FALL PREVIEW 2018: Wednesday

Here is my Fall Preview for Wednesday: a night with some new entries on ABC and the CW, no changes for CBS & FOX, and the first all "Chicago" night on NBC.

ABC
8:00 The Goldbergs (6th season)
8:30 American Housewife (3rd season)
9:00 Modern Family (10th season)
9:30 SINGLE PARENTS
10:00 A MILLION LITTLE THINGS

ABC is giving its Wednesday night lineup a jolt with two new entries. The Goldbergs and Modern Family return as the comedy anchors. It is quite possible this could be Modern's final season, but nothing official has been announced. American Housewife slides up an hour to 8:30pm. I think this is actually a timeslot upgrade for the show, which only did OK in the post-Modern Family slot. If it had been in this slot last year, they might have been able to move it to Tuesdays in The Middle's absence. At 9:30pm is new comedy Single Parents, which has gotten buzz as the best new sitcom of the fall. On paper, it seems like a good match for Modern Family. At 10pm is the new A Million Little Things. This has gotten more attention than many fall shows but for mixed reasons as many see it as a This is Us knockoff. It also has to follow an untested new show so it will need to garner some attention on its own.

CBS
8:00 Survivor (37th edition)
9:00 SEAL Team (2nd season)
10:00 Criminal Minds (14th season)

CBS is going with the status quo on Wednesday nights. That seems fine for Survivor, which will be starting its incredible 37th edition. It has now aired on Wednesdays for almost as long as it aired on Thursdays. The problem is at 9pm where SEAL Team returns for a second season. As I mentioned in my sophomore class post, this was a show that severely underperformed in a good slot. I think CBS should have tried something else here because it doesn't seem like it's going to get better for SEAL Team. Criminal Minds returns at 10pm for its 14th season. The veteran drama handled the move to 10pm decently last season. It only has a 15 episode order so it could give way to another drama, but if newbies fail elsewhere, it could see it back up to a normal full length season.

NBC
8:00 Chicago Med (4th season)
9:00 Chicago Fire (7th season)
10:00 Chicago PD (6th season)

For the first time, NBC is going with an all-Chicago night. Chicago Fire was a little show that could back in Fall 2012 on Wednesday nights and now it returns to the night six years later having created an enduring world and three spinoffs, two of them successful. Fire takes over as the 9pm anchor and is led into by Chicago Med with Chicago PD retaining its Wednesday 10pm slot as the lead-out. Chicago crossovers have always juiced the ratings so this seems like a good idea. They are even doing a crossover the second week of the season just to get people in the habit of watching this shows as a trio. I think it's worth the shot and could prove successful for NBC but I'm a little leery of the weakest show, Chicago Med, being the lead-off.

FOX
8:00 Empire (5th season)
9:00 Star (3rd season)

FOX is sticking with its Lee Daniels night with Empire leading off the night and Star following at 9pm. Empire slowed the bleeding last year and had a very solid spring. Star was a more consistent performer behind Empire than it was as an Empire winter replacement in season one. Although I do think these shows will decline some, it should still be a decent lineup for FOX. No plan has been announced for the winter hiatus but it seems quite possible at least one of the new dramas, The Passage or Presumed Innocent will be here.

CW
8:00 Riverdale (3rd season)
9:00 ALL AMERICAN

The CW got quite a surprise last fall when Riverdale came out of nowhere to be a surprise hit in its second season. Had they known it was going to break out, they might have tried to pair it with someone other than an incompatible Dynasty. Although Riverdale did not keep the heat going through the season, they have tried to find it a better pairing with teen drama All American. However, All American looks a little closer to a Friday Night Lights showed compared to the campy Riverdale so I'm not sure these shows are that compatible other than being about teenagers.

New Wednesday Show Survival Chances
Single Parents (ABC) - Good. I think the good reviews and compatibility with Modern Family will help this be a more successful Wednesday 9:30pm entry than some other Modern Family lead-outs have been.

A Million Little Things (ABC) - Fair. I think this show has some buzz but I'm not sure it's for the right reasons and I could see it having an OK premiere but dropping off pretty quickly.

All American (CW) - Fair. I think this could be a critical darling, but it just seems so far out of the CW wheelhouse other than being teen-driven that I'm not convinced the audience is there.