FALL PREVIEW 2012: The Sophomore Class

This week I will be posting my Fall Preview for the new fall season with a day-by-day preview posting! This blog is particularly devoted to the new shows with the pilot reviews, freshman scorecard, etc. But as I did last year, I want to look back at last year's returning freshman class. Unlike the previous year, there were many new shows that had a huge impact last year and some fresh hits that have helped their respective networks. In fact, of the 47 new shows last year, a very impressive 20 (43%) are returning. Last year, a mere 25% (10 out of 40) made it. It's worth noting, though, that 8 of those 10 shows are back for a third season.

Here is a rundown on what their future looks like. Then check back all week for the Fall Preview plus reviews on this week's new premieres - The Mob Doctor and Revolution!

GRIMM (NBC) - Two shows have already had their second season premieres, the first being Grimm which got an extended Monday tryout for a few weeks after the Olympics. The show will return to its regular Friday slot at the end of September. Nothing was more surprising than Grimm last year. After NBC's heavily promoted dramas The Playboy Club and Prime Suspect were gone before the end of the calendar year, it was Grimm in a sleepy Friday timeslot that consistently overperformed. It didn't seem to gain a ton of audience members during its Monday run but there's no reason to believe it can't continue to be a cult hit on Friday nights this year. I watched the first six or seven episodes of Grimm and enjoyed it but didn't stick with it for whatever reason. However, it clearly has its fan base and might even benefit with competitor and fellow cult favorite Fringe ending at midseason.

THE X FACTOR (FOX) - The other early premiere was FOX's The X Factor. After last year's reunion of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul didn't produce the ratings gold they were hoping for, the show has been revamped and brought in new judges Demi Lovato and the highly anticipated Britney Spears. In a TV landscape filled with singing/dancing/talent competitions, this show is trying to stand out. The early ratings results only seem mediocre by big tentpole show standards. It will never be American Idol and it probably can't even be The Voice, whether Britney is there or not.

2 BROKE GIRLS (CBS) - The biggest hit in a class full of successful freshman was the CBS comedy 2 Broke Girls. It premiered after the hugely rated Two and a Half Men post-Charlie Sheen season premiere last fall and posted the best debut numbers for a new comedy in a decade. It then moved to 8:30pm and consistently built on How I Met Your Mother, which was doing better than usual in its own right. CBS clearly liked what it saw and made the decision sooner rather than later to slide Girls to the cornerstone 9pm slot. If it works, CBS has a young show in a very important time period for years to come. If it doesn't, it was too quick a move for a show that wasn't ready for the slot yet. I'll bet it does just fine but I don't think it will explode the way The Big Bang Theory has. I watched this show for a few episodes but tired of it quickly. I don't actually see what the huge appeal is but it's very popular. Just like Men and Big Bang.

NEW GIRL (FOX) - FOX got a buzzy new show and its first legitimate live action sitcom hit in years in New Girl. The comedy started really strong. Though it faded by the end, it remained a young-skewing show that found a lot of fans. It also picked up a few Emmy nominations. FOX clearly trusted it enough to get rid of its Glee lead-in and built a night of comedy around the show with two new shows joining New Girl and third year cult hit Raising Hope. It will be interesting to see where the numbers land but I'm predicting down from last fall and up from the spring. I absolutely adored this show - it was my favorite new comedy and I can't wait to see what season 2 brings.

ONCE UPON A TIME (ABC) - After a forgettable 2010-11 season where all their new dramas tanked, ABC got back on track to making captivating and unique dramas last season. No show was more of a breakout hit than the fairy tale drama Once Upon a Time. People were real skeptical before this show premiered and kept expecting the wheels to fall off in the ratings at some point but they never did. This show found an audience that was not tapped into at all on Sunday nights and the show soared as ABC is building its Sunday night around this show. I really enjoyed it at first and then lost interest but I caught up with the last few episodes over the summer and I'm hooked again. We'll see if I can stick with it in season two.

REVENGE (ABC) - Once Upon a Time's new Sunday companion is the buzzy Revenge which returns for season two after doing the unthinkable and winning viewers over in a consistently difficult slot for ABC. They finally found the right show for a dreaded Wednesday 10pm slot but now they will move it to the more high profile slot of Sunday night at 9pm where it will be one of ABC's top priorities. I'm not sure what I think about the move - it might break out on Sunday but I'm not sure I'd fix what wasn't broken on Wednesdays. I love this show, it's a huge guilty pleasure as it is for so many. I still don't know how this show keeps going for years with its plot but they've continued to surprise me and I can't wait for season two.

PERSON OF INTEREST (CBS) - Stable CBS always finds new dramas to fill the voids of its aging dramas and last year was no different as Person of Interest became a legitimate Thursday contender. The show started somewhat slow as it inherited a slot that CSI had held for a decade. But it kept climbing in the winter as it built suspense and found fans. Some thought CBS would go to two hours of comedy on Thursdays but Person's strong performance may have prevented that. This was my favorite new drama last year, it's so intense and interesting. I hope season two continues to build on a great first year.

SUBURGATORY (ABC) - After a couple years of no luck, ABC found the perfect companion to The Middle in its Wednesday 8pm hour. Suburgatory fit like a glove with The Middle all season. It was originally slated for the same timeslot but over the summer, ABC decided to switch things around and move it to 9:30pm after Modern Family. This might give a long needed companion to Family but it might weaken the 8pm hour. I watched Suburgatory for awhile but didn't like it enough to stick with it. I certainly understand the appeal though.

UP ALL NIGHT (NBC) - NBC gave an early preview of Up All Night last season and the early results were promising even in a tough Wednesday 8pm timeslot. Then NBC did what everyone expected them to do and moved it to 9:30pm. This seemed smart but it ended up tanking badly in a Thursday 9:30pm slot dropping all the way to a 1.0 demo. Still, NBC gave it a 13 episode renewal where it will air alongside other underperforming sitcoms. I'd be surprised to see a season 3 but stranger things have happened. I watched this show all last year but I'm not sure I'll be back for more. I thought the quality dipped in the second half of the season.

LAST MAN STANDING (ABC) - Tim Allen returned to ABC in a big way last fall with a big premiere for Last Man Standing. Despite critical bashing, the show had a good start to the season but slipped in the spring as it continued to dive heading to the season finale. ABC has decided to move the show from Tuesday to Friday and will pair it with Reba McEntire's new sitcom Malibu Country. This low pressure slot might be a good way for CBS to get back into scripted programming on Friday and it's a decent idea for a show that seems a bit dated. This is much like Up All Night for me. I watched it last year but lost interest towards the end so I probably won't stick around for season two.

WHITNEY (NBC) - NBC tried to get back into the multicam sitcom game last year with Whitney and Are You There, Chelsea? Despite low ratings both on Thursdays and Wednesdays, Whitney was brought back for a second season but it will be forced to survive on Fridays. This seemed like a mercy renewal more than anything else and it's sure to die on Fridays. It's only hope is that a show like Animal Practice tanks and it can move to Wednesdays with fellow multicam Guys with Kids. People tell me it got better after a bad pilot but I only caught bits and pieces the rest of the year and I have no burning desire to revisit this show.

SCANDAL (ABC) - A late entry for ABC, Scandal premiered in the post-Grey's Anatomy slot to ok numbers but then the numbers held very steady and went up for the season finale which is a good sign for a show. Up against untested or mediocre competition, I wouldn't be surprised to see it find new viewers in its second season. The show is really good and it's just getting started with twisty turns in every episode. Kerry Washington is a standout on this show and it deserves a growing audience.

DON'T TRUST THE B---- IN APARTMENT 23 (ABC) - The last comedy entry of the year last year was ABC's Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23. The show premiered after Modern Family and couldn't hold a great amount of its lead-in though it wasn't very compatible. Now it will be paired with Happy Endings on Tuesday against comedies on both FOX and NBC. I don't really see this Tuesday comedy lineup flying and I think if ABC busts it up, it's more likely to keep Happy Endings. Therefore, I don't love Apartment 23's chances. I watched the short season last year but I was only mildly into it. Like other shows, this is a prime candidate to be replaced by a new show on my list.

TOUCH (FOX) - FOX didn't have much luck with its new dramas last year as Terra Nova, Alcatraz, and The Finder were all cancelled. However, they did end up renewing Touch for a second season though it may not have been deserving. The show did not do well with an American Idol lead-in and now that it has moved to Fridays at 8pm, I see it completely tanking. I've been surprised before but I don't see any way this show makes it to a season 3. I watched some of Touch but the pacing was too slow for me.

ROCK CENTER WITH BRIAN WILLIAMS (NBC) - NBC has renewed its newsmagazine for a second season and aired it all summer as well despite miniscule ratings. Of course the show is cheap and NBC has a lot of work to do so maybe they saw it as an easier option to just renew this show and plug it in where needed. With how bad NBC's scripted shows do, it's probably a financially good decision. But it didn't do anything unless it was against repeats and I don't see this year being any different against buzzy sophomore Scandal on ABC and buzzy newcomer Elementary on CBS.

SMASH (NBC)/CELEBRITY WIFE SWAP (ABC)/FASHION STAR (NBC)/BETTY WHITE'S OFF THEIR ROCKERS (NBC)/UNFORGETTABLE (CBS)
These shows are all coming back for a second season at some point. Smash had a buzzy but highly criticized first season with ho-hum ratings. However as NBC has invested so much in the show, it will be given a second chance. Celebrity Wife Swap, Fashion Star, and Betty White's Off Their Rockers are all unscripted fillers that will be decent plug-ins when needed. After an initial cancellation, CBS renewed Unforgettable for a summer 2013 run. It was the highest rated show to be cancelled and now it will get new life in an unconventional summer run.