For the first time, I will be presenting an extended end of season awards show. It will have some similarities to the Emmys in terms of categories and eligibility but will of course be completely based on my preferences and what I have watched. The pandemic allowed me to catch up and see shows I would never had been able to at the end of a season before (the only good thing about the pandemic!) I do plan to keep up with these now that I've caught up on so many so there will be future awards. Hopefully it will be in July 2021 but we'll see how many shows are actually able to air new episodes before then and that depends on when things go back into production. I'm hoping that will all happen soon!
Here are the rules for eligibility:
- Shows had to have aired the majority of its season between June 1, 2019 and May 31, 2020.
- A show is considered eligible if I watched at least three episodes of it. Most of them I have watched the full season, but three episodes is the cutoff for eligibility.
- I am making my own calls for whether an actor/actress fits into a leading or supporting category. I'm not necessarily following what they submit to the Emmys although most of the time it will line up.
- A limited series is any series that was designed to be close-ended. An anthology series is any series that airs as an anthology either season to season OR episode to episode.
- For Guest Actor or Actress, they can appear in up to four episodes or less than half of the season, whichever number is lower.
There will be a new post for every day in the month of July, posting every morning at 7am EST. Here is the schedule to look forward to!
July 1 - The Limited/Anthology Series Nominees
July 2 - The Comedy Series Nominees
July 3 - The Drama Series Nominees
July 4 - Outstanding Technical Design of a Limited/Anthology Series
July 5 - Outstanding Technical Design of a Comedy Series
July 6 - Outstanding Technical Design of a Drama Series
July 7 - Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series
July 8 - Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Comedy Series
July 9 - Outstanding Guest Actor or Actress in a Drama Series
July 10 - Outstanding Writing of a Limited/Anthology Series
July 11 - Outstanding Writing of a Comedy Series
July 12 - Outstanding Writing of a Drama Series
July 13 - Outstanding Directing of a Limited/Anthology Series
July 14 - Outstanding Directing of a Comedy Series
July 15 - Outstanding Directing of a Drama Series
July 16 - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series
July 17 - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
July 18 - Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
July 19 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series
July 20 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
July 21 - Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
July 22 - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited/Anthology Series
July 23 - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
July 24 - Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
July 25 - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited/Anthology Series
July 26 - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
July 27 - Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
July 28 - Outstanding Limited/Anthology Series
July 29 - Outstanding Comedy Series
July 30 - Outstanding Drama Series
July 31 - Recap
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Wednesday, June 17, 2020
UPFRONTS: ABC's Fall 2020 Schedule
ABC is the last of the big five broadcast networks to unveil their fall plans. They are adding three new series to the schedule (the most of any of the networks) and are following the ABC and CBS lead of not really coronavirus-proofing their schedule. None of their shows on the schedule have episodes in the can so they are banking on being able to resume filming in time to air new episodes at some point in the fall. Like the other networks, they readily admitted fall might not mean September this year. So time will tell which networks ended up being smarter - ABC/CBS/NBC or FOX/CW because they went with very different plans.
MONDAYS
8:00 Dancing with the Stars (29th edition)
10:00 The Good Doctor (4th season)
ABC Mondays look the same for a fourth consecutive year with Dancing with the Stars and The Good Doctor. These are shows that probably can find a way to go into production. Dancing with the Stars, like all competition shows, can be creative in how its presented and The Good Doctor won't look weird with a bunch of masks and social distancing because they can easily incorporate coronavirus into their plot if they choose to. It remains to be seen if Dancing will ever go back to two cycles a year.
TUESDAYS
8:00 The Bachelorette (16th edition)
10:00 BIG SKY
ABC had plans to air The Bachelorette this summer but that was obviously derailed so it will now air in the fall for the first time in its history (the first three editions aired in the winter before it became a summer franchise). They already have plans to begin filming in July with the cast and crew quarantining together. It will be followed by Big Sky, a dark David E. Kelley drama that received a series order ahead of time and therefore was not contingent on completing a pilot. At midseason, there are tentative plans for the return of Black-ish and Mixed-ish to the night and I wouldn't be surprised to see For Life return here as well.
WEDNESDAYS
8:00 The Goldbergs (8th season)
8:30 American Housewife (5th season)
9:00 The Conners (3rd season)
9:30 CALL YOUR MOTHER
10:00 Stumptown (2nd season)
For the first time since the 2008-09 season, the 9pm Wednesday slot does not belong to Modern Family as the iconic comedy came to an end this spring. Replacing it will be The Conners, which moves over from Tuesdays. It will lead into the one new comedy on the schedule, Call Your Mother starring Kyra Sedgwick. It was picked up without completing its pilot and was able to get a spot on the fall schedule over existing entries like Black-ish and Mixed-ish. The 8pm hour is The Goldbergs and American Housewife, which are well into their runs. The Goldbergs will be another interesting show to watch because there's no way they can incorporate coronavirus things into their story being set in the 80s. Ending the night is Stumptown, which struggled this year but still got a second season pickup and return to the same slot.
THURSDAYS
8:00 Station 19 (4th season)
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (17th season)
10:00 A Million Little Things (3rd season)
The three returning shows that aired on Thursday nights this past season are back. Station 19 has been held for midseason twice in its three year run but it will return in the fall after its strongest season yet in the ratings. It is followed by Grey's Anatomy, entering its 17th season. Grey's returns to the 9pm slot and will air at the same time as the other extremely long running drama, Law & Order: SVU on NBC. A Million Little Things returns at 10pm. This night might have been shaken up in a normal year but with everything going on, status quo is the popular choice.
FRIDAYS
8:00 Shark Tank (12th season)
9:00 20/20 (39th season)
ABC has tried comedies on Friday nights the past couple seasons but they are going back to their old formula of Shark Tank and 20/20, which has been the lineup since March. When Shark Tank moved back to the night just in time for everyone being quarantined, it saw the best ratings it had in awhile so it's no surprise that they chose to keep it on Friday and not send it back to Sundays.
SATURDAYS
8:00 College Football
... if there's college football!
SUNDAYS
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (31st season)
8:00 SUPERMARKET SWEEP
9:00 Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? (2nd season)
10:00 The Rookie (3rd season)
ABC is going mostly unscripted on Sunday with shows that are easily to replace with American Idol at midseason. America's Funniest Home Videos remains at 7pm while the new 8pm entry is the reboot of Supermarket Sweep hosted by Leslie Jones. It seems like it could be a better option than this past fall's failed Kids Say the Darndest Things. At 9pm is Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? which had a good quarantine run this spring and will go to a slot that use to house Millionaire many years ago. The Rookie returns at 10pm after a pretty strong second season in the ratings. It has already said it will address police brutality in its third season.
MIDSEASON: American Idol, The Bachelor, Black-ish, For Life, Mixed-ish
It is likely that ABC will add a few of their uncompleted pilots to this list once they are able to resume filming. Having read most of the ABC pilots, I have hopes for Prospect, Rebel, and Thirtysomething(else).
CANCELLED/ENDED: The Baker and the Beauty, Bless This Mess, Emergence, Fresh Off the Boat, How to Get Away with Murder, Kids Say the Darndest Things, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Modern Family, Schooled, Single Parents
MONDAYS
8:00 Dancing with the Stars (29th edition)
10:00 The Good Doctor (4th season)
ABC Mondays look the same for a fourth consecutive year with Dancing with the Stars and The Good Doctor. These are shows that probably can find a way to go into production. Dancing with the Stars, like all competition shows, can be creative in how its presented and The Good Doctor won't look weird with a bunch of masks and social distancing because they can easily incorporate coronavirus into their plot if they choose to. It remains to be seen if Dancing will ever go back to two cycles a year.
TUESDAYS
8:00 The Bachelorette (16th edition)
10:00 BIG SKY
ABC had plans to air The Bachelorette this summer but that was obviously derailed so it will now air in the fall for the first time in its history (the first three editions aired in the winter before it became a summer franchise). They already have plans to begin filming in July with the cast and crew quarantining together. It will be followed by Big Sky, a dark David E. Kelley drama that received a series order ahead of time and therefore was not contingent on completing a pilot. At midseason, there are tentative plans for the return of Black-ish and Mixed-ish to the night and I wouldn't be surprised to see For Life return here as well.
WEDNESDAYS
8:00 The Goldbergs (8th season)
8:30 American Housewife (5th season)
9:00 The Conners (3rd season)
9:30 CALL YOUR MOTHER
10:00 Stumptown (2nd season)
For the first time since the 2008-09 season, the 9pm Wednesday slot does not belong to Modern Family as the iconic comedy came to an end this spring. Replacing it will be The Conners, which moves over from Tuesdays. It will lead into the one new comedy on the schedule, Call Your Mother starring Kyra Sedgwick. It was picked up without completing its pilot and was able to get a spot on the fall schedule over existing entries like Black-ish and Mixed-ish. The 8pm hour is The Goldbergs and American Housewife, which are well into their runs. The Goldbergs will be another interesting show to watch because there's no way they can incorporate coronavirus things into their story being set in the 80s. Ending the night is Stumptown, which struggled this year but still got a second season pickup and return to the same slot.
THURSDAYS
8:00 Station 19 (4th season)
9:00 Grey's Anatomy (17th season)
10:00 A Million Little Things (3rd season)
The three returning shows that aired on Thursday nights this past season are back. Station 19 has been held for midseason twice in its three year run but it will return in the fall after its strongest season yet in the ratings. It is followed by Grey's Anatomy, entering its 17th season. Grey's returns to the 9pm slot and will air at the same time as the other extremely long running drama, Law & Order: SVU on NBC. A Million Little Things returns at 10pm. This night might have been shaken up in a normal year but with everything going on, status quo is the popular choice.
FRIDAYS
8:00 Shark Tank (12th season)
9:00 20/20 (39th season)
ABC has tried comedies on Friday nights the past couple seasons but they are going back to their old formula of Shark Tank and 20/20, which has been the lineup since March. When Shark Tank moved back to the night just in time for everyone being quarantined, it saw the best ratings it had in awhile so it's no surprise that they chose to keep it on Friday and not send it back to Sundays.
SATURDAYS
8:00 College Football
... if there's college football!
SUNDAYS
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos (31st season)
8:00 SUPERMARKET SWEEP
9:00 Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? (2nd season)
10:00 The Rookie (3rd season)
ABC is going mostly unscripted on Sunday with shows that are easily to replace with American Idol at midseason. America's Funniest Home Videos remains at 7pm while the new 8pm entry is the reboot of Supermarket Sweep hosted by Leslie Jones. It seems like it could be a better option than this past fall's failed Kids Say the Darndest Things. At 9pm is Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? which had a good quarantine run this spring and will go to a slot that use to house Millionaire many years ago. The Rookie returns at 10pm after a pretty strong second season in the ratings. It has already said it will address police brutality in its third season.
MIDSEASON: American Idol, The Bachelor, Black-ish, For Life, Mixed-ish
It is likely that ABC will add a few of their uncompleted pilots to this list once they are able to resume filming. Having read most of the ABC pilots, I have hopes for Prospect, Rebel, and Thirtysomething(else).
CANCELLED/ENDED: The Baker and the Beauty, Bless This Mess, Emergence, Fresh Off the Boat, How to Get Away with Murder, Kids Say the Darndest Things, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Modern Family, Schooled, Single Parents
Tuesday, June 16, 2020
UPFRONTS: NBC's Fall 2020 Schedule
NBC unveiled its fall schedule today, more than a month later than they typically would. They have decided to go the CBS route instead of the NBC route. That is to say they are not "coronavirus-proofing" their schedule the way that FOX and the CW have. They are instead gambling that they can get back into production sometime this summer and have programming ready for fall. To be clear, fall does not necessarily mean the third week of September but it does appear that NBC thinks they can get shows on sometime before January. That might be reasonable given the green light in California to resume filming although many hurdles remain. Like all networks, NBC has a very conservative plan especially with new shows as none of their pilots have completed filming.
MONDAYS
8:00 The Voice (19th edition)
10:00 Manifest (3rd season)
Perhaps one of the biggest beneficiaries of the shutdown and lack of pilots was Manifest. Not only did it get renewed for a third season but it actually gets to return to the Monday 10pm slot in the fall (if it can resume production). This is back to where it started when it was hot out of the gate in Fall 2018. It did okay when it returned in January to the slot but it's never going to get back to where it was. The Voice is coming off an interesting spring. It got a major bounce once everything shut down and people were home but then it had to go to remote shows and the ratings plummeted. I'm sure they'll plan some sort of remote edition if they can't film in person but that would probably not be good for its ratings considering how this past edition ended.
TUESDAYS
8:00 The Voice (19th edition)
9:00 This is Us (5th season)
10:00 New Amsterdam (3rd season)
Tuesday nights are status quo with The Voice being a full time Tuesday entry at least to start followed by This is Us and New Amsterdam. This is Us cast member Jon Huertas made some headlines when he said they didn't expect to be back in production until 2021. He walked back those statements but it's certainly a possibility especially with a show that hops timelines and can't incorporate coronavirus into all their plots. On the other hand, New Amsterdam is probably well equipped to incorporate the guidelines into its premise. Both This is Us and New Amsterdam are renewed beyond next season (This is Us for one more and New Amsterdam for two more past next season).
WEDNESDAYS
8:00 Chicago Med (6th season)
9:00 Chicago Fire (9th season)
10:00 Chicago PD (8th season)
#OneChicago Wednesdays continues after another strong season. This is top to bottom broadcast TV's strongest night of scripted programming. With the Chicago shows actually filming in Chicago, they will be under different guidelines that shows filmed in California or New York. If current trends hold, that could help them get back to production sooner but you never know.
THURSDAYS
8:00 Superstore (6th season)
8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (8th season)
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (22nd season)
10:00 LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME
The only new show on NBC's fall schedule is the Law & Order: SVU spinoff focused on Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler. Meloni departed SVU in 2011 but now will reprise the character in a new show. As a result, SVU will move to 9pm to let Organized Crime take over the 10pm slot and the comedy block is cut to one hour with Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Brooklyn has been held for midseason the past couple years and probably would have been again if not for the coronavirus but will instead air in the fall. All of these shows seem poised to address either the coronavirus (the comedy hour) or policing (Brooklyn and the L&O shows) so this is a night that might have a lot of commentary on the world in 2020.
FRIDAYS
8:00 The Blacklist (8th season)
9:00 Dateline NBC (30th season)
Friday nights are staying put like so many other nights with The Blacklist leading into Dateline NBC. If things get back to normal by next year (and even if they don't), I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being the final season for The Blacklist.
SATURDAYS
8:00 Dateline Mystery
10:00 SNL Encores
SUNDAYS
7:00 Football Night in America (15th season)
8:30 Sunday Night Football
NBC is betting that they will have football for the fall. I think that's a pretty safe bet at this point although fans in the stands seems much more questionable. Either way, having football would help them get through the early part of the season if other shows are not ready to return.
MIDSEASON: KENAN, MR. MAYOR, SMALL FORTUNE, THAT'S MY JAM, TRUE STORY, YOUNG ROCK, Good Girls, Making It, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Midseason offerings include a few scripted series that got straight to series orders: the long delayed Kenan, the Ted Danson comedy Mr. Mayor and the Dwayne Johnson vehicle Young Rock. That coupled with some unscripted series, some returning series and perhaps some yet to be picked up pilots could make for a busy spring.
CANCELLED/ENDED: Blindspot, Bluff City Law, The Good Place, Indebted, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, Perfect Harmony, Sunnyside, Will & Grace
TBD: Council of Dads
NBC has not made a call on Council of Dads, currently airing on Thursdays, but its chances are not good.
MONDAYS
8:00 The Voice (19th edition)
10:00 Manifest (3rd season)
Perhaps one of the biggest beneficiaries of the shutdown and lack of pilots was Manifest. Not only did it get renewed for a third season but it actually gets to return to the Monday 10pm slot in the fall (if it can resume production). This is back to where it started when it was hot out of the gate in Fall 2018. It did okay when it returned in January to the slot but it's never going to get back to where it was. The Voice is coming off an interesting spring. It got a major bounce once everything shut down and people were home but then it had to go to remote shows and the ratings plummeted. I'm sure they'll plan some sort of remote edition if they can't film in person but that would probably not be good for its ratings considering how this past edition ended.
TUESDAYS
8:00 The Voice (19th edition)
9:00 This is Us (5th season)
10:00 New Amsterdam (3rd season)
Tuesday nights are status quo with The Voice being a full time Tuesday entry at least to start followed by This is Us and New Amsterdam. This is Us cast member Jon Huertas made some headlines when he said they didn't expect to be back in production until 2021. He walked back those statements but it's certainly a possibility especially with a show that hops timelines and can't incorporate coronavirus into all their plots. On the other hand, New Amsterdam is probably well equipped to incorporate the guidelines into its premise. Both This is Us and New Amsterdam are renewed beyond next season (This is Us for one more and New Amsterdam for two more past next season).
WEDNESDAYS
8:00 Chicago Med (6th season)
9:00 Chicago Fire (9th season)
10:00 Chicago PD (8th season)
#OneChicago Wednesdays continues after another strong season. This is top to bottom broadcast TV's strongest night of scripted programming. With the Chicago shows actually filming in Chicago, they will be under different guidelines that shows filmed in California or New York. If current trends hold, that could help them get back to production sooner but you never know.
THURSDAYS
8:00 Superstore (6th season)
8:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine (8th season)
9:00 Law & Order: SVU (22nd season)
10:00 LAW & ORDER: ORGANIZED CRIME
The only new show on NBC's fall schedule is the Law & Order: SVU spinoff focused on Christopher Meloni's Elliot Stabler. Meloni departed SVU in 2011 but now will reprise the character in a new show. As a result, SVU will move to 9pm to let Organized Crime take over the 10pm slot and the comedy block is cut to one hour with Superstore and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Brooklyn has been held for midseason the past couple years and probably would have been again if not for the coronavirus but will instead air in the fall. All of these shows seem poised to address either the coronavirus (the comedy hour) or policing (Brooklyn and the L&O shows) so this is a night that might have a lot of commentary on the world in 2020.
FRIDAYS
8:00 The Blacklist (8th season)
9:00 Dateline NBC (30th season)
Friday nights are staying put like so many other nights with The Blacklist leading into Dateline NBC. If things get back to normal by next year (and even if they don't), I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up being the final season for The Blacklist.
SATURDAYS
8:00 Dateline Mystery
10:00 SNL Encores
SUNDAYS
7:00 Football Night in America (15th season)
8:30 Sunday Night Football
NBC is betting that they will have football for the fall. I think that's a pretty safe bet at this point although fans in the stands seems much more questionable. Either way, having football would help them get through the early part of the season if other shows are not ready to return.
MIDSEASON: KENAN, MR. MAYOR, SMALL FORTUNE, THAT'S MY JAM, TRUE STORY, YOUNG ROCK, Good Girls, Making It, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
Midseason offerings include a few scripted series that got straight to series orders: the long delayed Kenan, the Ted Danson comedy Mr. Mayor and the Dwayne Johnson vehicle Young Rock. That coupled with some unscripted series, some returning series and perhaps some yet to be picked up pilots could make for a busy spring.
CANCELLED/ENDED: Blindspot, Bluff City Law, The Good Place, Indebted, Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector, Perfect Harmony, Sunnyside, Will & Grace
TBD: Council of Dads
NBC has not made a call on Council of Dads, currently airing on Thursdays, but its chances are not good.
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