With upfronts looming in less than two weeks, one of the issues that networks will have to deal with is scheduling creativity. Given that networks have found alternative revenue streams to make up for lower linear ratings, shows don’t necessarily have to have 22 episodes a year anymore in order to survive and thrive. That might be good news for the networks, as they can take more chances in order to compete with cable and their resources can be spread in a more efficient way, but it’s difficult for schedulers. You have to figure out what shows need to be in the fall, what shows deserve to be in the fall, and what shows would be able to survive a move away from a familiar slot, which can be difficult given the relative parity among Live + Same Day ratings. Always able to survive a move away from a familiar slot are KSiteTV’s Craig Byrne and Shilo Adams, who have decided, for a fourth year in a row, to try and predict what every broadcast network will be doing next season. Neither has access to inside information, nor does either claim to be infallible; these are just the ramblings of two dudes who love TV, read the trades, and keep up with development. If a show you like isn’t talked about, or talked about disparagingly, please don’t take it personally. We’re just trying to figure these schedules out.
The fifth and final network to unveil its plans for fall, on May 19, will be The CW, which struck critical (and awards) gold this season with Crazy Ex-Girlfriend while finding another solid piece in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. A move to Fridays for The Vampire Diaries and The Originals didn’t turn out to be a death sentence after all, as both were renewed for next season, while The Flash continued to reign supreme, Reign surprised with its performance on both Friday and Monday, and Supernatural showed no signs of fatigue going into its 12th season. However, the network that renewed its entire schedule (bar midseason entrant Containment, which premiered later) will have some space issues going on next season, as more than a few of the internet’s favorite shows will be getting less than 22 episodes. How will The CW be able to balance its increasingly overcrowded slate of shows while finding their next generation of hits in a deeper development class this season? And which shows will the network push to summer in order to make room at midseason?
2016-2017 Fantasy Scheduling Articles: NBC | FOX | ABC | CBS
CRAIG: 8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; 9:00 Jane the Virgin
SHILO: 8:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend; 9:00 Jane the Virgin
CRAIG: Quite unoriginal, I know. I just don’t know what else they could put back to back here, though I’d imagine that at midseason, iZombie or Reign will sub in for Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. I also wouldn’t be shocked if Reign went summer-only a’la Beauty and the Beast, but we’ll see. Anyway, this is a way to keep the CBS side happy, keep some comedy on the schedule, and to collect some more Golden Globes. Win, win, win.
SHILO: Technically, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is eligible for the Golden Globes, as the show has aired new episodes during this calendar year. However, it wouldn’t make much sense to keep the show off during prime campaigning and voting time, especially considering the short memories of the Hollywood Foreign Press. Rachel Bloom might not become a repeat winner, which says more about the HFPA’s penchant for rewarding promising newcomers vs. anything about her ability, but The CW isn’t in a position to be turning down award nominations considering how difficult it is for the network to rise above the craft nominations that their genre shows have been awarded.
Additionally, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend at least being in the awards conversation increases the CW’s brand and helps combat against the show’s niche appeal and poor ratings; if they love the show as much as they say they love the show, they won’t take away what positives it has going for it in terms of renewal chances. And if Bloom were to get nominated for an Emmy this summer, filling one of the three open slots in her category, it would be embarrassing if The CW wasn’t airing her show until the following year, be it spring or summer. Of course, The CW has the luxury of premiering their lineup in October, so they could conceivably leave Crazy Ex-Girlfriend off the fall schedule and flex it in should Bloom grab a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series; it’s just not something that I see them doing this year, given how supportive the network has been of the show and how important awards have been in its case for renewal.
Plus, there’s the matter of the fall having high viewing levels. A show with as small an audience as Crazy Ex-Girlfriend has would die if forced to air in the summer or premiere late in the spring, let alone the fact that a nearly year-long hiatus isn’t the best thing for something that’s become zeitgeist-y. Aside from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s affiliation with CBS Studios, thereby satisfying The CW’s desire for studio balance on its schedule, helping matters is that there’s no viable alternative to the show for the network to turn to. Riverdale will probably be used elsewhere; they won’t want iZombie to (possibly) face two comic-inspired dramas; I don’t know if they’ll want another low-rated (yet critically praised) dramedy, which No Tomorrow reeks of being; and the best case scenario for Reign is premiering deep into midseason.
The CW absolutely should be thinking about how they can improve Monday, but I don’t think this fall, and this development class, is what will send things moving in the right direction.
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What I wish is that they would go back to early(er) September premieres. I’ve had this feeling for a while that too many people are already hooked into their nightly schedules by the time The CW premieres come. Getting out of the gate first would breed loyalty.
It would be a great thing, although it’s rare for a show to have more than 9 or 10 episodes done before December, which is what they usually run all the way through to before reruns. If they started filming sooner, that would be a great solution.
Though, that also brings up the other problem CW viewers especially seem to have, and that is breaks. If people think three-week breaks between episodes in March are bad imagine what happens if they have to stretch 22-23 episodes between September and May.
Maybe, though, with so many shows on the schedule, they’ll have to start a little earlier.