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Network Upfronts 2021: Some ‘Big Leaps,’ ‘Killer’ Changes, and Hardly ‘Ordinary’
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Text
Fall Fusion 2021 (The CW)
The Coronavirus pandemic undoubtedly altered the landscape of primetime TV throughout the 2020-21 season. Studio audiences were universally eliminated, due to safety precautions. Some series had to have their production delayed altogether. But with vaccinations ramping up, old slivers of normalcy should incrementally return to our screens across the course of next season.
Tentatively, NBC and Fox are set to unveil their “upfronts” on May 17; and, twenty-four hours later, ABC will follow suit on May 18. The final reveal of that week will occur on May 19, when CBS introduces its Fall 2021 slate to the world. The CW will wait until May 25 to hold its “upfronts.”
As always, a host of network programs are considered “on-the-bubble” – meaning their chances of getting renewed or canceled might be about as predictable as a coin-flip. The shows still waiting to hear if they’ve been renewed include: Kenan, Young Rock, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, Manifest, Debris, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and Good Girls on NBC; American Housewife, The Goldbergs, Mixedish, Call Your Mother, For Life, Station 19, A Million Little Things, Big Sky, Rebel, and The Rookie on ABC; The Unicorn, B Positive, United States of Al, SEAL Team, All Rise, and Clarice on CBS; and Call Me Kat, Bless the Harts, 911, 911: Lone Star, The Resident, and Prodigal Son on Fox.
Although the fall/winter/spring divide will probably be a lot smoother than it was this past season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the networks decide to “chunk” their series into 8-, 9-, or 10-episode strings of uninterrupted airings. These would be strategically placed as “pods” intermittent between the fall, winter, spring, and summer.
In addition, “time-sharing” different programs within the same slot across the networks’ schedules would be a more efficient way of getting mileage out of successful programming – especially how it would bake in natural “backup programming” to leave fewer gaps in the event of unexpected Coronavirus-related interruptions in production. At a certain point, hopefully Coronavirus will become so contained that it no longer forces temporary shutdowns of specific productions with any regularity.
(All times are Eastern/Pacific; subtract one hour for the Central/Mountain time zones)
(New shows highlighted in bold)
Featured network for today’s column…
The CW
Sunday
7:00 – Local Programming
8:00 – Charmed
9:00 – Batwoman (fall/spring) / In The Dark (winter/summer)
In the fall, Charmed and Batwoman would be coupled together, once again. Batwoman can then temporarily move to Mondays in January, allowing In the Dark to begin airing its fourth season.
Monday
8:00 – All-American (fall/spring) / Batwoman (winter)
9:00 – All-American: Homecoming (fall) / Naomi (winter) / Roswell, New Mexico (spring/summer)
All-American should serve as a lead-in to its announced spinoff, All-American: Homecoming (centered around the Simone Hicks character, played by Geffri Maya). They both would go on hiatus in January, making way for Batwoman to migrate over from Sundays to cushion the new Ava DuVernay-produced superheroine drama, Naomi. If Homecoming doesn’t receive a Back-Nine Order, then Roswell, New Mexico could replace Naomi in the spring.
Tuesday
8:00 – The Flash
9:00 – Superman & Lois (fall/spring) / Legends of Tomorrow (winter)
The Flash can hold down the opening slot on Tuesdays all season long, nurturing Superman & Lois in the fall as the latter returns for its sophomore season. In January, Legends of Tomorrow would air a string of fresh episodes before turning the slot back over to Superman & Lois so it can finish the second half of Season 2.
Wednesday
8:00 – Riverdale
9:00 – Nancy Drew (fall/spring) / The 4400 (winter)
Riverdale would remain the Wednesday night anchor, once again buttressing Nancy Drew as the distaff sleuth returns for her third season. In-between fall and spring “pods” of Nancy Drew, the network’s reimagination of The 4400 (starring Arrow’s Joseph-David Jones) could air beginning in January.
Thursday
8:00 – Walker
9:00 – Powerpuff (fall) / Stargirl (winter) / Back-Nine Order (spring/summer)
Jared Padalecki’s Walker appears to be a hit for The CW, and it will most likely be secure as a permanent Thursday night anchor. In the fall, Walker can lend extra blast to the live-action superheroine ensemble Powerpuff (starring Dove Cameron, Chloe Bennet, and Yana Perrault).
Meanwhile, Stargirl could return for the first part of its third season in January, airing half of its total episodes before taking a hiatus prior to another summer return. The post-Walker time slot in the spring would go to a Back-Nine Order for Powerpuff…or else Roswell, New Mexico’s fourth season could slide in here.
Friday
8:00 – Legacies (fall/spring) / Masters of Illusion (winter/summer)
8:30 – Legacies (fall/spring) / Whose Line is it Anyway? (winter/summer)
9:00 – Dynasty (fall/spring) / Penn & Teller: Fool Us (winter/summer)
Legacies and Dynasty can air fall and spring “pods” concurrently, on Fridays. In-between (for mid-winter and summer), reliable players such as Masters of Illusion, Whose Line is it Anyway?, and Penn & Teller: Fool Us would air here to close out the week.
The pandemic has definitely forced networks to get creative with their programming. The higher turnaround time for production of scripted series may necessitate that programs split up their seasons into “chunks,” essentially “time-sharing” the same slot with other shows that get rotated in at other points during the season. As social-distancing restrictions gradually become more relaxed, unscripted programming with live studio audiences can be slowly integrated back into the studio itineraries.
Despite the year-plus lockdowns we’ve endured, primetime television has proved to be resilient and resourceful. There’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case as we head into 2022.
0 notes
Text
Fall Fusion 2021 (Fox)
The Coronavirus pandemic undoubtedly altered the landscape of primetime TV throughout the 2020-21 season. Studio audiences were universally eliminated, due to safety precautions. Some series had to have their production delayed altogether. But with vaccinations ramping up, old slivers of normalcy should incrementally return to our screens across the course of next season.
Tentatively, NBC and Fox are set to unveil their “upfronts” on May 17; and, twenty-four hours later, ABC will follow suit on May 18. The final reveal of that week will occur on May 19, when CBS introduces its Fall 2021 slate to the world. The CW will wait until May 25 to hold its “upfronts.”
As always, a host of network programs are considered “on-the-bubble” – meaning their chances of getting renewed or canceled might be about as predictable as a coin-flip. The shows still waiting to hear if they’ve been renewed include: Kenan, Young Rock, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, Manifest, Debris, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and Good Girls on NBC; American Housewife, The Goldbergs, Mixedish, Call Your Mother, For Life, Station 19, A Million Little Things, Big Sky, Rebel, and The Rookie on ABC; The Unicorn, B Positive, United States of Al, SEAL Team, All Rise, and Clarice on CBS; and Call Me Kat, Bless the Harts, 911, 911: Lone Star, The Resident, and Prodigal Son on Fox.
Although the fall/winter/spring divide will probably be a lot smoother than it was this past season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the networks decide to “chunk” their series into 8-, 9-, or 10-episode strings of uninterrupted airings. These would be strategically placed as “pods” intermittent between the fall, winter, spring, and summer.
In addition, “time-sharing” different programs within the same slot across the networks’ schedules would be a more efficient way of getting mileage out of successful programming – especially how it would bake in natural “backup programming” to leave fewer gaps in the event of unexpected Coronavirus-related interruptions in production. At a certain point, hopefully Coronavirus will become so contained that it no longer forces temporary shutdowns of specific productions with any regularity.
(All times are Eastern/Pacific; subtract one hour for the Central/Mountain time zones)
(New shows highlighted in bold)
Featured network for today’s column…
FOX
Sunday
7:00 – NFL on Fox (fall) / Encore Programming (winter/spring)
7:30 – NFL on Fox (fall) / Duncanville (winter/spring)
8:00 – The Simpsons
8:30 – Bless The Hearts (fall) / The Great North (winter/spring)
9:00 – Bob’s Burgers
9:30 – Family Guy
Fox’s traditional Sunday night “Animation Domination” lineup will probably remain as is, with some series rotated in at specific times during the season.
Monday
8:00 – 911 (fall/spring) / Name That Tune (winter)
9:00 – 911: Lone Star (fall/spring) / America’s Most Wanted (winter)
Ryan Murphy’s duo of 911 franchise entries pair well together, so they’ll probably still be scheduled as twins for two separate “pods” during the year. During the “off-season” (outside of fall and spring), unscripted programming such as Name That Tune and America’s Most Wanted can pick up the slack here.
Tuesday
8:00 – The Resident (fall/spring) / Game of Talents (winter)
9:00 – Our Kind of People (fall) / Masquerade Ball (winter) / Back-Nine Drama (spring)
With The Resident somewhat on the bubble, I suspect it will return to the schedule in the fall due to its familiarity and syndication potential. It could serve as a lead-in for Our Kind of People – a Black family drama co-produced by Lee Daniels and Karin Gist. Then, midseason would bring the return of Game of Talents, along with the new reality entry Masquerade Ball. The 9pm slot in the spring could go to whatever new series (Our Kind of People or Blood Relative) ends up receiving a Back-Nine Order.
Wednesday
8:00 – The Masked Singer (fall/spring) / The Masked Dancer (winter)
9:00 – Blood Relative (fall) / The Big Leap (winter) / Back-Nine Drama (spring)
The Masked Singer will be a reliable player for the fall and spring. This wildly-popular reality entry could provide a good lead-in for Blood Relative, an investigative crime drama starring Melissa Leo (Homicide: Life on the Street).
Midseason, The Masked Dancer will foxtrot its way back in-between fall and spring editions of the show it spun off from; it should be used as a lead-in to launch musical dramedy The Big Leap (an ensemble led by Scott Foley and Teri Polo). In the spring, that 9pm time slot can be turned back over to Blood Relative…or to hour-long filler programming.
Thursday
8:00 – Thursday Night Football (fall) / Prodigal Son (winter/spring)
9:00 – Thursday Night Football (fall) / Pivoting (winter) / This Country (spring)
9:30 – Thursday Night Football (fall) / Call Me Kat (winter/spring)
After football has completed its autumn run, Prodigal Son could return in December or January to lead into a new comedy bloc: Mayim Bialik’s Call Me Kat would be paired with the single-cam Pivoting (which stars Ginnifer Goodwin, Eliza Coupe, and Maggie Q). Half-hour mockumentary This Country could slide into Pivoting’s time slot in April or May.
Friday
8:00 – WWE Smackdown
WWE Smackdown is the only game in town on Fridays. No other series need apply. The only exception to this would be if filler programming was needed to fill any weeks where the televised wrestling was, for whatever reason, unavailable. Options in this mold could include Mental Samurai, Hell’s Kitchen, MasterChef, MasterChef Junior, and I Can See Your Voice.
The pandemic has definitely forced networks to get creative with their programming. The higher turnaround time for production of scripted series may necessitate that programs split up their seasons into “chunks,” essentially “time-sharing” the same slot with other shows that get rotated in at other points during the season. As social-distancing restrictions gradually become more relaxed, unscripted programming with live studio audiences can be slowly integrated back into the studio itineraries.
Despite the year-plus lockdowns we’ve endured, primetime television has proved to be resilient and resourceful. There’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case as we head into 2022.
0 notes
Text
Fall Fusion 2021 (NBC)
The Coronavirus pandemic undoubtedly altered the landscape of primetime TV throughout the 2020-21 season. Studio audiences were universally eliminated, due to safety precautions. Some series had to have their production delayed altogether. But with vaccinations ramping up, old slivers of normalcy should incrementally return to our screens across the course of next season.
Tentatively, NBC and Fox are set to unveil their “upfronts” on May 17; and, twenty-four hours later, ABC will follow suit on May 18. The final reveal of that week will occur on May 19, when CBS introduces its Fall 2021 slate to the world. The CW will wait until May 25 to hold its “upfronts.”
As always, a host of network programs are considered “on-the-bubble” – meaning their chances of getting renewed or canceled might be about as predictable as a coin-flip. The shows still waiting to hear if they’ve been renewed include: Kenan, Young Rock, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, Manifest, Debris, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and Good Girls on NBC; American Housewife, The Goldbergs, Mixedish, Call Your Mother, For Life, Station 19, A Million Little Things, Big Sky, Rebel, and The Rookie on ABC; The Unicorn, B Positive, United States of Al, SEAL Team, All Rise, and Clarice on CBS; and Call Me Kat, Bless the Harts, 911, 911: Lone Star, The Resident, and Prodigal Son on Fox.
Although the fall/winter/spring divide will probably be a lot smoother than it was this past season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the networks decide to “chunk” their series into 8-, 9-, or 10-episode strings of uninterrupted airings. These would be strategically placed as “pods” intermittent between the fall, winter, spring, and summer.
In addition, “time-sharing” different programs within the same slot across the networks’ schedules would be a more efficient way of getting mileage out of successful programming – especially how it would bake in natural “backup programming” to leave fewer gaps in the event of unexpected Coronavirus-related interruptions in production. At a certain point, hopefully Coronavirus will become so contained that it no longer forces temporary shutdowns of specific productions with any regularity.
(All times are Eastern/Pacific; subtract one hour for the Central/Mountain time zones)
(New shows highlighted in bold)
Featured network for today’s column…
NBC
Sunday
7:00 – Football Night in America (fall) / Dateline NBC (winter) / The Wall (spring)
8:00 – Football Night in America (fall) / Ellen’s Game of Games (winter/spring)
9:00 – Football Night in America (fall) / Getaway (winter) / Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist (spring)
10:00 – Football Night in America (fall) / Transplant (winter) / The Weakest Link (spring)
After football finishes its autumn run, there is a lot more room for programming diversity here. Dateline and Ellen’s Game of Games are reliable players, and could serve as a good lead-in to Getaway, a scripted thriller about wedding attendees held hostage. Imported Canadian medical drama Transplant could fill the fourth hour of the night.
Midseason, The Wall and The Weakest Link should be available to fill space, along with a third (hopefully-uninterrupted) season of Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist.
Monday
8:00 – The Voice (fall/spring) / American Ninja Warrior (winter)
9:00 – The Voice (fall/spring) / Who Do You Think You Are? (winter)
10:00 – Ordinary Joe (fall) / The Thing About Pam (winter) / At That Age (spring)
Fall and spring cycles of The Voice are basically a given on Mondays, with other reality programming on-deck as filler during the “winterim.” In the fall, the post-Voice slot should be given to the James Wolk-led alternate universe fantasy Ordinary Joe (held over from last season’s development cycle). January 2022 could see the arrival of Renee Zellweger’s six-episode limited crime series The Thing About Pam. By March, the slot can be turned over to either a Back-Nine order of episodes for Ordinary Joe…or the Emayatzy Corinealdi (Middle of Nowhere) family drama At That Age.
Tuesday
8:00 – The Voice Results Show (fall/spring) / Young Rock (winter)
8:30 – The Voice Results Show (fall/spring) / Hungry (winter)
9:00 – This is Us
10:00 – New Amsterdam
The duo of This is Us and New Amsterdam will probably hold firm, here – preceded, as usual, by The Voice’s results show. Young Rock has done well enough in the ratings that it should return for a sophomore season, and I’d pair it with the new Demi Lovato sitcom Hungry.
Wednesday
8:00 – Chicago Fire
9:00 – Chicago Med
10:00 – Chicago P.D.
NBC’s trademark all-Chicago lineup has been going strong since 2018, and there’s no reason to believe that will change.
Thursday
8:00 – Mr. Mayor (fall/spring) / Manifest (winter)
8:30 – American Auto (fall) / Manifest (winter) / Brooklyn Nine-Nine (spring)
9:00 – Kenan (fall/spring) / La Brea (winter)
9:30 – Grand Crew (fall) / La Brea (winter) / Back-Nine Sitcom (spring)
10:00 – Law & Order: Organized Crime
With the cancellation of Superstore, NBC needs to rebuild its Thursday comedy lineup. I’d put Mr. Mayor and Kenan as the anchors, with new entries American Auto (starring Ana Gasteyer) and Grand Crew (an ensemble led by Echo Kellum and Nicole Byer) airing in-between them. Law & Order: Organized Crime would continue to bring up the rear.
Midseason, Manifest’s fourth season can be paired with the new sci-fi action-adventure series La Brea, to temporarily sub in for the two-hour comedy bloc. When comedies return in April or May, it might be the night to air Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s announced final season (along with whichever of American Auto or Grand Crew receives a Back-Nine order).
Friday
8:00 – The Blacklist
9:00 – Law & Order SVU
10:00 – Dateline NBC
The only change I’d make to Fridays is moving Law & Order: Special Victims Unit here, paired nicely with The Blacklist. Because SVU is a venerable player with such a loyal audience, I’ve been saying for years how it should be able to survive a migration to the otherwise-sleepy Friday perch.
The pandemic has definitely forced networks to get creative with their programming. The higher turnaround time for production of scripted series may necessitate that programs split up their seasons into “chunks,” essentially “time-sharing” the same slot with other shows that get rotated in at other points during the season. As social-distancing restrictions gradually become more relaxed, unscripted programming with live studio audiences can be slowly integrated back into the studio itineraries.
Despite the year-plus lockdowns we’ve endured, primetime television has proved to be resilient and resourceful. There’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case as we head into 2022.
0 notes
Text
Fall Fusion 2021 (CBS)
The Coronavirus pandemic undoubtedly altered the landscape of primetime TV throughout the 2020-21 season. Studio audiences were universally eliminated, due to safety precautions. Some series had to have their production delayed altogether. But with vaccinations ramping up, old slivers of normalcy should incrementally return to our screens across the course of next season.
Tentatively, NBC and Fox are set to unveil their “upfronts” on May 17; and, twenty-four hours later, ABC will follow suit on May 18. The final reveal of that week will occur on May 19, when CBS introduces its Fall 2021 slate to the world. The CW will wait until May 25 to hold its “upfronts.”
As always, a host of network programs are considered “on-the-bubble” – meaning their chances of getting renewed or canceled might be about as predictable as a coin-flip. The shows still waiting to hear if they’ve been renewed include: Kenan, Young Rock, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, Manifest, Debris, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and Good Girls on NBC; American Housewife, The Goldbergs, Mixedish, Call Your Mother, For Life, Station 19, A Million Little Things, Big Sky, Rebel, and The Rookie on ABC; The Unicorn, B Positive, United States of Al, SEAL Team, All Rise, and Clarice on CBS; and Call Me Kat, Bless the Harts, 911, 911: Lone Star, The Resident, and Prodigal Son on Fox.
Although the fall/winter/spring divide will probably be a lot smoother than it was this past season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the networks decide to “chunk” their series into 8-, 9-, or 10-episode strings of uninterrupted airings. These would be strategically placed as “pods” intermittent between the fall, winter, spring, and summer.
In addition, “time-sharing” different programs within the same slot across the networks’ schedules would be a more efficient way of getting mileage out of successful programming – especially how it would bake in natural “backup programming” to leave fewer gaps in the event of unexpected Coronavirus-related interruptions in production. At a certain point, hopefully Coronavirus will become so contained that it no longer forces temporary shutdowns of specific productions with any regularity.
(All times are Eastern/Pacific; subtract one hour for the Central/Mountain time zones)
(New shows highlighted in bold)
Featured network for today’s column…
CBS
Sunday
7:00 – 60 Minutes
8:00 – The Equalizer (fall/spring) / Undercover Boss (winter)
9:00 – NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00 – SEAL Team
The Queen Latifah-led reimagination of The Equalizer has performed well in the post-60 Minutes time slot. I’d say keep NCIS: Los Angeles where it is, and move SEAL Team into the slot being vacated by NCIS: New Orleans.
Monday
8:00 – The Neighborhood
8:30 – Welcome to Georgia (fall) / Wilde Things (winter) / Back-Nine Sitcom (spring)
9:00 – All Rise
10:00 – Bull
The Neighborhood has thrived for the past three seasons, leading off Sunday nights. Freshman sitcom Welcome to Georgia (headlined by New Girl’s Hannah Simone) should be tried out in the post-Neighborhood time slot. Midseason, the time period could be turned over to Wilde Things – an ensemble multi-cam starring Modern Family’s Julie Bowen.
All Rise and Bull would stay put as a two-hour courtroom drama blog. If Welcome to Georgia doesn’t get a Back-Nine Order, the post-Neighborhood slot could be given to B-Positive, United States of Al, or the new single-cam Ghosts.
Tuesday
8:00 – NCIS
9:00 – NCIS: Hawaii
10:00 – FBI: Most Wanted (fall/spring) / FBI: International (winter)
Nestled between NCIS and FBI: Most Wanted could be NCIS: Hawaii, the green-lit spinoff that seeks to fill the void left behind by the cancellation of NCIS: New Orleans. Midseason, the anticipated spinoff FBI: International should receive a 13-week tryout while FBI: Most Wanted prepares for a spring return.
Wednesday
8:00 – Survivor 41 (fall) / Tough as Nails (winter) / Survivor 42 (spring)
9:00 – FBI
10:00 – CSI: Vegas (fall) / Evil (winter/spring)
Survivor’s forty-first season is currently filming in Fiji. A new water-carrier to take over the immediate post-Survivor slot would be megahit FBI (original blend). The much-anticipated revival of CSI: Vegas can close out the night.
Midseason, Tough as Nails can pick up slack in-between the fall and spring cycles of Survivor. Assuming that Evil’s Summer 2021 does well enough to warrant a third season renewal, it could return in January and February in the post-FBI slot.
Thursday
8:00 – Young Sheldon
8:30 – The Unicorn (fall/winter) / Ghosts (spring)
9:00 – Bob Hearts Abishola
9:30 – United States of Al (fall/spring) / B-Positive (winter)
10:00 – Good Sam (fall) / True Lies (winter) / Back-Nine Drama (spring)
Young Sheldon and The Unicorn can remain a pair for the fall, but Bob Hearts Abishola would be a strong contender for moving into Mom’s old time slot. United States of Al’s sophomore season can be the fourth sitcom to air as part of CBS’s Thursday comedy lineup, with the Sophia Bush-helmed medical drama Good Sam closing out the evening.
By midseason, the small-screen adaptation of True Lies should be ready for a limited winter run. Whether Good Sam receives a Back-Nine pickup would determine whether we see it again in the spring…or another CBS series transplanted in its place. Also on deck: a midseason batch of episodes for B-Positive’s sophomore season, a possible Back-Nine order for United States of Al, or the debut of single-cam Ghosts.
Friday
8:00 – Magnum P.I.
9:00 – S.W.A.T.
10:00 – Blue Bloods
With MacGyver canceled, Magnum P.I. will probably be moved up to lead off the night. S.W.A.T., meanwhile, can be moved into the middle of Friday nights – and, topping off this night of crime drama nostalgia would be the return of Blue Bloods (which is most likely safe for however long Tom Selleck continues to want to do it).
The pandemic has definitely forced networks to get creative with their programming. The higher turnaround time for production of scripted series may necessitate that programs split up their seasons into “chunks,” essentially “time-sharing” the same slot with other shows that get rotated in at other points during the season. As social-distancing restrictions gradually become more relaxed, unscripted programming with live studio audiences can be slowly integrated back into the studio itineraries.
Despite the year-plus lockdowns we’ve endured, primetime television has proved to be resilient and resourceful. There’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case as we head into 2022.
0 notes
Text
Fall Fusion 2021 (ABC)
The Coronavirus pandemic undoubtedly altered the landscape of primetime TV throughout the 2020-21 season. Studio audiences were universally eliminated, due to safety precautions. Some series had to have their production delayed altogether. But with vaccinations ramping up, old slivers of normalcy should incrementally return to our screens across the course of next season.
Tentatively, NBC and Fox are set to unveil their “upfronts” on May 17; and, twenty-four hours later, ABC will follow suit on May 18. The final reveal of that week will occur on May 19, when CBS introduces its Fall 2021 slate to the world. The CW will wait until May 25 to hold its “upfronts.”
As always, a host of network programs are considered “on-the-bubble” – meaning their chances of getting renewed or canceled might be about as predictable as a coin-flip. The shows still waiting to hear if they’ve been renewed include: Kenan, Young Rock, Zoe’s Extraordinary Playlist, Manifest, Debris, Law & Order: Organized Crime, and Good Girls on NBC; American Housewife, The Goldbergs, Mixedish, Call Your Mother, For Life, Station 19, A Million Little Things, Big Sky, Rebel, and The Rookie on ABC; The Unicorn, B Positive, United States of Al, SEAL Team, All Rise, and Clarice on CBS; and Call Me Kat, Bless the Harts, 911, 911: Lone Star, The Resident, and Prodigal Son on Fox.
Although the fall/winter/spring divide will probably be a lot smoother than it was this past season, I wouldn’t be surprised if the networks decide to “chunk” their series into 8-, 9-, or 10-episode strings of uninterrupted airings. These would be strategically placed as “pods” intermittent between the fall, winter, spring, and summer.
In addition, “time-sharing” different programs within the same slot across the networks’ schedules would be a more efficient way of getting mileage out of successful programming – especially how it would bake in natural “backup programming” to leave fewer gaps in the event of unexpected Coronavirus-related interruptions in production. At a certain point, hopefully Coronavirus will become so contained that it no longer forces temporary shutdowns of specific productions with any regularity.
(All times are Eastern/Pacific; subtract one hour for the Central/Mountain time zones)
(New shows highlighted in bold)
Featured network for today’s column…
ABC
Sunday
7:00 – AFHV
8:00 – Supermarket Sweep (fall/spring) / Card Sharks (winter)
9:00 – American Housewife (fall/spring) / The Chase (winter)
9:30 – Harrity Elementary (fall) / The Chase (winter) / Sitcom Back-Nine (spring)
10:00 – The Rookie (fall/spring) / The Con (midseason)
In the fall, America’s Funniest Home Videos, Supermarket Sweep, and The Rookie should all retain their time slots from last fall. In the 9pm hour, American Housewife could be paired with the new Quinta Brunson-led teacher single-cam, Harrity Elementary.
During the post-Christmas “winterim,” programs such as Card Sharks, The Chase, and The Con can pick up slack as “fillers.” The fall lineup would return for a second wind in the spring, with the post-American Housewife half-hour slot held for either a Back-Nine order of Harrity Elementary or another comedy series being moved there to make room elsewhere on the schedule.
Monday
8:00 – Dancing with the Stars (fall) / The Bachelor (winter) / American Idol (spring)
10:00 – The Good Doctor (fall/spring) / Dark Horse (midseason)
Dancing with the Stars would return as a lead-in to The Good Doctor (which I predict will eventually move into the Grey’s Anatomy time slot, at whatever point Ellen Pompeo decides to call it quits). In the spring, American Idol would fall into Dancing’s two-hour period.
For the winter, The Bachelor will probably be ready to return to its standard mid-winter premiere date, post-pandemic. Leading out the post-Bachelor nights could be Dark Horse, an intriguing political drama about an Indigenous woman who becomes a state senator; it is based on the Australian drama Total Control.
Tuesday
8:00 – The Hustler (fall/spring) / Celebrity Wheel of Fortune (winter)
9:00 – Blackish
9:30 – Mixedish (fall/spring) / Black Don’t Crack (midseason)
10:00 – Big Sky (fall/spring) / Queens (midseason)
Big Sky has defied expectations by earning respectable ratings in what has historically been an insurmountable time slot for new series on ABC. Assuming that it returns alongside of Blackish and Mixedish, I’d recommend putting The Hustler in the opening hour of Tuesdays (as counterprogramming to NCIS).
Celebrity Wheel of Fortune is logical “filler” programming for the winter. But, in-between 9- to 11-episode “pods” of Mixedish, ABC could try out Black Don’t Crack – a sitcom headlined by Sherri Shephard, Tisha Campbell, and Essence Atkins. Similarly, in-between Big Sky’s fall and spring “pods,” the hip hop drama Queens (starring Brandy Norwood and Eve) would round out the night.
Wednesday
8:00 – The Goldbergs
8:30 – Home Economics (fall/spring) / Back-Nine Sitcom (midseason)
9:00 – The Conners
9:30 – Bucktown (fall) / The Wonder Years (winter/spring)
10:00 – Promised Land (fall) / A Million Little Things (winter/spring)
Season 9 for The Goldbergs will most likely be its final one; it should continue to nurture Home Economics…and possibly a new/relocated comedy at midseason. The Conners would still anchor the center of the evening, giving coattails to Bucktown (the new Jane Lynch multi-camera family sitcom, which could move up an hour if it does well enough to earn a Back-Nine renewal).
The new Latinx family drama Promised Land would premiere in the fall during the 10pm hour, but its time slot would be turned back over to A Million Little Things for the first half of 2022. Concurrently, Lee Daniels’s reimagination of The Wonder Years (starring Henry Danger’s E.J. Williams) would accompany the return of A Million Little Things in January. If Promised Land performs so strongly that it warrants a Back-Nine order, it might need to be moved over to the post-Greys slot on Thursdays.
Thursday
8:00 – Station 19
9:00 – Grey’s Antaomy
10:00 – Epic (fall/spring) / Women of the Movement (winter)
There’s no reason to believe Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy won’t return to fill the first two hours of what used to be “Shondaland.” As for the third hour: Epic, an anthology fantasy from the creative team behind Once Upon a Time, ought to be tried out in the post-Greys time slot. Only time will tell if Epic would bring in decent enough ratings to return for a Back-Nine in the spring; but its slot would still need to be filled at least for a few months in the winter, at which point the long-awaited Women of the Movement should clock in here.
Friday
8:00 – Shark Tank
9:00 – Emergency Call (fall/spring) / Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
10:00 – 20/20
Shark Tank is all but certain to retain its Friday night berth, followed by two-hour helpings of 20/20. The only exception might be during portions of the season when the 9pm hour is reserved for limited runs of Emergency Call or Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
The pandemic has definitely forced networks to get creative with their programming. The higher turnaround time for production of scripted series may necessitate that programs split up their seasons into “chunks,” essentially “time-sharing” the same slot with other shows that get rotated in at other points during the season. As social-distancing restrictions gradually become more relaxed, unscripted programming with live studio audiences can be slowly integrated back into the studio itineraries.
Despite the year-plus lockdowns we’ve endured, primetime television has proved to be resilient and resourceful. There’s no reason to believe that won’t be the case as we head into 2022.
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