FALL PREVIEW 2019: Monday

Here is my Fall Preview for Monday, a night with new shows on three different networks (CBS, NBC and FOX), and an overhaul on the CW.

ABC
8:00 Dancing with the Stars (28th edition)
10:00 The Good Doctor (3rd season)

ABC is keeping its Dancing with the Stars/The Good Doctor combo going for a third consecutive fall. Dancing only aired one installment last year so it hasn't been seen since last fall. It made some news this summer with one of its stars being Sean Spicer and the subsequent threats of boycott. With things like that, I often think the people who are boycotting and the people purposely watching because of the support tend to cancel each other out so a noticeable bump or drop seems unlikely. The Good Doctor was a huge hit in its freshman year. It was steady in season two, but seems to be continuously losing buzz so some more drops wouldn't shock me.

CBS
8:00 The Neighborhood (2nd season)
8:30 BOB HEARTS ABISHOLA
9:00 ALL RISE
10:00 Bull (4th season)

CBS completely overhauled Monday night last season and got at least one decent performance from it with The Neighborhood. The comedy comes back anchoring the 8pm hour after a very strong freshman year. This year, it will lead into the new Chuck Lorre comedy Bob Hearts Abishola starring Mike & Molly vet Billy Gardell. The show has gotten a lot of promotion, but it seems like it could be a tough sell. At 9pm is new legal drama All Rise. This slot was pretty brutal to Magnum P.I. and The Code last season and I don't think there's anything to make All Rise a stronger performer than those two. Bull returns at 10pm despite the bad publicity it has gotten from accusations against its star. As far as a 10pm performer, it did alright in total viewers even though it skewed ancient.

NBC
8:00 The Voice (17th edition)
10:00 BLUFF CITY LAW

Another year, another new drama to follow The Voice as has been the case at least once a year since 2012 (and often twice). The Voice returns without Adam Levine as a judge for the first time and coming after a pretty ugly spring run. It is not the powerhouse it used to be, but it has looked bad in the spring before and come back stronger in the fall. Even if it does return decently, it has done nothing to show that it can sustain its ratings over the course of an edition. The lead-out is one of NBC's blander attempts at a post-Voice show: the legal drama Bluff City Law starring Jimmy Smits. While there's a 0% chance it can open as strong as Manifest did last fall, NBC must be hoping it can be a little steadier of a performer than the consistently downward-trending Manifest.

FOX
8:00 9-1-1 (3rd season)
9:00 PRODIGAL SON

FOX had a pretty decent Monday lineup last season with The Resident leading into 9-1-1. Now, The Resident is off to Tuesdays while 9-1-1 slides up to Mondays. The show remains one of TV's top dramas and even if it drops a little bit, it should continue to be. It will lead into the thriller Prodigal Son. While there has been some positive buzz about Prodigal, it seems a lot darker and a little bit of an odd match for the often humorous 9-1-1. With a 9-1-1 spinoff waiting in the wings, it seems like it will have to overperform to keep this slot though the plan is for the 9-1-1 spinoff to be a bridge between fall and spring runs of the mothership.

CW
8:00 All American (2nd season)
9:00 Black Lightning (3rd season)

The CW has a lot of nights this fall that are pretty cohesive from a DC night to teen mystery nights. But their Monday lineup has the least cohesion and is also made up of two shows that could barely keep their head afloat in better slots last season. All American had some critical acclaim but couldn't break through. The CW claims good streaming numbers but I don't think it'll translate. Black Lightning was perhaps even more disappointing after a decent first season. It could not hold its own in what is still the best timeslot on the CW (following The Flash) and now will air away from all the other DC shows where its likely to drop even lower.

New Monday Show Survival Chances
Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS) - Fair. It is Chuck Lorre so I can't completely count it out, but this show just doesn't seem like it's going to work.

All Rise (CBS) - Poor. If Magnum P.I. couldn't work in this slot last fall, I have a really hard time believing All Rise can work this fall.

Bluff City Law (NBC) - Fair. I don't really love its chances to work, but I can't completely count out any show that follows The Voice on a weekly basis.

Prodigal Son (FOX) - Poor. It seems like FOX has just too many new and returning dramas for this one to be enough of a player to be in the conversation.

Check back tomorrow for Tuesday!