CRAIG’S CHOICES
Most Anticipated New Show: Timeless! For the reasons detailed above. I’d include Cruel Intentions here if it was already picked up.
Best Scheduling Move: Timeless! Can I just answer “Timeless” for everything? But, really, good placement.
Worst Scheduling Move: Timel– no. No real placement for The Carmichael Show yet is unfortunate, but I will say that Blindspot on Wednesdays at 8PM of all places is also potentially disastrous.
Most Likely New Hit: Do I really have to say it?
Likely First Cancellation: Fortunately for NBC, all of their shows premiering in the fall seem strong. Because of this, I’m going to say The Good Place might be the “most likely first show not to get a back 9” simply because NBC has other half-hours on deck that they might need to bring in.
What I’ll Be Watching in the Fall: Timeless! Superstore, too, if I get the chance, because I think that show is really fun. P.S.: I still miss Constantine…
SHILO’S SUPERLATIVES
Most Promising Trailer: On the whole, the NBC trailers were pretty underwhelming, but I thought seeing The Good Place’s cryptic original premise spelled out visually was interesting. It’s pretty bold to make a show set in Heaven and the tone of the show is distinct in terms of the current broadcast landscape; it most reminded me of NBC summer burn-off Save Me, an Anne Heche comedy about a woman who believes she speaks with God, and I’m one of 11 people who watched/liked that show, so I’m vaguely intrigued by The Good Place.
Best Scheduling Move: Timeless after The Voice should do well, at least initially. It has a big concept, a flashy trailer, and nothing in the hour seems to be going after the same audience. Plus, there’s a history of shows like this doing well in this time slot, so as long as Timeless can keep up creatively, it should be a solid addition to the NBC schedule.
Worst Scheduling Move: Superstore on Thursdays could be trouble. I don’t think it’s necessarily in the cancellation zone next season, but I think it’s going to get dinged up by its competition and become much weaker than it was this past season. It boggles my mind that they put the first viable comedy lead-in they’ve had in years against the biggest comedy on television, among other heavy hitters. Boggles. My. Mind.
Most Likely New Hit: Timeless will be a hit in the fall for reasons already stated. Its challenge is less getting sampled in September and moreso staying a hit throughout the season, as past Voice lead-outs have stumbled when it came to maintaining their momentum in the long term. Every new show comes down to Earth after initial sampling, so Timeless just needs to manage the normal declines and keep itself from falling apart thusly.
Likely First Cancellation: The bell tolls for thee, The Good Place. If anything from the fall is going to be NBC’s first cancellation, my money is on the Kristen Bell comedy, as its twee-ness could be a turn off, as could its narrow, potentially polarizing subject matter. The devoutly religious won’t watch this show because they’ll believe it’s demeaning to their faith; those who don’t practice won’t watch this show because of possible preachiness. It’s not a good fit with Superstore in terms of both tone and content and with Superstore likely facing a sophomore slump, there might not be enough spillover to prop The Good Place up. The only way this isn’t the first NBC cancellation is if it can get some breathing room without Big Bang Theory and runs out its 13-episode order before an official cancellation can come.
What I’ll Be Watching in the Fall: I’ll probably give This Is Us an episode or two just to see what it is, since I like the cast and I’m all about weird concepts being on broadcast television, and I’ll continue watching Superstore.
