Technically, the TV Upfronts start this Sunday as NBC announces its stable of shows for the 2011-2012 season, but this past week was filled with breaking news as the major networks picked up new shows while renewing and cancelling current ones. It was a busy week, and I thought I'd throw my two-cents in one some of the developments.
ABC
Renewals:
Most of the major ABC were picked up in January, so I really wasn't paying too much attention to the Alphabet this week, but the surprise of the week has to go to the season 2 pick up of Happy Endings. 2010-2011 was the season of the Friends clones as almost every network debuted a knock-off (FOX had Traffic Light, NBC had Perfect Couples, and ABC had Happy Endings). I actually liked Traffic Light and Perfect Couples, but it was obvious that the trend wasn't working so I just ignored Happy Endings, and I'm shocked it's coming back. No so shocking news was the pick-up of Body of Proof since it's a modest performer for the network.
Cancellations:
ABC brought the hammer down hard on its less than successful shows as Better With You, Detroit 1-8-7, Mr. Sunshine, No Ordinary Family, and Off the Map joined the other freshmen flops: My Generation and Skating with the Stars. New shows were not the only ones snuffed out as Brothers and Sisters and V were also cancelled. None of the first year shows that were cancelled were surprises, although I wouldn't have went with Mr. Sunshine over Happy Endings, but I was a little shocked that ABC didn't given Brothers and Sisters an abbreviated season to wrap everything up.
Newbies:
Joining the ranks of ABC shows in 2011-2012 will be: Apartment 23, Charlie's Angels, Good Christian Belles, Last Man Standing, Man Up!, Missing, Once Upon a Time, Pan Am, Revenge, The River, Scandal, Suburgatory, and Work It.
My initial reactions to the new crop of ABC shows was luke warm. Out of the group, the only ones that sound remotely interesting are Apartment 23, Once Upon a Time, and Pan Am. Everything else feels like they're from a different era (Work It, Last Man Standing, Man Up!, Charlie's Angels) or to reminiscent of recent flops (The River, Missing). The pilots I was most interested in (Poe, Hallelujah, and Georgetown) seem to be out of the running, so I don't see myself watching any of these pick-ups with the exception of Apt. 23 and Once Upon a Time.
CBS
Renewals:
CBS was fairly silent this past week, but some of their heavy hitters were picked up early including The Amazing Race, The Big Bang Theory, How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Survivor, Two and a Half Men, and Undercover Boss. A few years ago I would've been ecstatic about the pick-ups of How I Met Your Mother and The Big Bang Theory, but both shows have had lackluster seasons the past two years, so I'm not as jazzed this time around. Oddly enough, Ashton Kutcher joining Two and a Half Men has me slightly intrigued, and I might actually check out a few episodes next season.
Cancellations:
Chaos, Live to Dance, and Medium are the only official cancellations to date, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bleep My Dad Says, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, The Defenders, and Mad Love join them. Since I don't watch any of those shows, their fates don't really matter to me.
Newbies:
The two CBS shows that I had some interest in (Person of Interest and Two Broke Girls) were picked up, so that's a positive sign. The rest of the CBS pilots sound ho-hum, and none of them will convince me to watch the Eye besides Mondays.
The CW
Renewals:
CBS' little sister, The CW, was also pretty quiet this week as it didn't mention any major renewals to go along with the early pick-ups of 90210, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries. Being a fan of Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries, I'm happy that they're coming back but not shocked by any means.
Cancellations:
So far Life Unexpected has been the only CW Causality, so no news was good news for Hellcats, Nikita, and One Tree Hill. Out of those three, I can see Nikita and One Tree Hill coming back next season.
Newbies:
The CW picked up the hand-me-downs from big sibling CBS as it added Sarah Michelle Gellar's Ringer. Awakening, Hart of Dixie, and Secret Circle all seem to be locks for the 2011-2012 season.
FOX
Renewals:
Old-timer House was officially picked up to join American Dad, Bob's Burgers, Bones, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, Fringe, Glee, Raising Hope, and The Simpsons. FOX has to be the network I watch the most thanks to Glee, Raising Hope, The Simpsons, and Fringe. I even watch Bob's Burgers from time to time, so I'm fairly happy with the renewals that FOX made.
Cancellations:
FOX kicked off the week of craziness with what people coined the FOX Bubble Bloodbath after it cancelled Breaking In, The Chicago Code, Human Target, Lie to Me, and Traffic Light. These shows joined Lone Star and Running Wilde in the FOX Graveyard. I was a little disappointed that Traffic Light was snuffed out, but not shocked since I knew it was not long for this world. The same could be said about Breaking In, but there are rumblings that it may get a reprieve.
Newbies:
One of the few no-brainers from this years development season was J.J. Abram's Alcatraz which was picked up by FOX along with Allen Gregory, The Finder, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, Napoleon Dynamite, The New Girl, Terra Nova, and The X-Factor.
Much like ABC's new crop of shows, nothing FOX picked up has me all that excited. I'll probably give Alcatraz a shot, but that's more out of habit than anything, and I did like The Finder's backdoor pilot episode of Bones, so I may check out a few episodes.
NBC
Renewals:
NBC had the biggest news of the week as the Peacock announced that Chuck would be coming back for a fifth and final season. Our favorite Nerd Herder joined early picks ups: 30 Rock, The Biggest Loser, Community, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Sing-Off. Other shows to come back are Harry's Law and Parenthood. Obviously, I'm stoked that Chuck will be coming back as well as 30 Rock, Community, and Parks and Recreation. Sure, none of those shows will translate to big ratings, but it's nice that NBC is sticking by them.
Cancellations:
To nobody's surprise The Event, Law & Order: Los Angeles, and Outsourced joined their fellow cancelled shows: The Cape, Chase, Outlaw, The Paul Reiser Show, Perfect Couples, School Pride, and Undercovers. While I sympathize for the fans of these shows, I didn't watch any of them (except for Perfect Couples) so I'm not too upset about seeing any of them go.
Newbies:
NBC's new hopes for ratings glory include: Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea, Awake, Bent, Best Friends Forever, Free Agents, Grimm, The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Smash, Up All Night, and Whitney.
Noticeably absent from the new NBC shows is Wonder Woman, which feels like a massive dodged bullet, but honestly it probably isn't as bad as what the Peacock ended up going with. None of the shows, except for Grimm and maybe The Playboy Club, sound entertaining at all, and I won't be shocked if NBC is getting beat by Univision again in 2011-2012. Smash could be a hit, although it's blatant attempt at repeating Glee's success is unattractive, and all of the comedies sound truly horrible. It it weren't for the shows I mentioned earlier in the Renewals section, I'd wash my hands of NBC completely.
It'll be interesting to see what develops during the tradition Upfront presentations, but from what this past week gave us, 2011-2012 will be a dull season for new television. Aside for a handful of new shows, most of what I'll be watching next year are shows that I've been sticking by for years now. Maybe something will surprise me, but base on the information I've found, I won't be holding my breath.
ABC
Renewals:
Cancellations:
ABC brought the hammer down hard on its less than successful shows as Better With You, Detroit 1-8-7, Mr. Sunshine, No Ordinary Family, and Off the Map joined the other freshmen flops: My Generation and Skating with the Stars. New shows were not the only ones snuffed out as Brothers and Sisters and V were also cancelled. None of the first year shows that were cancelled were surprises, although I wouldn't have went with Mr. Sunshine over Happy Endings, but I was a little shocked that ABC didn't given Brothers and Sisters an abbreviated season to wrap everything up.
Newbies:
Joining the ranks of ABC shows in 2011-2012 will be: Apartment 23, Charlie's Angels, Good Christian Belles, Last Man Standing, Man Up!, Missing, Once Upon a Time, Pan Am, Revenge, The River, Scandal, Suburgatory, and Work It.
My initial reactions to the new crop of ABC shows was luke warm. Out of the group, the only ones that sound remotely interesting are Apartment 23, Once Upon a Time, and Pan Am. Everything else feels like they're from a different era (Work It, Last Man Standing, Man Up!, Charlie's Angels) or to reminiscent of recent flops (The River, Missing). The pilots I was most interested in (Poe, Hallelujah, and Georgetown) seem to be out of the running, so I don't see myself watching any of these pick-ups with the exception of Apt. 23 and Once Upon a Time.
CBS
Renewals:
Cancellations:
Chaos, Live to Dance, and Medium are the only official cancellations to date, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bleep My Dad Says, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, The Defenders, and Mad Love join them. Since I don't watch any of those shows, their fates don't really matter to me.
Newbies:
The two CBS shows that I had some interest in (Person of Interest and Two Broke Girls) were picked up, so that's a positive sign. The rest of the CBS pilots sound ho-hum, and none of them will convince me to watch the Eye besides Mondays.
The CW
Renewals:
CBS' little sister, The CW, was also pretty quiet this week as it didn't mention any major renewals to go along with the early pick-ups of 90210, America's Next Top Model, Gossip Girl, Supernatural, and The Vampire Diaries. Being a fan of Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries, I'm happy that they're coming back but not shocked by any means.
Cancellations:
Newbies:
The CW picked up the hand-me-downs from big sibling CBS as it added Sarah Michelle Gellar's Ringer. Awakening, Hart of Dixie, and Secret Circle all seem to be locks for the 2011-2012 season.
FOX
Renewals:
Old-timer House was officially picked up to join American Dad, Bob's Burgers, Bones, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, Fringe, Glee, Raising Hope, and The Simpsons. FOX has to be the network I watch the most thanks to Glee, Raising Hope, The Simpsons, and Fringe. I even watch Bob's Burgers from time to time, so I'm fairly happy with the renewals that FOX made.
Cancellations:
FOX kicked off the week of craziness with what people coined the FOX Bubble Bloodbath after it cancelled Breaking In, The Chicago Code, Human Target, Lie to Me, and Traffic Light. These shows joined Lone Star and Running Wilde in the FOX Graveyard. I was a little disappointed that Traffic Light was snuffed out, but not shocked since I knew it was not long for this world. The same could be said about Breaking In, but there are rumblings that it may get a reprieve.
Newbies:
Much like ABC's new crop of shows, nothing FOX picked up has me all that excited. I'll probably give Alcatraz a shot, but that's more out of habit than anything, and I did like The Finder's backdoor pilot episode of Bones, so I may check out a few episodes.
NBC
Renewals:
NBC had the biggest news of the week as the Peacock announced that Chuck would be coming back for a fifth and final season. Our favorite Nerd Herder joined early picks ups: 30 Rock, The Biggest Loser, Community, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Sing-Off. Other shows to come back are Harry's Law and Parenthood. Obviously, I'm stoked that Chuck will be coming back as well as 30 Rock, Community, and Parks and Recreation. Sure, none of those shows will translate to big ratings, but it's nice that NBC is sticking by them.
Cancellations:
Newbies:
NBC's new hopes for ratings glory include: Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea, Awake, Bent, Best Friends Forever, Free Agents, Grimm, The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect, Smash, Up All Night, and Whitney.
Noticeably absent from the new NBC shows is Wonder Woman, which feels like a massive dodged bullet, but honestly it probably isn't as bad as what the Peacock ended up going with. None of the shows, except for Grimm and maybe The Playboy Club, sound entertaining at all, and I won't be shocked if NBC is getting beat by Univision again in 2011-2012. Smash could be a hit, although it's blatant attempt at repeating Glee's success is unattractive, and all of the comedies sound truly horrible. It it weren't for the shows I mentioned earlier in the Renewals section, I'd wash my hands of NBC completely.
It'll be interesting to see what develops during the tradition Upfront presentations, but from what this past week gave us, 2011-2012 will be a dull season for new television. Aside for a handful of new shows, most of what I'll be watching next year are shows that I've been sticking by for years now. Maybe something will surprise me, but base on the information I've found, I won't be holding my breath.
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