TV networks have reached a fresh phase. We’ll call it “involuntary stability.”
Gone (for now) are the quick cancellations. Viewers may like this phase; networks try to seem happy.
When CBS announced that it has renewed 23 shows, Kelly Kahl, its entertainment president, said the network is in an “incredibly stable position.”
Then Fox was the first network to set its fall schedule (including Kim Catrall’s “Filthy Rich,” shown here). Charlie Collier, its entertainment CEO, talked of “relative stability”; Marianne Gambelli, its advertising president, praised “consistency” and “stability.”
Not mentioned was one reason for this: You can’t cancel old shows if you don’t have a lot of new ones.
TV tends to make its pilot films in the spring; this year, that’s when the COVID-19 shutdowns began/
What can they do without new pilots? Networks could:
– Order a show without a pilot. Even before the pandemic, NBC had ordered two that have top producers (Tina Fey, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) and stars (Ted Danson, Holly Hunter). The CW had also ordered two then and has added two more now.
– Delay a current show until next season. Fox’s “Filthy Rich” and “NeXt” were planned for this spring, but now are part of the fall line-up. CBS’ latest “Amazing Race” was also set for spring, then delayed; the race itself was completed 17 months ago.
– Find a show elsewhere. Fox has taken the extraordinary step of using two that have already aired on a smaller network. “L.A.’s Finest” has starpower (Jessica Alba, Gabrielle Union) and was on the Spectrum system; “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” was on the National Geographic Channel.
– Or simply renew. That’s what CBS did, with more than 80 per cent of its schedule.
Here’s what’s happened so far, starting with the networks that have set the most details:
Fox
– Already gone: “Empire” planned this sixth season as its last.
– Also gone (perhaps): Only two shows – “Almost Family” and “Deputy” – have officially been canceled (according to tvseriesfinale.com), but “Outmatched” was yanked early and some others aren’t on the fall schedule or, so far, the mid-season ones. They are “The Resident,” “Prodigal Son” and “Last Man Standing” – which lost its audience when it was moved to Thursdays.
– New: “Filthy Rich” has Kim Catrall as the apparent widow of a rich tele-evangelist; “NeXt” has John Slattery leading a fight against an artificial-intelligence force that keeps growing. Both were originally planned for this spring. “L.A.’s Finest” has Alba and Union as the cops who were supporting characters in the “Bad Boys” movies; “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” is hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson.
– Fall schedule: Mondays, “L.A.’s Finest,” 8 p.m., “NeXt,” 9; Tuesdays, “Cosmos: Possible Worlds,” 8 p.m., “Filthy Rich,” 9; Wednesdays, “The Masked Singer,” 8 p.m., “MasterChef Junior,” 9. Then pro football Thursdays, wrestling Fridays, college football Saturdays; Sundays, “The Simpsons,” 8 p.m.; “Bless the Harts,” 8:30; “Bob’s Burgers,” 9; “Family Guy,” 9:30.
– Mid-season: “9-1-1” and its spin-off, “9-1-1: Lone Star.” Also, the “Hell’s Kitchen” reality show and several animated ones – the returning “Duncanville” and the new “Housebroken” and “The Great North.” Also, Jim Parsons is producing “Call Me Cat,” based on a British series. Mayim Bialik (his “Big Bang Theory” wife) plays someone who takes the money her parents set aside for her wedding and uses it to start a cat cafe.
CBS
– Already gone: “Criminal Minds” (15 seasons), “Hawaii Five-0” (10) and “Madam Secretary” (six) planned this as their final season. “God Friended Me” only got two seasons, but was given enough time to wrap things up.
– Also canceled: “Tommy” and comedies, “Carol’s Second Act,” “Broke” and “Man With a Plan.”
– Renewed: Almost everything: Comedies — “Young Sheldon,” “The Unicorn,” “Mom,” “The Neighborhood” and “Bob (Hearts) Abishola”; crime – all three “NCIS” shows, the Friday shows (“MacGyver,” “Magnum” and “Blue Boods”), “FBI,” “FBI: Most Wanted” and “SWAT”; more dramas – “All Rise,” “Bull,” “Evil” and “SEAL Team”; news – “60 Minutes” and “48 Hours”; and reality – “Survivor,” “Undercover Boss” and “Amazing Race.” The 33rd “Amazing” was suspended mid-race because of COVID, but the 32nd – which ended in December of 2018 – is ready.
– New: Only three shows so far. “The Equalizer” stars Queen Latifah in a role that previously went to Edward Woodward and Denzel Washington. “Clarice” has Rebecca Breeds as the FBI agent Jodie Foster played in “Silence of the Lambs.” “B Positive” is a comedy from Chuck Lorre (“Mom,” Young Sheldon”) about a guy and a rough-hewn woman who may become his kidney donor.
CW
CW
In a fresh approach, the mini-network will simply wait until January for its full schedule. In the interim, it has a patchwork of acquired shows.
– Ending: “Arrow” has finished its eighth and final season; “The 100” is just starting its seventh and final one. Also, “Supernatural” was in the midst of its 15th and final season when COVID shut it down; when it resumes, it will have seven episodes left.
– Pending: “Stargirl,” which starts Tuesday, and “Katy Keene.”
– Renewed: Almost everything – “All American,” “Batwoman,” “Black Lightning,” “Charmed,” “Dynasty,” “The Flash,” “In the Dark,” “Legacies,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” “Riverdale,” “Roswell, New Mexico” and “Supergirl.”
– New shows: More than other networks, CW often skips a pilot film. Now it has four such shows. “Superman and Lois” stars Tyler Hoechlin (already Superman in several CW shows) and Elizabeth Tulloch (“Griimm”) … “Walker” is a “Walker, Texas Ranger” reboot, with Jared Padalecki of “Supernatural” … A “Kung Fu” reboot has Olivia Liang as a college drop-out who goes to a Chinese monastery, then uses her new martial arts skills in her home town …. The fourth one is “The Republic of Sarah,” with a young group of misfits starting their own country, due to a cartological loophole.
– Temporary shows, this fall: CW bought two shows that had been on streaming networks (“Swamp Thing” and “Tell Me a Story”), plus the Canadian “Coroner” and the British comedy “Dead Pixels.” The fall patchwork will also bring back some other acquisitions that aired last summer – “Pandora,” “Outpost” and “Two Sentence Horror Stories” – plus some unscripted shows: “Masters of Illusion,” “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” “World’s Funniest Animals” and “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
.– In January: Mondays, “All American,” 8 p.m.; “Black Lightning,” 9. Tuesdays, “The Flash,” 8 p.m., “Superman & Lois,” 9; Wednesdays, “Riverdale,” 8 p.m., “Nancy Drew,” 9; Thursday, “Walker,” 8 p.m., “Legacies,” 9; Fridays, “Penn & Teller: Fool Us,” 8 p.m., “Whose Line Is It Anyway,” 9 and 9:30; Sundays, “Batwoman,” 8 p.m., “Charmed,” 9.
– Still waiting: That leaves several shows waiting for spots next spring. There are two of the new ones, “Kung Fu” and “The Republic of Sarah” – and five returning ones: “Supergirl,” “Legends of Tomorrow,” “Dynasty,” “In the Dark” and “Roswell, New Mexico.
NBC
– Ending: “Will & Grace” ended after 11 seasons – plus an 11-year break. “The Good Place” chose to wrap after only four seasons.; “Blindspot” is in its sixth and final season.
– Canceled: “Sunnyside” and “Bluff City Law.”
– Pending: “Council of Dads,” “Good Girls,” “Indebted,” “Manifest,” “Perfect Harmony,” “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playliar.”
– Renewed: All three “Chicago” shows, plus “This Is Us,” ”New Amsterdam,” “The Blacklist,” ”Superstore,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” several reality shows and – for its 22nd year – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
– New: Two shows were announced early, skipping a pilot. “Mr. Mayor” stars Ted Danson and Holly Hunter and is produced by Tina Fey and Robert Carlock of “30 Rock.” “Young Rock” is produced by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who narrates his fictional childhood.
ABC
Unlike the others, ABC has been kept most things quiet.
Three shows – “Modern Family,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “How to Get Away With Murder” – have ended. A few have been renewed – “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Station 19,” “The Good Doctor,” “America’s Funniest Home Videos” – but most are in a middle ground,
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