Upfronts Week

 


This last week was the Network Upfronts presentation, a week I've long looked forward to an enjoyed. It's a time when networks announce what to expect in the Fall. Below is a look at each of the five networks and my thoughts on the slate. I'm going in order of schedule release.

NBC
The Peacock has football in the Fall, which always gives it a boost and shortens the window of programming needed. Mondays and the first part of Tuesday still belong to The Voice, with the Chicago trilogy on Wednesdays and the Law & Order trio on Thursdays. That doesn't leave a lot of holes. Last year's lone survivor, La Brea, will team with the final season of New Amsterdam to round out Tuesdays as NBC moves on from This Is Us. Meanwhile the network is only launching two new shows this Fall. The first is a re-boot of Quantum Leap, this time fronted by Raymond Lee, that will anchor Monday nights. I enjoyed the original but I'm skeptical we need this show back. The second is a sitcom, Lopez Vs. Lopez, which will pair with Young Rock on Friday nights come November. Overall, the NBC schedule is OK. It feels like outside of the NFL there isn't a huge draw unless you want two full nights of Dick Wolf dramas.

FOX
Due to the late, late, late renewal of 9-1-1 and The Resident, FOX opted not to unveil a night-by-night grid...yet. It's supposed to come by late May. I was annoyed, but those are the breaks. 9-1-1 and The Resident figure to be on the Fall slate, along with The Masked Singer, while I suspect 9-1-1: Lone Star will debut in January as has been the case in the past. FOX no longer has Thursday Night Football, as that shifts to Amazon, so I'd expect them to put some series there, while wrestling figures to continue on Fridays. The network announced a few new series that have been picked up. Among those is Monarch, a high-profile drama featuring Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins. There is also a crime anthology, The Accused, and a police drama from executive producer Jamie Foxx, Alert. Until the schedule is set, it's hard to say what to expect from FOX, aside from being excited that 9-1-1 is back.

ABC
Dancing With The Stars is on to Disney+ but ABC isn't bereft of unscripted time. The network will over The Bachelor in Paradise for four hours a week, in blocks on Monday and Tuesday. The Good Doctor returns Mondays at 10 p.m., too, keeping the early week mostly in tact. ABC moves to a single night of comedies, with The Conners, The Goldbergs, Abbott Elementary and Home Economics on Wednesdays before Big Sky slides over to close out the night. Thursdays still have Station 19 and Grey's Anatomy, while Fridays and Sundays are mostly unscripted fare, save for The Rookie on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. The network has just two new series this Fall. The first is a spin-off of The Rookie, which focuses on Niecy Nash-Betts as the oldest rookie in the FBI. It debuts in the 10 p.m. slot on Tuesday nights, while the other new series, Alaska, fronted by Hilary Swank drops at 10 p.m. on Thursdays behind Grey's Anatomy. The network seems to be offering the most bankable new series as it settles into a certain brand that should work with a target demographic.

CBS
Once America's most-watched Network, CBS has settled into a pattern of being heavily reliant on aging procedurals. That includes a trio of FBI shows on Tuesdays, and back-to-back NCIS series on Monday nights. The Monday night lineup, which includes a comedy hour at 8 p.m., remains in tact. Wednesdays feature three unscripted series, while Thursdays drop from two hours to one hour of comedy--with Young Sheldon and Ghosts--followed by the new series So Help Me Todd, starring Marcia Gay Harden, and the second season of the re-booted CSI: Vegas. The interesting days are Fridays and Sundays. On Fridays, S.W.A.T. moves back to kick off the night, with the new drama Fire Country, about prisoners released to work for Cal Fire, at 9 p.m. and veteran Blue Bloods closing the night. Sundays kick off with 60 Minutes, and continues with The Equalizer followed by the new police drama East New York and closing with NCIS:LA. CBS is one of the few networks running a full slate of scripted series on Fridays and Sundays, it will be interesting to see how that works. Maybe it's me getting a little older, but I'm enjoying the CBS slate more. I like the schedule, which features a number of solid returning series and three intriguing new series. They may well be the schedule winners so far.

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