|
|
|
All I'm Sayin'
May 15, 2012
The "Winners"
...I won't be giving up my day job any time soon. My prognosticating in regards to which television shows should and should not be picked up by the networks at the Upfronts (mainly ABC and Fox) is about as accurate as a cross-eyed meteorologist (unlike Jim Barach, Doug Harlow, and Ashley Smith that each do an outstanding job!). I predicted ABC would choose 9 of the 24 candidates and they went with 7 - 5 of which were on my list. As for Fox, I selected 8 of the 15 that were vying for a spot on the fall schedule and Fox chose 5 - only 3 of which I chose. ABC went with slightly less than 1/3 of their list and Fox went with exactly 1/3 of theirs. My percentages were a bit higher but I opted for more shows too...so I shot a little high.
Here is the rundown of what ABC and Fox settled on, what was left off, and speculate as to why the decisions were made: (please see previous column for program descriptions)
New dramas for ABC...
*666 Park Ave
*Last Resort
*Nashville
*Zero Hour (mid-season)
Dramas left off the schedule were...
*Americana
*Beauty & the Beast
*Dark Horse
*Devious Maids (one of the two most shocking omissions and the first of 2 dramas that I thought were a sure thing)
*Gilded Lilys (the second of the two, aforementioned, surprises)
*Gotham
*Penoza
*Scruples
Let me start by saying that I based my opinions for both ABC and Fox on the program descriptions, studio, and voids in the schedule for each network that I felt needed to be filled. Therefore, in regards to ABC, those that were left off that I went with were Devious Maids and Gilded Lilys. Devious Maids made perfect sense due to the fact that its creator is Marc Cherry and Eva Longoria was its Executive Producer - how much more perfect could a show be to replace Desperate Housewives? The second show that simply looked intriguing to me was Gilded Lilys mostly because it was set in the late 19th century at the first glamorous hotel in the country. And with a cast led by the wonderful Blythe Danner, I thought it was a can't miss. However, neither of them made the cut. The 3rd show that looked like it fit ABC's mantra was Americana, a soap about the fashion industry starring Anthony LaPaglia, but it wasn't meant to be either. From what I can find out, ABC didn't like the timing on Marc Cherry's courtroom scuffle with Nicolette Sheridan and thought he needed a lower profile for the time being. Other reasons that I can speculate at this point as to why the other shows didn't make the cut...none of these pilots "tested well" when shown to an audience *or* there were production issues *or* it was determined that they were cost prohibitive...whatever the reasons, ABC is introducing a nice new crop of dramas that have potential.
The new sitcoms are:
*Family Tools
*How to Live With Your Parents for the Rest of Your Life
*Malibu Country
*The Neighbors
Those that didn't make the cut were:
*American Judy
*Awesometown
*Family Trap
*The Manzanis (one of 2 that I thought was a sure thing)
*Only Fools and Horses
*Prairie Dogs
*The Smart One (the 2nd)
I thought The Manzanis would make it since it was to star Kirstie Alley and her light is shining quite brightly at the moment. And The Smart One was produced by Ellen Degeneres and starring Portia De Rossi which just seemed like it would be both hilarious and well promoted (on Ellen) but neither were meant to be.
On Fox, the new dramas that will be joining the schedule are:
*The Following
*The Mob Doctor
And that's it...2 new dramas made the cut on Fox's fall schedule. The Following was the easiest call to make on either network. Fox has been looking for a replacement for 24 and this program has all the elements that make me think it could do just that. Kevin Bacon will be making his small screen debut playing a character that could make one compare him to Keifer Sutherland's Jack Bauer. And Fox is playing it wise by not debuting it until after the Super Bowl in February when the targeted male demo is looking for something to watch.
Those that didn't include:
*The Asset
*Guilty (one of those I though would be a sure thing)
*Rogue
So, there was only 5 from which to choose.
The sitcoms that will be included are:
*The Goodwin Games
*The Mindy Project
*Ned & Kate
Those that will not be included were:
*El Jefe
*Let It Go
*Like Father
*Little Brother (one of the 2 that I chose to make it)
*Living Loaded
*Prodigy/Bully
*Rebounding (the 2nd of 2)
I really expected to Little Brother for the simple reason of it starring John Stamos. And the description of Rebounding seemed like it had potential. However, that fateful "test audience" had other plans for any of the shows that did not make their way onto the schedules. One of these days I would love to sit in with one of the audiences that each network uses for their tests.
So there you have the new programs offered by ABC and Fox. The 2012 Fall Primetime Schedule is as follows:
Monday:
ABC - 8p Dancing with the Stars, 10p Castle
Fox - 8p Bones, 9p The Mob Doctor
Tuesday:
ABC - 8p DWTS Results, 9p Happy Endings, 930 Apt 23, 10p Private Practice
Fox - 8p Raising Hope, 830 Ben & Kate, 9p New Girl, 930 The Mindy Project
Wednesday:
ABC - 8p The Middle, 830 Suburgatory, 9p Modern Family, 930 The Neighbors, 10p Nashville
Fox - 8p The X Factor
Thursday:
ABC - 8p Last Resort, 9p Grey's Anatomy, 10p Scandal
Fox - 8p The X Factor Results, 9p Glee
Friday:
ABC - 8p Shark Tank (in Nov - 8p Last Man Standing, 830 Malibu Country), 9p Primetime What Would You Do?, 10p 20/20
Fox - 8p Touch, 9p Fringe
Saturday:
ABC - 8p Saturday Night College Football
Fox - 8p Fox Sports Saturday
Sunday:
ABC - 7p America's Funniest Videos, 8p Once Upon A Time, 9p Revenge, 10p 666 Park Avenue
Fox - 7p NFL Rollover, 730 The OT, 8p The Simpsons, 830 Bob's Burgers, 9p Family Guy, 930 American Dad
I would like to welcome to our HIHO family the following fine establishments, at each of which you can save a considerable amount of cash: Anytime Fitness in South Charleston, Ms. Groovy's Cafe' & Catering in Charleston, Monty's Pizza in Barboursville, Pho Vinh Long Restaurant in Charleston, Rice's Furniture in Gallipolis, Corbin & Snyder Furniture in Gallipolis, and Colortyme Rent to Own in Huntington.
I'm pleased to announce the change of time and day of the week for the Ring Of Honor Wrestling telecast. It now airs on WCHS on Saturday nights at midnight. Those of you wrestling fans are no doubt anticipating the live ROH event coming up in Charleston on June 15th. Tickets can be purchased at the Civic Center Box Office *or* either the Charleston or Huntington locations of Collectibles Etc. And be sure to listen to our friends on K-Rock and The Planet for details of the Radio Wars grudge match pitting BT from K-Rock against Reevis from The Planet as each of them manage a tag team...it should be a rocking good time!
Modern Family quote:
Claire: "Phil do we have to go through this again? I told you that I would do everything possibly to make sure that your skeleton ends up in a science class at a women's college."
For periodic TV talk, follow me on Twitter @paulneace.
...is All I'm Sayin'
Have you got something to say?
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Also Visit:
|
|
