FURTHER THOUGHTS FROM SHILO
Most Surprising (Possible) Renewal:Â NBC has been pretty generous with early renewals this season, yet the only one that was a little surprising was Shades of Blue. The renewal came after the show lost audience in four of its first five episodes and became a middling player after a surprisingly stout debut. However, the show more than earned its renewal after holding up remarkably well in the face of weeks of repeat lead-ins, which demonstrated just how strong the show actually was.
Show That Likely Won’t Be Renewed But Should Be: I think Telenovela was put in an almost impossible situation and didn’t do all that badly. With smothering direct competition, an unproven lead-in, and strange scheduling, the show was able to average around a 1.0 in the demo and looks even better when isolating the timeslot average. It performed better than The Carmichael Show and Crowded did when stripping post-Voice episodes away from each, while it’s a show with star power, strong international appeal, and a broad concept with a malleable structure. NBC needs bottom of the hour comedies if they have any hope of rebuilding their brand, so they should renew Telenovela and focus on finding their next comedy tent pole instead.
Possible Schedule Disaster: I think NBC might have renewed too many shows. They have so many dramas to have to fit into the schedule and I feel like something fairly promising is going to be left out in the cold; I don’t know what show that’ll be or when that’ll happen, but there’s only so many slots on the schedule and two Law & Orders, four Chicagos, two Blacklists, six hours of The Voice, a few filler dramas, two nights of football, and a whole bunch of live/event programming does not leave a whole lot of room. If ever there was a candidate for a network to program Saturdays, it might be present day NBC.
Possible Biggest Surprise: I would be surprised if Cruel Intentions works as a television series. Though I worship at the Church of Sarah Michelle Gellar like the rest of the internet does, I just think it’s a project at the wrong network, as NBC doesn’t really do edgy soaps and there’s no logical place for the show to be scheduled. If Cruel Intentions were at an MTV, Freeform, or Lifetime, for example, I would be leading the hype wagon, but a pickup at NBC just spells doom to me.
Safest Bet: Chicago Justice won’t premiere earlier than late fall; NBC has been able to launch two successful Chicago spin-offs without having to premiere either at the beginning of the season, so I think they’ll be extra careful with this project in order to preserve the sanctity of the franchise. I would also bet that they still schedule their comedies in awkward places, just because I can’t see them prioritizing many (or any) comedies they have in development over the procedurals that’ve become their bread and butter. Hopefully they give some of these shows a chance, but I think NBC is too full on drama right now to give comedy a realistic shot at carving out a place on the schedule.
Project I’m Rooting For: Though my favorite premises belong to Crunch Time (a hybrid game show/comedy that goes between an actual game show and a scripted workplace) and 36 (a dramedy about characters born on the same day), I’m most rooting for Trial & Error. Not only is the premise a fun take on a trend that could very easily wear out its welcome, it’s an original project for broadcast to tackle while also something that could blend in well with NBC’s fleet of procedurals without being another procedural. Plus, I just really like Matt Miller, so I hope this show finds an audience for years to come.
Essential Links
Upfronts 2016: Assessing Each Network’s Needs
NBC’s 2015-2016 Schedule: Thoughts & Predictions
Analyzing the 2015-2016 Schedule: NBC
