FALL PREVIEW 2011: Tuesday

Tuesday night is very similar to last season but with a few changes for most networks. ABC is adding a comedy block at 8pm, FOX and CBS are swapping in a new show to an existing lineup, and NBC remains in tact. All in all, it's one of the more stable nights of the week.

ABC
8:00 LAST MAN STANDING
8:30 MAN UP!
9:00 Dancing with the Stars Results (13th Edition)
10:00 Body of Proof (2nd season)

The biggest move on any network on Tuesday night is ABC's addition of a comedy block in the 8pm hour. Many have thought they could try comedies on this night and now they will try to carve a comedy presence outside of Wednesday. Tim Allen returns to ABC with Last Man Standing and it is followed by fellow man-centered comedy Man Up! It will be a tough go for these two comedies, which don't premiere until October. That will especially be true for Man Up! which doesn't have much star power and doesn't even seem like a great fit with Standing. Tim Allen's new show though hasn't been getting great buzz so the entire hour might be a bust. The plan for now is to add Cougar Town and Apt 23 by midseason but that will depend on if these comedies can last that long. The Dancing with the Stars results follow at 9pm and should be strong as usual. It is followed by sophomore drama Body of Proof which should be strong in the fall with the Dancing lead-in but could falter when Dancing takes its annual hiatus.

CBS
8:00 NCIS (9th season)
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (3rd season)
10:00 UNFORGETTABLE
CBS will not change its powerful lineup from 8-10pm with the NCIS shows. While some thought it might be time for NCIS: Los Angeles to fly on its own or at least move to 10pm to give a new show a better cushion, CBS will not do that. Instead, they will premiere at new show to 10pm after sending the incompatible The Good Wife to Sundays. In its place is the Poppy Montgomery drama Unforgettable, which might satisfy both the NCIS and Good Wife audiences if it is quality. Reviews haven't been spectacular though so its hard to envision doing much, if any, better than The Good Wife did in this same slot. CBS may be headed downward this year as its hits are aging and the new slate doesn't look too promising. At least they have NCIS, which showed no signs of slowing down last season despite its age.

NBC
8:00 The Biggest Loser (12th Edition)
10:00 Parenthood (3rd season)

NBC is remaining unchanged for a third season despite so-so results from this lineup. The Biggest Loser remains two hours. You can't blame NBC for continuing to do that but the show is on the decline and would probably benefit from airing for just an hour each week. Maybe that will happen with The Voice coming in the spring and needing a results show. At 10pm is Parenthood (which premieres tonight!). The drama is always young-skewing and had a strong finish last season but struggled for awhile. It will be interesting to see how things shake out with this, Body of Proof, and Unforgettable - all female-skewing dramas in the same slot. At the moment, Parenthood reportedly only has a 13 episode order so we'll see if gets extended to a full or nearly full season. My bet is that it will and it could regularly win the demo or come close even though it will certainly be third in total viewers.


FOX
8:00 Glee (3rd season)
9:00 NEW GIRL
9:30 Raising Hope (2nd season)

FOX is changing its 9pm hour around a bit but keeping the night stable after a fairly successful showing last year. Glee returns for a third season but are its best days behind it? It appears that way as it took quite a tumble in the demo over the course of last season. While Glee is still a strong performer, it does look like it has reached its peak and could definitely see some more big declines by season's end. As with most obsessions, it appears to have a short shelf life. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to see only one more year of Glee after this year. At 9pm is the new comedy New Girl starring Zooey Deschanel. The show has gotten lots of critical praise this summer and could be a better 9pm performer for Raising Hope while being more accessible to Glee audiences. Hope slides back to 9:30pm where it should do alright as it has a cult audience that will be loyal though it also doesn't seem to have much room for growth. However, if New Girl hits (and it might), that could help its cause.

New Tuesday Show Survival Chances
Last Man Standing (ABC) - Poor. Tim Allen was a huge star in the 90s for ABC but this new show looks like it belongs in the 90s. Couple that with a rough 8pm timeslot and it doesn't look like Allen will succeed in his TV comeback.
Man Up! (ABC) - Very Poor. If this show was debuting earlier, it might have been the first cancellation. This show just isn't going to work with very little buzz and a difficult timeslot.
Unforgettable (CBS) - Fair. It has a great lead-in but only ok buzz. If it proves to be more compatible with NCIS: Los Angeles than The Good Wife, it will be fine but I'm not sure if it can do any better than Wife which would hurt its chances.
New Girl (FOX) - Good. FOX looks like it may have a quirky new hit on its hands. If Raising Hope did enough to get a renewal, New Girl certainly should as well. It may be an early show to earn a full season.