Skip to main content

RENEWAL ALERT: Grey's Anatomy, How to Get Away with Murder, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon a Time, Scandal, Black-ish, The Goldbergs, The Middle, Modern Family, America's Funniest Home Videos, The Bachelor, Shark Tank, 20/20, Dancing with the Stars, Castle, Nashville, Fresh Off the Boat, Secrets and Lies, Beyond the Tank, American Crime, Marvel's Agent Carter, Galavant

ABC handed out nearly all renewals in one fell swoop. The only ABC shows that don't know their fates yet at this point are Last Man Standing (which always seems to go through a difficult negotiation) and unscripted shows The Great Christmas Light Fight, In an Instant, and Repeat After Me, which would all be filler if they come back.

Let's start with the no-brainer renewals: Grey's Anatomy (Season 12), How to Get Away with Murder (Season 2), Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Season 3), Once Upon a Time (Season 5), Scandal (Season 5), Black-ish (Season 2), The Goldbergs (Season 3), The Middle (Season 7), Modern Family (Season 7), America's Funniest Home Videos (Season 26 - with a new host), The Bachelor (20th Edition), Shark Tank (Season 7), 20/20 (Season 34), and Dancing with the Stars (21st & 22nd Editions). None of these were ever really in doubt.

There were five shows that seemed to have a better chance than not of getting renewed but it was a little more in doubt than the no-brainers. Castle was renewed for an eighth season though it struggled on Mondays this year. It wouldn't shock me if this ends up being the last year for Castle. Nashville was renewed for a fourth season. Numbers were low but steady. Both Castle and Nashville are contenders for the Tuesday 10pm or Sunday 10pm slot. Fresh Off the Boat seemed a near lock but it wasn't quite as sure. It survived in a very difficult Tuesday 8pm slot and has a lot of goodwill from fans. Secrets and Lies had huge momentum at the end of its first season after a very weak debut, but it's designed as an anthology series so it's unknown how season two will look. Beyond the Tank had a mere one episode last Friday, but it did well and already got renewed.

Three renewals genuinely surprised me and they are all freshman shows: American Crime, Marvel's Agent Carter, and Galavant. By far the most surprising to me was American Crime. Though the show had some critical acclaim, it completely died in the Thursday 10pm slot after Scandal. I don't think anyone saw this show as having a real chance but here it is. Like Secrets and Lies, it's also designed as an anthology so season two could look quite different. Marvel's Agent Carter was an OK bridge for Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. but it seemed like it would be dead with another Marvel spinoff in the works. But that show isn't going forward and Agent Carter snagged the renewal. Galavant was a short-lived Sunday show that double pumped episodes in January. It had a strong debut but quickly fell apart. ABC has to be thinking a similar set-up for next year.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EPISODE GUIDES: Rhoda Season Five

On Thursdays, I go through classic series with a critical look at each season. Today I am looking at Season Five (the final season) of  Rhoda ! RHODA: SEASON FIVE 1978 13 episodes Rhoda' s final season was a truncated one as the show was cancelled in December 1978 after only 13 episodes had been produced (and only nine had aired). This feels like a continuation from season four in many ways except with the ill-advised split between Ida and Martin (more on that below). While  Rhoda  has an occasional good moment and even a couple decent episodes, it is a show that seems so wildly different from season one and not in a good way.  Rhoda  could never figure out what it fully wanted to be and only made it four and a half seasons as a result. Starring Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Julie Kavner as Brenda Morgenstern  (13 episodes) Ray Buktenica as Benny Goodwin  (11 episodes) Kenneth McMillan as Jack Doyle  (9 episodes) Nancy Wa...
Post a Comment
Read more

SCHEDULES OF THE PAST: 1995-1996 Thursdays

On Tuesdays, I take a look at schedules from yesteryear. Here's a look at Thursdays in the 1995-96 season! ABC 8:00 8:30 9:00 10:00 Sep Charlie Grace The Monroes Various Programs Oct Murder One Nov Various Programs Dec Various Programs Thursday Night Movie Jan Feb World’s Funniest Videos Before They Were Stars! Mar Apr May NBC was the powerhouse on Thursday nights but ABC still gave it the old college try in the Fall of 1995 with a trio of new dramas that they hoped would help them cut into the Peacock's dominance. Headlining their night was Murder One , a high profile new show from Steven Bochco that received much of the network's attention before the season started. The series focused on one murder case for an entire season, whi...
Post a Comment
Read more

DECADE IN REVIEW: The Best Comedies of the 2010s

During the month of December, I will be looking back at the decade that was the 2010s on TV. I will be sharing my favorite sitcoms, dramas, the best episodes, the best performances and the worst shows of the decade. To be eligible for this list, a show had to air the majority of its episodes in the 2010s. However, for the rankings and determination, all episodes were taken into account, including ones that may have aired before 2010. I will also preface that there are comedies that have aired this decade that I haven't watched yet so this is the best of what I have watched. To be fair, that preface is more true for dramas. There's not a ton of unwatched comedies sitting in my Netflix or Amazon watchlist. So here are my Top 10 comedies of the 2010s! Close Calls:  Master of None (Netflix) - An inconsistent but occasionally fascinating commentary on many life issues done so with innovative storytelling. The Good Place (NBC) - A show that aims high with a fascinating premis...
Post a Comment
Read more