TUESDAY
CRAIG: 8:00 The Voice; 9:00 Rise; 10:00 This Is Us
SHILO: 8:00 The Voice; 9:00 This Is Us; 10:00 Rise
CRAIG: I’m going to move things around on the schedule in a way that could be risky, but there’s a method to my madness. Yes, This Is Us is a huge smash for NBC, and it’s potentially a Very Bad Idea to mess with a good thing. However, the show has performed well at 10PM before and will likely be at 10PM on weeks there’s a 2-hour Voice anyway, and sandwiching a new show between the highly-rated Voice and This Is Us might be exactly what the ratings doctor ordered…. and in the process, NBC could have a powerhouse show at 10PM. Rise seems to be NBC’s buzziest pilot this year, it’s already ordered to series, and it comes from a previous NBC tear-maker in Jason Katims… so such a scheduling move would nurture a show that could get ratings and critical approval. As a bonus for affiliates, This Is Us at 10 could lead to viewers keeping the TV on to watch the local news.
SHILO: NBC President Bob Greenblatt loves the performing arts; his first passion project for the network was ill-fated Smash and he’s been responsible for beefing up NBC’s variety portfolio, including the introduction of the live musical to broadcast television. All buzz indicates that Rise, which centers on a high school’s drama department, is one of NBC’s top prospects for next season and I feel like a pairing with This Is Us could be in the cards. The shows sound like they could be fairly similar in tone and emotion, as Rise is from Jason Katims (Parenthood), and This Is Us will likely come back to series highs, making it an ideal launching pad for something new. It’s not a total slam dunk for me, though, since I wonder whether a show about kids can succeed in a late hour and whether This Is Us might A) have too much Same Day viewing for anything new behind it to get sampled and B) attract too many people who are only interested in it and wouldn’t care what’s on after it. I could see Rise doing well, especially if it gets a post-Voice premiere, but it still doesn’t feel like a guarantee.
