Now that all the networks have announced their schedules, I thought I’d put together a grid to show the new fall lineup in its entirety. (New shows are highlighted.) Beneath that you’ll find some final observations on what happened this week, as well as some predictions for what’s to come.
Most Surprising Cancellation: Samantha Who?
ABC mistreated the show (an extended hiatus and a move to Thursday, where they had to know it would fail), then toyed with the idea of turning it into a multi-camera sitcom before unexpectedly pulling the plug altogether.
Most Surprising Renewal: Dollhouse
No way, no how will this show ever be a hit. Fox would have been better off cutting their losses and letting Joss Whedon develop a new show rather than putting this dreary, unfocused bomb back on the schedule.
Destined to Be a Hit: NCIS: Los Angeles
Like its predecessor, this show is set to be one of the highest-rated shows nobody you know actually watches.
Destined to Be a Flop: Brothers
Fox barely has a pulse on Fridays as it is. Adding what is sure to be a predictable sitcom with a former football player in the lead could cause them to flatline.
Most Surprising Series Pass: Legally Mad
This was to be David E. Kelley’s first show under his new contract with Warner Bros. Imagine how bad it must have been for NBC, which has to pay a hefty penalty for not picking it up to series, to have passed on it.
Smartest Move (time period): The Big Bang Theory
The show has been on the verge of breaking out for some time. Being paired with Two and a Half Men is the final push it needs to grow its audience.
Smartest Move (overall): A fall edition of So You Think You Can Dance
It’s risky, but it's just the kind of aggressive maneuver Fox needs to keep from twiddling their thumbs as they wait for American Idol to begin in January.
Most Boneheaded Move (time period): Ugly Betty
What makes ABC think that Betty will work on Fridays when it’s already seeing its viewership dwindle on Thursdays? Swapping Betty with new reality show Shark Tank on Tuesdays would probably be beneficial for both shows.
Most Boneheaded Move (overall): Continuing to ignore Saturday night
We’ve seen that, with the right programming, audiences are still available on Saturdays. Sporting events such as the NFL playoffs and NCAA tournament draw big crowds on the night year after year. Why couldn't the same happen with scripted programming? The right shows and the right promotion could turn things around.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Thursday, May 21, 2009
CW Fall: This One Goes Out to the Ladies
With The CW’s schedule announcement today, the final piece of the fall puzzle has been put in place. Now that the network has abandoned Sunday night (last year’s experiment of selling the programming rights to Media Rights Capital was an instant disaster and the follow-up solution of Jericho repeats and a collection of mostly unknown MGM movies was not a step toward affiliate happiness) and only has ten hours to fill, you’d think they could develop a lineup loaded with original content. Instead, we get remakes and copycats, and somehow they’ve managed to still find a slot for a low-rated encore of America’s Next Top Model (what they save in production costs by doing this, they lose in viewer tune-out). In any event, the three new series CW will be launching in the fall are perfectly designed to appeal to the network’s core audience of women 18-34, but may have trouble extending beyond that base.
THE CW's 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL
9:00-10:00 PM ONE TREE HILL
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 90210
9:00-10:00 PM MELROSE PLACE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL
9:00-10:00 PM THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SMALLVILLE
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (encores)
Mondays stay the same with the most buzzed-about show no one is watching, Gossip Girl, once again leading into One Tree Hill, which will have to operate next season without stars Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton, who couldn’t come to terms during contract negotiations. The “success” of Gossip Girl continues to be one of CW’s great spin stories, as the network routinely touts its female demo performance, but chooses to overlook the fact that the show barely breaks the two-million mark in total viewers. A breakout hit this is not, which may account for the decision not to go ahead with the proposed spinoff.
CW execs looked at a season’s worth of low ratings for their 90210 remake and decided that, not only was it a good idea to renew this clunker, but it should be paired with a remake of spinoff Melrose Place for a Tuesday lineup that calls up memories of Fox in the mid-‘90s. There may be some initial curiosity in seeing this duo together again (and in whether Melrose’s Ashlee Simpson-Wentz can carry a show), but once the novelty wears off, look for both shows to careen to the bottom of the Nielsen heap.
America’s Next Top Model maintains its long-held Wednesday berth, and is being followed by a new drama from executive producer Ashton Kutcher, The Beautiful Life. A look inside the world of fashion models, Life is responsible for bringing Mischa Barton (The O.C.) back to prime time; it also stars Corbin Bleu from the High School Musical movies. With compatible subject matter, this show might have the best shot yet at holding onto the audience generated by Top Model.
Thursdays kick off with two vampire brothers fighting for the love of a teenage girl in the new drama The Vampire Diaries. If CW had beaten Twilight out of the gate with this one, they might stand a better chance at attracting an audience. As it stands now, it just looks like they’re trying to capitalize on a craze. This type of show will always have a cult following, but at this point, CW needs more than that to break out of their slump. After Vampire, Supernatural returns in its regular slot.
Smallville has the unenviable task of bringing viewers to the afterthought known as the network’s Friday lineup. Heading into season nine, it’s a risk to move a show that is so long in the tooth (that’s why NBC never moved ER). It feels like a throwaway move to me, especially since it’s coupled with the aforementioned unnecessary Top Model encore.
If you ask me, targeting such a narrow demographic is dangerous for a broadcast network (maybe they're using the wrong definition of “broad”). What works for a niche cable network like Lifetime or Oxygen is clearly not translating to anything bigger for The CW (there are occasions when those cablers are actually capable of bringing in millions more viewers than The CW does), and with a slate of largely interchangeable serialized dramas, this probably won’t be the year that the network’s fortunes take a turn for the better.
THE CW's 2009-2010 PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GOSSIP GIRL
9:00-10:00 PM ONE TREE HILL
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM 90210
9:00-10:00 PM MELROSE PLACE
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL
9:00-10:00 PM THE BEAUTIFUL LIFE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM THE VAMPIRE DIARIES
9:00-10:00 PM SUPERNATURAL
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SMALLVILLE
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (encores)
Mondays stay the same with the most buzzed-about show no one is watching, Gossip Girl, once again leading into One Tree Hill, which will have to operate next season without stars Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton, who couldn’t come to terms during contract negotiations. The “success” of Gossip Girl continues to be one of CW’s great spin stories, as the network routinely touts its female demo performance, but chooses to overlook the fact that the show barely breaks the two-million mark in total viewers. A breakout hit this is not, which may account for the decision not to go ahead with the proposed spinoff.
CW execs looked at a season’s worth of low ratings for their 90210 remake and decided that, not only was it a good idea to renew this clunker, but it should be paired with a remake of spinoff Melrose Place for a Tuesday lineup that calls up memories of Fox in the mid-‘90s. There may be some initial curiosity in seeing this duo together again (and in whether Melrose’s Ashlee Simpson-Wentz can carry a show), but once the novelty wears off, look for both shows to careen to the bottom of the Nielsen heap.
America’s Next Top Model maintains its long-held Wednesday berth, and is being followed by a new drama from executive producer Ashton Kutcher, The Beautiful Life. A look inside the world of fashion models, Life is responsible for bringing Mischa Barton (The O.C.) back to prime time; it also stars Corbin Bleu from the High School Musical movies. With compatible subject matter, this show might have the best shot yet at holding onto the audience generated by Top Model.
Thursdays kick off with two vampire brothers fighting for the love of a teenage girl in the new drama The Vampire Diaries. If CW had beaten Twilight out of the gate with this one, they might stand a better chance at attracting an audience. As it stands now, it just looks like they’re trying to capitalize on a craze. This type of show will always have a cult following, but at this point, CW needs more than that to break out of their slump. After Vampire, Supernatural returns in its regular slot.
Smallville has the unenviable task of bringing viewers to the afterthought known as the network’s Friday lineup. Heading into season nine, it’s a risk to move a show that is so long in the tooth (that’s why NBC never moved ER). It feels like a throwaway move to me, especially since it’s coupled with the aforementioned unnecessary Top Model encore.
If you ask me, targeting such a narrow demographic is dangerous for a broadcast network (maybe they're using the wrong definition of “broad”). What works for a niche cable network like Lifetime or Oxygen is clearly not translating to anything bigger for The CW (there are occasions when those cablers are actually capable of bringing in millions more viewers than The CW does), and with a slate of largely interchangeable serialized dramas, this probably won’t be the year that the network’s fortunes take a turn for the better.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
CBS: Another Easy Victory Next Fall?
With just four new shows on its fall slate, CBS’s schedule announcement is a demonstration of how strong the network is relative to its competitors. The Eye is quick to point out that it is “the only major broadcast network to grow its audience in all key ratings measures this season.” Given that, it’s a bit surprising to see changes being made across five nights of the week.
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI
As per usual, CBS adds one new sitcom to TV’s dominant comedy block. Accidentally on Purpose stars Jenna Elfman as a film critic who has a one-night stand and winds up pregnant. It should fit in nicely, but I’m not sure why the net keeps trying to make How I Met Your Mother work at 8pm. They've put the show here before, only to end up moving it back to a more protected hammock slot, where it's performance inevitably improves. Putting Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, both produced by Chuck Lorre, together is a logical move. And a potentially stronger lead-in could help stem some of the erosion CSI: Miami has seen this year.
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE
Too much NCIS on one night? We’ll find out soon enough. It may have made more sense to spread the wealth to another night, but these are the kinds of decisions you have to make when you have an embarrassment of riches. At the very least, couldn’t they have come up with a more clever title for the spinoff, which stars Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J? On paper, new drama The Good Wife sounds like a less vicious version of FX’s Damages. Julianna Margulies is a woman whose husband lands in jail following a sex/political scandal, forcing Margulies to pursue a law career she had given up on after having a family. Margulies was terrific as a lawyer in the Fox drama Canterbury’s Law, a show that lasted all of six episodes last year. Considering the tough time CBS has had launching new shows in this slot (they may regret getting rid of Without a Trace), The Good Wife certainly has its work cut out for it, though the lack of drama competition on NBC will help.
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY
One of the nights CBS has left untouched. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gary Unmarried and Accidentally on Purpose eventually swap slots, but for now it’s nice to see Gary and Christine, which carried virtually identical audiences all season, given another shot to make a dent in the hour. ABC’s got heavy-hitting comedy competition starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, but patience could pay off and give CBS the edge. Criminal Minds and CSI: NY should have no trouble maintaining their time period dominance.
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST
If it’s possible to be boneheaded and smart at the same time, that’s what I would call CBS’s decision to move The Mentalist after only one season. True, it’s this season’s #1 new show, but why be so hasty to break up the powerful Tuesday combo that is NCIS and The Mentalist? Don’t get me wrong, The Mentalist will be just fine here. In fact, it might even be able to build on its lead-in (CSI has tumbled a bit since William Petersen left, and more viewer defection is likely as the show enters season 10 in the fall). I just think they would have been better off leaving this one alone for a little longer. Keeping Survivor at 8pm is wise, though, as the show, going into its 19th edition, would be extremely vulnerable if shifted to a different night at this point. You might look for Survivor to wrap up for good next May.
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS
The big story here, of course, is the acquisition of Medium from NBC. The show is produced by CBS TV Studios, so it’s a bit of a no-brainer considering it was NBC’s most-watched Monday show this season. Medium will fit like a glove coming out of the returning Ghost Whisperer. And holding Numb3rs at 10pm will keep the net healthy in a tough hour for another year.
SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY
Not much to say about this lineup, the second to stay the same. I had hoped that the net might take a chance and put Flashpoint (which will be back at midseason) at 9pm. Because the show is a Canadian co-production, it would be a relatively minor risk, and could always be moved if it didn't work. But, alas, it was not to be. Instead we get the Lazy Programmers Special: crime drama repeats and a newsmagazine.
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS
10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE
Moonlight fans rejoice! Alex O’Loughlin is back on CBS, this time in Three Rivers, a medical drama set inside a hospital that specializes in organ transplants. With the younger-skewing The Amazing Race as a lead-in, Three Rivers could help solve one of CBS’s toughest problems: attracting more 18-49 year-olds. Still capable of drawing a decent crowd, Cold Case should prove more consistent than The Unit in the 10pm hour, and stands a good chance at pushing Brothers & Sisters to third place (football on NBC will be first).
There’s no question that CBS is poised to continue as the most-watched network in the fall. With any luck, the slow introduction of new series that don’t center on forensics teams will help keep them in a prime position once their crime dramas start to wear thin. Their general philosophy of not fixing what ain’t broke should continue to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
MONDAY
8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI
As per usual, CBS adds one new sitcom to TV’s dominant comedy block. Accidentally on Purpose stars Jenna Elfman as a film critic who has a one-night stand and winds up pregnant. It should fit in nicely, but I’m not sure why the net keeps trying to make How I Met Your Mother work at 8pm. They've put the show here before, only to end up moving it back to a more protected hammock slot, where it's performance inevitably improves. Putting Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, both produced by Chuck Lorre, together is a logical move. And a potentially stronger lead-in could help stem some of the erosion CSI: Miami has seen this year.
TUESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE
Too much NCIS on one night? We’ll find out soon enough. It may have made more sense to spread the wealth to another night, but these are the kinds of decisions you have to make when you have an embarrassment of riches. At the very least, couldn’t they have come up with a more clever title for the spinoff, which stars Chris O’Donnell and LL Cool J? On paper, new drama The Good Wife sounds like a less vicious version of FX’s Damages. Julianna Margulies is a woman whose husband lands in jail following a sex/political scandal, forcing Margulies to pursue a law career she had given up on after having a family. Margulies was terrific as a lawyer in the Fox drama Canterbury’s Law, a show that lasted all of six episodes last year. Considering the tough time CBS has had launching new shows in this slot (they may regret getting rid of Without a Trace), The Good Wife certainly has its work cut out for it, though the lack of drama competition on NBC will help.
WEDNESDAY
8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY
One of the nights CBS has left untouched. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gary Unmarried and Accidentally on Purpose eventually swap slots, but for now it’s nice to see Gary and Christine, which carried virtually identical audiences all season, given another shot to make a dent in the hour. ABC’s got heavy-hitting comedy competition starring Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton, but patience could pay off and give CBS the edge. Criminal Minds and CSI: NY should have no trouble maintaining their time period dominance.
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST
If it’s possible to be boneheaded and smart at the same time, that’s what I would call CBS’s decision to move The Mentalist after only one season. True, it’s this season’s #1 new show, but why be so hasty to break up the powerful Tuesday combo that is NCIS and The Mentalist? Don’t get me wrong, The Mentalist will be just fine here. In fact, it might even be able to build on its lead-in (CSI has tumbled a bit since William Petersen left, and more viewer defection is likely as the show enters season 10 in the fall). I just think they would have been better off leaving this one alone for a little longer. Keeping Survivor at 8pm is wise, though, as the show, going into its 19th edition, would be extremely vulnerable if shifted to a different night at this point. You might look for Survivor to wrap up for good next May.
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS
The big story here, of course, is the acquisition of Medium from NBC. The show is produced by CBS TV Studios, so it’s a bit of a no-brainer considering it was NBC’s most-watched Monday show this season. Medium will fit like a glove coming out of the returning Ghost Whisperer. And holding Numb3rs at 10pm will keep the net healthy in a tough hour for another year.
SATURDAY
8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY
Not much to say about this lineup, the second to stay the same. I had hoped that the net might take a chance and put Flashpoint (which will be back at midseason) at 9pm. Because the show is a Canadian co-production, it would be a relatively minor risk, and could always be moved if it didn't work. But, alas, it was not to be. Instead we get the Lazy Programmers Special: crime drama repeats and a newsmagazine.
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS
10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE
Moonlight fans rejoice! Alex O’Loughlin is back on CBS, this time in Three Rivers, a medical drama set inside a hospital that specializes in organ transplants. With the younger-skewing The Amazing Race as a lead-in, Three Rivers could help solve one of CBS’s toughest problems: attracting more 18-49 year-olds. Still capable of drawing a decent crowd, Cold Case should prove more consistent than The Unit in the 10pm hour, and stands a good chance at pushing Brothers & Sisters to third place (football on NBC will be first).
There’s no question that CBS is poised to continue as the most-watched network in the fall. With any luck, the slow introduction of new series that don’t center on forensics teams will help keep them in a prime position once their crime dramas start to wear thin. Their general philosophy of not fixing what ain’t broke should continue to pay dividends for the foreseeable future.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
NBC's Fall Strategy: It's Time to Share
After offering a glimpse into its fall plans two weeks ago, NBC officially unveiled its schedule today. Despite having fewer slots to go around thanks to The Jay Leno Show, airing Monday-Friday at 10pm, NBC’s Co-Chairman Ben Silverman said that the network has actually ordered more scripted series than they did a year ago. Using the Winter Olympics as a natural breaking point between their fall and midseason schedules, NBC plans to air fewer episodes of some shows, allowing for more original programming across shared time slots. As with Fox, midseason plans should be regarded tenuously, as there’s no telling how the fall will shake out. (For descriptions of new shows, see my earlier post.)
On Mondays in the fall, Heroes moves up an hour, followed by Trauma at 9pm. Then at midseason, Chuck, whose third-season renewal is due in large part to a sponsorship deal with Subway, will return to its regular home, leading into the apocalyptic Day One. It would be smarter for NBC to swap the two dramas in the fall, leaving Heroes alone and allowing heavy promotion of Trauma to give the show a much-needed shot of adrenaline. Up against House and Dancing with the Stars, Heroes could end up falling even further.
Tuesdays will continue to consist of two-hour editions of The Biggest Loser in the fall; at midseason, Loser will be cut back to make room for comedy 100 Questions at 9:30pm. Considering that Loser picks up steam in the second hour, wouldn’t it make more sense to simply hold the show to an hour and give another series a chance here?
Parenthood starts off Wednesdays, with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit set to follow. While I'm excited about Parenthood's prospects, I’m not sure that a family dramedy leading into a show fueled by deviant criminals is going to give NBC the kind of audience flow it should be looking for. Medical drama Mercy will sub in for Parenthood after the Olympics.
As tradition dictates, Thursdays remain comedy night for the net. SNL Weekend Update Thursday will kick things off, followed by Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Community. Once Weekend Update completes its limited run, Community will shift to 8pm to make way for 30 Rock at 9:30pm. NBC got decent returns from Weekend Update last year and it could provide some lead-in support for the vulnerable Parks, but calling on Community to anchor the night after just a few weeks behind The Office could be disastrous.
NBC finishes off the workweek with a Friday crime block featuring Law & Order and Southland, a smart move on a night with diminished expectations. Saturdays will consist of Dateline NBC alongside encores of Trauma and Law & Order: SVU, while the NFL owns Sundays in the fall, and Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice returns for more two-hour sessions at midseason (it’ll be preceded by new reality show The Marriage Ref).
Is this the lineup that will get NBC out of fourth place? It’s hard to say. The net provides us with the biggest question of the fall: How will Jay Leno fare? And the answer to that question could determine the overall health of the network. Even if it doesn’t work, they'll likely stick to their guns for at least a year lest they have to admit defeat. But a network cannot be built on one personality alone. To be truly successful, NBC is going to have to start treating its shows like valued properties rather than money-sucking nuisances.
NBC FALL 2009 SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. "Heroes"
9-10 p.m. "Trauma"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. "The Biggest Loser" (two-hour edition)
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. "Parenthood"
9-10 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. "SNL Weekend Update Thursday" (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. "Parks and Recreation"
9- 9:30 p.m. "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. "Community" (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after SNL ends; "30 Rock" returns)
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. "Southland"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. "Trauma" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:20-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"
On Mondays in the fall, Heroes moves up an hour, followed by Trauma at 9pm. Then at midseason, Chuck, whose third-season renewal is due in large part to a sponsorship deal with Subway, will return to its regular home, leading into the apocalyptic Day One. It would be smarter for NBC to swap the two dramas in the fall, leaving Heroes alone and allowing heavy promotion of Trauma to give the show a much-needed shot of adrenaline. Up against House and Dancing with the Stars, Heroes could end up falling even further.
Tuesdays will continue to consist of two-hour editions of The Biggest Loser in the fall; at midseason, Loser will be cut back to make room for comedy 100 Questions at 9:30pm. Considering that Loser picks up steam in the second hour, wouldn’t it make more sense to simply hold the show to an hour and give another series a chance here?
Parenthood starts off Wednesdays, with Law & Order: Special Victims Unit set to follow. While I'm excited about Parenthood's prospects, I’m not sure that a family dramedy leading into a show fueled by deviant criminals is going to give NBC the kind of audience flow it should be looking for. Medical drama Mercy will sub in for Parenthood after the Olympics.
As tradition dictates, Thursdays remain comedy night for the net. SNL Weekend Update Thursday will kick things off, followed by Parks and Recreation, The Office, and Community. Once Weekend Update completes its limited run, Community will shift to 8pm to make way for 30 Rock at 9:30pm. NBC got decent returns from Weekend Update last year and it could provide some lead-in support for the vulnerable Parks, but calling on Community to anchor the night after just a few weeks behind The Office could be disastrous.
NBC finishes off the workweek with a Friday crime block featuring Law & Order and Southland, a smart move on a night with diminished expectations. Saturdays will consist of Dateline NBC alongside encores of Trauma and Law & Order: SVU, while the NFL owns Sundays in the fall, and Donald Trump’s Celebrity Apprentice returns for more two-hour sessions at midseason (it’ll be preceded by new reality show The Marriage Ref).
Is this the lineup that will get NBC out of fourth place? It’s hard to say. The net provides us with the biggest question of the fall: How will Jay Leno fare? And the answer to that question could determine the overall health of the network. Even if it doesn’t work, they'll likely stick to their guns for at least a year lest they have to admit defeat. But a network cannot be built on one personality alone. To be truly successful, NBC is going to have to start treating its shows like valued properties rather than money-sucking nuisances.
NBC FALL 2009 SCHEDULE
MONDAY
8-9 p.m. "Heroes"
9-10 p.m. "Trauma"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. "The Biggest Loser" (two-hour edition)
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. "Parenthood"
9-10 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. "SNL Weekend Update Thursday" (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. "Parks and Recreation"
9- 9:30 p.m. "The Office"
9:30-10 p.m. "Community" (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after SNL ends; "30 Rock" returns)
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. "Law & Order"
9-10 p.m. "Southland"
10-11 p.m. "The Jay Leno Show"
SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. "Dateline NBC"
9-10 p.m. "Trauma" (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (encore broadcast)
SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. "Football Night in America"
8:20-11 p.m. "NBC Sunday Night Football"
ABC's Fall Schedule: The Same But Different
Eight new series are set to debut on ABC next fall—four comedies, three dramas, and a reality show. In an almost alarming show of restraint, the Alphabet has kept much of its current schedule intact, with changes being made on only four nights.
Mondays will remain the same, with two hours of Dancing with the Stars leading into the returning Castle. The network is wise to keep Castle, which has shown some promising consistency in the ratings, protected behind Dancing for now. Tuesdays have the Dancing results show coming out of Shark Tank, a new reality program from Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) about people who have to convince millionaires to provide them with the funds to start their own business enterprise. And at 10pm is The Forgotten, a Jerry Bruckheimer drama revolving around a group of amateur sleuths who try to solve cases that have been abandoned by the police. Given ABC’s troubles in the 8pm slot, Shark Tank, which gets a late summer head start on the competition, will likely go the way of last year’s Opportunity Knocks, while The Forgotten is another attempt by the serial-heavy net to come up with a hit crime drama. Having Dancing as a lead-in certainly can’t hurt, but so far we haven’t really seen it help, either (whither Eli Stone and Cupid?).
Perhaps the riskiest maneuver is that the network is once again starting from scratch on Wednesdays. Just like they did two years with Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money, ABC has an entire night of unproven shows, this time comprised of a two-hour comedy block and a fantasy drama. After starring together in Fox’s Back to You, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton find their latest entries airing back-to-back. Both shows use the country's current economic hardships as their jumping off points with Grammer starring in Hank as a laid-off corporate big shot who attempts to put his life back in order, and Heaton as the matriarch of the Hecks, a middle class family, in the appropriately titled The Middle. Next up is Modern Family, a mockumentary from Steven Levitan (Just Shoot Me) and Christopher Lloyd (Frasier) that puts a comedic slant on how difficult life is these days. And Cougar Town has Courteney Cox as a MILF exploring her options. Judging by viewers’ tepid response to Scrubs and Better Off Ted (both of which will return at midseason) on the night, the net certainly has its work cut out for it in terms of both promotion and execution. Hank, The Middle, and Modern Family sound too much like the same show, and Cougar Town has already been done as a reality show on TV Land. (On a side note, when this show fails, can we agree never to use the word “cougar” again unless we’re talking about an actual cougar?) As for the 10pm drama, Eastwick is based on the John Updike novel and movie The Witches of Eastwick. Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty), Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle), and Paul Gross (Due South) head the cast of what could represent the network’s best chance at a breakout hit.
Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice will continue to air consecutively on Thursdays from 9-11pm, with new drama Flash Forward (already promoted during last week’s Lost season finale) taking the 8pm slot. Flash Forward, which tells the story of what people do after a two-minute blackout provides glimpses into their futures, is likely to be ABC’s most buzzed-about new series, but it doesn’t feel like an 8pm show. With Grey’s starting to show its age a bit (like most shows, it’s down compared to a year ago), the network is taking a risk by placing one of its hottest new properties in an uncertain time period on an extremely important night.
Fridays start with Supernanny being bumped up an hour, Ugly Betty moving from Thursdays, and perennial 20/20 staying at 10pm. With Betty’s audience already on a dangerous downhill slide, burying the show on Fridays certainly won’t do it any favors. Saturdays continue to be the home of college football, and Sundays are untouched. There had been speculation that ABC might try out a new show after Desperate Housewives, but they obviously feel that Brothers & Sisters is still not strong enough to support itself on another night.
I’m not sure that this schedule puts ABC in a position to improve on its current performance, which means another season spent lingering in third place. But there are worse places to be, and if they can get at least one of their new shows to take off, it could have a halo effect on the rest of the lineup.
ABC's fall primetime schedule is as follows (all times listed are Eastern):
MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. "Castle"
TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Shark Tank"
9:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show"
10:00 p.m. "The Forgotten"
WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Hank"
8:30 p.m. "The Middle"
9:00 p.m. "Modern Family"
9:30 p.m. "Cougar Town"
10:00 p.m. "Eastwick"
THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Flash Forward"
9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00 p.m. "Private Practice"
FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Supernanny"
9:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
10:00 p.m. "20/20"
SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Saturday Night College Football"
SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9:00 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"
10:00 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"
Mondays will remain the same, with two hours of Dancing with the Stars leading into the returning Castle. The network is wise to keep Castle, which has shown some promising consistency in the ratings, protected behind Dancing for now. Tuesdays have the Dancing results show coming out of Shark Tank, a new reality program from Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice) about people who have to convince millionaires to provide them with the funds to start their own business enterprise. And at 10pm is The Forgotten, a Jerry Bruckheimer drama revolving around a group of amateur sleuths who try to solve cases that have been abandoned by the police. Given ABC’s troubles in the 8pm slot, Shark Tank, which gets a late summer head start on the competition, will likely go the way of last year’s Opportunity Knocks, while The Forgotten is another attempt by the serial-heavy net to come up with a hit crime drama. Having Dancing as a lead-in certainly can’t hurt, but so far we haven’t really seen it help, either (whither Eli Stone and Cupid?).
Perhaps the riskiest maneuver is that the network is once again starting from scratch on Wednesdays. Just like they did two years with Pushing Daisies, Private Practice, and Dirty Sexy Money, ABC has an entire night of unproven shows, this time comprised of a two-hour comedy block and a fantasy drama. After starring together in Fox’s Back to You, Kelsey Grammer and Patricia Heaton find their latest entries airing back-to-back. Both shows use the country's current economic hardships as their jumping off points with Grammer starring in Hank as a laid-off corporate big shot who attempts to put his life back in order, and Heaton as the matriarch of the Hecks, a middle class family, in the appropriately titled The Middle. Next up is Modern Family, a mockumentary from Steven Levitan (Just Shoot Me) and Christopher Lloyd (Frasier) that puts a comedic slant on how difficult life is these days. And Cougar Town has Courteney Cox as a MILF exploring her options. Judging by viewers’ tepid response to Scrubs and Better Off Ted (both of which will return at midseason) on the night, the net certainly has its work cut out for it in terms of both promotion and execution. Hank, The Middle, and Modern Family sound too much like the same show, and Cougar Town has already been done as a reality show on TV Land. (On a side note, when this show fails, can we agree never to use the word “cougar” again unless we’re talking about an actual cougar?) As for the 10pm drama, Eastwick is based on the John Updike novel and movie The Witches of Eastwick. Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty), Lindsay Price (Lipstick Jungle), and Paul Gross (Due South) head the cast of what could represent the network’s best chance at a breakout hit.
Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice will continue to air consecutively on Thursdays from 9-11pm, with new drama Flash Forward (already promoted during last week’s Lost season finale) taking the 8pm slot. Flash Forward, which tells the story of what people do after a two-minute blackout provides glimpses into their futures, is likely to be ABC’s most buzzed-about new series, but it doesn’t feel like an 8pm show. With Grey’s starting to show its age a bit (like most shows, it’s down compared to a year ago), the network is taking a risk by placing one of its hottest new properties in an uncertain time period on an extremely important night.
Fridays start with Supernanny being bumped up an hour, Ugly Betty moving from Thursdays, and perennial 20/20 staying at 10pm. With Betty’s audience already on a dangerous downhill slide, burying the show on Fridays certainly won’t do it any favors. Saturdays continue to be the home of college football, and Sundays are untouched. There had been speculation that ABC might try out a new show after Desperate Housewives, but they obviously feel that Brothers & Sisters is still not strong enough to support itself on another night.
I’m not sure that this schedule puts ABC in a position to improve on its current performance, which means another season spent lingering in third place. But there are worse places to be, and if they can get at least one of their new shows to take off, it could have a halo effect on the rest of the lineup.
ABC's fall primetime schedule is as follows (all times listed are Eastern):
MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars" (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. "Castle"
TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Shark Tank"
9:00 p.m. "Dancing with the Stars the Results Show"
10:00 p.m. "The Forgotten"
WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Hank"
8:30 p.m. "The Middle"
9:00 p.m. "Modern Family"
9:30 p.m. "Cougar Town"
10:00 p.m. "Eastwick"
THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Flash Forward"
9:00 p.m. "Grey's Anatomy"
10:00 p.m. "Private Practice"
FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Supernanny"
9:00 p.m. "Ugly Betty"
10:00 p.m. "20/20"
SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. "Saturday Night College Football"
SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. "America's Funniest Home Videos"
8:00 p.m. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition"
9:00 p.m. "Desperate Housewives"
10:00 p.m. "Brothers & Sisters"
Monday, May 18, 2009
Fox Fall: Looking for Stability
For a TV junkie, the upfronts are like going on a week-long bender. After months of speculation we finally get official word on what’s in and what’s out on the networks’ fall schedules. And as viewership continues to dwindle across the board (case in point: the household rating for last night's Desperate Housewives season finale was down 19 percent from a year ago), it is getting harder and harder to predict which shows will be axed and which will be given salvos.
Fox was first off the block this week, and while they traditionally have two distinct schedules to present (one for fall and one for midseason, when American Idol and 24 return), this year, in an attempt to minimize disruption, they are trying to build a logical bridge between the two halves of the season. Most noteworthy in achieving this is bringing So You Think You Can Dance into the regular season, with installments set to run on Tuesdays (8-10pm) and Wednesdays (8-9pm). Indications that this was a possibility emerged last week when Fox announced they would be holding auditions for next season a full six months earlier than usual. On one hand, it’s smart to extend the performance show/results show pattern viewers are so used to with Idol into the fall, a sort of time-period warmer for the big guns. But you have to wonder if putting together another season of the show so closely on the heels of its summer run will make it feel less special and dilute the viewing pool (not to mention the fact that Dancing with the Stars will also be running in the fall). You need only look as far as last year’s strike-mandated winter edition of Big Brother to see that what works in the summer doesn’t always work in the regular season.
On the returning dramas front, the network is keeping House on Mondays at 8pm, pairing it with sophomore Lie to Me, a combination that should have an easy audience flow. After years of being bounced around the schedule, Bones looks to have found a permanent home on Thursday at 8pm, where it’s been generating the net’s best numbers for a scripted show in some time. It will be followed by Fringe at 9pm, sure to be a tough time period for a show that struggled somewhat in its freshman season despite the benefit of a massive American Idol lead-in this spring. Perhaps the biggest surprise on Fox's entire schedule is the renewal of Dollhouse, which will stay put on Fridays at 9pm. The show was reportedly brought back after slashing its budget, but what exactly is the wisdom behind renewing a show that, no matter how loudly Joss Whedon fans yelled, brought in less than three million viewers with its recent season finale?
As for comedies, the “Animation Domination” block returns with a new addition at 8:30pm, The Cleveland Show, a Family Guy spinoff that essentially turns Fox’s Sunday schedule into Seth McFarlane Night (The Simpsons is the only show in this lineup he doesn’t produce). Musical comedy Glee, which gets a preview tomorrow night, will take up residence on Wednesday at 9pm. Over on Friday, former NFL star and current Fox NFL Sunday co-host Michael Strahan stars as (what else?) a former NFL star who returns home in Brothers (8pm). That will be followed by another season of the seemingly indestructible 'Til Death. The last time Fox tried comedy on Friday, it spelled doom for both The Bernie Mac Show and Malcolm in the Middle; there's no reason to think these shows will be any different. And The Wanda Sykes Show will debut in November in the net’s Saturday late night slot. Sykes’ biting wit combined with a Politically Incorrect-style panel format should lead to a Saturday Night Live alternative that's actually funny.
Though it hinges on the success of the fall lineup, Fox also announced its midseason schedule, with 24 returning to Mondays at 9pm, and Idol back on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (8pm), leading into two new dramas: Past Life, about detectives who solve cases by relating current problems to past-life traumas, and Human Target, a comic book adaptation about a security expert (Fringe’s Mark Valley) who puts himself in danger to save his clients’ lives. Finally, Sons of Tucson, starring Reaper’s Tyler Labine, is a comedy about three young brothers who hire a paternal stand-in when their real father is sent to prison; it’ll be sandwiched between The Simpsons and Family Guy on Sundays, a slot that has not been kind to live-action sitcoms of late (remember The Winner and The Loop? Exactly.).
Overall, Fox’s fall schedule has the stability they’re looking for, with a few wild cards thrown in for good measure. Obviously, with the other networks yet to announce their plans, it’s difficult to predict just how well Fox will fare, but as ever, if this doesn’t work, they know that Idol is just around the corner, ready to save the day.
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009 (All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME
TUESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM 'TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Fox was first off the block this week, and while they traditionally have two distinct schedules to present (one for fall and one for midseason, when American Idol and 24 return), this year, in an attempt to minimize disruption, they are trying to build a logical bridge between the two halves of the season. Most noteworthy in achieving this is bringing So You Think You Can Dance into the regular season, with installments set to run on Tuesdays (8-10pm) and Wednesdays (8-9pm). Indications that this was a possibility emerged last week when Fox announced they would be holding auditions for next season a full six months earlier than usual. On one hand, it’s smart to extend the performance show/results show pattern viewers are so used to with Idol into the fall, a sort of time-period warmer for the big guns. But you have to wonder if putting together another season of the show so closely on the heels of its summer run will make it feel less special and dilute the viewing pool (not to mention the fact that Dancing with the Stars will also be running in the fall). You need only look as far as last year’s strike-mandated winter edition of Big Brother to see that what works in the summer doesn’t always work in the regular season.
On the returning dramas front, the network is keeping House on Mondays at 8pm, pairing it with sophomore Lie to Me, a combination that should have an easy audience flow. After years of being bounced around the schedule, Bones looks to have found a permanent home on Thursday at 8pm, where it’s been generating the net’s best numbers for a scripted show in some time. It will be followed by Fringe at 9pm, sure to be a tough time period for a show that struggled somewhat in its freshman season despite the benefit of a massive American Idol lead-in this spring. Perhaps the biggest surprise on Fox's entire schedule is the renewal of Dollhouse, which will stay put on Fridays at 9pm. The show was reportedly brought back after slashing its budget, but what exactly is the wisdom behind renewing a show that, no matter how loudly Joss Whedon fans yelled, brought in less than three million viewers with its recent season finale?
As for comedies, the “Animation Domination” block returns with a new addition at 8:30pm, The Cleveland Show, a Family Guy spinoff that essentially turns Fox’s Sunday schedule into Seth McFarlane Night (The Simpsons is the only show in this lineup he doesn’t produce). Musical comedy Glee, which gets a preview tomorrow night, will take up residence on Wednesday at 9pm. Over on Friday, former NFL star and current Fox NFL Sunday co-host Michael Strahan stars as (what else?) a former NFL star who returns home in Brothers (8pm). That will be followed by another season of the seemingly indestructible 'Til Death. The last time Fox tried comedy on Friday, it spelled doom for both The Bernie Mac Show and Malcolm in the Middle; there's no reason to think these shows will be any different. And The Wanda Sykes Show will debut in November in the net’s Saturday late night slot. Sykes’ biting wit combined with a Politically Incorrect-style panel format should lead to a Saturday Night Live alternative that's actually funny.
Though it hinges on the success of the fall lineup, Fox also announced its midseason schedule, with 24 returning to Mondays at 9pm, and Idol back on Tuesdays and Wednesdays (8pm), leading into two new dramas: Past Life, about detectives who solve cases by relating current problems to past-life traumas, and Human Target, a comic book adaptation about a security expert (Fringe’s Mark Valley) who puts himself in danger to save his clients’ lives. Finally, Sons of Tucson, starring Reaper’s Tyler Labine, is a comedy about three young brothers who hire a paternal stand-in when their real father is sent to prison; it’ll be sandwiched between The Simpsons and Family Guy on Sundays, a slot that has not been kind to live-action sitcoms of late (remember The Winner and The Loop? Exactly.).
Overall, Fox’s fall schedule has the stability they’re looking for, with a few wild cards thrown in for good measure. Obviously, with the other networks yet to announce their plans, it’s difficult to predict just how well Fox will fare, but as ever, if this doesn’t work, they know that Idol is just around the corner, ready to save the day.
FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009 (All Times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME
TUESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show
WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE
THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE
FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM 'TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE
SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA'S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
SUNDAY
7:00-8:00 PM THE OT (NFL post-game)
8:00-8:30 PM THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9:00 PM THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9:00-9:30 PM FAMILY GUY
9:30-10:00 PM AMERICAN DAD
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
A Trip to the Nut-House
After a string of solid episodes that included Mos Def's guest turn as a patient with locked-in syndrome and the unexpected and brilliantly unexplained suicide of Dr. Cutner (Kal Penn, who left the show to go work for President Obama), House capped off its season with an installment that put the titular doc's very sanity on the line. In recent weeks, House (Hugh Laurie, perhaps the best actor currently working on TV) has suffered from hallucinatory visions of Wilson's dead girlfriend Amber. Acting as his subconscious, Amber (the much-missed Anne Dudek) proved useful in helping House crack cases, but her presence was a mystery that even House couldn't figure out.
To rid himself of these apparitions, House detoxed from Vicodin with the help of Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), who ended up sleeping with him. Or did she? We learned last night that these events never occurred; they were nothing more than hallucinations as House actually ramped up his drug use rather than curtailing it. House has long been a sad, lonely man, and he is made even more so now that his best friend—the drug—has become his lover.
The hour ended with House checking himself into a psychiatric hospital, an incredibly humble—and no doubt humiliating—admission for an indefatigable man whose greatest asset is his mental dexterity. The show's writers ended last season with a mind-blowing two-parter featuring a bus crash that ultimately led to Amber's death. This year, they've managed to top that riveting feat with a reveal that puts the very nature and future of our "hero" in question. Where does House (the doctor) go from here? Where does House (the series) go from here? I haven't a clue, but this show, which has taken great strides in breaking up its formula of late, has me eager to find out.
To rid himself of these apparitions, House detoxed from Vicodin with the help of Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein), who ended up sleeping with him. Or did she? We learned last night that these events never occurred; they were nothing more than hallucinations as House actually ramped up his drug use rather than curtailing it. House has long been a sad, lonely man, and he is made even more so now that his best friend—the drug—has become his lover.
The hour ended with House checking himself into a psychiatric hospital, an incredibly humble—and no doubt humiliating—admission for an indefatigable man whose greatest asset is his mental dexterity. The show's writers ended last season with a mind-blowing two-parter featuring a bus crash that ultimately led to Amber's death. This year, they've managed to top that riveting feat with a reveal that puts the very nature and future of our "hero" in question. Where does House (the doctor) go from here? Where does House (the series) go from here? I haven't a clue, but this show, which has taken great strides in breaking up its formula of late, has me eager to find out.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Lesson Learned From TV: Pigs Are Heavy
Maybe more than any other reality show, The Amazing Race is almost always won by a team that truly deserves the million-dollar prize. This season was no exception. Brother/sister team Tammy and Victor emerged victorious last night, capping off a season that had the teams doing everything from enduring an excruciating foot massage to carrying huge wheels of cheese down a hill. It was an emotional finish, with Tammy and Victor overcoming communication problems that plagued them early in the race (Victor will probably never live down his commitment to going the wrong way as they pair trekked through the hills of Romania), arriving at a greater understanding of their family dynamic.
As gracious a race as the winners ran, their competition in the final three was decidedly mixed. Margie and her deaf son Luke put up a good fight throughout—particularly Margie, who appeared to almost single-handedly carry the team to the final leg while Luke did little more than yell “go, go, go”—but Luke’s sense of entitlement was always a deterrent for me. How do you root for someone who feels like he deserves to be there just because he’s deaf? I appreciate that he’s faced adversity all his life, but he had a nasty streak in him that made him hard to like.
The crown for most unlikable team, however, goes to cheerleader friends Jaime and Cara (actually more Jaime than Cara, who is unfortunately guilty by association). You’d think that after spending so much time on the race, Jaime would have realized that screaming at people might not be the best way to get them to help you. It certainly didn’t spur her partner on when, in the next-to-last task, Cara had difficulty carrying a pig to a luau. Jaime’s constant frustration over the language barriers turned her into the quintessential example of the Ugly American.
Of course, every show has to have its villains, and while this edition of Race had a couple doozies, this most genuine of reality shows never messes with the game play to create a manufactured Hollywood ending. It wasn't the most suspenseful race to the finish line ever (once Victor finished the memory task, it was pretty clear they'd sail to the mat), but it’s refreshing to report that, in this instance, nice won out over sinister. Congratulations to Tammy and Victor for a race run with class and dignity.
As gracious a race as the winners ran, their competition in the final three was decidedly mixed. Margie and her deaf son Luke put up a good fight throughout—particularly Margie, who appeared to almost single-handedly carry the team to the final leg while Luke did little more than yell “go, go, go”—but Luke’s sense of entitlement was always a deterrent for me. How do you root for someone who feels like he deserves to be there just because he’s deaf? I appreciate that he’s faced adversity all his life, but he had a nasty streak in him that made him hard to like.
The crown for most unlikable team, however, goes to cheerleader friends Jaime and Cara (actually more Jaime than Cara, who is unfortunately guilty by association). You’d think that after spending so much time on the race, Jaime would have realized that screaming at people might not be the best way to get them to help you. It certainly didn’t spur her partner on when, in the next-to-last task, Cara had difficulty carrying a pig to a luau. Jaime’s constant frustration over the language barriers turned her into the quintessential example of the Ugly American.
Of course, every show has to have its villains, and while this edition of Race had a couple doozies, this most genuine of reality shows never messes with the game play to create a manufactured Hollywood ending. It wasn't the most suspenseful race to the finish line ever (once Victor finished the memory task, it was pretty clear they'd sail to the mat), but it’s refreshing to report that, in this instance, nice won out over sinister. Congratulations to Tammy and Victor for a race run with class and dignity.
Monday, May 4, 2009
NBC's Fall Lineup Starting to Take Shape
While not an official fall schedule announcement—that will come on May 19—NBC did issue renewal notices and started introducing its new crop of shows to advertisers in what the network dubs its “infront,” during which it makes individual presentations to advertisers prior to the upfront blitz that will occur in two weeks time.
Let’s start with the shows that will be returning to the NBC schedule, some of them previously announced: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (whose stars, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni remain in contract negotiations), The Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights (in a two-year continuation of the DirecTV deal), The Biggest Loser, The Celebrity Apprentice, Heroes, Southland, and Parks and Recreation. In addition, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, which had some success during last year’s presidential campaign, will be back for another six episodes. Still awaiting a decision are Chuck, Medium, Law & Order (looking to tie Gunsmoke as TV's longest-running drama), and My Name Is Earl. With Jay Leno taking over the 10pm slot, the network only has 10 hours to play with this fall (Sunday is football night and, even with fewer hours available, I don’t think they’ll be aggressively programming Saturday anytime soon). This means that some of these shows will have to wait until midseason to premiere, and some will likely be held until after the Winter Olympics end in late February.
As for the new series, the Peacock has picked up a quartet of dramas, three of them from producers who hail from the vaunted halls of the Friday Night Lights offices. Peter Berg’s Trauma sounds like Third Watch set in San Francisco, while Liz Heldens’s Mercy looks at hospital life from the nurses' point of view. Clearly, the network is trying to fill the void left by ER’s retirement, but debuting two medical dramas in the fall could potentially cannibalize the audience for both, so look for one of these to be held for later.
Meanwhile, Jason Katims brings us Parenthood, based on Ron Howard’s 1989 film, and starring Peter Krause (Dirty Sexy Money) and Maura Tierney (ER). Much like ABC’s failed attempt to revive Cupid ten years later, NBC is going back to a well that dried up when Parenthood was turned into a short-lived sitcom back in 1990. But if the show is anywhere near as real as Lights, this should definitely be one worth watching. Finally, from Heroes executive producer Jesse Alexander comes Day One, a limited-run series that follows the residents of an apartment complex who try to rebuild society after a catastrophe hobbles the entire planet. Melrose Place: Apocalypse?
On the comedy front, 100 Questions is about a woman who takes a compatibility test, with each question reminding her of some past experience that reveals exactly what she’s looking for in love. And Community, starring The Soup’s Joel McHale, is about a group of community college students who form a study group. One of these will probably end up on Thursday when SNL Weekend Update finishes its run, while the other could be positioned after a 90-minute Biggest Loser on Tuesday.
With this announcement, NBC appears to be putting on a brave front; co-chairman Ben Silverman says, "We are thrilled to be announcing such an awesome slate of new series that build on our existing quality brand and deliver emotional, human stories." But after the high-profile misfires the network had this year, including Kings and My Own Worst Enemy, and the uncertainty that comes with stripping Leno in prime time, they have to be worried that it’ll be a long road back to any real success. But with all the networks facing the same challenges (overcoming increased DVR usage and new media distractions), NBC’s road may not prove to be any bumpier than the competition's.
Let’s start with the shows that will be returning to the NBC schedule, some of them previously announced: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (whose stars, Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni remain in contract negotiations), The Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights (in a two-year continuation of the DirecTV deal), The Biggest Loser, The Celebrity Apprentice, Heroes, Southland, and Parks and Recreation. In addition, Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday, which had some success during last year’s presidential campaign, will be back for another six episodes. Still awaiting a decision are Chuck, Medium, Law & Order (looking to tie Gunsmoke as TV's longest-running drama), and My Name Is Earl. With Jay Leno taking over the 10pm slot, the network only has 10 hours to play with this fall (Sunday is football night and, even with fewer hours available, I don’t think they’ll be aggressively programming Saturday anytime soon). This means that some of these shows will have to wait until midseason to premiere, and some will likely be held until after the Winter Olympics end in late February.
As for the new series, the Peacock has picked up a quartet of dramas, three of them from producers who hail from the vaunted halls of the Friday Night Lights offices. Peter Berg’s Trauma sounds like Third Watch set in San Francisco, while Liz Heldens’s Mercy looks at hospital life from the nurses' point of view. Clearly, the network is trying to fill the void left by ER’s retirement, but debuting two medical dramas in the fall could potentially cannibalize the audience for both, so look for one of these to be held for later.
Meanwhile, Jason Katims brings us Parenthood, based on Ron Howard’s 1989 film, and starring Peter Krause (Dirty Sexy Money) and Maura Tierney (ER). Much like ABC’s failed attempt to revive Cupid ten years later, NBC is going back to a well that dried up when Parenthood was turned into a short-lived sitcom back in 1990. But if the show is anywhere near as real as Lights, this should definitely be one worth watching. Finally, from Heroes executive producer Jesse Alexander comes Day One, a limited-run series that follows the residents of an apartment complex who try to rebuild society after a catastrophe hobbles the entire planet. Melrose Place: Apocalypse?
On the comedy front, 100 Questions is about a woman who takes a compatibility test, with each question reminding her of some past experience that reveals exactly what she’s looking for in love. And Community, starring The Soup’s Joel McHale, is about a group of community college students who form a study group. One of these will probably end up on Thursday when SNL Weekend Update finishes its run, while the other could be positioned after a 90-minute Biggest Loser on Tuesday.
With this announcement, NBC appears to be putting on a brave front; co-chairman Ben Silverman says, "We are thrilled to be announcing such an awesome slate of new series that build on our existing quality brand and deliver emotional, human stories." But after the high-profile misfires the network had this year, including Kings and My Own Worst Enemy, and the uncertainty that comes with stripping Leno in prime time, they have to be worried that it’ll be a long road back to any real success. But with all the networks facing the same challenges (overcoming increased DVR usage and new media distractions), NBC’s road may not prove to be any bumpier than the competition's.
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