FALL PREVIEW 2018: Sunday

Here is my Fall Preview for Sunday! Check back later today for my Fall Preview wrap-up and all week for reviews of new shows as they air!

ABC
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (29th season)
8:00 DANCING WITH THE STARS JUNIOR
9:00 Shark Tank (10th season)
10:00 THE ALEC BALDWIN SHOW

ABC is going all unscripted on Sunday nights in the fall. They are starting with the venerable America's Funniest Home Videos, entering its 29th season. It is followed by a junior edition of Dancing with the Stars. This is the first time that Dancing will do a junior edition and they'll be hoping it goes better than the ill-fated American Juniors edition of American Idol many years ago. It is followed by veteran Shark Tank in its 10th season. At 10pm is the new talk show The Alec Baldwin Show, which had a preview after the Oscars. Baldwin last attempted a talk show in 2013 on MSNBC and it was cancelled after five weeks when he reportedly used an anti-gay slur. We'll see if it goes better this time around. The plan is for American Idol to take over Sunday nights in the spring as it did this past season.

CBS
7:00 60 Minutes (51st season)
8:00 GOD FRIENDED ME
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles (10th season)
10:00 Madam Secretary (5th season)

CBS is trying again with the 8pm slot in the fall after last season's Wisdom of the Crowd drew lackluster ratings and sexual harassment accusations against star Jeremy Piven. This time, it is God Friended Me following 60 Minutes and (sometimes) football. The uplifting drama takes over the slot held by Touched by an Angel for many years. It may have to overcome its very mockable title, however. NCIS: Los Angeles and Madam Secretary continue to round out the night and will have to deal with airing much later on some NFL Sundays, especially poor Madam Secretary. But given its ratings last season, Madam should be happy it continues to have a slot on the fall schedule, even if its the worst one.

NBC
7:00 Football Night in America (13th season)
8:30 Sunday Night Football
As usual, NBC has football on Sunday nights in the fall. The plan for now is a combination of World of Dance and season two of Good Girls in the spring.

FOX
7:00 NFL Overrun/The OT/Animated Encores
8:00 The Simpsons (30th season)
8:30 Bob's Burgers (9th season)
9:00 Family Guy (17th season)
9:30 REL

FOX is streamlining its Sundays a little bit. As usual, The Simpsons and Family Guy are the anchors. The difference is Bob's Burgers is no longer regulated to the 7pm hour and an off/on airing schedule when FOX doesn't have an NFL doubleheader. Burgers has continued to do very well in a difficult airing situation and it's finally getting rewarded by getting to air between The Simpsons and Family Guy regularly for the first time in quite awhile. At 9:30pm is Rel, which had a modestly rated preview after the NFL's opening Sunday a couple weeks ago. This seems like a tall order for a live action sitcom following three straight animated comedies.

CW
8:00 Supergirl (4th season)
9:00 CHARMED

The CW is back on Sundays for the first time in over a decade. It seems a little bit like a curious choice with their weekday ratings continuing to go down, but they are being aggressive and trying to get a cut on the Sunday action. They are coming in with a strong effort. Supergirl moves over from Mondays. Supergirl continues to be a decently rated show for them and could benefit from being decent counter-programming on Sunday night. It is followed by the reboot of Charmed, which was a big hit for the WB in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It's still a tall order for the CW on Sundays but at least they're trying!

New Sunday Show Survival Chances
Dancing with the Stars Junior (ABC) - Poor. I don't think this is going to do enough on Sunday nights to warrant another Junior edition in the future.

The Alec Baldwin Show (ABC) - Poor. I just don't see the ratings being high enough to justify something outlandish Baldwin will do at some point.

God Friended Me (CBS) - Fair. This has a great timeslot and that could help it, but I continue to worry that its title will doom it.

Rel (FOX) - Very Poor. I don't see this one lasting at all. Especially when FOX can easily air animated repeats (or Cosmos in the spring).

Charmed (CW) - Fair. I think the CW so badly wants this to work and it might do enough to warrant that. I mean, look at what happened to Dynasty last season.