FALL PREVIEW 2015: Thursday

Here is my Thursday preview. Thursday has major changes on NBC, some comedy changes on CBS, and very little elsewhere. TGIT returns for a second season and a temporary showdown with year two of Thursday Night Football.

Past Thursday previews: 2014   2013   2012   2011   2010

ABC
8:00 Grey's Anatomy (12th season)
9:00 Scandal (5th season)
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder (2nd season)

ABC is getting the gang back together after last year's Shonda night was a smashing success until How to Get Away with Murder left following its shortened season. It's easy to forget how strong this lineup was last fall with the way the spring went but it could come back strongly and there is another Shonda drama (The Catch) set up to replace Murder when its season ends. The only downside is these shows are a year older and there are question marks with each show. Grey's lost star Patrick Dempsey last season, Scandal had a troubling spring drop, and Murder is not the new show anymore and could suffer a sophomore slump. That may be an overly pessimistic view, the most likely is that the shows aren't as strong as they were last fall or as weak as they were in the spring.

CBS
(Sep & Oct)
8:00 Thursday Night Football

(Nov)
8:00 The Big Bang Theory (9th season)
8:30 LIFE IN PIECES
9:00 Mom (3rd season)
9:30 ANGEL FROM HELL
10:00 Elementary (4th season)

CBS will once again have football through the end of October and they will get great numbers as a result (hopefully there won't be as many blowouts this year!) In November, the regular lineup returns. Both The Big Bang Theory and Life in Pieces move over from Monday unless CBS has decided Pieces won't cut it by that point. Mom did very well following Big Bang last year and gets a chance to be the 9pm anchor this year after a trial run at the end of last season. The new single camera Jane Lynch comedy Angel from Hell follows at 9:30pm. These single camera comedies seem like an odd fit on the night but CBS has 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly, and The Odd Couple all waiting on the bench if things don't work out. Elementary returns to 10pm as the odd Thursday schedule made it unappealing for CBS to launch a new drama here despite the struggles Elementary has had.

NBC
8:00 HEROES: REBORN
9:00 The Blacklist (2nd season)
10:00 THE PLAYER

NBC made a bold decision last year to bring The Blacklist to Thursday nights but things did not go well. The Blacklist fell apart but some of the blame had to be given to the instant bombs that surrounded it (The Slap and Allegiance). NBC is not ready to accept failure yet on this night so The Blacklist comes back to 9pm and is surrounded by presumably stronger options. At 8pm is the revival of Heroes in a special limited series (that will certainly get extended if it's a success). Heroes: Reborn will certainly get some initial attention but let's not forget the original Heroes eventually crashed and burned after a hugely popular and critically acclaimed first season. NBC is hoping people associate the show more for its first season than the later seasons. At 10pm is the new Wesley Snipes thriller The Player. It seemed as though this was the other big drama in development along with Blindspot but it has a tougher slot. It may be a stronger option than Allegiance but it's going to have its work cut out for it.

FOX
8:00 Bones (11th season)
9:00 Sleepy Hollow (3rd season)

FOX has made some big efforts on the first three nights of the week and Thursday seems more like a throwaway day. This isn't a horrible approach for a network that has rebuilding to do even with the success of Empire. Bones is entering its 11th season and its best days are long behind it. Sleepy Hollow suffered a major sophomore slump creatively and in the ratings. It seems like this might be its last chance to turn it around. FOX won't be too competitive here but if the other nights work, they can tackle this night in the spring or next fall.

New Thursday Show Survival Chances
Life in Pieces (CBS) - Fair. See my Monday post for thoughts on this show.

Angel from Hell (CBS) - Poor. I could see Life in Pieces having a chance but this show just seems doomed to me. It doesn't look broadly appealing or that compatible with Mom and it's harder for a new comedy at 9:30pm than 8:30pm typically. I think this will be replaced with one of the comedies on the bench sooner rather than later.

Heroes: Reborn (NBC) - Fair. I'm not sure what to expect here but I do think it'll get some initial attention and that may be enough to sustain it. But I'm also not sure it'll do enough to encourage NBC to not make it a "limited" series.

The Player (NBC) - Poor. I'm pretty down on this show mostly because I don't trust the NBC Thursday night lineup and if viewers don't come back to The Blacklist, I don't see this really being able to be a huge improvement on instant bomb Allegiance.