TUESDAY
CRAIG’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Middle; 8:30 Fresh Off the Boat; 9:00 Black-ish; 9:30 Raised by Wolves; 10:00 Marvel’s Inhumans
SHILO’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Middle; 8:30 American Housewife; 9:00 Black-ish; 9:30 The Mayor; 10:00 Marvel’s Inhumans
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 The Middle; 8:30 Fresh Off the Boat; 9:00 Black-ish; 9:30 The Mayor; 10:00 The Gospel of Kevin
CRAIG: First off, I was shocked not to see Marvel’s Inhumans — something they were supposedly so big on, that is being introduced on IMAX screens — sent to Friday, not airing on Tuesday. Secondly… I’m really not sure about The Gospel of Kevin. I definitely think there is a market for an inspirational show; after all, I grew up watching shows like Highway to Heaven and Touched by an Angel… but on a Tuesday night at 10? Really? And bless Jason Ritter, but here again is a character I didn’t connect with in the trailer, so, we’ll see.
I do like that Black-ish is anchoring an hour now, and The Mayor may have been one of the better trailers to come from ABC this season.
SHILO: Exhibits A and B that ABC hated its comedy development this season: They gave a time slot upgrade to a fourth season show they don’t own (and have no financial stake in) and the only comedy they’re premiering in the fall is very off-brand. I’m glad that ABC finally decided to move Black-ish from Wednesdays and while I wonder about whether something like The Mayor can find an audience, given that it’s literally about an entertainer who gets into politics for the publicity only to win office and be forced into actually governing (sound familiar?), I think it’s got the best lead-in it could in Black-ish. However, Fresh Off the Boat after The Middle feels like a waste of what could be the latter’s final season and The Gospel of Kevin at 10:00 is grossly mis-scheduled. Kevin is a religious dramedy with a light, family friendly tone, so airing it at 10:00 following a new, incompatible comedy is just asking for trouble. I would’ve understood ABC putting it Sundays at 8:00 given its content or Fridays at 8:00 looking for the older audience, but the “curse” of Tuesdays at 10:00 has become a self-fulfilling prophecy and ABC has fed into their inability to find a new hit there. If Kevin makes it to Thanksgiving, I would be genuinely shocked. #JusticeforJasonRitter
