Skip to main content

FALL PREVIEW 2018: Friday

Here is my Fall Preview for Friday!

ABC
8:00 Fresh Off the Boat (5th season)
8:30 Speechless (3rd season)
9:00 Child Support (2nd season)
10:00 20/20 (42nd season)
After an ill-advised year with Marvel shows and Once Upon a Time, ABC is going back to comedy on Friday night. They are even trying to re-start the TGIF moniker but they've moved some modest performers at best to kick-start the night. Leading off the night is Fresh Off the Boat. It has never been a big hit for ABC but has always done OK. ABC might be hoping that the smash success of summer movie Crazy Rich Asians might help since its star, Constance Wu, is the lead on Boat. Speechless follows at 8:30pm after two seasons on Wednesday. I think if ABC really wanted to carve out a comedy presence on Friday, they needed to bring over a stronger performer. At 9pm is game show Child Support, which had a quiet run last winter. 20/20 ends the night with its 42nd season.

 CBS
8:00 MacGyver (3rd season)
9:00 Hawaii Five-0 (9th season)
10:00 Blue Bloods (9th season)
CBS is keeping things the same on Fridays for a third straight season. This is a lineup that is slowly slipping each season, but it's continuing to be a solid, old-skewing lineup. MacGyver seemed the most in danger of falling off the map last season and with several shows in the CBS lineup that could seemingly join the Friday lineup, it might need to stabilize a little more. Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods continue to chug along with both entering their ninth seasons.

 NBC
8:00 Blindspot (4th season)
9:00 Midnight, Texas (2nd season)
10:00 Dateline NBC (28th season)
NBC is gambling somewhat on Friday nights with some genre dramas. Blindspot surprisingly retains the 8pm timeslot despite a very modestly rated performance last season. It is entering its fourth season so at least its a known quantity for NBC. A bigger gamble is at 9pm where they will air season two of Midnight, Texas. Season one aired back in Summer 2017 and it hasn't been seen since then, when it delivered low ratings (but passable for summer). I can't imagine it will do much of anything here. It will have a short season and be replaced by The Blacklist in the winter. Dateline NBC continues its showdown with 20/20 at 10pm.

 FOX
8:00 Last Man Standing (7th season)
8:30 THE COOL KIDS
9:00 Hell's Kitchen (18th edition)
FOX is overhauling its Friday night and trying to tap into broad comedy by picking up cancelled ABC sitcom Last Man Standing. This isn't really a reboot or revival as much as a continuation, but it did have a year off since it was cancelled on ABC following the 2016-17 season. This move seems partly made based on the success of Roseanne last spring and its appeal to conservative, heartland viewers. It will be paired with another broader sitcom, The Cool Kids, starring an old cast. This is definitely a different audience than FOX is usually looking for. It will be interesting to see if they can carve out an identity on Friday nights. Hell's Kitchen returns for its 18th edition at 9pm.

 CW
8:00 Dynasty (2nd season)
9:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (4th season)
The CW is basically throwing in the towel on Friday nights especially since they have to worry about Sundays now. Dynasty somehow managed to get renewed despite a string of 0.1 demos last season. It doesn't even seem to be a show that is finding an audience on other platforms. But it will be tasked with leading off Friday nights for the CW. Maybe it will reach the elusive 0.0 demo this season. At 9pm is the fourth and final season of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The final season of Jane the Virgin will also air on this night at some point in the season.

 New Friday Show Survival Chances
The Cool Kids - Poor. I'm mixed on how Last Man Standing will do, but I don't think that success will extend to The Cool Kids. I think a full season is about the best it can ask for.

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

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. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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  ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
Post a Comment
Read more