FALL PREVIEW 2015: Monday

Here is my preview for Monday, a night with some more major changes on CBS plus new dramas on NBC and FOX and same old, same old for ABC.

Past Monday previews: 2014   2013   2012   2011   2010

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars (21st edition)
10:00 Castle (8th season)

For a seventh year in a row, ABC keeps the same Monday lineup. I have wavered between understanding this in some years and criticizing it other years. This is one of the years where I criticize. Castle was so weak last year and there's absolutely a chance for a new show to work here with CBS doing modest business with NCIS: Los Angeles and an untested new show on NBC. With Castle, the ceiling is pretty limited. Couple that with a seemingly weaker Dancing with the Stars cast and it could be a rough fall for ABC Monday. As always, The Bachelor will bridge the gap in January between the two editions of Dancing.

CBS
8:00 (Sep) The Big Bang Theory (9th season)/LIFE IN PIECES
8:00 (Nov) SUPERGIRL
9:00 Scorpion (2nd season)
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (7th season)

CBS can't bear to wait on launching The Big Bang Theory until after football so it will get a five week run on Mondays and will be paired with its eventual Thursday companion, the new single camera comedy Life in Pieces, which seems to be the CBS answer to Modern Family. Then in late October, the comedies will clear out to make way for Supergirl, the hotly anticipated new superhero drama that seems quite off-brand for CBS. When it launches, it will be the first time since the 1940s that CBS does not air comedies on Monday night. However, it seems somewhat lighthearted and should be a good fit with Scorpion, which was a surprise hit last season. That pair could be a strong one for CBS as they won't air together until the weaker part of the season for The Voice. At 10pm, NCIS: Los Angeles will keep the lights on but it certainly took a major hit after leaving Tuesday nights.

NBC
8:00 The Voice (9th edition)
10:00 BLINDSPOT

Last year, NBC chose to try to protect The Blacklist and it backfired on them as Blacklist suffered following its move to Thursdays and neither State of Affairs or season two of The Night Shift worked for them in the post-Voice slot. This year, it is back to basics with NBC launching its most anticipated new drama following a new season of The Voice. The Voice isn't what it once was but it's still capable of launching a successful drama and Blindspot seems to have a lot of the elements that made The Blacklist a hit two years ago. Blindspot has received a huge promotional push this summer and the slot is open for the taking with the competition being two aging dramas well past their prime.

FOX
8:00 Gotham (2nd season)
9:00 MINORITY REPORT

FOX is sticking with genre shows on nights and once again it's a new show paired with a veteran as has been the case for several years. The veteran is last year's newbie, Gotham. It had a great start but fizzled towards the end of the season and now FOX has to hope it's not another second year show heading for disaster. Its heavily promoted "Rise of the Villains" concept should help matters especially with considerable football promotion. It is paired with the new sci-fi drama Minority Report, based on the movie of the same name. This seems like a better fit with Gotham than Sleepy Hollow was but sci-fi shows can be a tough sell. It will also get football promotion and should at least get a sampling.

New Monday Show Survival Chances
Life in Pieces (CBS) - Fair. In any other slot, I wouldn't feel good about this show's chances but with The Big Bang Theory as a lead-in, it certainly has a decent chance to succeed. It does seem like the least compatible companion yet, however.

Supergirl (CBS) - Good. I'm pretty high on this show even though its way off course for CBS. I think this could be part of a new direction for CBS dramas and I like its pairing with Scorpion.

Blindspot (NBC) - Good. I think Blindspot has a chance to be closer to The Blacklist than State of Affairs. It seems to be a new thrill show that could get off to a fast start on Monday nights. As long as it stays behind The Voice for the season, it should succeed.

Minority Report (FOX) - Fair. I don't see this show setting the world on fire but I could see it doing enough to get a second season as it seems like FOX would love to have a new sci-fi show in their lineup. The question is will Gotham do well enough and will they be a compatible pair?