FALL PREVIEW 2011: Thursday

Thursday has traditionally been a night of big guns and there continues to be quite a few this year but some are aging quickly. There is also at least one heavily hyped new show on each network which will make for an interesting ratings battle.

ABC
8:00 CHARLIE'S ANGELS
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (8th season)
10:00 Private Practice (5th season)

It wouldn't be a new fall season without a splashy remake and this year that remake is Charlie's Angels, based on the 1970s hit and airing in the same timeslot. ABC had a tough time in this slot for a long time before sticking the overexposed Wipeout there but this is probably their best attempt yet. Charlie's Angels won't be winning any Emmy awards but it might be able to carve out an audience and be fun escapist TV much like Hawaii Five-0 did this past year in being one of the few successful remakes. It is followed by two long-running medical dramas - Grey's Anatomy which seems to be aging quickly and Private Practice, which continues to follow the drama despite never being a huge hit. It's a stable performer though and it wouldn't be surprising to see it take a break in the spring for Shonda Rhimes' new drama Scandal. All in all, ABC will probably do ok but it doesn't help when the tentpole show is another year older.

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (5th season)
8:30 HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN
9:00 PERSON OF INTEREST
10:00 The Mentalist (4th season)
Last year, CBS made the bold move of sending The Big Bang Theory to anchor the night on Thursday and it worked out mostly for them. Though Big Bang was down from its Monday ratings, it dominated in the fall and then held its own against American Idol in a tricky timeslot. It returns as the lead off show and should do just fine but its companion show might be another swing and miss as How to Be a Gentleman doesn't look like a very strong show and has been getting slammed in reviews. CBS will gamble once again this year by moving CSI out of the 9pm slot it has owned for a decade. While CSI was declining, it was still a known quantity. CBS is betting that their highest profile new show - Person of Interest - can capture viewers in the same way. If it pays off, then they made a great call in knowing when to move the aging crime drama but if it fails, then they will have messed up a timeslot that has been solid for a long time. Still, the 9pm hour isn't as tough as it used to be with The Office in transition and Grey's Anatomy getting older. This might be the right time to make a move and Person of Interest might be the show. The Mentalist returns at 10pm and is one of the strongest 10pm performers on any network all week.


NBC
8:00 Community (3rd season)
8:30 Parks and Recreation (4th season)
9:00 The Office (8th season)
9:30 WHITNEY
10:00 PRIME SUSPECT

NBC has fallen a long way from its Must See TV days as its comedy ratings seem to get smaller and smaller each year. The 8pm hour has two cult and critical hits - Community and Parks and Recreation - but they just can't find a mainstream audience. Parks and Rec performed decently following The Office last year but it might lose that momentum while Community doesn't deserve to be in a third season based on its abysmal ratings. Stronger competition on ABC and FOX compared to last fall won't help either. At 9pm is The Office, which has seen its best days and now must deal with the departure of series star Steve Carell. They have brought on James Spader but it remains to be seen if the longtime viewers stick with the show. It's very likely the ratings will drop. The demo has always been the show's strong point but it may not have a ton of juice left. In an odd move, NBC will follow it with a traditional multicamera sitcom - Whitney - starring Whitney Cummings. It hasn't been getting great reviews and seems like a very odd addition to the night - why not use it to try to launch multicamera comedies on another night? It doesn't seem like it will be able to make much of a dent in the ratings. At 10pm is the US version of former hit UK show Prime Suspect. The crime drama starring Maria Bello is the first drama to air in ER's old slot in awhile. It might be able to carve out a slice of the audience against two veteran dramas but then again, it's NBC, so it'll be tough sledding. My issue last spring before upfronts when it seemed likely that NBC would shrink its three hours of comedy was that the bigger problem was 8pm not 10pm, but oh well.

FOX
8:00 THE X-FACTOR
9:00 Bones (7th season)

FOX is upgrading its Fall Thursday lineup by mimicking the American Idol schedule with new show The X-Factor. Look to my Wednesday preview to see my feelings about The X-Factor but it will likely follow Idol in having lower rated (but still strong) results shows. After a month and a half of two hour editions, it will become an hour and Bones will return for a shortened season due to co-star Emily Deschanel's pregnancy. The plan for now is to launch the Bones spinoff The Finder at midseason as a filler. Bones is a reliable veteran that had some nice numbers with an Idol lead-in this past season. That should be the case again as 9pm is up in the air for the most part.



New Thursday Show Survival Chances
Charlie's Angels (ABC) - Fair. It has a tough task in making a timeslot work for ABC that hasn't but audiences might be looking for some fun escapist TV. It might be another successful remake.
How to Be a Gentleman (CBS) - Poor. If $#*! My Dad Says didn't work here and Rules of Engagement disappointed, this show might be dead in the water. We might see Rules back here sooner rather than later.
Person of Interest (CBS) - Good. It has a great timeslot and a solid premise. CBS should be able to fill the shoes of CSI with this high energy drama.
Whitney (NBC) - Poor. This show doesn't fit with the rest of the lineup and probably won't last too long with 30 Rock and many new comedies waiting in the wings.
Prime Suspect (NBC) - Fair. It might be able to find an audience at 10pm and NBC has lower standards so things could work out.