Upfronts: The Recap

While I'm tempted to list the winners and losers of upfronts, I'm having a hard time decided who the losers really are thanks to the relatively mediocre line-ups we've been handed. It may be enough to say that networks lost by not trying to win. 

That's with the exception of CBS, whose schedule shake up puts them in a position where they could win every night (well, maybe not Saturday, but no one really cares about Saturday). They won't, at least on a regular basis, but they could. That's more than any other network can say.

As far as individual shows go, there is no show that makes me think that I really want to see what it's about. The closest I get is interest in how CBS revives Hawaii 5-0. There is some potential out there - Outsourced could be the last piece NBC needs for Thursday nights, and I'll admit some interest in No Ordinary Family - but there's not much else out there that really grabs me.

The only other thing of note that I have is that there's obvious knock-off shows this year. There isn't the usual rush by all networks to find the next Lost or Grey's, and we don't have multiple networks mining the same specific topic (like the year there were three separate alien invasion shows). That would normally be a good thing, but this year, I think I'd have at least found more humor in the attempt.

Upfronts: The CW

For a network focused on pulling in the youngest viewers, there are a surprising number of aging shows on the CW lineup for next season. Only two new shows for next season, helped by the network sticking to its plan to program weeknights only.

What's gone - Melrose Place would be the most notable cut, given how the network pushed for the show to match the same relative success as 90210. Casting Ashlee Simpson may not have been such a great idea, in retrosepct. The Beautiful Life, the network's latest attempt to translate the success of America's Next Top Model into episodic TV, also got the hook. Among the others, I only stop to note that I never knew there was a show called Blonde Charity Mafia. The name alone cried for cancellation.

Day by Day -

Monday: 90210 moves over to partner with Gossip Girl, which seems like a good idea. Why have one hour of backbiting rich kids when you can have two?

Tuesday: One Tree Hill moves in with adoption drama Life Unexpected. Which is fine, I guess.

Wednesday: America's Next Top Model continues, and will lead in to Hellcats, which follows a pre-law student at a Memphis university who,after losing financial aid, parlays her youth gymnastics experience into a spot on the school's cheerleading team, leading the usual backstabbing and Bring it On-type shenanigans. I think.

Thursday: The Vampire Diaries leads in to Nikita, a show about a woman who was recruited to become a spy and assassin as a teen, and who had now turned against those that trained her, an outfit known as Division. Meanwhile, they keep turning out teenaged spies, one of whom is beginning to see why Nikita decided to turn. This should sound familiar, it being the basis, more or less, for two feature films and a previous TV series.

Friday: Brings Smallville and Supernatural together, in a sensible pairing, even if Smallville seems like it's been around since 1994. This is supposedly the show's last season, which seems at least one season too late. I can't say I'm thrilled about the network playing the usual game of sticking its sci-fi/fantasy type series on Friday nights, but if the network really does skew younger it may not be a bad move, as most of the fans should be too young to go out to bars.

I can't say this is the worst lineup the CW could have come up with, though they may be trading stability for some of their younger viewers. That also may not be the worst thing if they can bring in a few more viewers in their 20s. Still, I don't see them threatening NBC any time soon.

Upfronts: CBS

You're the most-watched network on TV. What do you do for the upcoming season? Retool and look to maintain your status in the new decade.

What's gone - A lot, but nothing huge. The most notable cancellations mark the dismantling of CBS's Friday nights, which they've owned the last couple of seasons. Both Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs are gone, as are sitcoms The New Adventures of Old Christine and Gary Unmarried, among others. The most notable drama cancellation outside of Friday was Cold Case, though that was fairly well expected.

Day by Day

Monday: The Big Bang Theory moves out, and Rules of Engagement moves in. Replacing Accidentally on Purpose is Mike and Molly, the latest creation from Chuck Lorre. It focuses on a couple that meets at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting and are now trying to build a relationship while shedding pounds. If nothing else it's refreshing that we'll have some fat people on TV, even if they're only Hollywood fat.

The day ends with the revival of Hawaii 5-0, about which I'm of two minds. I love the original (I could watch '70s cop shows all day), but am concerned with the new version, which sounds like they've moved 24 to the islands. That and they've made Kono a woman, though I'm OK with that given the casting of Grace Park in the role.  Speaking of casting, Daniel Dae Kim gets to stay in Hawaii, moving from Lost to play Chin Ho Kelly. I also approve of that, but for very different reasons.

Tuesday: Stays the same with NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles and The Good Wife. No need to mess with success.

Wednesday: The night kicks off with Survivor, which moves from Thursday in the network's biggest change for an existing show. It will pair with Criminal Minds and a new show, The Defenders, which is sadly not a revival of the great 1960s courtroom drama that starred E. G. Marshall and Robert Reed. Instead, it stars Jim Belushi and Jerry O'Connell as Las Vegas defense attorneys. Honestly, your eyes kind of glazed over right after "O'Connell," didn't they?  

Thursday: The Big Bang Theory lands here to kick off the night, which is now tailored to take on NBC's comedy bloc and ABC's dramas. It's paired with $#*! My Dad Says, which I am fairly certain is the first TV show ever based on a Twitter feed. In it, William Shatner plays the dad whose inappropriate comments become Internet fodder for his son Henry. They also target the other son, played by Will Sasso, and his wife, played by Nicole Sullivan. I don't know about this one - the Twitter thing seems like a gimmick to dress up a family sitcom - and there's always the fear that Shatner will be, well, himself. That could be a great thing, except when it's a horrible thing.

The night is rounded out by CSI, the original, and The Mentalist.


Friday: Medium moves up an hour to kick things off, and is then followed by CSI: New York, which makes me think that it'll disappear at some point so they can trot out NCIS: Random Coastal City. The night closes with the new drama Blue Bloods, which tells the story of the Reagan family, who have served the NYPD for generations, from the patriarch (and former chief) to the current chief (Tom Selleck) and his sons (Donnie Wahlberg and Will Estes). Bridget Moynihan plays the only Reagan woman, who as a girl apparently can't be a cop, so she's an attorney for the DA's office (and a single mom, hello art portraying life). There's likely some promise here, as the cast is good and Friday's not a bad night for a show that might be a little by the numbers.

Saturday: Two hours of Crimetime Saturday followed by 48 Hours Mystery. I suppose we should be thankful that they're running new programming at all.

Sunday: Mostly unchanged, as 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race and Undercover Boss all return to regular times, joined at 10 by CSI: Miami. Sunday at 10 seems later for a police procedural; it certainly didn't do Cold Case any favors.

So there you have it. Not sure if all the movement will bear fruit, but it's good to see CBS isn't being complacent. Just temporarily insane when it green lighted The Defenders.

Upfronts: ABC

So what's in store for the Alphabet next season?

What's gone - Well, Lost, of course, though that's the only show ending of its own accord. Notable cuts that I don't think were already known include Scrubs (which never should have come back), Better Off Ted, and, most annoying for me, Flash Forward. I liked that show quite a bit, and never felt like it quite got the right treatment, from its placement on Thursdays with Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice to its lengthy hiatus for the middle of the season.

Day by Day -

Monday: The winning formula of Dancing With the Stars and Castle returns. I also had Castle on my dead pool list, so things go from bad to worse.

Tuesday: Starts off with No Ordinary Family, which is about a family that survives an airplane crash in the Amazon and discovers that they've developed super powers. I know there has to be Lost/Heroes crossover fiction online, but I didn't think you could get a TV show based on it. It does start Michael Chiklis and Julie Benz, so perhaps it won't be a complete bust.

This is followed by an hour of Dancing With the Stars results show (snore) and a new cop drama, Detroit 1-8-7, which with the numbering sounds soooo 1995. I would like to think of this as a Great Lakes version of Homicide, but I'm reserving judgment.

Wednesday: The successful comedy block survives and is supplemented with Better Together, which revolves around three couples - one long-dating but not married, one getting married after just weeks together, and one the parents of the women in the other couples. I can't say I'm impressed, but I suppose it's just different enough from The Middle and Modern Family to have a shot.

The night ends with The Whole Truth, a legal drama that's supposed to be inventive because it shows how cases develop from both sides. I suppose that is a little different, but I don't know how that makes this any more compelling than any of the other legal dramas we've been subjected to over the years. Rob Morrow and Joely Richardson star.

Thursday: Grey's and Private Practice return, and are led in by My Generation, which returns to a group of people who were the subject of a 2000 documentary their senior year of high school to see how things have panned out.   I can't say I'm interested, but it's probably better suited for the night than Flash Forward was.

Friday: Starts with Secret Millionaire, which is Undercover Boss but with rich people moving to the ghetto to find the "unsung heroes" and give out some money to ease their consciences. This is followed by Body of Proof, which has Dana Delaney playing a surgeon who, after an accident that ends her surgical career, becomes a medical examiner. She, of course, uses her drive to discover not only what killed people but who. She also has to work on getting back into the good graces of her family, which she mostly ignored while building her surgical career. This might not turn out so bad, especially if it's played more for a family-centered audience than some sort of Quincy rehash.

The night ends with 20/20, which I don't think ABC is aware that it can cancel.

Saturday: College football in the fall, followed by repeats or movies or porn or something in the spring.

Sunday: Unchanged.

There are ton of mid-season shows in the offing, most notably Off the Map, a medical drama from Shonda Rhimes that puts doctors with baggage in an jungle clinic, and Mr. Sunshine, which stars Matthew Perry as the assistant manager of a sports arena who is re-evaluating his life now that he's turned 40. Off the Map sounds like a solid bet to replace My Generation and give us an entire night of soapy doctoring, while Mr. Sunshine co-stars Allison Janney, which is always a good thing. V is also returning at some point, and I'll just have to be happy about that.

Not sure if all of this is enough to stop ABC's casual slide, but I don't quite see another blockbuster in this group.

Upfronts: Fox

Fox is premiering more shows than I expected, but as they're doing their usual split season schedule I suppose it means more new TV for us. Whether that's a good thing remains to be seen.

What's gone - The big news is that 24 is done, though there'd been talk about that going into the season. I'm sure the Tea Party folks will find a way to blame this on Obama, too. Also out are Til Death, Past Life, Brothers, Sons of Tucson, Dollhouse, Out Little Genius (which I'd not heard of until seeing it listed as a cancellation), Sit Down Shut Up and The Wanda Sykes Show.

Also gone is Simon Cowell, whose long-expected departure was finally confirmed. No word on who will replace him, though I'd vote for Toby Young from Top Chef. He doesn't know music, but he as the acerbic wit and British accent required for the job.

Day by Day -

Monday: House shares the night with two shows. The fall will bring us Lonestar, which is sadly not about the character from Spaceballs. Instead, it's a Dallas meets Big Love soap about a Texas oil tycoon who has two families - and two identities - in separate parts of the state. Can he bleed both dry before being caught? Will I even pretend to care?

The spring will bring Ride-Along, where we take a passenger seat view of crime fighting in Chicago. The overblown description of the show makes it sound like a pulp novel come to life, though I think they thought it would evoke shows like The Wire and EZ Streets. I'd be marginally interested if the press release synopsis didn't try so hard to make it sound gritty.

Tuesday: Glee starts the night in the fall, followed by two new sitcoms. Raising Hope sees a young man at the center of a dysfunctional family cope with his infant daughter, who he gets to care for when he discovers a past fling had the baby while in prison. That half hour of cheeriness is followed by Running Wilde, which is apparently what you'd get if you crossed Ed with Arrested Development. Will Arnett stars as the spoiled heir to an oil fortune (what's with all the oil money?) who is trying to get the one thing he could never buy - the love of Emmy, the daughter of the Wilde family maid, played by Keri Russell. The set-up seems ridiculous, but that wasn't a problem for Arrested Development, so why would it be here?

For the spring, Glee and Raising Hope moves to Wednesday to make room for American Idol, and we get another new sitcom, Mixed Signals, a male-centered relationship show about which I can only say it features Roy from The Office.

Wednesday: Lie to Me returns and is paired with Hell's Kitchen. I have no idea why, but I find this combination amusing. In the spring, we get Raising Hope, a 30 minute AI results show (at least until Raising Hope is put on permanent hiatus) and Glee.

Thursday: Bones and Fringe remain on Thursday for the entire season, showing that Fox can resist the impulse to mess with something that works.

Friday: Human Target got renewed and lands here, I assume to draw in all those young males who stay home to watch TV to start the weekend. This also costs me a hit on the Ted Marshall TV Dead Pool, which is not going to go well for me this year.

For the fall, it shares the night with The Good Guys (assuming it survives its summer debut). It features Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks as cops, one "old school" and one "by the books." I'll let you decide who plays which stereotype. Once this show is over or canceled or whatever, it gets replaced with Kitchen Nightmares, which continues its sad approximation of the superior British version.

Saturday: Cops and America's Most Wanted, which we can pretty much pencil in here for eternity.

Sunday: The animation block of The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Cleveland Show and American Dad continues, and once football is over they'll be joined by Bob's Burgers, a show about a crappy burger joint and the man who runs it (along with his family). The press release goes into some detail into the neighborhood surrounding Bob's, which makes me think they realize the main premise about the annoying guy and his requisite quirky family - is a little thin. Good thing Fox canceled King of the Hill so they could show us this.

Not scheduled but mentioned as a mid-season replacement is Terra Nova, a family drama that's part Lost in Space and part Land of the Lost. Initially set in the mid-22nd century, the show follows the Shannon family as they are sent back to prehistoric times to join a settlement which aims to prevent some of the missteps that have irreversibly damaged the planet in their present. Compounding things is some sort of dark family secret that puts the Shannons at risk of getting sent back, as well as a potential conspiracy within the settlement.

There are some big names involved with the show - Spielberg most notably, but also veteran TV guys Brannon Braga and David Fury. This could be the most interesting show of the year for Fox, assuming it doesn't morph into Avatar: The Series.

Upfronts; NBC

Not surprisingly, there's a number of new shows on tap for NBC next season. That's what happens when your plan to fill five hours a week with a half-baked attempt at a prime time talk/variety show achieves its destiny by tanking. Still, it's not as bad as they year ABC brought on something like 25 new shows. So what's on tap?

What's gone - the two most notable cancellations are Law and Order and Heroes, neither of which was a surprise given the amount of chatter about cancellation beforehand. Mercy and Trauma also got the official axe, ending months of being on TV's version of a permanent vegetative state.

Night by night - here's how NBC's schedule looks as of now:

Monday - Chuck returns, thrilling its dozens of loyal fans. (That's a joke, save your hate mail).  It will be paired with two new shows. One is the conspiracy thriller The Event, which sees an "Everyman" uncover what's described as "the biggest cover-up in US history" while investigating the disappearance of his fiance. The cast has some notable names (Blair Underwood, Laura Innez, Zeljko Ivanek), but from a first reading it comes off as Vanished 2.0, which is a problem given how few of us were interested in the original.

This is followed by Chase, a Jerry Bruckheimer-produced hour about a team of US Marshals who try to catch America's most dangerous criminals. Nothing really jumps out at me from the description or the cast, and if not for Bruckheimer's name I'd think this generic sounding show would be toast by Christmas.

Tuesday - Two hours of The Biggest Loser followed by Parenthood, which against all odds seems to be working.

Wednesday - This is likely going to be NBC's most talked-about night of programming going into the season. It starts with Undercovers, the post-Lost project of JJ Abrams. It follows a married couple - who met as spies and retired when they fell in love - who get back into the espionage game when a friend of theirs disappears while investigating a Russian arms dealer. As with Chase, I don't know if this would really interest me without Abrams' involvement. I am more likely to check this out than Chase based on Abrams alone, but I do fear it's going to go the Alias route.

This is followed by Law and Order: SVU and Law and Order: Los Angeles. I can't say I care about either, and while the franchise will likely benefit from the west coast reboot, I don't know that we need yet another show involving LA-based cops and lawyers.

Thursday - Almost unchanged, as the quartet of sitcoms in residence this season will return, just with a slight change of times (30 Rock and Parks and Recreation are swapping time slots). With Parks and Rec slated to return in the spring, the fall will bring us Outsourced, where an employee of a midwestern novelties company is sent to India to oversee its new call center. Wacky culture clashes ensue, which could be an amusing twist on a popular business phenomenon or a half-hour of poorly done ethnic jokes ("Did you ever notice that Bengalis drive like this, while Kashmiris drive like this...). Still, I'm hopeful.

We then get an hour-long comedy to end the night, Love Bites, or more accurately, Love: New American Style. Becki Newton (Ugly Betty) and Jordana Spiro (My Boys) play friends who are still single, and its around them that each week's trio of romantic plot lines will turn. The show promises an edgy and irreverent spin to things, though I don't suppose it'd promise to be sappy, would it?

Friday - Brings back Dateline NBC and the celebrity family tree-tracing Who Do You Think You Are?, and adds to it Outlaw, which features Jimmy Smits as a Supreme Court justice who quits the bench so he can defend the little guy. There's a suggesting that this won't be as hokey as it sounds - Smits' character is supposed to be a bit of a rogue, and the idea that he'll use his inside knowledge of the justice system may bring us some juicy moments - but this does not sound promising. This is apparently the show that NBC bought from Conan O'Brien, I'm assuming because they felt bad about what they did to him.

There is also the reality show School Pride, where a team goes all Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on a run down school, with the idea that a better facility will translate into a better student body. It's not the worst idea, either for TV or education.

Saturday - repeats

Sunday - Football for the fall, and the combination of Dateline, Minute to Win It, and Celebrity Apprentice in the spring. In other words, NBC will own the night for half the season and take a knee for the other half.

The Replacements - there are a number of shows waiting in the wings for the inevitable failures. For dramas, we have The Cape, where a cop framed for murder by his crooked department goes into hiding and fights the corrupt system in the guise of his son's favorite comic book hero, The Cape. This is sadly the better of the relief dramas, as Harry's Law looks to combine Six Degrees and Eisenhower and Lutz by creating a strip mall law firm out of people who just kind of run into each other.

The sitcoms are even less interesting, as you have rehashes of Friends (Friends with Benefits), How I Met Your Mother/Rules of Engagement/Any Show Featuring a Group of Married People (Perfect Couples), and Curb Your Enthusiasm/It's Garry Shandling's Show (The Paul Reiser Show). I really, really hope Outsourced doesn't suck. And as bad as these sound, they're no worse than a lateral move from The Jay Leno Show.

Sentenced to Death

So you've likely heard the big news leading up to this week's upfront presentations by the major networks - after 20 seasons, NBC is finally giving the axe to Law and Order: Original Recipe. There's been some talk that NBC would let the show carry on to give Dick Wolf the honor of creating the longest-running dramatic series in prime time history (a mark it will now share with Gunsmoke, though the western aired more total episodes), but given NBC's sorry state, it's a smart move to clear out a series that's clearly past its prime (though for me, the show never quite got over the loss of Jerry Orbach, whose Lenny Briscoe was the quintessential New York detective).

And it's not like Wolf and company are going to be crying poor mouth. Law and Order: SVU is expected to carry on, and NBC's likely to announce tomorrow that they're picking up a Los Angeles-based version of the original show. So while the show that started the procedural craze (for better or worse) may be gone, it's offspring will continue to chug along.

More on the upfronts as they happen. That's pretty much the whole reason I started this blog in the first place.