Is NBC in trouble when Football season is over?
SHILO: Yes. NBC will, of course, take a huge step back pretty much regardless, since football in the United States is tremendously popular and will inflate their Fall average to almost an absurd degree. However, they’ll likely be in even more trouble with the season ending due to two things: competition from cable and an all-new lineup. The Olympics don’t provide a strong enough launching pad for new programming (ask Animal Practice) for them to put so much stock in a completely revamped night that includes reality series American Dream Builders, Believe from J.J. Abrams, and Crisis, starring Dermot Mulroney and Gillian Anderson.
NBC might be of the same mind that ABC is with their fall Tuesdays, in that they know not every piece will work but they want to take the chance that something will breakout. Of course, NBC doesn’t have a piece as strong as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I don’t necessarily hate the logic, since Believe has the pedigree for success and Crisis might be loud enough to distinguish itself in the 10:00 slot. Still, though, with several strong cable series to premiere/return this spring and NBC being in the shape that it is, don’t expect NBC to have an easy time with their Sunday lineup.
CRAIG: No matter how good these new shows might be, a new night at midseason will be a tough sell. Heck, any midseason launches are… look at how many midseason shows this past season made it to Season 2. At least ABC’s all-new Tuesdays premiere in the Fall and lead off with S.H.I.E.L.D..
All this NBC line-up has going to help it is Olympic promotion. As you pointed out, that’s not always effective. Even shows starring monkeys can fail, and people loved that monkey!
