Of the three new NBC comedies, which stands the best chance at becoming the night’s new anchor?
SHILO: If any of NBC’s three new Thursday comedies breaks out, it will be The Michael J. Fox Show, though I think its long-term prospects are tied more closely to how well Sean Saves the World does. NBC made the choice to schedule what was arguably its most high-profile new series at 9:30 rather than having it anchor the new night of comedy, giving single-cam The Michael J. Fox Show a multi-cam lead-in from another former network star. While I do understand the reasoning behind the move, protecting Fox’s vehicle from the 9:00 onslaught and giving Parenthood a more compatible lead-in, I don’t know if airing at the half-hour gives it the best chance to break out.
You could argue that because Sean and Fox are so tonally different, that someone who watches one likely wouldn’t watch the other and thus, their fortunes might not depend on one another as much. However, rare is the lineup where an anchor sags and the shows around them flourish, especially when it comes to half-hour shows taking on hour-longs. If Sean flatlines and the 8:00 hour of the night is as depressed as I think it will be, the chances of The Michael J. Fox Show becoming the channel savior that it had been pegged as are slim to none.
CRAIG: I’d like to say that Michael J. Fox has the biggest chance of breaking out, but I can also see how some viewers (like myself) might be uncomfortable with the jokes made at the expense of Fox’s Parkinsons. I’m sure they’ll tone it down after the pilot, but I still think it might be a bit much. I’m a huge fan of Michael J. Fox, though, and Back To The Future happens to be my favorite movie of all time, so I’m hoping the best for him.
Sean Saves The World, on the other hand, seems like it’s playing things “safe,” and that makes me uncomfortable in a different way. It seems like a way to be inclusive and accepting of gay themes in a show, but in such a way that it might not poke at Middle America the same way The New Normal did. I’m not sure I like that approach either. The New Normal was funny because it poked and took some risks. Is Sean Saves The World risky? I’m thinking not so much.
All in all, I do think it’s cool that NBC is trying to revive the family comedy as a way to rejuvenate Thursdays; I’m just not sure this lineup will have the breakouts that NBC wants or needs to make that much of an impact on Thursdays, sad to say.
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This is one female looking forward to Reign. I’m also a fan of SPN and Arrow. I watch most of the CW’s shows. But, I’m also 36, so not the target demo anymore.
Thursday is giving my DVR a workout! I already record TBBT, and now I have a conflict between Elementary and Parenthood. NBC moving Parenthood to Thursday at 10 really shocked me. It could get creamed and I hope NBC isn’t expecting too much, or it might end up the last season just because they moved it. I’ll be recording Elementary and watching it with the mister later.
I’m totally looking forward to Reign. It looks like an AMAZING show. I already ship Mary and Sebastian. (Torrance Coombs). Such a lovely potential couple, prince is also fine, but his step brother is better :)