MONDAY
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 All American; 9:00 Black Lightning
CRAIG: Wow, we really didn’t get this night either. I remember when UPN did very, very well with African-American-based comedies on Monday nights; maybe The CW is hoping that a similar pairing works for them on Mondays now? In any event, All American is quality, and both shows are, at their core, dramas about real people. Sure, they have some super powers in Black Lightning, but you know what I mean. The Pierce family is at that show’s core.
Does Monday Night Football still start at 9? If it doesn’t, that, too, can be an issue for All American.
SHILO: There’s only one thing about this lineup that I question and that’s putting a football-based show like All American on Mondays against Monday Night Football. I know that it’s tough to find a night in the fall where there’s not some sort of football going on and that All American has a skew that leans female so it might not get the full brunt of the MNF competition. I just wonder if that could make the ceiling for its Netflix bounce lower than it would’ve been otherwise and if something like Wednesdays at 8:00 with no sports or soap competition might’ve been better.
I do think, though, that The CW has done well in counteracting the competition through giving the show an 8:00 slot (invaluable on The CW), keeping it away from Empire on Tuesdays, and pairing it with something that likely reaches a similar audience in Black Lightning. Granted, Black Lightning came out of the gate very sluggish this year, but it looked a little better once it moved to Mondays and paired with Arrow, so compatibility with All American would help both shows.
