FURTHER THOUGHTS FROM SHILO
Most Surprising (Possible) Renewal: Look, I love The Grinder. I think Fred Savage is doing genius, Emmy-worthy work; I think the show’s self-awareness is immensely funny and impressively intelligent; I think this is the type of show that broadcast should try to make work, just because of how creatively strong it is and how much of an asset it could be in terms of branding. But the show’s Live + Same Day ratings are bad, it doesn’t have a huge DVR audience, it doesn’t skew particularly young, and its reviews (while glowing) aren’t overwhelmingly effusive. The Grinder is a difficult, dense show that isn’t casual viewer friendly, so I don’t know how much growth potential it has, but it’s something that I’m rooting for.
Show That Likely Won’t Be Renewed But Should Be: I don’t think any of FOX’s current bubble shows have a super strong renewal argument, so let me pontificate about Grandfathered. When the season started, Grandfathered was kind of an afterthought to me. It was funny, sweet, and had a nice cast, but it didn’t leave a whole lot of impact; however, over the course of the season, the show has dialed in on exactly what it is (a goofy, deceptively romantic treatise on human complexity and not letting the past define who you are or your path in life) and hasn’t shied away from character development despite a premise that damn near demands stasis. And most importantly, it’s a comedy that is capable of delving into issues of emotion while never forgetting that its primary job is to make you laugh. Every source I’ve seen says that Grandfathered is mostly dead due to being produced by ABC, but I hope that it can find a renewal either at FOX or somewhere else.
Possible Scheduling Disaster: I can’t see 24: Legacy being huge. In theory, it should be, given the lineage and how the show’s structure is conducive to live viewing. But without Jack Bauer and with the sheer volume of terror incidents the world has seen, I don’t know if this is a title that has the juice or escapist appeal that it once did. And there’s the fact that The X-Files, while starting huge, kind of petered out in the ratings over the course of six episodes, so if 24: Legacy isn’t immediately great, or doesn’t sustain what greatness it does have, it could easily be a trouble spot for 12 episodes.
Possible Biggest Surprise: I really think Making History could find an audience. If it’s on Sundays this fall, it will have a solid lead-in, a solid lead-out, a football halo, and a premise capable of garnering attention on a busy night a’la how The Last Man on Earth had a tremendously successful series premiere. Granted, the premise could very well turn people off, given that time travel shows can quickly spiral out of control, but I think this could be one of the buzziest shows of the fall if executed well.
Safest Bet: Empire will air with something new. Rosewood did okay, but its services are needed elsewhere and it would be ludicrous to keep only a decent partner with one of the biggest shows on television. Another safe bet: one of the revivals will air in the X-Files slot this winter; my bet is Prison Break given that it has a shorter episode order than 24: Legacy and is being approached as more event-y than a possible new series like Legacy.
Project I’m Rooting For: If nothing else, FOX’s development is always home to some genuinely interesting premises, so it’s hard to really narrow down one project to root for. Chad: An American Boy is the type of high-wire act that could easily be amazing or horrifying, which is exciting; The Enforcers is immensely on-brand for FOX and features a strong cast; Pitch could be groundbreaking in a number of ways; and Zoobiquity has a nice combination of crazy name and crazy premise that could make for a show worth watching. And then there’s Son of Zorn, which is incredibly inventive and if executed well, could be a total game changer for how the broadcast networks approach comedy.
