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UPDATE 30.05.2018
Woowza. . . ABC delivered a surprised to be remembered when they (rightfully imo) cancelled Roseanne after her rascist tweet , calling an African American woman an Ape crossbread. And while the decision was celebrated over the world wide via socil media it did leave ABC in an odd predicament. Roseanne was supposed to headline their Tuesday nights and now things look grimm for the Tuesday night line up. Here are some well thought solutions for ABC:
1. Put a Drama in the slot!
Maybe ABC's easiest way to procede here with a bunch of dramas in the pipeline they could easily cover up the current deficit. My personal choice would be The Rookie. The show has a nice dramedy vibe and recognizable face to promote it.
Another great option could be the "in rework" drama False Profits. Hard working family oriented with some laughs going around could lso very well fit the night and work with the comedy line up.
With limited runs either drama could later be replaced with a comedy hour featuring the Goldbregs's spin off, Schooled and the Michael Cudlitz comedy. A Million Little Things or Grand Hotel could work out as well but are the less compatible choices here.
2. Pick up a new comedy
While I am all for the return of Ginny Goodwin or Kate Dennings to broadcast TV, putting one of these shows in production and pairing it up with the Michael Cudlitz comedy at 8pm could be a disaster.
If they go for a comedy, Schooled might be the safest choice as it will carry along some The Goldberg viewers but again very risky nd uncertain. Tuesday nights were just building up with ABC and putting in 3 new shows + an steady but low 9pm comedy hour isn't the best way to go here.
3. The Big Moving Around of 2018
Moving shows from Wednesday and Friday comedy blocks to stabilize the night would probably work out the best for ABC. Bringing back FotB to Tuesday night and moving American Housewife to Friday with Schooled premiering in Fall would be the most harmless move for ABC.
What are Ur thoughts on the situation ahead and what do you think should ABC do? Share Ur thoughts on my opinions and Ur opinions in the comment section below. Looking forward to them.
ORIGINAL POST
Upfronts are over and the only thing we can do is to wait tedious 4 months till the Fall seasons once again unfolds upon us. But before that, I wanted to take a minute and divulge the fall schedule and see which Network dared and which Network continued to do the same old mistakes.
NBC - Smart but Boring?
NBC probably delivered the best schedule out of the 5 Broadcast networks. Continuing to build on its strengths and give their fall shows the best possible chance to succeed. Which is smart and the sole purpose of showing new shows. What is the point of developing a strong Pilot to bench it after a show with already fiddling numbers and without prospect to sustain itself not to mention help another show?
NBC continuously struggles to get success after The Voice on Mondays and so many shows got that slot after Blacklist left and only Blindspot is the only one to be still alive or remembered, with Timeless` faith still being undecided. Will Manifest be NBC`s next big hit? I`m skeptical but wouldn`t be a major surprise for it to turn around into the network´s favor.
Chicago Wednesday and burn off Friday are safe choices for the Network. I doubt Chicago will be able to hold the momentum like the Original TGIT did a couple years back still it is an interesting concept and the ratings should be fairly interesting.
The Comedy Thursday and SVU combo seem like another safe bet, I didn`t expect newly resurrected B99 on the schedule but didn`t expect Abby to get benched. It seemed much more fitting with the already solid comedy block. I Feel Bad is one of the rare ABC shows with a diverse lead so I`m all for it. Overall Thursday another safe day for NBC.
As said quite safe a bit boring but with a lot of potential and space for interesting changes during midseason.
Fox - Inhouse Madness
After the #FoxBloodbath the previous week I certainly wasn`t sure what to expect from Fox going into Upfronts and how many risky moves they will make. Eventually, when it came down to it they once again played it very low and with only one new show on their fall line up + the newly resurrected Last Man Standing.
Mondays don't get much less weird with Fox choosing to send 911 to 9pm, a very surprising choice by the Network. I expected that a strong show like 911 would be the lead in for a new show like the Enemy Within or The Passage but seems like Fox doesn`t share that opinion and decided to pair it up with already fractional The Resident, which while stable could flatter against DWTS and The Voice airing strong from 8pm. But I guess Fox looked at how well Empire worked at 9pm without a strong lead-in and thought 911 can do the same.
Tuesdays are a major surprise as well as Fox choose to put X-men based The Gifted to start the night and fight against The Flash. And while this Marvel vs DC clash will be bit underwhelming as both shows aren`t rating powerhouses, the pairing with the Lethal Weapon is the bigger surprise.
Wednesdays and Thursdays will be Fox primetime stability during fall and I expect The Passage to premiere along The Orville on Thursdays in the new year.
Fox continues their Bloodbath with a messy and mostly incompatible schedule. Seems like Fox wants to make Disney back out of the deal with an extra dose of madness.
ABC - The TGIT worth and 10pm Death
"The Alphabet Network" is probably my favorite network out of the 5 and I watch so many shows and plan on watching even more of their dramas coming this fall. Still, once again ABC decided to put their most perspective shows at 10pm and keep on their precious TGIT line up.
Bringing back TGIT is a mistake IMO, especially when you say A Million Little Things is the show that tested best. Grey`s didn`t help Notorious but it didn`t launch Station 19 in new highs either. S19 is performing averagely and it would`ve been enough for it to jump in when Murder ends its run.
Fridays this fall bring back the comedies and it is a strong pairing with Fresh off the Boat and Speechless gracing the 8pm slot. I really think this is a good pairing and should do better than AoS and OUAT this season and along Child Support will keep Fridays competitive against CBS stable line up. Sundays once again this fall won`t feature scripted scheduling but I expect The Fix or Whiskey Cavalier to score the post American Idol in the spring.
Mondays to Wednesdays follow the stable pattern with DWTS and two comedy blocks and new dramas at the 10pm slot. It is all very ABC-ish and think these three days will also keep stability for the Network but it honestly seems like a missed opportunity with them benchin A Million Little Things at 10pm on Wednesday.
Overall ABC once again doesn`t really appreciate their new dramas but sets on a big dose of stability and should have a solid season but I don`t expect any standout hits, except Single Parents and a modest performance from AMLT.
CBS - Keeping Weaklings Safe
As already proven last year when CBS loves a show, it will go beyond and over to secure it a strong spot and keep pushing for more seasons. You would expect them to learn out of their mistakes and change things cause despite their push for Kevin and Superior Donuts last year it was proved the shows couldn`t deliver in their sophomore run and got send out of the window.
Tuesdays look very CBS-ish with their NCIS Line up and the procedural nature of newbie FBI. At Wednesday we see the same mistakes CBS usually makes with and that is keeping Seal Team at 9pm and wasting the solid 8pm lead-in. God Friended Me or Magnum PI could really benefit from this slot and the already fractional Seal Team doesn`t deserve better than 10pm or a Weekend slot.
With that said Thursday and Friday didn`t change much for the network either, except for the addition of Murphy Brown to the Thursday line up. I really don`t understand this move, especially as it will lead out into SWAT. Very incompatible. But I understand CBS believe in the reboot of Murphy Brown and I hope it helps both Mom and SWAT.
On Sundays, we see the addition of God Friended Me to the NCIS LA and Madam Secretary line up, not really compatible but I hope GFM benefits from the strong lead-in. Seems like a good show out of Berlanti`s Powerhouse production company.
CW - Superhero overload and 9pm Newbies
Monday and Tuesdays are very strong days for CW and I`m glad to see Black Lightning premiere in the Fall. Still, having 5 Superhero shows in only 5 days can be an overload and may turn fans away. Nevertheless, this should make the 4-way xover much easier and I`m excited to see The Flash`s 100th episode later this fall.
Wednesdays will feature the combination of Netflix powerhouse Riverdale followed by football teen drama, All America (btw very smart title CW). I`m not a fan of the AA cast but would love to see the show do well cause of the story which seems very contemporary. Thurdays will keep Monster performer Supernatural at its regular slot for now 2 full seasons (shocker right) with the 2nd TVD-verse spin-off Legacies. I am surprised Legacies got a fall slot but CW seems to have faith in the show and considering how well The Originals do in their final season it is no surprise. So 9 full years after TVD premiered Legacies will take on Thursdays and I hope it will deliver as it seems very compatible with Supernatural, we could even say they are Sister show.
Fridays will feature season 2 of the unappreciated Dynasty reboot with the final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The biggest question here is if Dynasty will get the bump Riverdale got post season 1.
A very compatible but Superhero packed schedule on CW´s side with their new shows benched at 9pm. Curious to see how that will turn out.
That`s a wrap, guys. Thank you for reading and feel free to join the discussion in the comment section below. What are your thoughts on the Fall schedules? Who did it best? And who dig his own grave? For more Upfront discussion stop by tomorrow morning when the team will discuss the biggest news in our newst WRT edition.
