WEDNESDAY
SHILO: Launching anything at 10:00 in 2014 is difficult, with less people watching live television and people catching up on their DVR-ed shows from the 8:00 and 9:00 hour. As such, I would move Criminal Minds to 10:00 and use the 9:00 hour to launch Battle Creek, the new drama from Vince Gilligan and David Shore. Criminal Minds, which would be able to go darker in terms of content at a later hour, did fine at 10:00 when it aired an episode there earlier this season, while Survivor is still a fairly robust lead-in thirty seasons in and should help Battle Creek get sampled. It also helps that Modern Family is down, FOX will be rebuilding, and NBC is a question mark with Law & Order: SVU’s future still up in the air, so the 9:00 slot isn’t as daunting as it once was.
CRAIG: Again, I’m going with the same thing you are. A buzzy show at 9:00 would be good for the night, as would Criminal Minds at 10. Start off with Survivor, where people are used to seeing it, and bam. Instant night.
THURSDAY (After Sports)
SHILO: Following the end of Thursday Night Football, CBS will reassemble its two-hour Thursday comedy bloc, with a few changes. In the 8:00 hour, I don’t expect The Millers to move; while it’s been retaining less than 50% of its lead-in this spring, the show is owned by CBS and was given an early renewal, so they’re satisfied with its performance and will want to nurture it at least one more season. With Two and a Half Men at 9:00, where it should have began this past season, I think The Odd Couple could sneak its way onto the schedule at 9:30. Not only is there star power with Matthew Perry attached to the project, it’s a show with name value and a premise very similar to that of Men, so there should be no issues of compatibility like there were this season with The Crazy Ones.
CRAIG: This is where I deviate slightly from you: I’m going to eliminate that second hour of comedies (again) and put Original Recipe CSI back on Thursdays. Might be a step backward for CBS, or it might just be keeping the audience there and happy. Hopefully the latter. Also, CSI might be a good male alternative to whatever Shonda Rhimes show lands at 9 on ABC.
FRIDAY
SHILO: With all the change earlier in the week, CBS needs to have at least one night of stability and weirdly, Friday seems to be their best candidate. Unless they want to get a jump on summer 2015 and utilize a lower-priority scripted offering on Fridays next spring, Undercover Boss has performed well enough to be given a full season, while the Hawaii: Five-0/Blue Bloods pairing was surprising in how strong it was, given that they don’t seem as compatible on the surface.
CRAIG: My schedule for Friday would be the same as yours, although in the months of Thursday night football, I’d put Elementary on to lead the night. Usually a 10:00 show so maybe that idea is completely absurd, but I’m just thinking of how to keep brands together that people know.
Navigate one more time below for our compiled schedules:
1 Comment
I sure hope you can save Almost Human too. Great show! Two if my favorite shows have been cancelled . I work long hard hours and these shows brought enjoyment. Although I’m very glad NCIS, NCiS LA Person of Interest and Hawaii five O