FALL PREVIEW 2011: Monday

Each day this week, check this site for a day-by-day preview of the upcoming fall season!

Monday is always a very competitive night and this season is no different. ABC has a powerful combo of shows that has been strong for several years. CBS is always in the mix with its comedy night. NBC has completely revamped the evening after disastrous results last year and FOX has one of the most hyped new shows kicking off the night. Of course there is considerable competition from ESPN's Monday Night Football on this night in the fall.

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars (13th Edition)
10:00 Castle (4th season)

ABC will keep its successful lineup in tact for a third consecutive year and for good reason. Dancing with the Stars and Castle seem to be very compatible. It should be smooth sailing in the fall unless FOX's Terra Nova really takes off at 8pm because Dancing should be able to handle the competition from The Sing Off but things will get interesting at midseason. When Dancing takes a break for The Bachelor as it usually does, NBC will roll out season 2 of The Voice. This could be trouble for The Bachelor and Dancing while NBC's new Smash could be a threat to the female-skewing Castle. For now, look for Dancing to be strong again even with a ho-hum cast and Castle to routinely win its slot in the demo until Dancing ends at the end of November.

CBS
8:00 How I Met Your Mother (7th season)
8:30 TWO BROKE GIRLS
9:00 Two and a Half Men (9th season)
9:30 Mike & Molly (2nd season)
10:00 Hawaii Five-0 (2nd season)

The most talked about show on any network on Monday night is a show that is entering its ninth season. After the Charlie Sheen debacle that crippled this lineup last spring, Ashton Kutcher steps into the cast for the fired Sheen. Look for Men to have a huge debut and first few weeks, but it will be interesting to see if it can ultimately get the ratings it was getting before Sheen's meltdown. Earlier in the night though will be the seventh season of the steady but unspectacular How I Met Your Mother. CBS's entire lineup including Mother slumped in the spring but it was a solid performer in the fall and that should continue. The 8:30 slot is given to new show Two Broke Girls, which has gotten solid buzz this summer and seems to be a good fit with Mother. It has the potential to be stronger than Rules of Engagement or Mad Love was last year and it will get the benefit of a premiere behind the heavily hyped Two and a Half Men season premiere at 9:30pm. Following Men usually though is two sophomore series that performed decently under extenuating circumstances. Mike & Molly was forced to air after repeats of Two and a Half Men from February-May and it may be able to rebound now that it will have a new lead-in. Hawaii Five-0 will probably be in competition with Castle again in the fall but it will be interesting when NBC's Smash joins the timeslot in February. Hawaii could easily drop to third in the demo when that happens.

NBC
8:00 The Sing Off (3rd season)
10:00 THE PLAYBOY CLUB

NBC has completely revamped its Monday night following last year's disasters which included failed new series The Event, Chase, The Cape, and Law & Order: LA. Now they will turn to very different programming. At 8pm is the first full run for The Sing Off, which has previously had just two brief December runs. Last year's run was successful against limited competition but it could have a rough go of it against tough competition, most specifically Dancing with the Stars, which probably has similar appeal. At 10pm is the new period drama The Playboy Club. The show has been the target of some controversy this summer but most people who have seen the pilot think its unfounded. While there might be some initial eyeballs to see if there is any substance to the controversy and there might be some male viewers who want to see the bunnies, it will be a tough sell. This show will probably not be able to make it against Hawaii Five-0 and Castle. However, NBC should be much tougher on Mondays come midseason with its combo of the hit from this past season The Voice and the highly anticipated new drama Smash. NBC may make things quite interesting in February.

FOX
8:00 TERRA NOVA
9:00 House (8th season)

FOX is changing up its lineup as well after the 9pm slot was a major problem last season. After Lone Star, Lie to Me, and The Chicago Code all failed in this slot, FOX will slide the veteran drama House to 9pm for what might be its final season. At 8pm will be the highly anticipated Terra Nova, which was supposed to premiere last season but never made it to air. With production values like a big budget movie, FOX is hoping that Terra Nova is the next big thing. It should certainly get many eyeballs for its two hour series premiere on the second Monday of the season, but it will need to have a quality story to keep people coming back and staying invested. Even if it is a huge hit, it will only air 13 episodes due to the large amount of time and money it is using. House has been steadily declining for years but might benefit from a slide back to 9pm especially if Nova hits. The plan for now is to return House to 8pm at midseason and air new drama Alcatraz at 9pm, but FOX often changes its mind so we'll wait and see.

New Monday Show Survival Chances
Two Broke Girls (CBS) - Good. It seems like a good fit in the CBS lineup and might finally cure the 8:30 blues that CBS has had on its comedy night.
The Playboy Club (NBC) - Poor. NBC will have trouble in the fall and this show probably isn't going to be able to make a dent in the 10pm hour even if it sees a decent debut.
Terra Nova (FOX) - Very Good. It seems unlike anything else on TV and the whole family can watch it. FOX's big gamble might pay off in a big way.