FALL PREVIEW 2017: Tuesday

Here is my Fall Preview for Tuesday, a night with the buzziest show on broadcast, several re-locations from Wednesdays and Thursdays, and three new series.

ABC
8:00 The Middle (9th season)
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat (4th season)
9:00 Black-ish (4th season)
9:30 THE MAYOR
10:00 KEVIN (PROBABLY) SAVES THE WORLD

ABC is revamping its Tuesday comedy block but The Middle will start it off again for what has been announced as the final season for the long running family sitcom. This has had a loyal audience that will see it through but I don't think it will see a pop in the ratings for its farewell tour. It is followed by Fresh Off the Boat, sliding up half an hour after and up and down run at 9pm last season. At 9pm, ABC is moving Black-ish over from Wednesdays after it aired following Modern Family for the past three seasons. The Emmy nominated comedy will no longer have to air against Empire but now it has to air against This is Us and anchor an hour. At 9:30pm is The Mayor, which has gotten a lot of buzz as being the best new comedy of the fall. But again, it has This is Us against it so that doesn't help matters. At 10pm is new dramedy Kevin (Probably) Saves the World. This quirky newbie seems to have instant flop written all over it airing in a slot that has not been kind to ABC since NYPD Blue.

CBS
8:00 NCIS (15th season)
9:00 Bull (2nd season)
10:00 NCIS: New Orleans (4th season)

CBS is keeping the status quo on Tuesday nights with a solid and dependable lineup on a competitive night. At 8pm, NCIS enters its 15th season and is still one of TV's top shows in total viewers. Last year, it was paired with Bull and the two dramas fit together very well with Bull also being a top draw among total viewers. NCIS: New Orleans is quieter at 10pm but it is one of the better 10pm dramas on TV and can occasionally spike when the competition is light or it has an event like a crossover.

NBC
8:00 The Voice (13th edition)
9:00 This is Us (2nd season)
10:00 LAW & ORDER TRUE CRIME: THE MENENDEZ MURDERS

NBC originally had plans to send its megahit This is Us to Thursdays, but they reversed course in the summer and will keep it right where it is. I definitely agree with that decision but the problem is what's before and after it. I don't know what else they could have done with The Voice but it's too bad that two solid standalone veteran shows are airing back to back so the one hour edition of The Voice will continue to lead off Tuesdays. Then This is Us airs at 9pm and will try to keep the magic going from its huge season one. The oddest entry is the 10pm drama though. While Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders will probably do decently and is capitalizing on the real crime trend in recent years, it seems odd that NBC is using its biggest hit to launch a limited run show with a built-in name brand. Especially when they had a show like Rise on the bench, which seems like a perfect fit with This is Us. But even when True Crime ends, it sounds like the plan for now is to go with season three of Chicago Med.

FOX
8:00 Lethal Weapon (2nd season)
9:00 The Mick (2nd season)
9:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (5th season)

FOX is bringing over its Wednesday lead-off to Tuesday nights as Lethal Weapon will relocate and join FOX's comedy night. This seems fitting because it was an OK self starter and also seems compatible with comedies. I think this is a good place for this show. FOX is giving The Mick a chance to be the comedy it wants it to be by giving it the anchor slot in the 9pm hour. It didn't seem to warrant that kind of faith in the spring but we'll see. It's paired with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which has gone from being a darling of the FOX lineup to an after thought over the last year and a half.

CW
8:00 The Flash (4th season)
9:00 DC's Legends of Tomorrow (3rd season)

The CW does not have major changes to the night and it is not using its top drama as a lead-in to something new but rather to something it has proven to be compatible with. The Flash remains the top show on the CW and will continue to lead off the night. It is followed by DC's Legends of Tomorrow, which aired in this same slot last winter and proved to be an OK companion. Since Legends produces only 16 episodes a season, it seems like this is a very possible landing spot for midseason superhero drama Black Lightning.

New Tuesday Show Survival Chances
The Mayor (ABC) - Good. Even in a tough timeslot, I tend to be high on shows that get a lot of critical buzz these days because they seem to find an audience and I think The Mayor, with many glowing reviews so far, is no exception.

Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (ABC) - Very Poor. I don't see any scenario where this show works. It doesn't sound like it will be able to have mass appeal and the track record for newbies in this slot for ABC is just horrendous. I don't know why they keep putting shows like this in this slot.

Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders (NBC) - Good. I don't think this is going to be a buzzy show like the show its obviously trying to be (The People v. OJ Simpson). But it's a Dick Wolf show about true crime and following This is Us. There will surely be further editions.