Struggling to launch a handful of new shows, the networks turn to the one thing they can count on – football.
CBS has given its best spot – after the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 – to “The Equalizer” (shown here) The show – a reboot starring Queen Latifah – will remain on Sundays, starting 8 p.m. Feb. 14.
Earlier, Fox decided to launch both of its new shows after NFL doubleheaders.
“The Masked Dancer” will debut Dec. 27, then settle into a temporary spot at 8 p.m. Wednesdays. “Call Me Kat,” a Mayim Bialik comedy, debuts Jan. 3, then moves to 9 p.m. Wednesdays.
There were few new shows in the line-ups the networks announced last May, for a basic reason: Pilot films are usually shot in the spring – which is when there was a COVID shutdown.
Since then, a few new ones have debuted: ABC has “Supermarket Sweep” at 8 p.m. Sundays and “Big Sky” at 10 p.m. Tuesdays; CBS has the “B Positive” comedy at 8:30 p.m. Thursdays.
Other new shows originally envisioned for this fall will arrive soon. They include:
– Comedies: NBC has set Ted Danson’s “Mister Mayor” for 8 p.m. Thursdays, starting Jan. 7, but “Young Rock” (from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) is still pending. ABC has set Kyra Sedgwick’s “Call Your Mother” for 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays, starting Jan. 13.
– Dramas: CW has set “Walker” – with Jared Padalecki in a prequel to “Walker, Texas Ranger” – for 8 p.m. Thursdays, starting Jan. 21. Its “Kung Fu”and “The Republic of Sarah” are pending; so is CBS’ “Clarice,” which catches the early years of the “Silence of the Lambs” FBI agent.
– Also: Some game shows have been announced for temporary spots in January. Fox will have “Name That Tune” at 9 p.m. Wednesdays, starting Jan. 6; the next day, ABC will have “The Chase” and “The Hustler,” at 9 and 10 p.m. Thursdays.