MIDSEASON SHOW(S) I’LL BE WATCHING
Shilo: I’ll probably check out Trial & Error, which looks like a good cable comedy that sneaked onto a broadcast schedule, as well as kooky supernatural soap Midnight, Texas because I love a good kooky supernatural soap. I might also give Taken a go due to my love of Jennifer Beals and Clive Standen, but otherwise, I’ll stick to the ones mentioned and keep watching Superstore.
Craig: I’ll keep watching Powerless and I’m very curious about Midnight, Texas. Beyond that I’m looking forward to NBC’s TCA presentation to see more about the projects that I might not know so much about.
WHAT NBC NEEDS GOING FORWARD
Shilo: As far as individual shows go, they need to find another family drama to air after This Is Us. I understand the temptation of putting another character procedural there, given that NBC’s bread-and-butter are the Chicago shows and a procedural could benefit from the huge lead-in, but this is the perfect opportunity for NBC to expand their brand and avoid becoming too one-dimensional. They also need to use Friday in a better way; NBC’s schedule is very crowded right now and to continue giving new shows a proper platform, they’re going to have to begin filling Friday with scripted content. Considering how NBC has become more procedural-heavy, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world to use Friday as a syndication farm a’la CBS if they’re not feeling confident enough to put young shows there.
Craig: I’d love to see NBC give a decent go at genre TV for Friday nights, even if it means kicking Timeless over there. And by “a decent go” I don’t mean “event series that will be over at 10 episodes.” There seems to be an opening for that sort of thing there. I’d also like to see NBC chase after the “next great sitcom.” It has been 30 years since shows like Cheers and The Cosby Show ruled Thursday nights, but I do think such a thing can happen again, but again, they need to go broader while still keeping the fun Superstores on the lineup. I’m also going to say that with action series becoming more popular lately (Lethal Weapon, MacGyver) that might not be the worst journey to follow, especially with the franchises available in the NBC-Universal library. I know it’s hard for NBC to fight in the Fall with so many of their nights taken up by football or The Voice, but the more strength they can have, the better.
WHAT NBC DOESN’T NEED GOING FORWARD
Shilo: Aside from not becoming too reliant on Chicago/Dick Wolf, NBC needs to not be afraid of comedy. Broadcast networks can’t survive without at least some comedy presence and where NBC has seen positive results from Superstore and The Good Place, I’m hopeful they’ll be more likely to expand their hours than not. Plus, their dramas are so strong right now that if they wanted, they could go hunting for the acclaim they had during the 30 Rock/The Office/Community/Parks and Recreation days and give their schedule the buzz that it’s been missing.
Craig: NBC needs to fight any temptation they’ll have to move This Is Us. It works on Tuesdays at 9. Don’t mess with it. And, yes, they need to avoid having “too much of the same.” Chicago this or Chicago that, it makes all of the schedule look the same, and having four of them is… a lot.
