TUESDAY
SHILO: 8:00 The Conners; 8:30 Bless This Mess; 9:00 Black-ish; 9:30 American Housewife; 10:00 The Rookie
CRAIG: 8:00 The Conners; 8:30 American Housewife; 9:00 Black-ish; 9:30 Unitled Jessica Gao; 10:00 NYPD Blue
SHILO: There might be a temptation for ABC to use The Conners on another night since Last Man Standing is likely headed to Tuesdays at 8:00, but I think ABC is confident enough in the show (and knows how much its absence hurt the Tuesday lineup) to keep it here. For the 8:30 lead-out, I went with late season surprise Bless This Mess, said to be an internal favorite at ABC. The series has put up surprisingly solid numbers since its debut, so I think ABC could forego a second Tuesday newbie in hopes of giving this show more exposure. ABC loves Black-ish for its critical acclaim and the cash it’s raking in as a syndication property, so even with it being down a lot in the ratings this year, I think they give it one more year before demoting it.
ABC has utilized American Housewife as a utility player in recent seasons and having it fill in the 9:30 slot until The Conners finishes its season feels like something ABC would have it do. The series also seems like an okay match for The Rookie, which would be a wise choice for the NYPD Blue lead-out if ABC were stronger on Tuesdays and able to launch something new. But Tuesday is rough sledding and where The Rookie was (mostly) able to weather the storm, I think they see how an improved lead-in impacts its L+SD ratings.
CRAIG: NYPD Blue long owned Tuesday nights at 10 for many seasons, and I think that’s where the next-generation version of the tale should go. American Housewife has done all right on Tuesdays and I think it’d be a stronger lead-out for The Conners. Keeping Black-ish at 9, I wasn’t sure what to put at 9:30; the untitled Jessica Gao pilot has buzz, so I figured “why not?”
