FALL PREVIEW 2012: Monday

Check back every day this week for my Fall Preview!!

Monday is, as usual, a very competitive night. ABC has the status quo again but the other three networks are all making significant changes and three new shows join the night. As always, the fall faces competition from Monday Night Football on ESPN which is something to be mindful of. Also, check out my Monday preview from last year as well as 2010! Check back later tonight for reviews of The Mob Doctor and Revolution and check back tomorrow for my Tuesday preview!

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars (15th edition)
10:00 Castle (5th season)

ABC is keeping its same lineup for a fourth consecutive year. Every year, it seems like Castle might move timeslots and yet it always stays where it is. At 8pm is an All Stars Edition of Dancing with the Stars which brings back the best and buzziest celebrities from previous years. Even with more competition from The Voice, I think we'll see a slight uptick in numbers. I would worry about the spring edition though when there is no All Stars Edition. As usual, the plan is for The Bachelor to bridge the two editions of Dancing. At 10pm is veteran drama Castle. It may spike and fall in the ratings depending on its lead-in but it remains ABC's most reliable 10pm option. With some syndication and repeat airings starting, it might even be able to find some new audience members. Overall, I'd expect a steady but unspectacular evening for ABC on Monday nights.

CBS
8:00 How I Met Your Mother (8th season)
8:30 PARTNERS
9:00 2 Broke Girls (2nd season)
9:30 Mike & Molly (3rd season)
10:00 Hawaii Five-0 (3rd season)

CBS made a big move on Monday nights in an effort to go younger. Gone from the 9pm slot is Two and a Half Men. It has been there since Everybody Loves Raymond left the air in 2005 but it is now on Thursdays and in its place is the biggest freshman hit of last season, 2 Broke Girls. When Men took over for Raymond, it was clearly ready for the historic 9pm slot but it remains to be seen if Girls is after just one season. If it is, CBS will reap the rewards for years to come as the night's anchors have been getting old. Earlier in the night is the 8th and possibly final season of How I Met Your Mother. However, I would expect to see two more especially since the show went up in the ratings last year. It is followed by the new Partners from the people who made Will & Grace. While it has been critically panned, it sounds like a good fit for the CBS Monday lineup. However, despite the cookie cutter nature of CBS sitcoms, not everything has worked, especially in this timeslot. After Girls is a pair of shows entering their third season - Mike & Molly and Hawaii Five-0. Both shows were very steady last season but neither one has blossomed into a smash hit and probably never will at this point though I expect both to run for years.

NBC
8:00 The Voice (3rd edition)
10:00 REVOLUTION

NBC has had very little success on Mondays (or any night) in recent seasons but they stabilized it last spring with The Voice which was a big hit despite dropping over the course of the season. If early returns are good indicators, this year shouldn't be as powerful as last year but it will still easily be NBC's top show outside of football. With two planned editions, The Voice overkill might start to happen but NBC desperately needs it now and might be ok with sacrificing the longevity of the show. At 10pm is the heavily promoted new drama Revolution (premiering tonight!). NBC has been priming this show all summer but reviews have been tepid. In many ways, it reminds me of The Event from two years ago with its convoluted plot. I just don't see this working on Monday nights where its audience would rather watch Castle, Hawaii Five-0, or Monday Night Football. We might see Smash back here at midseason.

FOX
8:00 Bones (8th season)
9:00 THE MOB DOCTOR

Long-running drama House is gone now and that leaves a void on FOX Mondays. At 8pm is its new longest running drama Bones which had a decent enough move to Mondays in the spring. This is a smart move by FOX as its competing with popular shows on the other three networks and launching a new drama probably wouldn't work well. Bones should be a steady performer even in the face of intense competition. At 9pm is the new drama The Mob Doctor (also premiering tonight!). FOX is trying to fill the medical drama void but it's hard to imagine this show being the next House. As of now, the plan is for the new Kevin Bacon serial killer drama The Following to air on Mondays at midseason. If the show is as good as the buzz, that could make Mondays really interesting.

New Monday Show Survival Chances
Partners (CBS) - Fair. CBS can often make sitcoms work, even mediocre ones. However, the 8:30pm slot has been unkind to other sitcoms including Accidentally on Purpose and Mad Love. I'm not sure this one is going to work.
Revolution (NBC) - Fair. NBC has hyped this show to no end but it may not work. It's hard to get a show like this off the ground especially on a crowded night and on a network that has no history of being able to successfully launch shows like that. I think we'll see a good premiere but heavy drops after that. Depending on how far it drops will have a big impact on its ability to survive.
The Mob Doctor (FOX) - Poor. FOX hasn't had much luck launching new dramas on Monday night and a new medical drama with a plot that stretches believability will make everyone miss House. However, The Following might work nicely here down the road.