TUESDAY
CRAIG’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Voice; 9:00 Chicago Med; 10:00 Chicago Fire
SHILO’S PREDICTIONS: 8:00 The Voice; 9:00 Chicago Med; 10:00 Chicago Fire
ACTUAL SCHEDULE: 8:00 The Voice; 9:00 This Is Us; 10:00 Chicago Fire
SHILO: Initially, I was very against the idea of NBC breaking up their Tuesday lineup. It was very solid and after years of cycling different comedies and unscripted properties behind The Voice results show, this seemed like a good time to hold pat and tinker with other nights. Yet it’s Dan Fogelman birthday drama This Is Us, about a group of interconnected people who share the same birthday, that dislodges Chicago Med; the show received a lot of buzz during its development and upon seeing the trailer, it looks like the type of weepy melodrama Parenthood was for the majority of its six seasons. That show might’ve lasted for quite a while, but it was never a ratings breakout and NBC was in much worse shape during its run, which is why I’m a little worried about This Is Us.
Whereas Parenthood had a concept that was amenable to long-form storytelling, I don’t know what This Is Us looks like as a show. Once the novelty of the premise wears off and once the twists have been properly twisted, what is This Is Us? Granted, the show has a lot more hype coming out of upfronts than what I expected, so that combined with a nice lead-in might give it time to figure itself out, but this isn’t on brand for NBC and I don’t know how much of their core audience will go for something A) this serialized and B) with this particular tone. Prior to the show hitting on social media, I would’ve said this would be an early cancellation; however, with such strong awareness of the project, I think it has a shot to make it, assuming the creative can hold itself together.
CRAIG: Are we allowed to be critical when we see all of these press releases about record-breaking views for the This Is Us trailer, when I’m sure that not even Milo Ventimiglia’s butt and rather advertising is what earned all of those views?
I probably won’t be watching This Is Us, even though I’m very happy with them for employing Justin Hartley; it’s more of a thing where I don’t usually watch TV shows that I know will make me sad. I guess it’s ballsy of NBC to try something new and not-Chicago-ey to follow The Voice, but I do wish they kept Med and Fire together for one more season.
But what do I know. This Is Us could be a huge hit. I’ll go hide in my corner now…
