CRAIG’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 Survivor; 9:00 Criminal Minds; 10:00 SWAT
SHILO’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 Survivor; 9:00 SWAT; 10:00 Criminal Minds
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 Survivor; 9:00 Seal Team; 10:00 Criminal Minds
CRAIG: I’m still shocked that CBS didn’t schedule SWAT somewhere that the Criminal Minds fans can just keep the channel on to see Shemar Moore. With that said, maybe CBS has bigger hopes for SWAT… (see the Thursday entry). As for Seal Team, the fourth consecutive TV series for David Boreanaz… it’s not my kind of show, but I’m probably not watching CBS on Wednesday nights anyway.
SHILO: Yeah, SWAT not being here is weird, particularly when Empire moved to 8:00. It was a scheduling strategy that could’ve mirrored the success Bull has had post-NCIS and felt like a show picked up for a specific purpose vs. something like Seal Team, which has multiple places it could work (e.g. Tuesdays at 9:00, Sundays at 8:00, Thursdays at 10:00). I don’t think Seal Team is necessarily a bad choice here, given that it seems more on-brand than SWAT with its conservative bent and navy connection, but I don’t think the flow on Wednesday will be as strong with it anchoring the 9:00 slot as it would’ve been with SWAT, which will likely skew younger and would’ve had a connection to the 10:00 hour with lead Shemar Moore. Moore’s proximity to Criminal Minds would’ve made that show’s transition to 10:00 a little easier, so without it, Minds might look more vulnerable this fall, given that it doesn’t seem overly compatible with Seal Team.