It's that time of year again, but unfortunately, the remnants of the Writer's Strike are all over this schedule. Five networks with a total of 23 new shows, including game shows, reality (aka unscripted) shows, dramas and to a much lesser extent, sitcoms. I'm not sure exactly what is happening to network development divisions, but it doesn't seem like anything positive is going on.
The three shows that seem to me to have the biggest pre-season buzz are (in reverse order) Fox's Dollhouse, Fox's Fringe and believe it or not, the CW's new 90210. I'm not saying these are going to become anything necessarily, but since the upfront in May, these kids are the ones that have seemingly received most of the attention.
Due to the strike, the pilot and development seasons were thrown into nasty disarray and I believe that's why this crop of new shows is so poor. It's also why several of last season's new shows have returned -- remember, new shows from last year aired/produced 7-12 episodes before everything was shut down. (A typical broadcast order is 22 episodes.) Even some old favorites might not have returned had it not been for the strike...ER anyone? Even with that nugget, only ten of last year's 44 new shows have returned. Not the best ROI for networks and producers.
ABC is relatively well positioned, even with only two new launches. CBS is the best set up of all the networks and they've even tinkered to add three dramas and two bonafide sitcoms. You have to give the CW credit for trying...then again they handed Sunday over to an independent producer. (Huh? The CW decided to sell/give/allow Media Rights Capital to program their Sunday night.) American Idol covers up most of the problems that Fox has. When that mic finally goes silent, and/or the ratings take a plunge, Fox is screwed. Speaking of screwed, there's NBC. Oh. My. God. Seriously, it's like they really don't know how to do anything right. It's truly sad. If they didn't promo the hell out of their entire sked during the Olympics and have the promotional platform of Sunday Night Football, I'm not sure anyone would be watching.
I blew it last year when I thought Private Practice would be the breakout hit of the year. Then again, that's before I watched it and discovered it was, well, kind of awful. More accurately, not what you'd expect from the folks who give you Grey's Anatomy. The strike was sort of a blessing for them. The season two premiere is as close to a do-over as you get in TV.
First to Die. I make mention of it on various showcards. I'm nominating two: Do Not Disturb (Fox) and Eleventh Hour (CBS). I'm ignoring the CW Sunday since I have no idea exactly what type of control the CW has over the Media Rights Capital programming.
I'll give tiny props to Fox for trying something different. Game show Hole in the Wall is so far out there...whether it works or not, I'm not sure, but it's better than another reality show where celebrities have their chihuahuas groomed while they get pedicures in rehab.
That's it from letterten World HQ...it's time to put a lid on this and let you get to the shows and the grids. Enjoy!
(Some notes: Nielsen says this year one ratings point equals 1.145 million homes, or 1% of the 114.5 million households with TV. If you're looking for midseason stuff, you'll find it on the network grids ONLY. And as always, if you spot an erorr (!), please let me know.)
