FURTHER THOUGHTS FROM SHILO
Most Surprising Possible Renewal: I don’t know if it would be the most surprising possible renewal, but I’d certainly be surprised to see more American Crime. It’s a show that I like and something I’m happy ABC took a chance on, but it’s so far removed from their brand and doesn’t have the ratings to make up for that. While the show had its share of acclaim, I don’t know if that would be enough to get it a second season, especially since it doesn’t have the same syndication fall back like, for example, The Good Wife, which has parlayed a small, fervent audience into seven seasons.
Show That Should Have Been Renewed (aka Show That Deserved Better): Based solely on Live + Same Day ratings, I get a Forever cancellation. It’s not holding as much of the SHIELD lead-in as it needs to and networks have yet to really figure out how to monetize DVR numbers, so with Castle coming back, ABC will have their light procedural for next season and doesn’t have to make a reach renewal here. And judging by the way the show has been scheduled in the second half of the season, it seems as if they’ve given up on the show, despite Forever’s remarkable steadiness amidst the network’s wholly incompatible Tuesday. But with said steadiness, strong DVR numbers, a vocal base, and some internal support, Forever is a show that could thrive with a little nurturing, nurturing that ABC should give it since Castle is on its last legs. If not ABC, then hopefully another network can 
swoop in and keep Henry Morgan from experiencing the one thing he never has in his time on Earth – true death.
Possible Biggest Surprise: I’d be surprised if ABC expanded their comedy reach beyond their four current hours. They’re probably a few seasons from having enough anchors for two two-hour blocks and one one-hour block and I don’t think this current development class will have enough juice to get them over that hump this season. With a lot of promising drama projects in the work, and the Wednesday block still going strong, I think ABC will focus its comedy energy where it’s at right now and try to sure up its current holes before worrying about what to do next. But if we see 10 comedies on the 2015 fall schedule, consider me surprised.
Possible Biggest Disaster: ABC, look at me. Look into my eyes. Are you listening? Please do not put a non-family comedy on your fall schedule. Especially after Modern Family. If you want to order King of 7B or the NBA project or any other non-family comedy, that’s totally fine. Just keep them corralled in the same hour (a’la Selfie/Manhattan Love Story) because we’ve seen for several seasons that mixing comedy subgenres on ABC does not work. It would be ludicrous to have success with black-ish and then fall back into old patterns, especially with Modern Family on the down side of its peak, so ABC, for me and the sake of my blood pressure, keep your fall comedies about families.
Biggest Need: Bridge shows. ABC has a fairly consistent schedule and should come out swinging in the fall, but they struggled a bit at the tail end of 2014 and beginning of 2015, so winter 2015-2016 will be an important time for them. They have to find bridge shows stronger than The Taste and Galavant if they want to keep the momentum they build in the fall. I do think, though, that ABC coming into 2015-2016 in better shape than they were this time last year will give them the opportunity to tinker with winter and really make a push when their heavy hitters go to the bench for a couple months.
