Once again, it's time for the Freshman Scorecard! If interested, check out last month's scorecard or last December's scorecard. As a reminder, each network's shows are ranked according to what I think is best-to-worst chance of a second season renewal.
ABC.
Suburgatory - ABC's new Wednesday sitcom is fitting in very nicely. For many weeks, it was beating The Middle in the demo. Now it has evened out a bit, but it's still a perfect fit in a hit lineup. ABC found a show with the complete right tone for its bridge show. Quality-wise, it's been up and down but it will have plenty of time to find a voice and could be an early second season renewal.
Last Man Standing - Tim Allen's return to TV has been a success so far. The very traditional Last Man Standing seems to be filling an audience desire that hasn't been filled in awhile. It has held up extremely well on its own on Tuesday nights. If ABC can find a good pairing (Kirstie Alley's new show?), they might be able to really make a dent into a new night of comedy. This could also be a candidate for an early second season renewal. Quality-wise, it has gotten better in recent weeks.
Once Upon a Time - ABC's fantasy series has been a huge ratings surprise this fall. A big premiere wasn't shocking but the subsequent impressive holds were. It is the top new drama on the season and ABC has a hit on its hands that seems to be appealing across audiences (including kids). It still runs the risk of audiences losing its interest but that did not happen in the first couple weeks like many thought it would. The quality and stories have been captivating so far, let's hope it continues
Revenge - It has been a glorious fall for ABC after a troubling couple of years in new development. The soapy Revenge has been a major water-cooler show this fall and it's audience is sticking around for a very serialized show. That should continue at least through the current story arc but my continuous concern for this show is long term viability. I hope it can succeed though because it is an addicting new guilty pleasure.
Pan Am - Of course, it hasn't been great for every new show. Pan Am has fallen far from a promising premiere. It was given an additional one episode order to bring its total to 14 but that will be it for the season. While not an official cancellation, it would need to reverse course big and quickly to have any chance of survival. Enjoy it while you can, unless it puts you to sleep. This was my most anticipated new show but it has disappointed as it's just boring.
You Deserve It - ABC's new inspirational game show has proven to be a bomb. It's not going anywhere and is pretty much like Skating with the Stars last year. ABC will look for something new next December.
Man Up! - ABC's other Tuesday night comedy is wrapping production after 13 episodes and giving way to Work It! in January. Again, it's not officially cancelled but it basically is.
Charlie's Angels - Cancelled.
CBS
2 Broke Girls - The CBS sitcom is the biggest hit of the fall season and will get an early second season renewal if the usually conservative CBS decides to do the inevitable. Girls will get a chance to lead-off the night on December 12 to see if it can be an anchor. If it does well, it may be on the move to Thursdays next season. Quality-wise, I think it's just ok. But clearly audiences are responding.
Person of Interest - CBS's Thursday night drama hasn't set the world on fire but it has been consistent. It seems like the best candidate for renewals of the dramas but will CBS keep it on Thursdays? If they go to a four sitcom lineup, the show could be in trouble. For now though, I think its chances are pretty good. Quality-wise, it is my favorite new show and getting better every week.
Unforgettable - Unforgettable has been stronger overall than Person of Interest but it seems to be less promising in the long-run as it is mimicking The Good Wife's numbers from last year. If that continues, it may not come back since it doesn't have the critical love that Wife does. For now, it's serviceable enough but CBS is going to have to cut some dramas (or expand to Saturday, which I think they should). This might be on the chopping block.
A Gifted Man - The Friday night drama had some additional episodes ordered to bring its total to 16 but it doesn't seem like it will be around in the long run. I don't know that CBS can do much better in the Friday 8pm slot but my guess is that they'll try. On another network, the numbers in that timeslot would be good enough but CBS's schedule is pretty full and this won't have a spot.
How to Be a Gentleman - Cancelled and becoming a distant memory.
NBC
Up All Night - This is clearly the horse that NBC is attaching its wagon too as they made they unsurprising move to send it to 9:30pm Thursdays in January. It hasn't fallen apart on Wednesday nights (though it's fading some) and it should perk up on Thursdays. Given NBC's state of affairs, this is basically a shoo-in for a second season.
Grimm - NBC's Friday night fantasy drama has been a surprise as it has been a stronger performer in a very tough slot than the high profile The Playboy Club and Prime Suspect. Though it has dropped some, it did level off in its most recent airing and can still be considered an overperformer for NBC Friday nights. Right now, it's renewal chances are not looking grim... ha ha ha...
Rock Center with Brian Williams - NBC's new newsmagazine has been a non-performer so far. It will not do any better when it's sent to the very difficult Wednesday 9pm timeslot opposite Modern Family, Criminal Minds, and American Idol - among the biggest hits on their respective networks. Still, this has to be cheap to produce so NBC will probably keep it around awhile.
Whitney - NBC's annoying new multicam sitcom is being sent to the wolves in January on Wednesday night. Though it will have a more compatible show next to it, it will have a real tough go of it considering it has been floundering on Thursday nights and is below 4 million viewers. The only saving grace might be the disaster lineup that is NBC.
Prime Suspect/Free Agents/The Playboy Club - Already cancelled in an epic failure of a fall on NBC. Prime Suspect still has a few remaining burnoff episodes.
FOX
The X-Factor - Already renewed for another fall next year.
New Girl - The show was real hot out of the gate and it cooled some after the poorly-scheduled near month off from FOX. But it is still a strong demo performer and a critical favorite of the fall. FOX often gives renewals early and we could see a second season renewal early in 2012.
Terra Nova - FOX's epic dinosaur adventure has been a disappointment especially in recent weeks. With its 13 episode order ending on December 19, this show is probably headed for extinction (yes, another pun, I am on a roll!) This will further be confirmed if any of their new midseason dramas make an impact.
I Hate My Teenage Daughter - FOX's newest show just premiered on Wednesday but it didn't have a great debut and has been critically trashed. It will likely fall hard in the next couple weeks and even if it gets another chance after Idol in the spring as FOX claims it will, it isn't around for the long haul.
Allen Gregory - The newest addition to the animated Sunday block has been a bomb as it has continued to drop week after week. With one episode left (and preempted this week), it will probably never be heard of again after it airs. FOX's animated lineup is aging already and they don't need dead weight in there.
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