As younger viewers drift away, TV networks pondered alternate solutions:
1) Go after them. Copy what the streaming networks are doing. Get guttier and grittier. Interweave some tough stories that stretch over eight or 10 hours.
2) Don’t chase them; they won’t be back anyway. Service the viewers you still have.
That second one has worked fairly well in the Nielsen ratings for CBS. Now it ripples through the play-it-safe line-up the network has announced for fall, including a “Matlock” reboot (shown here).
New shows? One, “NCIS: Origins,” is a prequel. Another, “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage,” is a sequel (to “Young Sheldon”) AND a prequel (to “Big Bang Theory”). Two resurrect old crime-solvers – Matlock and Dr. Watson; one revives a game, “Hollywood Squares,” that began 58 years ago.
That leaves two sorta-new new shows, a comedy (“Poppa’s House”) and a reality show (“The Summit”).
New stars? CBS may have a couple in “NCIS: Origins” (Austin Stowell, 39) and “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” (Montana Jordan, 21). But other shows star Kathy Bates (shown here), 75; Damon Wayans, 63 (with his son Damon Jr., 41); and Morris Chestnut, 55.
More importantly, CBS sticks to its formula: Forget (mostly) about drama arcs that go on for weeks. Let viewers know that a key case will be solved at the end of each hour.
Of the 14 dramas set for this fall or mid-season, virtually all will apparently stick to that CBS standard. The main exception might be “Fire Country.”
Even in this constricted world, excellence is possible. “Elsbeth,” a crime-of-the-week show, is a delight. The two departing Chuck Lorre comedies (“Young Sheldon” and “Bob Hearts Abishola”) are excellent, giving us optimism about “Georgie & Mandy.” Twice, CBS launched a sturdy show (“Equalizer” and “Tracker”) after the Super Bowl.
The CBS shows are solid enough that we’re surprised when any are canceled. This year, the network dumped “So Help Me Todd” (the sort of light mystery mastered by “Elsbeth”), “CSI: Vegas” (a failed attempt to resurrect a classic) and “NCIS: Hawaii.”
That gets down to one of the basics here: With dwindling ratings, networks cut costs:
— As shows continue, their costs creep up. That helps explain why “Bob Hearts Abishola” and “Blue Bloods” were told this is their final season. (The “Young Sheldon” people say it was their idea to stop.) “SWAT” was also told to end, but it trimmed costs and re-negotiated.
— Hawaii is especially expensive to film in. Despite decent ratings, CBS dropped “Hawaii 5-0” and “Magum P.I.” (which was picked up and then dropped by NBC). Now it’s done the same to “NCIS: Hawaii.”
Along the way, it found an amiable solution: “NCIS: Sydney” is filmed in Australia, using mostly Aussie talent, and is sold to a network there. It also happens to be fairly bright and breezy … and solves a crime every week. It’s CBS’ kind of show.
The network’s fall schedule:
MONDAYS: “The Neighborhood,” 8 p.m.; “Poppa’s House,” 8:30; “NCIS,” 9; “NCIS: Origins,” 10.
TUESDAYS: “FBI,” “FBI: International,” “FBI: Most Wanted,” 8-11 p.m.
WEDNESDAYS: “Survivor,” 8 p.m.; “The Summit,” 9:30. The second “Survivor” edition will be followed by “The Amazing Race.” Between editions, the night has “The Price is Right at Night” at 8 p.m., “Raid the Cage” at 9 and “Hollywood Squares” at 10.
THURSDAYS: “George & Mandy’s First Marriage,” 8 p.m.; “Ghosts,” 8:30; “Matlock,” 9; “Elsbeth,” 10.
FRIDAYS: “SWAT,” 8 p.m.; “Fire Country,” 9; “Blue Bloods,” 10. However, “Blue Bloods” is wrapping up its 14th and final season; afterward, “NCIS: Sydney” will be at 8 p.m., with “SWAT” moving to 10.
SATURDAYS: Reruns and “48 Hours.”
SUNDAYS: “60 Minutes,” 7 p.m.; “The Equalizer,” 8; “Tracker,” 9. During football season, when those are often delayed by a half-hour or more, they’ll be followed by a rerun hour; after football ends, “Watson” gets the 10 p.m spot.