FRESHMAN SCORECARD: February 2012

It's time for another Freshman Scorecard with many new shows added to the list from last time. As always, these shows are ranked based on my opinion  of best-to-worst chance for survival. If interested, check out last month's scorecard or last February's scorecard.

ABC

Once Upon a Time - The show has rebounded nicely after slipping in December and remains the top new drama of the season in the demo. There's absolutely no way it's not coming back next year. Will ABC pair it with their Beauty and the Beast pilot?

Suburgatory - Also a lock to come back, it has stabilized a weak spot in ABC's Comedy Lineup and fits like a glove there. If ABC decides Happy Endings should stay where it is or if Apartment 23 works out, then they won't have any room for new shows on their Wednesday lineup.

Revenge - Another lock. The show should do very well when it has its big episode in February where the mysterious scene in the pilot is revealed but I think audiences are invested enough to keep things going beyond that plot climax.

Last Man Standing - Yet another lock. All four of these shows are absolutely coming back and they could probably be put in any other. ABC's bigger challenge is finding a companion for this show. Man Up and Work It bombed and I don't think Cougar Town will fit either.

Celebrity Wife Swap - This filler garnered better ratings than expected as it proved to be a decent time filler for ABC. It wouldn't be shocking to see it come fill another time slot (or even the same one again) next season.

Pan Am/You Deserve It - Neither show has officially been cancelled but there's absolutely no chance either one is coming back. Pan Am was an expensive flop and You Deserve It didn't do well enough to even be a filler.

Work It/Man Up!/Charlie's Angels - Already cancelled with Work It being the newest addition, joining after just two episodes.

CBS

2 Broke Girls - The biggest hit of the season is a lock for renewal. The bigger question is does it stay at 8:30pm or does it anchor an hour? CBS would be wise to give it one more year to grow before asking it to anchor.

Person of Interest - CBS may promote Unforgettable as the top new drama but Person of Interest is the show with the momentum as it has shown signs of growth recently, posting series highs in January. If CBS has to choose between their two new dramas, this seems like it would be the one they keep.

Rob - CBS's new Thursday comedy had a great debut and the numbers are decent overall but retention is terrible out of The Big Bang Theory. Still, I could see them finally pulling the plug on Rules of Engagement and letting this show take over as sitcom utility player.

Unforgettable - On any other network, this would be a lock for renewal but it's hard to tell here. I think CBS should really expand to Saturdays since they have enough shows that warrant renewal and then this show would be a prime candidate for either Friday or Saturday but we'll see. I don't see it staying on Tuesdays.

A Gifted Man - This show isn't doing terrible but on CBS, it's very unlikely to get renewed. However, if it can do as well as CSI: NY did when it moves to 9pm in a few weeks, would CBS consider keeping this show instead? Highly unlikely but stranger things have happened.

How to Be a Gentleman - Cancelled way way back in October. Seems like forever ago.

NBC

Grimm - The Friday drama is really NBC's only success this season and its not a runaway hit by any means. But it's doing better than any other new drama and it airs on Fridays so that's a strong case for renewal. Will NBC give it a prolonged Thursday try? They should.

Up All Night - This show's move to Thursday has given it no bump which is surprising and slightly hurts its chances because now it looks like it doesn't have a high ceiling whereas on Wednesday it was overperforming. Still, NBC has a lot of issues with their comedies and this one has done enough to get a renewal.

Rock Center with Brian Williams - It could get renewed only because it's cheap and NBC loves Brian Williams. Also NBC needs some filler shows in their decimated lineup.

Whitney - Whitney's move to Wednesdays initially looked ok but it has quickly turned into series lows. NBC might continue to try to make this work but I have a feeling that they will give up by season's end and Whitney will bite the dust.

Are You There, Chelsea? - Whitney's partner on Wednesday is showing signs that it might do even worse than Whitney which is bad news. NBC has a little more invested in Whitney so if they choose to yank only one, this would be it. Both should go though.

The Firm - NBC's massive 22 episode order may be enough to keep this show on the air through its run (though perhaps moved to Fridays or Saturdays), but it won't last beyond the 22 episodes. It has been a complete bust, worse than Prime Suspect.

Prime Suspect/Free Agents/The Playboy Club - Cancelled, and many of these shows on the NBC list will eventually join this club.

FOX

The X-Factor - Already renewed for next fall. Still the only freshman series to be officially renewed.

New Girl - A lock for renewal and it will probably stay right where it is.

Alcatraz - The new Monday drama has had a promising start (we'll see how it does next week with competition). It would seem to be the drama with the best chance of renewal at this point, though Touch could take that title come March.

Napoleon Dynamite - This could still go either way. They renewed Bob's Burgers so I wouldn't put it past them, especially if they're thinking about branching their toons to another night (not a great idea in my opinion).

The Finder - This show has risen every week but I don't believe it's for real yet. If it can keep going up once the competition gets strong, then I'll be a believer. I don't think I will be.

Terra Nova - The success of Alcatraz, strong preview for Touch, and growth for The Finder have hurt this show's chances. At this point, I don't see it coming back.

I Hate My Teenage Daughter - This show may get one more run after American Idol later this spring but I don't think the news will be much better. This show didn't work.

Allen Gregory - Cancelled.

By the time we have the March Scorecard, we will be able to add Smash and The River to the list. And we may have some official renewals by then too!