Oh what a mess NBC has been in for the past couple of years. The
network hasn’t really recovered since the Jay Leno fiasco. But a ray of sunshine
is beginning to peak through those dark clouds with new management, a
respectable network honcho in Bob Greenblatt, and a new hit show (The Voice) in
which to remind the populace that NBC is still a network.
NBC has the added benefit of having the Olympics as a promotional
platform for their fall lineup. In addition to Sunday Night Football, NBC needs
to capitalize on this borrowed audience, something they have failed to do in
recent years.
Without further ado, my analysis for NBC’s falls schedule:
Monday:
8 pm: The Voice
10 pm: Revolution
The Voice is NBC’s one true,
much needed needed hit. So bringing it back for the fall is a no-brainer. What I have
a problem with is NBC planning to make this a two cycle show a la Dancing with the Stars and Survivor. They run the risk of
overexposure (look what happen to Who
Wants to be a Millionaire, Deal Or
No Deal) and thus killing the one hit show they have.
So gripes aside…
The Voice will be a great
promotional platform to advertise their shows. ‘Voice’ gets huge ratings for their blind auditions, but viewership
steadily falls throughout the battle rounds and live performances. There are
tweaks coming to the show, such as incorporating those spinning chairs into the
battle rounds. It sounds like a smart move to do in theory, let’s see if it works.
The most coveted spot on NBC’s lineup is the post-Voice slot. Smash
debuted here to decent ratings but steadily lost viewers. NBC is smart to try a
new drama here, in this case their best testing pilot, Revolution. From Eric Kripke (Supernatural) and JJ Abrams, with the
pilot directed by Jon Favreau (Iron Man), the show has the pedigree to succeed
and be a much needed hit for the network. But I do have my doubts. NBC had a
similar genre-type show that garnered a lot of buzz, debuted to very strong
numbers, and was eventually canceled after a season. How many of you remember The Event?
Tuesday:
8 pm: The Voice (results)
9 pm: Go On/ The New Normal
10pm: Parenthood
NBC is doing the right thing retooling The Biggest Loser for mid-season. This was the one show that NBC
had counted on for decent ratings. But overexposure and bloated air times (2
hours!) it started to bleed viewers.
The Voice results show doesn’t
garner the same monster ratings as the performance shows, but it is still the
top rated show for the night on any network. NBC is smart to slot this at 8 pm
to lead off the night and serve as a lead-in for their two new comedies: Go On starring Matthew Perry and The New Normal, from Ryan Murphy. These
are probably the two comedies NBC thinks will have the best chance success.
Parenthood at 10 pm is a
safe choice and works for the network. Even though the show hasn’t been a
ratings winner it should be, CBS and ABC haven’t exactly owned the night. This
is one of the few slots where an NBC drama is competitive.
Wednesday:
8 pm: Animal Practice/ Guys With Kids
9 pm: Law & Order SVU
10 pm: Chicago Fire
NBC had a boatload of problems on Wednesdays throughout the year. Up All Night, Whitney, and Betty White
have done respectable ratings at 8pm, but the 8:30 slot proved to be a huge
black hole, which I think hurt the 8 pm slot as well. 9 pm was even worse, with
Harry’s Law and Rock Center not even hitting a 1.0 demo on most nights. That in
turn brought down a once reliable Law
& Order: SVU to series-low ratings.
Starting with new comedy shows at 8 pm is a risky but smart thing to
do. None of the returning comedies would do much better here, so having
something fresh here is a good start.
NBC moving Law & Order: SVU
to 9pm is an idiotic move. They tried this TWICE and both times it only hurt
the show. Maybe NBC thinks ratings can’t get any lower, but if the past is any
indication, this could be a disaster.
But logic dictates that NBC wants to use SVU to help launch Chicago
Fire. NBC is in need to find a procedural to replace the aging SVU, and NBC hopes Chicago Fire is it.
Thursday:
8 pm: 30 Rock/Up All Night
9 pm: The Office/ Parks & Rec.
10 pm: Rock Center With Brian Williams
The majority of NBC’s returning comedies will populate Thursdays 8-10
pm. Whether you think NBC is playing it safe, giving up on the night or
whatever, the comedies are seasoned vets (minus Up All Night) and they proved reliable, OK ratings (by NBC
standards).
Now 10 pm. I really really REALLY hate this scheduling choice. NBC is
giving up on the hour without trying. Yes NBC hasn’t had a successful drama
launch since ER ended in 2009, I
just don’t get why a show that was pulled during May sweeps because it was getting
shitty ratings, has a prime time slot in the fall schedule. NBC could easily
slot in one of a handful of new reality shows NBC has in the wings. Only
logical explanation would be the upcoming 2012 Election.
Friday:
8 pm: Whitney/Community
9 pm: Grimm
10 pm: Dateline
I have always liked the idea of networks trying to air comedies, and
NBC is doing just that. However, I don’t see the connection between Whitney and Community. The shows could not be more different. But hey, we’ll
see if this works. It should improve upon the dismal ratings Who Do You Think You Are? was getting.
The comedies should provide better compatibility for Grimm, which was one of NBC’s few
bright spots, to the surprise of everyone. Dateline
works where it is, so no need moving it.
Sunday (post football January 2013):
7 pm: Dateline
8 pm: Fashion Star
9 pm: Celebrity Apprentice:
10 pm: Do No Harm
Fashion Star is cheap and
makes NBC money. Cutting Celebrity
Apprentice down to 1 hour is smart thing to do. The show was way too
bloated at 2 hours, and the show was beginning to show its age this year.
Cutting it down to an hour, plus a better cast (real celebrities please) could
help. NBC hasn’t aired a drama on Sundays 10 pm in a long time, so NBC putting
a new drama here, Do No Harm, was a
minor surprise. With CBS and ABC having problems in this slot, NBC feels like
it can create a foothold here with a new drama.
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