CRAIG:
SHILO:
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 NCIS; 9:00 FBI; 10:00 NCIS: New Orleans
CRAIG: A show from the king of all franchises (Dick Wolf) scheduled between another known franchise. I get it. It’s a procedural that will probably do well, and it’s an alternative to what NBC has going with This Is Us in the same slot. All things considered, it works.
SHILO: I figured that CBS would premiere FBI midseason after the AFC Championship Game or Super Bowl, but it looks like they’re coming out guns blazing in the fall. The scheduling here mostly makes sense, though I think NBC going tri-Chicago on Wednesdays probably boxed FBI out of that 9:00 slot, and the trailer makes it look like a prototypical CBS show with NBC production value. I do wonder how the CBS core will respond to FBI considering recent events and whether something this nondescript can pop in today’s television environment, but CBS is in the business of L+SD solid doubles vs. home runs and with this type of international appeal, they’ll be more than fine with huge total viewer numbers and decent demos.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned: I kind of think that NCIS: New Orleans should’ve moved to Mondays instead of Bull. I get that they want to give the younger show the opening weeks of Magnum and that Bull is stronger than New Orleans at this point, so it should be able to keep the night steady if the previous two hours come in soft. It’s just that New Orleans is more compatible with Magnum than Bull, has spent its entire life on Tuesdays, and needs the Magnum exposure more than Bull; it probably won’t end up being that big of a deal, but it feels like a small change that could’ve been beneficial to both shows.
