Now that the dust has settled from upfronts week, it’s time to begin looking forward to next fall, as the entire insane process we just went through will be happening again this time next year. The hearts of bubble show lovers will be crushed; there will be surprising renewal decisions and endless rumors about what each network could do; the sheer volume of trailers will be overwhelming, even if you find a few shows in the mix that could replace any favorites you may have lost. To get you prepared for next season, KSiteTV’s Craig Byrne and Shilo Adams will, for the fifth year in a row, dissect the fall schedules for each of the five broadcast networks, telling you what they think of each night on the schedule before assigning superlatives to everything from most promising trailer to possible schedule disaster.
Before you delve into the article, you can check out every 2017-2018 scheduling article below, as well as links to every trailer NBC has released thus far.
2017-2018 Scheduling Predictions: NBC | FOX | ABC | CBS | The CW
2017-18 Scheduling Analysis: FOX | ABC | CBS | The CW
Trailers: The Brave | Law & Order True Crime
MONDAY
SHILO’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Voice; 10:00 The Brave
CRAIG’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Voice; 10:00 Reverie
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 The Voice; 10:00 The Brave
SHILO: With The Brave generating a lot of buzz in the trades and the networks all looking for ways to court conservative viewers next season, I wasn’t too surprised to see NBC go this direction on Monday. It seems a little edgier than previous time slot occupant Timeless, which I think suffered from being on too late, while it feels like something that The Voice‘s Middle America-heavy audience could go for and the trailer paints it as something of a proceduralized Homeland. I think as long as the show leans into what can make a procedural stand out (e.g. strong team chemistry, respect for/adherence to the procedures themselves, etc.) and doesn’t turn into Law & Order: Terrorism Unit with a ripped-from-the-headlines structure that could prove to be too timely in a fractured political climate, it should be a fine (if ancient-skewing) addition to NBC’s lineup.
CRAIG: I know you liked it, but I really wasn’t feeling the promo for The Brave… I think I liked it better the first time, when it was called American Odyssey, which of course wasn’t a big hit for NBC, either. I will say, though, it looks to be the better of the military-themed shows that are proposed for Fall. How it will do could go either way, really: I would think something a little more fun would go after The Voice, but I’d also imagine a conservative audience might be watching The Voice and looking for this kind of programming, which I respect. So, it’s a gamble, but maybe one worth making for now.
