MIDSEASON/OTHER THOUGHTS
CRAIG: I’ve already mentioned some possible shows that could sub in above; I’m assuming Scandal will be the 9:00 Thursday show for ABC once midseason kicks in. There are other projects in the ABC quiver that I think can and will land somewhere, including The Jury with Archie Panjabi and The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez starring Gina Torres. Fortunately, Channing Dungey was left with a lot to choose from, though I’m really curious what the next development season will look like under the new regime.
SHILO: With word around the playground that The Muppets is coming back, we’ll just pencil that in for the Sundays at 8:00 slot vacated by Galavant. If Once gets moved to 9:00 as it is in my schedule, though, I wouldn’t be shocked if they had comedy repeats at 8:00 and The Muppets episodes/specials at 9:00. If Marvel’s Most Wanted does get a series order, it would sub in for SHIELD like Agent Carter did during its first two seasons. ABC will probably order a few more comedies, with the most likely candidates being Pearl, The Second Fattest Wife in Westport, and Speechless. At least one would take the place of an underperformer, while the other two might need to hope that the network doesn’t order too many midseason dramas, thereby allowing them their own hour on the schedule.
Speaking of dramas, I think The Jury, Notorious, Presence, and Conviction will all at least be in the mix. The Jury, which reeks of being ABC’s Oscar drama this year, could be awards bait on par with American Crime, while Presence and Conviction are two character procedurals that fit into what ABC is trying to do and Notorious is a nice hybrid between ABC’s serials and the procedurals they’re looking for. What I’m most interested in, though, is how ABC schedules this year, because the split schedule that former president Paul Lee proposed is on the chopping block and I’m not sure how many slots they’ll really have as a result. How that plays out, and what nights they’re still targeting for split seasons, will directly impact how many shows they pick up.
