The networks will start announcing midseason plans fairly soon so here are my thoughts on what they should do. I went into this briefly last time, but here are some actual schedule ideas:
ABC
Monday
8:00 The Bachelor (Jan)/Dancing with the Stars (Mar)
10:00 Castle
The usual.
Tuesday
8:00 500 Questions
9:00 Marvel's Agent Carter (Jan)/Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Mar)
10:00 Forever (Jan)/The Whispers (Mar)
ABC is already planning for Marvel's Agent Carter as a filler for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I would get rid of the 8pm comedy hour and try the new unscripted show 500 Questions. I would extend Forever's order to 18 episodes or so, and then premiere The Whispers late in the season.
Wednesday
8:00 The Middle
8:30 The Goldbergs
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Black-ish
10:00 Nashville (Jan)/Fresh Off the Boat & Comedy Repeats (Apr)
I don't know where to put Fresh Off the Boat. It certainly seems like a Wednesday show so I wouldn't stick it on Fridays, but there isn't any room from 8-10pm on Weds now that they have a coherent lineup. I think their best bet is to end the Nashville season early and give Boat a chance in the 10pm hour. Premiere it with a special 9:30pm episode after Modern Family leading into a second one at 10 and then air it at 10 with rotating comedy repeats at 10:30. I don't know if that'd work, but I think it's the best option they have for a promising show.
Thursday
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Scandal
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder (Jan)/Secrets & Lies (Mar)
This is already the plan with How to Get Away with Murder only doing 15 episodes. I don't see a reason to change it.
Friday
8:00 Last Man Standing
8:30 Cristela
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 20/20
I wouldn't change anything here. It's working pretty nicely. Maybe they could end the comedies in April and premiere Beyond the Tank, a Shark Tank spinoff late in the season.
Sunday
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Galavant (2 episodes each week) (Jan)/Once Upon a Time (Mar)
9:00 Resurrection (Jan)/American Crime (Mar)
10:00 Revenge
This is already the plan for the spring and I think they should keep it as is. I would premiere American Crime the Sunday after the Oscars.
Other Notes: Cancel Selfie after 13 episodes, save The Astronauts Wives Club & Members Only for summer.
CBS
Monday
8:00 2 Broke Girls
8:30 Mike & Molly
9:00 Scorpion
10:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
I wouldn't move Mom to this night. I would cancel The Millers or save it for a burnoff in the summer and bring Mike & Molly back to its familiar night.
Tuesday
8:00 NCIS
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
10:00 Person of Interest
No changes even though Person of Interest is fading.
Wednesday
8:00 Survivor
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 Stalker
Ditto to Tuesday with the 10pm show.
Thursday
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
8:30 The Odd Couple
9:00 Two and a Half Men
9:30 Mom
10:00 Elementary (Jan)/CSI: Cyber (Mar)
I would keep The McCarthys for awhile, but eventually move Mom to 9:30pm and launch The Odd Couple at 8:30pm to give it the best possible lead-in. Elementary might be in major trouble so I think this is a better place to launch CSI: Cyber, especially with How to Get Away with Murder gone from the slot sometime in the spring.
Friday
8:00 Undercover Boss
9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (Jan)/Elementary (Apr)
10:00 Blue Bloods
I'd be curious to see how Elementary can do on Fridays so I'd end the Hawaii Five-0 season early and give it a chance there.
Sunday
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Madam Secretary
9:00 The Good Wife
10:00 CSI (Jan)/The Mentalist (Mar)
With CSI ending early, I would give The Mentalist it's old timeslot back rather than trying to launch CSI: Cyber after very old skewing shows.
Other Notes: Save Battle Creek for summer.
NBC
Monday
8:00 Parks and Recreation (2 episodes) (Jan)/The Voice (late Feb)
9:00 Hollywood Game Night (Jan)/The Voice (late Feb)
10:00 State of Affairs
NBC needs to find something to do while The Voice is gone. I think their best bet is to double-pump Parks and Rec at 8pm. 13 episodes could be over by mid February if they start the first week of January. Hollywood Game Night could air at 9pm to provide at least an OK lead-in to State of Affairs.
Tuesday
8:00 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Jan)/The Voice (late Feb)
8:30 One Big Happy (Jan)/The Voice (late Feb)
9:00 Marry Me (Jan)/The Night Shift (late Feb)
9:30 About a Boy (Jan)/The Night Shift (late Feb)
10:00 Chicago Fire
NBC has to do something with its comedies and there aren't a ton of options. I would leave Marry Me and About a Boy until The Voice comes back and pair it with two new comedies. If it can get ready in time, I think season two of The Night Shift would be a great fit with The Voice and Chicago Fire on the night. Odyssey is another option for 9pm.
Wednesday
8:00 The Mysteries of Laura
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
10:00 Chicago PD
I would leave this alone with big changes the rest of the week. It's doing well enough.
Thursday
8:00 Specials (Jan)/Neil Patrick Harris Variety Show (Feb)
9:00 Bad Judge & A to Z (Jan)/The Blacklist (Feb)
10:00 Parenthood (Jan)/Allegiance (Feb)
NBC wants to make its Thursday night work and they are just biding time right now. I think they'll follow through on their plan to move The Blacklist to the night, but they need to surround it with good stuff. Their best option is the Neil Patrick Harris variety show (though I would eventually have that land on Sundays if it succeeds) at 8pm. I don't know if it can be ready in time but it would certainly bring eyeballs to the network. Then I would keep the plan for The Blacklist and new drama Allegiance.
Friday
8:00 Dateline NBC
9:00 Grimm
10:00 Hannibal
NBC needs to cancel Constantine and bring in Hannibal as an OK pinch hitter on the night.
Sunday (starting in Feb)
7:00 Dateline NBC
8:00 Celebrity Apprentice
9:00 A.D.
10:00 Aquarius
I heard NBC is planning to launch A.D. around Easter but I would rebrand Sundays as soon as the Super Bowl is out of the way. Make it a night for event series like A.D. and Aquarius. I actually think 8pm would be a great place for the Neil Patrick Harris show but they probably need it on Thursday if it's ready in time. I would keep Celebrity Apprentice at just an hour.
Other Notes: Save Odyssey and Mr. Robinson for summer (unless The Night Shift can't be ready, then air Odyssey on Tuesdays)
FOX
Monday
8:00 Gotham
9:00 Sleepy Hollow (Jan)/The Following (Feb)
Gotham should definitely stay put but I don't think I'd use it launch a new show. Even though it's their strongest show, it doesn't seem compatible with anything new they have. So I'd give the 9pm slot back to The Following after Sleepy Hollow ends.
Tuesday
8:00 American Idol
9:00 New Girl
9:30 The Mindy Project
I think it's time for FOX to make the move back to a Tues/Weds format for Idol because I don't think they should move Bones off of Thursday. I'd air just an hour early on and then preempt the comedy block for a couple weeks when they need the two hour shows.
Wednesday
8:00 American Idol
9:00 Red Band Society (Jan)/Empire (Mar)
While American Idol is not really a strong lead-in anymore, I'd give Red Band Society a couple weeks after it just to see if it can get any traction. Then I'd make way for the new hip hop drama Empire, the only decent sounding newbie left on FOX.
Thursday
8:00 Bones
9:00 Backstrom
I have absolutely no hope for Backstrom, but if it were to have a compatible companion on the schedule, it seems like it might be Bones.
Friday
8:00 Glee
9:00 Last Man on Earth
9:30 Weird Loners
Glee deserves to be banished to Fridays for its final season. The two new comedies I have at 9pm some dreadful to me but they have to go somewhere.
Sunday
7:00 Animated Encores
7:30 Bob's Burgers
8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 Bordertown
I'd keep everything the same here except for having new toon Bordertown replacing Mulaney in the 9:30pm slot.
No comments:
Post a Comment