2013 FALL PREVIEW: Thursday

Thursday night has changes on every network except FOX. Most notable is CBS's move to two hours of comedy and a major revamp to NBC's comedy block with a trio of family themed newbies.

Past Thursday Previews: 2012   2011   2010

ABC
8:00 ONCE UPON A TIME IN WONDERLAND
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (10th season)
10:00 Scandal (3rd season)

ABC is trying yet another new drama in the 8pm hour. Since 2009, this slot has seen a season or less of FlashForward, The Deep End, My Generation, Charlie's Angels, Missing, Last Resort, and Zero Hour. This time it is not an entirely new show because it is a spinoff of Sunday drama Once Upon a Time. This might have seemed like a sure bet a year ago when Once was the hottest new drama but it had a pretty rough second season with declining ratings and this trippy new spinoff is a big question mark. I'm not sure it has what the other shows in this slot didn't so I'm not sure the result is going to be better. The 9pm & 10pm hour remain the popular Shonda Rhimes combo. Despite entering its 10th season, Grey's Anatomy continues to post one of the best demos for dramas. It is well past its peak but still strong. Scandal was one of the biggest surprises last year with ever growing ratings and buzz. Will it continue this year or will the bubble burst? I expect a big premiere and if the show can keep up the quality, there's no reason to believe it can't climb higher.

CBS
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (7th season)
8:30 THE MILLERS
9:00 THE CRAZY ONES
9:30 Two and a Half Men (11th season)
10:00 Elementary (2nd season)

After years of speculation, CBS will finally go with two hours of comedies on Thursdays. They are book-ending the block with their hits - TV's top scripted show (in the demo), The Big Bang Theory, and the longest running live action comedy on the hour, Two and a Half Men. In between are two new shows. At 8:30pm is The Millers, a family comedy with a top notch cast. The show hasn't gotten excellent buzz but it hasn't been panned horribly either so it seems like it's right in CBS' wheelhouse and it will benefit from the huge lead-in though that means retention will be looked at constantly. At 9pm is a gamble with the single camera comedy The Crazy Ones starring Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Geller. CBS hasn't had success with single cam sitcoms but they are betting big on Williams and this show to be their 9pm anchor. If it doesn't work, the whole two hour block could be in trouble. At 10pm, Elementary returns for a second season. The lead-ins will likely be bigger and Elementary seems like it might be an ok fit out of comedies since it's a little bit lighter. It still has to face Scandal though and NBC has upgraded at the hour with Parenthood so it'll continue to deal with that.

NBC
8:00 Parks and Recreation (6th season)
8:30 WELCOME TO THE FAMILY
9:00 SEAN SAVES THE WORLD
9:30 THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW
10:00 Parenthood (5th season)

After years of declining ratings for niche workplace sitcoms, NBC is revamping Thursday in a big way bringing in four family shows - three new comedies and an existing drama. Leading off the night though is the sixth season of Parks and Recreation which seems like an odd fit with the rest of the night though NBC is promoting it as a "workplace family." At 8:30pm is Welcome to the Family which seems to be the least of NBC's priorities on this night. While that means expectations are lower, it also means it could fail quickly in an hour that has been tough for NBC. The 9pm hour brings back two former Must See TV stars in Sean Hayes and Michael J. Fox. Sean Saves the World is a multi-camera sitcom that seems like its from the 90s. It has been critically panned but NBC is hoping it can be broadly appealing. It has to face The Crazy Ones though and seems like it could be a tall order because Hayes is not that big a draw. NBC's biggest bet is on Michael J. Fox which they put in an odd timeslot for a potential anchor - 9:30pm with a 22 episode order. The Michael J. Fox Show is NBC's biggest hope from their new comedy slate and their future in the family comedy realm hinges somewhat on how this show performs. At 10pm, NBC has brought over Parenthood from Tuesdays to finally give it some respect for performing strongly often with no support. It has to face Scandal though but it seems like NBC's best bet in this slot since ER. Of any new lineup on any network, this is the one I am most interested to see in the ratings.

FOX
8:00 The X Factor (3rd season)
9:00 Glee (5th season)
FOX is the only network keeping the status quo on Thursday nights with the ever declining The X Factor (I already went into detail about my concern for this show on Wednesday's preview). At 9pm is Glee which is also declining but may see a temporary boost as the show deals with co-star Cory Monteith's untimely death this summer. Basically though, this lineup is more of the same and it needs some spicing up. You know, Bones could go here too and not on Friday...

New Thursday Show Survival Chances
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC) - Fair. This is a generous rating but I think two other ABC dramas - Lucky 7 and Betrayal will have a quick death so ABC might be more patient with this one.
The Millers (CBS) - Good. It seems like a CBS show and has The Big Bang Theory as a lead-in. I see this one working.
The Crazy Ones (CBS) - Good. It's much more of a gamble but I still think CBS is going to find success with its two hour block and this will be a part of it.
Welcome to the Family (NBC) - Poor. Not everything is going to work on NBC's revamped night and Welcome to the Family is pretty low on the list of priorities.
Sean Saves the World (NBC) - Fair. I'm skeptical about this show actually working but I think NBC is going to be patient with it which might buy it some time.
The Michael J. Fox Show (NBC) - Good. It has a 22 episode order and NBC will do everything in its power to make that order well deserved.