SHILO: 8:00 Superstore; 8:30 The Good Place; 9:00 Will & Grace; 9:30 Abby’s; 10:00 Chicago Fire
CRAIG: 8:00 Superstore; 8:30 The Good Place; 9:00 Will & Grace; 9:30 Abby’s; 10:00 Chicago Med
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 Superstore; 8:30 The Good Place; 9:00 Will & Grace; 9:30 I Feel Bad; 10:00 Law & Order: SVU
SHILO: The SVU/Chicago Fire flip feels like a lateral move to me, but I guess NBC couldn’t resist an all-Chicago night and the opportunity to give the younger show in Fire a better scheduling situation. SVU is still mighty durable two decades in, so if 9:30 sinks like it did this past season, it should be fine.
As far as 9:30, I understand the I Feel Bad move in that it’s more likely to skew female than Abby’s and NBC is trying to duck football as best they can. (Also another reason for the SVU move.) But I’m never a fan of mixing single cams and multi-cams unless there’s inherent compatibility, which there isn’t with Will & Grace and I Feel Bad, the latter of which feels like a slightly edgier take on the ABC comedy brand. With Will & Grace softening quite a bit during its first revival season, and NBC having a handful of comedies on the bench, the 9:00 hour feels most vulnerable to some midseason tinkering.
CRAIG: No Abby’s at Fall, really? I wasn’t feeling I Feel Bad at all, and sadly Sarayu Blue just makes me think of a half dozen failed CW shows that it feels like she’s been in. Maybe because I’m not a parent; I just feel bad about this. I also don’t see how, if Great News and Champions didn’t work in this post-Voice slot, a family comedy will fare after it.
Law & Order: SVU at 10 seems like a great idea, though, and hopefully it’ll be enough to buy them a Season 21 next year.
