting to see what NBC will try to do to reignite interest in shows that have already been rejected by viewers.
For the first time in history the Law & Order franchise is shrinking instead of expanding (Trial By Jury is dead and buried). But NBC will still have three Law & Orders on the air this fall in addition to two Datelines and two Apprentices.
Fear Factor and Scrubs, which both suffered ratings losses last season, aren't on the fall schedule but will return sometime next season to fill holes, along with two more lame looking comedies (male buddies show Four Kings and Thick & Thin about a "formerly fat" woman).
According to the fall schedule press release NBC is touting itself as the network of choice among "upscale" viewers (which apparently is defined as homes with an annual income over $75,000). I guess you have to find something to brag about when you're a formerly dominant network now mired in fourth place among total viewers and the key 18-49 demographic. (That "upscale" thinking might be what got The Office a surprise renewal, since the press release declares it TV's "most upscale comedy.")
How exactly Fathom, My Name is Earl and even Three Wishes will fit into that "upscale" demo is a little difficult to see right now. And how the fall schedule will appeal to all viewers is even less clear.
The new series all look pretty terrible at first glance: a suspect sci-fi drama about a new water based life form, a white trash comedy, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced drama set inside the Pentagon and a medical soap set in a fertility clinic. Then there's two reality entries that follow popular models: inspiration (Amy Grant makes wishes come true!) and business competition (Martha Stewart gets an Apprentice spin off).
Surprisingly for a network that's bleeding viewers and losing buzz the schedule remains relatively stable. The only show switching timeslots is The West Wing which moves from Wednesdays at 9 to Sundays at 8.
Joey is staying put Thursdays at 8, followed by the "last season" of Will & Grace, and The Office will return to Tuesdays at 9:30. It will be interesting to see what NBC will try to do to reignite interest in shows that have already been rejected by viewers.
For the first time in history the Law & Order franchise is shrinking instead of expanding (Trial By Jury is dead and buried). But NBC will still have three Law & Orders on the air this fall in addition to two Datelines and two Apprentices.
Fear Factor and Scrubs, which both suffered ratings losses last season, aren't on the fall schedule but will return sometime next season to fill holes, along with two more lame looking comedies (male buddies show Four Kings and Thick & Thin about a "formerly fat" woman).
According to the fall schedule press release NBC is touting itself as the network of choice among "upscale" viewers (which apparently is defined as homes with an annual income over $75,000). I guess you have to find something to brag about when you're a formerly dominant network now mired in fourth place among total viewers and the key 18-49 demographic. (That "upscale" thinking might be what got The Office a surprise renewal, since the press release declares it TV's "most upscale comedy.")
How exactly Fathom, My Name is Earl and even Three Wishes will fit into that "upscale" demo is a little difficult to see right now. And how the fall schedule will appeal to all viewers is even less clear.
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