Skip to main content

RENEWAL ALERT: New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, The Following

FOX handed out more renewals to a quartet of shows who are favorites of FOX but struggling in the ratings. New Girl, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Mindy Project, and The Following were all given another season.

New Girl was renewed for a fourth season. The show was a shining star as a freshman on FOX's schedule in 2011-12, but it has gradually declined ever since. However, it's one of the youngest skewing shows on TV and a huge magnet to the desirable 18-34 demo. The show has hit a bit of a wall creatively this year after two excellent seasons, so hopefully this show will recover creatively. It will get a chance to with this renewal.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine was renewed for a second season. It was one of the critics' favorite new shows heading into this season and then it shocked everyone by winning Outstanding Comedy Series at the Golden Globe awards. Those reasons, coupled with a post-Super Bowl slot pretty much showed that FOX was committed to this show despite middling ratings. I'm so glad to hear this because it is, without question, the funniest new show on the air this season.

The Mindy Project was renewed for a third season. The show has struggled in the ratings since the beginning but manages to keep getting renewed. It is currently on hiatus but will return in April. Many fans claim the show has gotten much better since its shaky early episodes, but I admit I only gave it half an episode of a second chance in the season premiere this year. These three renewals make me wonder what FOX will do with comedies next year - will these three all come back to Tuesday with a new sitcom? Or will they expand to another night like Friday or Sunday?

Finally, The Following was given a third season. The creepy drama was one of TV's top rated new shows last season as it struck a chord with viewers on Monday nights. This season, its season premiere aired after the NFC Championship Game and delivered big numbers, but things quickly fell on Monday nights as it has been exploring new series lows by the week. But with the cancellation of The X Factor and FOX's move towards half-season shows, this must be a valuable show to keep. All four renewed shows are solid DVR gainers.

These shows join many already-renewed shows for FOX: Bob's Burgers, Bones, Family Guy, Glee, Masterchef Junior, The Simpsons, and Sleepy Hollow. Aside from American Idol, there may not be any more renewals though Almost Human could sneak one out. Dads, Enlisted, Raising Hope, and Rake are very likely to join the already cancelled The X Factor. Still to premiere is Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, Surviving Jack, 24: Live Another Day, and Gang Related.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

SEASON IN REVIEW: 2017-18 Miscellaneous Awards

As usual, I am ending the season with a few miscellaneous awards. The blog will be quiet this summer but I will continue to do the week ahead posts with broadcast TV news as it happens this summer. Then I'll be back for previews, pilot reviews, and more in the fall! BEST RETURNING COMEDY Superstore (NBC) - Superstore was awarded my "Best Returning Comedy" last year, but it only got better in season three. The funniest ensemble on TV took another step forward with some truly hilarious moments (the season premiere, the Golden Globes party, and the Christmas episode to name a few) and some major plot points moving forward. It also has the potential to be surprisingly sentimental at times. I think back to the first year of the show and how I felt like it had so many funny elements but didn't always bring it completely together. Well now it does on a weekly basis and it is one of those shows that just seems to be in the sweet spot of what will hopefully be a long run. ...

EPISODE GUIDES: Happy Days Season Five (Part 1)

On Thursdays, I take a detailed and critical look at a TV show by season. Today I am looking at Season 5 (Part 1) of  Happy Days ! HAPPY DAYS: SEASON FIVE 1977-1978 27 episodes Season Five is the year where Fonzie infamously jumps the shark. It happens at the beginning of the season and while  Happy Days  does eventually decline in quality, it is not this season. In fact, this season graded out slightly higher than the previous season even though it doesn't feel as strong. I think that's because there's not a lot of outright stinkers in this season. It's a very solid season with the show continuing to hum along. There are some signs of the troubles to come but it doesn't happen on a regular basis in the fifth season. Starring Ron Howard as Richie Cunningham  (27 episodes) Henry Winkler as Arthur Fonzarelli  (27 episodes) Tom Bosley as Howard Cunningham  (27 episodes) Marion Ross as Marion Cunningham  (27 episodes) Anson Williams as Potsie Webber  ...

EPISODE GUIDES: That 70s Show Season Seven

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Seven of  That 70s Show ! THAT 70s SHOW: SEASON SEVEN 2004-2005 25 episodes The seventh season of  That 70s Show  is the final season with Topher Grace as a series regular and also the final full season for Ashton Kutcher. Despite still having both of those cast member, the show finds itself flailing especially with Topher Grace's Eric, who is stuck in a terrible arc for most of the season. The show also brings many characters back at one point or another but everything just feels tired. This season actually graded out the worst for me. Even worse than the often maligned final season (more on that next week). Every title this season is named for a Rolling Stones song. Starring Topher Grace as Eric Forman  (25 episodes) Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart  (25 episodes) Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso  (25 episodes) Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde  (25 e...