WEDNESDAY
CRAIG’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Goldbergs; 8:30 Chunk & Bean; 9:00 Modern Family; 9:30 Hail Mary; 10:00 Castle
SHILO’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Middle; 8:30 Chunk & Bean; 9:00 Modern Family; 9:30 black-ish; 10:00 The Death of Eva Sofia Valdez
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 The Goldbergs; 8:30 Speechless; 9:00 Modern Family; 9:30 black-ish; 10:00 Designated Survivor
CRAIG: Designated Survivor at 10 is a very good, very male choice to go up against NBC and CBS. The Speechless trailer seemed a lot funnier than I expected, and while I still would like to see black-ish away from Empire, it does pair well with Modern Family so they might as well leave it alone. All in all, a good night for ABC, I think.
SHILO: Again, I think this lineup is pretty good. The Goldbergs has proven that it’s a strong show capable of being a lead-in and it makes sense to put it to the test while it’s at its peak. black-ish has more than survived in the face of Empire and with the show being one of only two wholly ABC-owned veteran comedies on the schedule next season, it’s understandable that they don’t want it to leave Modern Family‘s side just yet. Speechless feels exactly on brand for ABC and like something that could draw plenty of critical acclaim, so giving it the biggest stage a comedy can get on ABC seems like the right decision, even thoughĀ part of me is unsure of how high a ratings ceiling a comedy about a child with special needs actually is.
Designated Survivor is an interesting choice for the 10:00 slot. It’s gotten a lot of buzz and seems like something that could work on ABC, so putting it on Wednesday, where it’ll face off against two procedurals, could beĀ an okay move. I’m curious about what its gender breakdowns will be, though, since it feels like something that will skew very male and ABC is filled with overwhelmingly female projects, particularly dramas. The Wednesday comedies all hover around a 40/60 male skew, which makes the fit of Designated Survivor not bad, but this will be something to watch next season. If Designated Survivor is too much of an outlier in terms of skew, I wonder if ABC would be willing to move it, even if it’s still doing well.
