Most Surprising (Possible) Renewal: I’d be surprised to see more of Beyond Borders. Its performance this season hasn’t been that great, CBS doesn’t produce it, and if it were going to be renewed, it would’ve been packaged with Criminal Minds. Leaving it by its lonesome is another indication, along with having it be the last drama off the bench, that CBS doesn’t particularly care for it and where it’s still pretty far syndication, they don’t have any real reason to continue with it. It’s a shame because I thought that, had it returned in the fall vs. deep into midseason, it could’ve been a solid utility player for CBS, but it looks like it’s two and out.
Show That Likely Won’t Be Renewed But Should Be: 2 Broke Girls should probably be renewed. Where CBS expanded comedies pretty quickly, they don’t have a whole lot of potential lead-ins and Broke Girls could help them flesh out their comedy slate before they go off air. It’s performed pretty well this season in not optimal scheduling conditions, so I really think that if it were produced by CBS, it would’ve already been renewed. However, where it’s a WB show and WB is tough when it comes to negotiating, I think the value of Broke Girls lessens in CBS’s mind and unless some interesting financials are pulled out by both parties, I just don’t think we’ll see more of 2 Broke Girls.
Possible Scheduling Disaster: Putting something new after Criminal Minds would be a mess. Considering the softness of 10:00 the past season or two, it’s simply not strong enough to use on something new in that hour; if they leave Minds at 9:00, 10:00 has to be Code Black or some other lower priority drama that CBS is keeping around A) because they like it and/or B) because of syndication. But I don’t think the way CBS’s schedule is breaking points to them being aggressive on other nights while standing pat on Wednesdays, so that could end up being a disaster.
Possible Biggest Surprise: I would be surprised if Elementary isn’t renewed. CBS President Les Moonves has spoken multiple times about how profitable Elementary is in other avenues aside from Live + Same Day ratings and where it’s owned by CBS, the most episodes Elementary produces, the better it is for the company. I would also be surprised if Elementary is pushed to Saturdays, where it honestly should be airing if Live + Same Day ratings don’t matter; that’s where it’d do the least amount of damage and Sundays would look better if CBS could be more active, which they can’t as long as they’re carrying shows like Elementary.
Safest Bet: The only thing I’ve got is that Young Sheldon will air after Big Bang on Mondays. It’s different enough from the CBS comedy norm that I think they’ll want to ensure that it gets sampled. What they do after that, though, could get interesting if they think Sheldon could stand on his own. I personally don’t think that would be wise, but if they’re confident enough in the Sheldon creative or if they set Sheldon up with the right lead-out, I could see them using Big Bang on something else while Sheldon leads another hour.
Project I’m Rooting For: Being that I’m the president of the David Walton fan club, I really hope that 9J, 9K, 9L gets picked up and does well. He’s had a lot of promising shows that went sideways for one reason or another (e.g. Bent, Perfect Couples, About a Boy) and it’d be nice to see a full-fledged success and steady gig for someone with that much charisma.
ESSENTIAL LINKS
Upfronts 2017: Assessing Each Network’s Needs
CBS’s 2016-2017 Schedule: Thoughts & Predictions
Analyzing the 2016 Fall Schedule: CBS
We’re running all five prediction articles on the same day this year! Find all of the networks below:
NBC – FOX – ABC – CBS – The CW
