FRESHMAN SCORECARD: October

Here's an update on all the freshman shows and their status in terms of quality, survival, etc. This "freshman scorecard" will be updated once a month. They are ordered from best to worst chance of survival.

ABC
No Ordinary Family - Hard to assess as it has only had one episode so far but the pilot had the best debut ratings-wise of any new ABC show but it's Week 2 that will matter. It didn't hold up very well over the course of the first hour so a sizable drop might be coming.

Detroit 1-8-7 - The best new ABC show in terms of quality held up well in Week 2 but is still low overall. With bigger problems in their dramatic series, ABC will give this show time to find an audience. Michael Imperioli is brilliant in the lead role, it's a great new gritty cop series.

Better With You - ABC's only new sitcom is holding up ok in-between The Middle and Modern Family. It's a decent show that has shown promise in its first two weeks so hopefully it can stabilize and be a successful bridge. It deserves to stay more than Cougar Town which bleeds a much bigger lead-in than Better With You does.

The Whole Truth - Because My Generation was a bigger immediate flop, this legal drama survives for now but it would be very surprising to see it last through November sweeps. I didn't see enough in the pilot to make me want to see episode 2.

My Generation - Already cancelled, and for good reason. What a terrible show.

CBS

Mike & Molly - It's not getting the numbers that The Big Bang Theory was getting but it's doing alright so far. Hopefully it sticks around, it's a funny show that has a lot of promise thanks to two great leads.

Hawaii Five-0 - CBS is touting this as "TV's #1 new show" which it is but it's still below expectations. Still, it seems to be developing into a standard procedural set in Hawaii and CBS knows how to make those shows successes. I like this show but it's not blowing me out of the water.

Blue Bloods - The new cop drama has given CBS a much needed boost on Fridays at 10pm. Some are hoping it moves to a new night but why? It is doing great for Fridays. I loved the first episode, one of the best of the new season, but I haven't gotten around to the second one yet.

$#*! My Dad Says - CBS's other new sitcom is doing ok on Thursdays so far but it's not holding on to a great amount of The Big Bang Theory's lead-in. Still, many think CBS has dreams of another hour of comedy on Thursday (9-10pm) and this is serviceable. I didn't see the second episode after I was not impressed with the first.

The Defenders - Any other network would be thrilled to have a new show doing the numbers The Defenders is but on CBS it's on the shakiest ground. It's not getting cancelled anytime soon but CBS has few holes to plug and this could be a casualty if it continues to underperform in a high profile slot.

NBC
The Event - NBC is doing all in its power to make this show a success and with good reason. It's a quality show and the second episode answered many questions while raising new ones. NBC will continue to promote it like crazy.

Law & Order: Los Angeles - Like No Ordinary Family, it's hard to judge after one episode. But it's the Law & Order brand and had a strong debut. If it can settle close to the numbers SVU does, it will be ok. I may or may not watch the second episode, it wasn't anything too unique.

Outsourced - NBC's new Thursday comedy had a solid debut but fell in Week 2. Any further drop would spell trouble especially if it starts getting numbers close to the 8pm comedies. I expected to hate this show but I don't. It's not anything special but it's better than expected.

Undercovers - NBC picked this show to lead off Wednesdays but it's failing to meet expectations in terms of ratings and quality. NBC will give the show some time because it's JJ Abrams, but it is skewing old and posting similar numbers to the long-gone Mercy. I haven't seen the second episode yet but I want to give it one more chance.

Chase - NBC hasn't focused much on Chase compared to its lead-in (The Event) and it had a mediocre debut followed by a Week 2 drop. It's still doing better than other 10pm occupants on other nights - The Apprentice, Outlaw, and Parenthood so it probably isn't going anywhere for a little while. I watched the second episode on a whim and ended up liking it more than the first - much better in quality.

Outlaw - NBC probably never had much expectations for this show with its Friday night slot, but it is drowning there anyway. It will likely be NBC's first cancellation, but it might not be until November sweeps. I did see the second episode but it wasn't any better than the first.

FOX
Raising Hope - FOX is having a rough start to the season for everything except Glee and Bones and especially with its freshman but Hope is the only one that has, pardon the pun, some hope. It was the only new show to go up in viewers in Week 2 but it lost a huge chunk of Glee's audience. For now, it's safe because FOX has much bigger problems. I did not see the second episode, it's not my cup of tea.

Running Wilde - Wilde is certainly in more trouble than Hope. It is losing a big chunk of Hope's mediocre audience and will probably be gone by the new year and FOX's new schedule with American Idol. I didn't watch the second episode after the very disappointing first.

Lone Star - Already cancelled, sadly. It showed lots and lots of promise.