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FALL PREVIEW 2012: Sunday

And here we are at Sunday. Coming later today is a recap of my Fall Preview week and tonight's Emmy awards!! Also check out my Sunday preview from last year and 2010!

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (24th season)
8:00 Once Upon a Time (2nd season)
9:00 Revenge (2nd season)
10:00 666 PARK AVENUE
ABC is making some big changes on Sundays in the post-Desperate Housewives era. After the always reliable America's Funniest Home Videos is the second season of Once Upon a Time. Once was a big gamble that paid off handsomely for ABC as the show became one TV's top new dramas and is now the solid 8pm rock for the network. The big move comes at 9pm where another freshman success story - Revenge - moves from Wednesday 10pm to the higher profile Sunday 9pm. Wednesday's loss might be Sunday's gain as the show seems like a good fit with the equally indulging Once. I don't think ratings will skyrocket on Sunday but I think they'll be up. Rounding out the night of dramas is the new 666 Park Avenue starring past ABC stars Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams. While it seems like a good fit out of the dramas that precede it, I'm not sure audiences will stick around for this show in the long run. 10pm is a hard time to launch a new drama especially after two other dramas. It could go either way but I don't love its chances especially with middling reviews.

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes (45th season)
8:00 The Amazing Race (21st edition)
9:00 The Good Wife (4th season)
10:00 The Mentalist (5th season)
CBS isn't doing too much with its Sunday lineup though they did announce they will start things half an hour late on Sundays where they have an NFL doubleheader. It's an interesting strategy but it will make DVRs less confused. Leading off the night is the 45th season of prime time's longest running show, 60 Minutes. As usual, it should benefit when it has a direct football lead-in. At 8pm is The Amazing Race. While still solid, I would start doing one cycle a year and pair it with Survivor to keep their long running reality franchises going strong. The Good Wife follows at 9pm. Though it doesn't get the ratings of other CBS dramas, the critical acclaim has kept it on the air. At 10pm, The Mentalist moves from Thursday to Sunday after an underwhelming year. This show was one of the hottest on TV during its first year in 2008-09 but it has never quite lived up to expectations since. If it can do better than CSI: Miami in this slot, that's a win for CBS.

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America (7th season)
8:30 Sunday Night Football
NBC will continue to have dominant ratings on Sunday nights in the fall with football. The plan for now is to air Dateline, Celebrity Apprentice, and the new Do No Harm at midseason but things can change so we'll wait and see. For now, NBC should enjoy football while it has it.

FOX
7:00 The OT/Animation Repeats
7:30 The Cleveland Show (4th season)
8:00 The Simpsons (24th season)
8:30 Bob's Burgers (3rd season)
9:00 Family Guy (12th season)
9:30 American Dad! (8th season)
FOX is once again sticking with its animated lineup on Sundays. After trying and failing to add new animated shows in Allen Gregory and Napoleon Dynamite last year, FOX is sticking with the status quo this time around. Still, the lineup has shown some serious signs of aging particularly when there is no football lead-in. I think FOX needs to shake up this night down the road soon either with a drama or live action comedies. These animated shows aren't going to run forever and some (The Cleveland Show, Bob's Burgers) don't even really pull adequate numbers.

New Sunday Shows Chance for Survival
666 Park Avenue (ABC) - Fair. I think ABC has the right idea with their Sunday night lineup but I just get the feeling that 666 Park Avenue is going to feel like a letdown after Once Upon a Time and Revenge. Of course I haven't seen it yet so I don't know for sure, but that's my gut instinct.

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