Several months ago, I posted a rather bitter description of the new programs debuting on the broadcast networks. I cited the lack of imagination of the networks and their collective ability to actually provide much stuff that I personally wanted to watch. (If you’re curious, here’s the article.) I thought it would be fun to go back and tell you how each show fared. Chances are you’ve forgotten most of them, so I’ll present them exactly the same way I did in that past article.
Cop/doctor/political/detective dramas
- APB Canceled.
- The Blacklist: Redemption Canceled
- Bull CBS calls this show a hit.
- Chicago Justice Canceled
- Conviction Canceled
- Designated Survivor Picked up for another season
- Doubt Canceled
- Frequency Canceled
- Lethal Weapon Picked up for another season
- Macgyver Picked up for another season
- Notorious Canceled
- Prison Break Still up in the air
- Pure Genius Canceled
- Shots Fired Ended
- Taken Picket up for another season
- Time After Time Canceled
- Timeless Picked up for another season
- Trial and Error Picked up for another season
- Training Day Canceled
Verdict: 10 out of 19 canceled.
Family sitcoms with a twist
- American Housewife Picked up for another season
- Downward Dog Too soon to tell
- Imaginary Mary Canceled
- Kevin Can Wait Picked up for another season
- Man With A Plan Picked up for another season
- Marlon Still hasn’t premiered
- The Mick Picked up for another season
- Son of Zorn Canceled
- Speechless Picked up for another season
Verdict: 2/9 Canceled
Workplace Comedies
- Great News Picked up for another season
- Powerless Canceled
Verdict: 1/2 Canceled
“Star” dramas
- Pitch Canceled
- Star Picked up for another season
Verdict: 1/2 Canceled
Shows that are just too weird
- Emerald City Canceled
- The Exorcist Picked up for another season
- The Good Place Picked up for another season
- Making History Canceled
- Midnight, Texas Still hasn’t premiered
- No Tomorrow -Canceled
- Riverdale Picked up for another season
- Still Star-Crossed Still hasn’t premiered
- This is Us Probably the biggest (and only) hit of the freshman class.
Verdict: 3/9 Canceled
Total: 17 out of 32 Canceled. Were any of them your favorites? I ended up thinking Powerless had potential but bad writing killed it, and I really wanted to like Time After Time. Overall though I’m surprised as many shows made it as did, but ratings overall this year have been so low that it’s hard to tell a hit from a miss. The year’s top rated non-sports program, The Big Bang Theory, only managed a 3.4 rating overall, meaning that 96.6% of people did not watch it live. Some streamed, some watched on the DVR, but that’s less meaningful to advertisers who want you to watch the commercials.
I’ll be back with a new edition of “Fall Preview” in a few months and we’ll do this all again.
