I wanted to go over NBC's schedule for next year and add a few of my thoughts.
NBC FALL 2011-12 SCHEDULE
*New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)
MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Sing-Off”
10-11 p.m. – “THE PLAYBOY CLUB”
NBC is finally changing up its Monday schedule after toiling at the bottom for the past few years. First off is The Sing-Off, the singing competition. It got good ratings last season, so it should do well full time. Coming after a family-friendly show like The Sing-Off, the tawdry-sounding The Playboy Club should spice up the night. We'll see if this works.
TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood”
NBC's stablest night remains the same
WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “UP ALL NIGHT”
8:30-9 p.m. – “FREE AGENTS”
9-10 p.m. — “Harry’s Law”
10-11 p.m. — “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “Community”
8:30-9 p.m. — “Parks and Recreation”
9-9:30 p.m. – “The Office”
9:30-10 p.m. – “WHITNEY”
10-11 p.m. – “PRIME SUSPECT”
The comedy block remains intact, with 30 Rock held for the midseason due to Tina Fey's pregnancy, replaced by Whitney. NBC's remake of the British show Prime Suspects comes after, so NBC is putting a lot of hope into the night.
FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. – “Chuck”
9-10 p.m. – “GRIMM”
10-11 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
Chuck's final season will be spent on Friday nights, where it probably belonged the past few seasons. The placement of Grimm after Chuck and against Fringe means that NBC wants to sink Fringe for good and/or is fine letting Grimm out to dry.
SATURDAY
Encore programming
SUNDAY
7- 8:15 p.m. — “Football Night in America”
8:15-11:30 p.m. — “NBC Sunday Night Football”
NBC 2012 MID-SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
*New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET)
SUNDAY
7-8 p.m. – “Dateline NBC”
8-10 p.m. – “The Celebrity Apprentice”
10-11 p.m. – “THE FIRM”
The Firm seems like an odd show, a sequel to a film made almost 2 decades ago, but I can see it working after Celebrity Apprentice
MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Voice”
10-11 p.m. – “SMASH”
NBC's only breakout hit, The Voice, will help Smash, a musical drama, greatly.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Numbers of Interest - Television Ratings for Thursday 5/12/11
FOX won with American Idol (6.5) and Bones (3.2).
CBS was second with The Big Bang Theory (3.4), Rules of Engagement (2.5), CSI (2.6), and The Mentalist (2.7).
ABC was third with Wipeout (1.7), Grey's Anatomy (3.2), and Private Practice (2.3).
NBC was last with Community (1.5), a repeat of The Office (1.3), The Office (3.3), Parks and Recreation (2.4, 2.3), and Outsourced (1.5). Outsourced was canceled last week, unsurprisingly.
CBS was second with The Big Bang Theory (3.4), Rules of Engagement (2.5), CSI (2.6), and The Mentalist (2.7).
ABC was third with Wipeout (1.7), Grey's Anatomy (3.2), and Private Practice (2.3).
NBC was last with Community (1.5), a repeat of The Office (1.3), The Office (3.3), Parks and Recreation (2.4, 2.3), and Outsourced (1.5). Outsourced was canceled last week, unsurprisingly.
Numbers of Interest - Television Ratings for Wednesday 5/11/11
Fox won with American Idol (7.1) and Breaking In (2.3). Breaking In was canceled last week; the 2.3 vs 7.1 tells the tale of that.
CBS was second with Survivor (3.1), Criminal Minds (3.3), and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2.1). That 2.1 is definitely not good for Suspect Behavior.
ABC was third with The Middle (2.2), Better With You (2.0), Modern Family (4.3), Cougar Town (2.3), and Happy Endings (1.7, 1.4). Interesting decision by ABC to cancel Better With You and renew Happy Endings.
NBC was last with Minute To Win It (0.9), a repeat of Minute To Win It (1.1), and Law & Order: SVU (2.4).
CBS was second with Survivor (3.1), Criminal Minds (3.3), and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2.1). That 2.1 is definitely not good for Suspect Behavior.
ABC was third with The Middle (2.2), Better With You (2.0), Modern Family (4.3), Cougar Town (2.3), and Happy Endings (1.7, 1.4). Interesting decision by ABC to cancel Better With You and renew Happy Endings.
NBC was last with Minute To Win It (0.9), a repeat of Minute To Win It (1.1), and Law & Order: SVU (2.4).
Review - Treme Season 2 Episode 4 Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get The Blues?
I'm not entirely sure if this is true, but I'm pretty sure I would like Treme much more if it were the only show I watched. Since I didn't have time last week, I watched Treme on Saturday, so the show was fresh in my mind when I watched "Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get The Blues?" The result was that I really, really liked the episode. It wasn't that the episode was better than the others--I think last week's episode was better--but with the plots and characters from the previous episode still in my mind, I saw the progression much clearer than I usual would. This goes back to the point that Treme is one of those shows that is optimal to watch over the course of a weekend, instead of watching once per week.
"Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get The Blues?" has some great stuff going on, with Antoine's band taking off, Davis starting a record label, and Janette being awesome. There are quite a few intersections this week as well, Sonny joining Antoine's band and Janette meeting Delmond in a bar (there's a New Orleans bar in New York?).
Score: 9.0/10
"Santa Claus, Do You Ever Get The Blues?" has some great stuff going on, with Antoine's band taking off, Davis starting a record label, and Janette being awesome. There are quite a few intersections this week as well, Sonny joining Antoine's band and Janette meeting Delmond in a bar (there's a New Orleans bar in New York?).
Score: 9.0/10
Review - The Killing Season 1 Episode 8 Stonewalled
After watching "Stonewalled," I though to myself: "What is The Killing about?" What a show is about, after all, establishes the baseline for what is actually important and what makes a show worth watching. There is an obvious answer out there--"it's about a killing, of course!"--but that doesn't seem to fit with everything we see on screen.
The biggest thing that sticks out is the Richmond campaign. Aside from its connection to Bennet and the campaign car, the plot has run its own track, following Richmond and his advisors in the mayoral race against Adams. There is yet to be concrete sign that any of this is related to Rosie's death, but the plot is still a huge part of the show. Eight episodes into a 13-episode seaosn, why have the writers not revealed the connection? If the the show was about a killing, wouldn't they let us know already that it is important?
Another thing that's been on my mind is Rosie's past acquaintances who showed up in the first few episodes. We see how the Larsons are dealing with Rosie's death, but what about Sterling, who was supposed to be Rosie's best friend? Jasper? Were they just characters to initially move the plot along, or do they have other roles?
It is understandable that the show would focus more on the Larsens. Family always takes precedence over friends, but in terms of screen time, it is getting a bit much. While Michelle Forbes is as good as ever, it's kind of the same stuff. Mitch is slipping and almost gets her two kids killed. She can't/refuses to look ahead, and instead clings to a past she knows she'll never had. But I do wonder why its relative importance seems to be so high when nothing is really going on.
When I look at these things, they don't seem to fit together either as a coherent plot or theme. There is an underlying sadness which permeates everything, but it's not a substantial force. So, at the end of the day, I don't really know what part of The Killing is relevant.
These concerns are probably not too important, though, as one can appreciate a show even if there are numerous unanswered questions. "Stonewalled" handles the Holder-Linden relationship and resolves the problems they've been having. The bald guy turns out to be Holder's sponsor, so he's not up to anything (unless he has more secrets). After all is said and done, they each have a better understanding of each other and we should see much more cooperation in the future.
The Richmond campaign took a turn this week, as Richmond, after listening to his wife's killer (it was only drunk driving, contrary to previous implications), blows a gasket and decides to go negative, leaking to the public that Adams has been paying to keep a mistress quiet. We get to see a darker side of Richmond, in contrast to the weak man Jaime describes. This may or may not be related to Rosie's murder, but it is a definite turning point in both the campaign and Richmond's character.
As far as the salient points of the murder investigation go, there is heavy implication at the end of the episode that Bennet is involved with terrorism. The FBI is all over the place, and Bennet's wife hears him in a phone call talking about passports and the police. Luckily, Holder had the foresight to put a wiretap on Bennet. Is this another mislead? Probably, but we have to get through all these to reach the real murderer.
Score: 8.7/10
The biggest thing that sticks out is the Richmond campaign. Aside from its connection to Bennet and the campaign car, the plot has run its own track, following Richmond and his advisors in the mayoral race against Adams. There is yet to be concrete sign that any of this is related to Rosie's death, but the plot is still a huge part of the show. Eight episodes into a 13-episode seaosn, why have the writers not revealed the connection? If the the show was about a killing, wouldn't they let us know already that it is important?
Another thing that's been on my mind is Rosie's past acquaintances who showed up in the first few episodes. We see how the Larsons are dealing with Rosie's death, but what about Sterling, who was supposed to be Rosie's best friend? Jasper? Were they just characters to initially move the plot along, or do they have other roles?
It is understandable that the show would focus more on the Larsens. Family always takes precedence over friends, but in terms of screen time, it is getting a bit much. While Michelle Forbes is as good as ever, it's kind of the same stuff. Mitch is slipping and almost gets her two kids killed. She can't/refuses to look ahead, and instead clings to a past she knows she'll never had. But I do wonder why its relative importance seems to be so high when nothing is really going on.
When I look at these things, they don't seem to fit together either as a coherent plot or theme. There is an underlying sadness which permeates everything, but it's not a substantial force. So, at the end of the day, I don't really know what part of The Killing is relevant.
These concerns are probably not too important, though, as one can appreciate a show even if there are numerous unanswered questions. "Stonewalled" handles the Holder-Linden relationship and resolves the problems they've been having. The bald guy turns out to be Holder's sponsor, so he's not up to anything (unless he has more secrets). After all is said and done, they each have a better understanding of each other and we should see much more cooperation in the future.
The Richmond campaign took a turn this week, as Richmond, after listening to his wife's killer (it was only drunk driving, contrary to previous implications), blows a gasket and decides to go negative, leaking to the public that Adams has been paying to keep a mistress quiet. We get to see a darker side of Richmond, in contrast to the weak man Jaime describes. This may or may not be related to Rosie's murder, but it is a definite turning point in both the campaign and Richmond's character.
As far as the salient points of the murder investigation go, there is heavy implication at the end of the episode that Bennet is involved with terrorism. The FBI is all over the place, and Bennet's wife hears him in a phone call talking about passports and the police. Luckily, Holder had the foresight to put a wiretap on Bennet. Is this another mislead? Probably, but we have to get through all these to reach the real murderer.
Score: 8.7/10
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Review - Game of Thrones Season 1 Episode 5 The Wolf and the Lion
Exactly halfway through the season, Game of Thrones hit a boiling point and now everything seems right on the cusp of breaking loose. Like the other episodes, "The Wolf and the Lion" spends plenty of time exploring the world with great expository dialogue. We learn of some more people who may want the throne and there is open talk of the conspiracy. But what caps the episode is straight and direct, Jaime making his move.
From Ned's perspective, there is practically no good option. Does he just go along with Robert's decision to kill Daenerys who has an unborn child or argue and risk losing his position or even his life? Further tying his hands is the fact that his wife went ahead and capture Tyrion, which results in Jaime confront him. This, of course, ends badly and shockingly, as a spear goes right through Ned's leg.
Catelyn's fateful decision to take Tyrion as a prisoner leads the viewers on an odd journey to the Eyrie, where her slightly crazed (she seemed batshit crazy, actually, breastfeeding her grown child and talking wildly, but I don't want to count her out yet) sister Lysa Arryn lives. The prison is great as one side of the walls is missing with a steep drop-off for the prisoner to look over (or, I assume, to jump off as well).
Cersei's conversation with Robert was wonderfully done. There has always been distance between the two even though they are supposed to be married, and the dialogue crystallizes that. Cersei asks direct questions and Robert answer that he could never love her as he loved his first wife. With years of this going on, Cersei is put in a certain context, one that may be more forgivable to her actions than before.
Score: 9.4/10
From Ned's perspective, there is practically no good option. Does he just go along with Robert's decision to kill Daenerys who has an unborn child or argue and risk losing his position or even his life? Further tying his hands is the fact that his wife went ahead and capture Tyrion, which results in Jaime confront him. This, of course, ends badly and shockingly, as a spear goes right through Ned's leg.
Catelyn's fateful decision to take Tyrion as a prisoner leads the viewers on an odd journey to the Eyrie, where her slightly crazed (she seemed batshit crazy, actually, breastfeeding her grown child and talking wildly, but I don't want to count her out yet) sister Lysa Arryn lives. The prison is great as one side of the walls is missing with a steep drop-off for the prisoner to look over (or, I assume, to jump off as well).
Cersei's conversation with Robert was wonderfully done. There has always been distance between the two even though they are supposed to be married, and the dialogue crystallizes that. Cersei asks direct questions and Robert answer that he could never love her as he loved his first wife. With years of this going on, Cersei is put in a certain context, one that may be more forgivable to her actions than before.
Score: 9.4/10
Preview of Week 5/15/11 - 5/21/11
NCIS - CBS, Tuesday, May 17, 8:00pm ET
After the way the last episode ended, I'm looking forward to the season finale and the possible capture of the P2P killer. The question is, who will die?
Bones - Fox, Tuesday, May 19, 9:00pm ET
Will we get confirmation that Brennan and Booth slept together? The episode is titled "The Change in the Game," but Hart Hanson loves to play tricks--remember the alternate universe finale? In any case, we know Brennan and Booth are going undercover for sure.
The Mentalist - CBS, Thursday, May 19, 10:00pm ET
I've been very pleased with The Mentalist this season, and was impressed by the Red John-themed episodes in the beginning of the season. Now, the two-hour season will address who Red John's CBI is, and hopefully we will learn a bit more about Red John.
Supernatural - CW, Friday, May 20, 8:00pm ET
The jig is up and the Winchesters know Castiel was behind much of the bad things that happened in the season. While this two-hour season finale probably is as anticipated as the Lucifer showdown last year, the writers are always good at season finales.
After the way the last episode ended, I'm looking forward to the season finale and the possible capture of the P2P killer. The question is, who will die?
Bones - Fox, Tuesday, May 19, 9:00pm ET
Will we get confirmation that Brennan and Booth slept together? The episode is titled "The Change in the Game," but Hart Hanson loves to play tricks--remember the alternate universe finale? In any case, we know Brennan and Booth are going undercover for sure.
The Mentalist - CBS, Thursday, May 19, 10:00pm ET
I've been very pleased with The Mentalist this season, and was impressed by the Red John-themed episodes in the beginning of the season. Now, the two-hour season will address who Red John's CBI is, and hopefully we will learn a bit more about Red John.
Supernatural - CW, Friday, May 20, 8:00pm ET
The jig is up and the Winchesters know Castiel was behind much of the bad things that happened in the season. While this two-hour season finale probably is as anticipated as the Lucifer showdown last year, the writers are always good at season finales.
Recapping last week's cancellation bloodbath
Mid-May is an important time for television executives, producers, and viewers alike. Upfronts are coming up and some shows just have to go. With natural expectations that a show should continue until a proper, definitive ending, most television fanatics end up disappointed. This year in particular was very bloody and almost assuredly left many irate fans. But among the shows left on the side of the road, there were glimmers of hope.
NBC
The network in the deepest hole the past few years has been NBC. There was the Leno debacle and many failed shows or shows that declined greatly over time. Most notable, NBC did not have a new scripted show that was a hit. Even its comedy lineup, while critically acclaimed, did not have a legitimate hit other than The Office, which is in its seventh season. NBC again tried to make its scripted lineup, ordering several shows which could have succeeded. But alas things did not work out again. Chase was initially given extra episodes but was shuffled off to Saturday, The Cape flopped quickly, Outsourced started strong but faltered, and Perfect Couples was DOA. NBC’s big thrust, though, was The Event.
The Event was this year’s FlashForward. It was supposed to be the next Lost, NBC pouring in advertising money and giving it a big budget; instead, it flopped. People attributed the demise to a number of things—the wonky flashbacks, among others. In my opinion, it was simply because the writers couldn’t sustain the energy of the better episodes and didn’t develop the characters enough to make us care when the plot was not going full-speed ahead. But that’s just conjecture. One factor that assuredly did not cause the demise of The Event, however, was the long hiatus. It’s easy for fans to blame networks for a show not working (“Fox only cancels good shows!” “You moved it to Monday!”), but the facts are facts—The Event was doing badly before the hiatus. The last episode before the hiatus, airing on November 11, was already down to 1.9 in the demo, a far-cry from the 3.6 which began the series. Sometimes shows just don’t work.
Law & Order: LA was one of those shows that had disaster written all over it. It was picked up for a 13-episode season even before the pilot was done. All the series had was the Law & Order tag and Los Angeles name. Unlike other L&O iterations—Special Victims Unit, Criminal Intent, and Trial by Jury—this one was pretty vague. The show was retooled, returning on April 11, but the ratings was even lower than where they were. Despite Dick Wolf’s best efforts, another Law & Order was unable to flourish, and with the original cancelled, Criminal Intent in its final season, and SVU on its last legs, the franchise may well be becoming to an end soon.
The notable renewal was Chuck, which renewed for a fifth and final 13-episode season to my delight. It’s not that I particularly like Chuck or was too surprised by the renewal, but its run has been nothing short of amazing. Chuck was renewed for a third season after a vigorous fan campaign—which may or may not have been a big contribution to the renewal, though NBC executives claimed it was. The ratings for the season started decently, but begun to drop. But NBC, as a whole, was doing terribly. What would be low ratings on another network was the norm on NBC, and Chuck was doing fine.
Now in its third season, Chuck’s ratings are again down—to the low 1s, quite a bit lower than the previous season—but lo and behold, NBC’s primetime ratings are even lower. Suddenly, Chuck looks pretty good compared to the likes of The Event and LOLA. In each renewal, Chuck was only given a 13-episode season—accounting for the numerous potential series finale episodes. However, NBC, in its misery, actually gave Chuck additional episodes in both instances. We don’t know the specifics of this new deal—how low WB offered to get Chuck to syndication, whether there are budget cuts—but the saga of Chuck continues for at least one more season.
Looking ahead, NBC remains in trouble, but we shouldn’t count it out just yet. Its Thursday comedy lineup remains fairly robust, especially for NBC standards, the cancellation of Outsourced and 30 Rock returning at midseason allows for the new blood of Whitney to be injected in there. Parenthood, which hung in there against such competition as The Good Wife and Body of Proof, was renewed and should remain stable given its adverse situation this season. Harry’s Law proved to be a surprise, hanging in against Castle and Hawaii Five-0, and was given a renewal even though it skews quite old. NBC’s biggest new show, The Voice, was not only a hit compared to the network’s other paltry shows, but also a hit in general. Debuting with an astounding 5.1 (my reaction: “People choosing to watch NBC?!?), it represents the perfect opportunity for NBC to launch new shows next season.
Fox
Fox has been having troubles lately as well. Outside of perennial stalwarts American Idol, the Sunday animated comedy lineup, Bones, and newcomer Glee, the network hasn’t had much success. Comedies failed and new scripted content during the summer just didn’t work. However, the network renewed several dramas last year—Fringe, Human Target, Lie to Me—beyond their first season (in the case of Human Target) and even into their third (Fringe and Lie to Me). After a retooling of Human Target and Shawn Ryan’s departure from Lie to Me, the two did not meet ratings expectations and were canceled earlier this week. And of the new comedies—Raising Hope, Traffic Light, Breaking In, and Running Wilde—only Raising Hope survived.
The Chicago Code was one of those shows, like Lone Star, which critics liked but television viewers didn’t necessarily gravitate to. The ratings started decently and appeared to stabilize in the low 2 range, before dropping off into the 1s. The reason for the failure of The Chicago Code is hard to pinpoint. Its creator, Shawn Ryan, is undeniably a master when it comes to popularity and quality, as he helmed The Shield to unprecedented heights. But that was on cable, where the standards of behavior were more lax. The Chicago Code was not about tough, head-bashing cop/vigilante work but the police department tackling city corruption. I guess viewers didn’t see the appeal.
Out of the canceled dramas came one survivor, Fringe, which was renewed several weeks ago. Moved to Friday nights, Fringe was in a tough spot and many people predicted it would not survive. Along those same lines, lots of people blamed Fox for putting it in the time slot, going back to the same complaints we’ve heard through the decade about Firefly, Wonderfalls, Dollhouse, and Dark Angel. It’s hard to have too much animosity against Fox, though. Fringe was given great chances at the beginning—plum post-Idol slots and post-House slots, but the ratings kept falling. As the show became more serialized, viewers dropped off. Still, Fox renewed the show for a fourth season and everyone should be grateful for that.
Fox may not have as many problems as NBC, with several strong shows and only two hours of primetime to fill per night, but its inability to get a comedy block and launch new dramas is certainly troubling. Fox has not released its 2011-2012 schedule yet, so I won’t be able to comment too much on future prospects yet.
ABC
In the current television climate, ABC is doing reasonably well compared to the other networks. It launched the hit Modern Family last season, which led to great stability in ABC’s Wednesday comedy block with The Middle and Cougar Town reaping the benefits, not to mention the usual rocks—Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Dancing With the Stars, Castle, and Desperate Housewives. Despite this, ABC has its own share of growing pains, My Generations and The Whole Truth getting cancelled almost instantly. In terms of total cancellations, the numbers alone look ugly. Off The Map, Better With You, No Ordinary Family, V, Mr. Sunshine, Detroit 1-8-7, and Brothers & Sisters (without a proper conclusion)—all gone.
Of these, No Ordinary Family stands out. I remember watching the pilot at Comic-Con and the loud reception it got. I wasn’t entirely sure why people liked it (I think it was the jokes I found clichéd), but clearly people liked it. The ratings started quite strong and waned over time. For those who watched the show, it seemed like the writing was the biggest problem, with the plot going in every which direction and the sheer weight of teenage clichés that weighed everything down. By the end of the season, the show was all but forgotten.
Between these cancellations, only two shows have survived—Body of Proof and Happy Endings, the latter of which was somewhat of a surprise. ABC has not released next season’s schedule, but I have a couple things on my mind. (1) Could Castle be moved off Monday so a new show can reap DWTS’s lead-in? Castle has been steady 3.0s in the past few months while other shows in the same timeslot have declined. Surely ABC wants Castle to succeed, but maybe the show can survive on its own while a new show is bolstered by DWTS into ratings success. (2) Could the The Middle get the slot after Modern Family? Anyone who’s looked at Wednesday ratings would notice how small Cougar Town’s ratings look compared to Modern Family while The Middle does just fine by itself. I don’t want to be a stringent retentionista (as TVBTN coins it), but that’s something to consider.
CBS
CBS is currently the most stable network, and for good reason. It has the CSI franchise, the JAG/NCIS franchise, the burgeoning Criminal Minds franchise, a solid comedy lineup on Monday, and The Big Bang Theory to anchor Thursday. But like the other networks, it has had its share of problems this year. Although CBS has not released too much information about cancellations or renewals, here’s what we definitely know: Mad Love, $#*! My Dad Says, and The Defenders are cancelled. Those should not be a surprise to anyone and the writing has been on the wall for a while. The definite renewals that have not been announced yet are The Mentalist, CSI, Criminal Minds, Mike & Molly, NCIS: Los Angeles, Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-0, and Two and a Half Men.
The fate of a number of shows remain up in the air, however, and it is hard to say what CBS will do. In the forefront of my mind is The Good Wife. It has been doing poorly, garnering ratings in the low 2s, far from the 3s of its lead-in, NCIS: LA. Still, The Good Wife is the only drama on the network that gets any attention from the award shows and the critics love the show. Does this publicity make up for a lack of ratings? A pair of spin-offs, CSI: New York and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, are also in trouble. They each have a saving grace, with CSI: NY not performing horribly and CBS’s desire to turn Criminal Minds into another big franchise. While almost every major TV site says that Blue Bloods is a lock for renewal, I have to question that. The ratings are decent for Fridays, but an absolute lock?
At the end of the day, CBS will remain in good shape even if it cancels all the aforementioned shows (which it probably won’t). The network remains as strong as ever and NCIS, in its eight season, was actually growing at the beginning of the season. There are warning signs on the horizon, however, as CSI dropped perilously low in recent weeks while the Monday comedy block as a whole has been hitting lows.
To wrap up, this season of television has been horrible for new shows. We can literally count the number of new shows that survived the season on our hands while our hands and feet wouldn’t even cover all the canceled shows. With the networks gearing up a new development slate, we’ll be seeing a lot of new shows in the next week, and yes, most will be canceled by this time next year.
NBC
The network in the deepest hole the past few years has been NBC. There was the Leno debacle and many failed shows or shows that declined greatly over time. Most notable, NBC did not have a new scripted show that was a hit. Even its comedy lineup, while critically acclaimed, did not have a legitimate hit other than The Office, which is in its seventh season. NBC again tried to make its scripted lineup, ordering several shows which could have succeeded. But alas things did not work out again. Chase was initially given extra episodes but was shuffled off to Saturday, The Cape flopped quickly, Outsourced started strong but faltered, and Perfect Couples was DOA. NBC’s big thrust, though, was The Event.
The Event was this year’s FlashForward. It was supposed to be the next Lost, NBC pouring in advertising money and giving it a big budget; instead, it flopped. People attributed the demise to a number of things—the wonky flashbacks, among others. In my opinion, it was simply because the writers couldn’t sustain the energy of the better episodes and didn’t develop the characters enough to make us care when the plot was not going full-speed ahead. But that’s just conjecture. One factor that assuredly did not cause the demise of The Event, however, was the long hiatus. It’s easy for fans to blame networks for a show not working (“Fox only cancels good shows!” “You moved it to Monday!”), but the facts are facts—The Event was doing badly before the hiatus. The last episode before the hiatus, airing on November 11, was already down to 1.9 in the demo, a far-cry from the 3.6 which began the series. Sometimes shows just don’t work.
Law & Order: LA was one of those shows that had disaster written all over it. It was picked up for a 13-episode season even before the pilot was done. All the series had was the Law & Order tag and Los Angeles name. Unlike other L&O iterations—Special Victims Unit, Criminal Intent, and Trial by Jury—this one was pretty vague. The show was retooled, returning on April 11, but the ratings was even lower than where they were. Despite Dick Wolf’s best efforts, another Law & Order was unable to flourish, and with the original cancelled, Criminal Intent in its final season, and SVU on its last legs, the franchise may well be becoming to an end soon.
The notable renewal was Chuck, which renewed for a fifth and final 13-episode season to my delight. It’s not that I particularly like Chuck or was too surprised by the renewal, but its run has been nothing short of amazing. Chuck was renewed for a third season after a vigorous fan campaign—which may or may not have been a big contribution to the renewal, though NBC executives claimed it was. The ratings for the season started decently, but begun to drop. But NBC, as a whole, was doing terribly. What would be low ratings on another network was the norm on NBC, and Chuck was doing fine.
Now in its third season, Chuck’s ratings are again down—to the low 1s, quite a bit lower than the previous season—but lo and behold, NBC’s primetime ratings are even lower. Suddenly, Chuck looks pretty good compared to the likes of The Event and LOLA. In each renewal, Chuck was only given a 13-episode season—accounting for the numerous potential series finale episodes. However, NBC, in its misery, actually gave Chuck additional episodes in both instances. We don’t know the specifics of this new deal—how low WB offered to get Chuck to syndication, whether there are budget cuts—but the saga of Chuck continues for at least one more season.
Looking ahead, NBC remains in trouble, but we shouldn’t count it out just yet. Its Thursday comedy lineup remains fairly robust, especially for NBC standards, the cancellation of Outsourced and 30 Rock returning at midseason allows for the new blood of Whitney to be injected in there. Parenthood, which hung in there against such competition as The Good Wife and Body of Proof, was renewed and should remain stable given its adverse situation this season. Harry’s Law proved to be a surprise, hanging in against Castle and Hawaii Five-0, and was given a renewal even though it skews quite old. NBC’s biggest new show, The Voice, was not only a hit compared to the network’s other paltry shows, but also a hit in general. Debuting with an astounding 5.1 (my reaction: “People choosing to watch NBC?!?), it represents the perfect opportunity for NBC to launch new shows next season.
Fox
Fox has been having troubles lately as well. Outside of perennial stalwarts American Idol, the Sunday animated comedy lineup, Bones, and newcomer Glee, the network hasn’t had much success. Comedies failed and new scripted content during the summer just didn’t work. However, the network renewed several dramas last year—Fringe, Human Target, Lie to Me—beyond their first season (in the case of Human Target) and even into their third (Fringe and Lie to Me). After a retooling of Human Target and Shawn Ryan’s departure from Lie to Me, the two did not meet ratings expectations and were canceled earlier this week. And of the new comedies—Raising Hope, Traffic Light, Breaking In, and Running Wilde—only Raising Hope survived.
The Chicago Code was one of those shows, like Lone Star, which critics liked but television viewers didn’t necessarily gravitate to. The ratings started decently and appeared to stabilize in the low 2 range, before dropping off into the 1s. The reason for the failure of The Chicago Code is hard to pinpoint. Its creator, Shawn Ryan, is undeniably a master when it comes to popularity and quality, as he helmed The Shield to unprecedented heights. But that was on cable, where the standards of behavior were more lax. The Chicago Code was not about tough, head-bashing cop/vigilante work but the police department tackling city corruption. I guess viewers didn’t see the appeal.
Out of the canceled dramas came one survivor, Fringe, which was renewed several weeks ago. Moved to Friday nights, Fringe was in a tough spot and many people predicted it would not survive. Along those same lines, lots of people blamed Fox for putting it in the time slot, going back to the same complaints we’ve heard through the decade about Firefly, Wonderfalls, Dollhouse, and Dark Angel. It’s hard to have too much animosity against Fox, though. Fringe was given great chances at the beginning—plum post-Idol slots and post-House slots, but the ratings kept falling. As the show became more serialized, viewers dropped off. Still, Fox renewed the show for a fourth season and everyone should be grateful for that.
Fox may not have as many problems as NBC, with several strong shows and only two hours of primetime to fill per night, but its inability to get a comedy block and launch new dramas is certainly troubling. Fox has not released its 2011-2012 schedule yet, so I won’t be able to comment too much on future prospects yet.
ABC
In the current television climate, ABC is doing reasonably well compared to the other networks. It launched the hit Modern Family last season, which led to great stability in ABC’s Wednesday comedy block with The Middle and Cougar Town reaping the benefits, not to mention the usual rocks—Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Dancing With the Stars, Castle, and Desperate Housewives. Despite this, ABC has its own share of growing pains, My Generations and The Whole Truth getting cancelled almost instantly. In terms of total cancellations, the numbers alone look ugly. Off The Map, Better With You, No Ordinary Family, V, Mr. Sunshine, Detroit 1-8-7, and Brothers & Sisters (without a proper conclusion)—all gone.
Of these, No Ordinary Family stands out. I remember watching the pilot at Comic-Con and the loud reception it got. I wasn’t entirely sure why people liked it (I think it was the jokes I found clichéd), but clearly people liked it. The ratings started quite strong and waned over time. For those who watched the show, it seemed like the writing was the biggest problem, with the plot going in every which direction and the sheer weight of teenage clichés that weighed everything down. By the end of the season, the show was all but forgotten.
Between these cancellations, only two shows have survived—Body of Proof and Happy Endings, the latter of which was somewhat of a surprise. ABC has not released next season’s schedule, but I have a couple things on my mind. (1) Could Castle be moved off Monday so a new show can reap DWTS’s lead-in? Castle has been steady 3.0s in the past few months while other shows in the same timeslot have declined. Surely ABC wants Castle to succeed, but maybe the show can survive on its own while a new show is bolstered by DWTS into ratings success. (2) Could the The Middle get the slot after Modern Family? Anyone who’s looked at Wednesday ratings would notice how small Cougar Town’s ratings look compared to Modern Family while The Middle does just fine by itself. I don’t want to be a stringent retentionista (as TVBTN coins it), but that’s something to consider.
CBS
CBS is currently the most stable network, and for good reason. It has the CSI franchise, the JAG/NCIS franchise, the burgeoning Criminal Minds franchise, a solid comedy lineup on Monday, and The Big Bang Theory to anchor Thursday. But like the other networks, it has had its share of problems this year. Although CBS has not released too much information about cancellations or renewals, here’s what we definitely know: Mad Love, $#*! My Dad Says, and The Defenders are cancelled. Those should not be a surprise to anyone and the writing has been on the wall for a while. The definite renewals that have not been announced yet are The Mentalist, CSI, Criminal Minds, Mike & Molly, NCIS: Los Angeles, Rules of Engagement, CSI: Miami, Hawaii Five-0, and Two and a Half Men.
The fate of a number of shows remain up in the air, however, and it is hard to say what CBS will do. In the forefront of my mind is The Good Wife. It has been doing poorly, garnering ratings in the low 2s, far from the 3s of its lead-in, NCIS: LA. Still, The Good Wife is the only drama on the network that gets any attention from the award shows and the critics love the show. Does this publicity make up for a lack of ratings? A pair of spin-offs, CSI: New York and Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, are also in trouble. They each have a saving grace, with CSI: NY not performing horribly and CBS’s desire to turn Criminal Minds into another big franchise. While almost every major TV site says that Blue Bloods is a lock for renewal, I have to question that. The ratings are decent for Fridays, but an absolute lock?
At the end of the day, CBS will remain in good shape even if it cancels all the aforementioned shows (which it probably won’t). The network remains as strong as ever and NCIS, in its eight season, was actually growing at the beginning of the season. There are warning signs on the horizon, however, as CSI dropped perilously low in recent weeks while the Monday comedy block as a whole has been hitting lows.
To wrap up, this season of television has been horrible for new shows. We can literally count the number of new shows that survived the season on our hands while our hands and feet wouldn’t even cover all the canceled shows. With the networks gearing up a new development slate, we’ll be seeing a lot of new shows in the next week, and yes, most will be canceled by this time next year.
All missed reviews
Here are the short reviews for shows I missed through the week. I included reviews for shows I've stopped reviewing to balance things out. Also, you might have notice that reviews for Breaking In and The Good Wife are still missing. Blogger still hasn't restored them, but since the Glee review was restored, I assume the other posts should follow. If that does not happen by Monday, I repost them. (If you really want to read them, they're on Insidepulse TV.)
Body of Proof Season 1 Episode 8 Buried Secrets: "Buried Secrets" is a reminder that Body of Proof is a mash up of different shows. Every part of the episode has been done before in large amounts, but Body of Proof does them well, which makes the show worth watching.
Body of Proof Season 1 Episode 8 Buried Secrets: "Buried Secrets" is a reminder that Body of Proof is a mash up of different shows. Every part of the episode has been done before in large amounts, but Body of Proof does them well, which makes the show worth watching.
Modern Family Season 2 Episode 22 Good Cop Bad Dog: I normally find plots of Modern Family to be somewhat realistic, but Jay and Gloria’s plot with Guillermo and the dog seemed like it belonged on Breaking In instead of Modern Family. But Phil and Claire were great in the episode, and realistic, so it mostly balanced out.
The Chicago Code Season 1 Episode 11 Black Sox: I’m not particularly interested in Jarek and his lady problems, especially since it’s been one of the least developed plots. It looks like Gibbons is finally making his move, whatever that they be. We originally thought he put a hit out on Teresa, but that turned out wrong. Is he capable of ordering her murder if she gets too close?
House Season 7 Episode 21 The Fix: It was really out of the blue for House to suddenly decide to fix himself with an experimental rat drug. But this contrivance does put House in some kind of danger. That’s better than nothing, right? OK, maybe not, but we should see what the writers do first before casting too much judgment.
The Big Bang Theory Season 3 Episode 23 The Engagement Reaction: Priya wasn’t mean in this episode for once. She talks to Penny without being bitchy and is actually fine with Leonard being near Penny. The Raj stuff was again weak and random, but that’s to be expected. As far as the main story goes, the stuff between Howard and his mother was hilariously creepy, especially when Bernadette yelling reminded me of Howard’s mother while Howard thought it was sexy.
Parks and Recreation Season 3 Episode 13 The Fight / 14 Road Trip: Two episodes of Parks and Recreations!! And if that wasn't good enough, next week has two more episodes! While I enjoyed both episodes, I would give the edge to “The Fight.” There were so many great moments with the actual fight, Snake Juice, and Ron. Ben and Leslie finally make out in “Road Trip,” so there was development on that front for once.
The Office Season 7 Episode 24 Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager: Dwight is a guy who often expresses wacky ideas, but since he’s never in a position of power, nothing really comes of it. Well, this was Dwight’s chance to shine. Unfortunately, his excessive regulation in the office ends up with him shooting a gun in the office and eventually being demoted. The episode has the Dwight and Jim dynamic that was been lessened over the years, so that was nice to see. And as Jim tells Dwight, Dwight did one good thing in making all the orders on time.
The Mentalist Season 3 Episode 22 Rhapsody in Red: Before the two-hour season finale next week, The Mentalist dished up a fairly standard episode. Jane solves the crime while the rest of the team fills in the background. I did like, however, the increased attention on Cho, who is easily the funniest character other than Cho, and he got to tackle something close to home for once.
The Event Season 1 Episode 20 One Will Live, One Will Die: This new plot device the writer are using is the one where they show us part of what’s going on to mislead us. In the previous episode, it was the cocaine trafficker who turned out to be irrelevant, and in this episode, we only hear half of the phone call. To be honest, it’s plain stupid.
Hawaii Five-0 Season 1 Episode 23 Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau: "Ua Hiki Mai Kapalena Pau" heads directly into the season finale, mixing a standard standalone plot with the only search for Wo Fat and Chin Ho’s admission of guilt to stealing the money. The episode is tense, with the whole island potentially in danger, but as always, the day is saved.
Blue Bloods Season 1 Episode 22: The first season of Blue Bloods ended with a resolution to the Blue Templar plot, which chugged slowly along as the season went. It is resolved as expected, with the acknowledgement that the Blue Templars are just a couple of bad eggs in the basket. As always, the Reagans and police department come out looking like the greatest heroes ever.
Camelot Season 1 Episode 7 The Long Night: After last week’s snoozer, Camelot came back with a fairly strong episode. Morgan had some really nefarious schemes up her sleeves, deceiving Arthu and the rest of them, while stealing Igraine’s place at the end of the episode, using her shapeshifting ability. Oh, and gratuitous nudity!
Breakout Kings Season 1 Episode 10 Paid in Full: “Paid in Full” puts all the dirty laundry out there. The cons find out that Ray is not actually a Marshall and the audience and other cons learn that Lloyd was sent to prison for writing a fake prescription which ended in a girl dying. Charlie’s big speech at the end is a tinge disingenuous with his big “revelation” of a congenital heart defect, but it makes a point: everyone has their secrets and problems, but they have to trust each other. Considering what Shea was doing in the previous episodes, there is still a lot to be resolved.
Treme Season 2 Episode 3 On Your Way Down: In an episode riddled with crime, there is an obvious standout, the rape of Ladonna, which was harrowing to say the least. The fallout is executed brilliantly with Khandi Alexander coming through. As the visible crime affects several characters, there is also an undeniable crime in the background being perpetrated against all New Orleans, Nelson’s slimy dealings with the city’s money.
Friday, May 13, 2011
Review - Bones Season 6 Episode 22 The Hole in the Heart
"The Hole in the Heart" is a pretty significant episode for a number of reasons. One of them is the death of Vincent Nigel-Murray. He was my favorite squintern, so I'll be sad to see him go. This plethora of random knowledge was always entertaining and he had an undeniable charm. It's also good to know that Vincent was killed for a good reason since his actor, Ryan Cartwright, is on Alphas, which Syfy picked up. The episode handles the situation well, dealing with the emotional ups and down, as well as resolving the Broadsky plot.
But perhaps greater than all this is the implication that Brennan and Booth slept together. All we see is a grieving Brennan lay on top of Booth, and she later tells Angela that she got into bed with Booth and possibly something more happened. Brennan and Booth give each other a bunch of looks at the end of the episode, but there is not definitive answer. The dialogue is written ambiguously for a reason, to get fans interested and questioning. I don't want to get negative since this is the closest we've seen to resolving 6 seasons of UST; however, this better not be another fake-out.
Score: 9.2/10
But perhaps greater than all this is the implication that Brennan and Booth slept together. All we see is a grieving Brennan lay on top of Booth, and she later tells Angela that she got into bed with Booth and possibly something more happened. Brennan and Booth give each other a bunch of looks at the end of the episode, but there is not definitive answer. The dialogue is written ambiguously for a reason, to get fans interested and questioning. I don't want to get negative since this is the closest we've seen to resolving 6 seasons of UST; however, this better not be another fake-out.
Score: 9.2/10
Review - Nikita Season 1 Episode 22 Pandora
In true Nikita fashion, "Pandora" is chalk full of plot turns. The episode moves quickly from one thing to a next and the characters are all over the place in the episode. It begins at the loft with Alex shooting Nikita before Division agents arrive, and we soon learn that Alex faked Nikita's death (that one was pretty obvious). After Michael disables Percy, Nikita says the CIA top dogs, and Amanda lets Alex go, the episode comes full circle, ending where it begun: with Nikita and Alex together in the loft. This time, however, it is the official cutting of the alliance, as Alex cuts the zip line, physically making it impossible for her to rejoin Nikita.
Looking forward to the next season--assuming the show is renewed--the show has completely changed. Nikita and Alex are no longer allies but wary adversaries, while Nikita and Michael, once enemies, are completely together. As far as the endgame goal of taking down Division there is certainly a long ways to go still.
Alberta Watson, Madeline on La Femme Nikita, guest starred in the episode as one of the government people. Along with Amanda's increased presence, it reminded me how much darker the original show was.
Score: 9.2/10
Looking forward to the next season--assuming the show is renewed--the show has completely changed. Nikita and Alex are no longer allies but wary adversaries, while Nikita and Michael, once enemies, are completely together. As far as the endgame goal of taking down Division there is certainly a long ways to go still.
Alberta Watson, Madeline on La Femme Nikita, guest starred in the episode as one of the government people. Along with Amanda's increased presence, it reminded me how much darker the original show was.
Score: 9.2/10
