SitcomsOnline 2013-14 Upfront Preview Week

[Pavan]

Stay tuned all this week (May 6-10) at around 12 noon ET on the blog for our predictions of the fall schedules!

NBC: Mondays at noon

Fox: Tuesday at noon

ABC: Wednesday at noon

CBS: Thursday at noon

The CW: Friday at noon

Please let us know your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to post your schedules AFTER we release ours!

Actual upfront is next week (May 13-16), so please join us the next two weeks as this is the busiest time of the year for TV people!

[icecream]

I think Community will come back so it has more episodes for syndication. In the fall Go On would have been a lock to return but since it nosedived doesn't have much value. MJF would be better off airing Tuesdays at 9:00, if it's put on Thursday CBS will move The Big Bang Theory against it. Parenthood should air Thursdays at 9:00 with Grimm at 10:00.

[EmoJoe]

The race between NBC's bubble comedies is one of the more interesting ones of Upfronts week this year...I think Community, Go On, and Whitney are the most likely to return, and I can see all of them returning, two of them returning or just one. I think at least one will, though. As a Community fan I'm obviously hoping Community gets renewed but I'm trying to prepare for the worst. I do think Community is legimiately a smarter renewal than Go On though but I doubt NBC will admit failure with that one.

[gilligan fanatic]

Seems like we have had a lot of early renewals this year, more so than normal

[cherryade]

Community is stronger than both Go On and Whitney (slightly better spring ratings in a far tougher timeslot), its ratings are more stable as a veteran, and it's almost certainly cheaper for NBC due to its proximity to syndication. It'll be a surprise if it's cancelled. If it is cancelled, it will be down to network executives deliberately going out of their way to cull a show they hate rather than down to its ratings.

NBC needs to find more broad appealing comedies

NBC needs to find more successful shows, but I remain unconvinced that this involves chasing such a nebulous and vague concept like "broad appeal".

I think the real problem is that NBC executives are cynically trying to dumb everything down to make their shows "broad" and have "heart". People tune in and soon start figuring out that the shows are generic, dumb and poorly-constructed and slowly-but-surely start tuning out. Even worse, their comedies aren't funny or fun.

Instead, NBC needs to stop playing it safe and start swinging for the fences.

I also think they have been way to keen to abandon their existing viewerbase. Yes, they need to get more viewers, but why not try creating a show that might actually appeal to people who already like and watch The Office, Parks and Recreation, Community and 30 Rock? Given that The Office and Parks are still NBC's top 2 comedies and the network is chasing the success of Modern Family, then why not order some mockumentary-style shows? There's no reason why NBC can't do it at the same time as their horrendous unappealing "broad" shlock that they insist on pumping out year-after-year.

[tbswatcher]

Does anyone know of other sites where I can see network upfront predictions?

[benjamoon]

Originally Posted by tbswatcher

Does anyone know of other sites where I can see network upfront predictions?

I'm doing predictions this week on my blog: http://benjamonsterstv.blogspot.com/

Also these sites have some good commentary/predictions:

http://www.spottedratings.com/
http://bigtvfan.wordpress.com/

[Sal]

Originally Posted by Pavan

Stay tuned all this week (May 6-10) at around 12 noon ET on the blog for our predictions of the fall schedules!

NBC: Mondays at noon

Fox: Tuesday at noon

ABC: Wednesday at noon

CBS: Thursday at noon

The CW: Friday at noon

Please let us know your thoughts on our prediction and feel free to post your schedules AFTER we release ours!

Actual upfront is next week (May 13-16), so please join us the next two weeks as this is the busiest time of the year for TV people!

The end of May will mean the beginning of the Canadian TV upfronts. I'll keep you posted on those when they happen.

[EmoJoe]

Originally Posted by cherryade

Community is stronger than both Go On and Whitney (slightly better spring ratings in a far tougher timeslot), its ratings are more stable as a veteran, and it's almost certainly cheaper for NBC due to its proximity to syndication. It'll be a surprise if it's cancelled. If it is cancelled, it will be down to network executives deliberately going out of their way to cull a show they hate rather than down to its ratings.


NBC needs to find more successful shows, but I remain unconvinced that this involves chasing such a nebulous and vague concept like "broad appeal".

I think the real problem is that NBC executives are cynically trying to dumb everything down to make their shows "broad" and have "heart". People tune in and soon start figuring out that the shows are generic, dumb and poorly-constructed and slowly-but-surely start tuning out. Even worse, their comedies aren't funny or fun.

Instead, NBC needs to stop playing it safe and start swinging for the fences.

I also think they have been way to keen to abandon their existing viewerbase. Yes, they need to get more viewers, but why not try creating a show that might actually appeal to people who already like and watch The Office, Parks and Recreation, Community and 30 Rock? Given that The Office and Parks are still NBC's top 2 comedies and the network is chasing the success of Modern Family, then why not order some mockumentary-style shows? There's no reason why NBC can't do it at the same time as their horrendous unappealing "broad" shlock that they insist on pumping out year-after-year.

Yeah, NBC shouted from the rooftops how broad and accessible their new shows were this year...and every single one of them failed.

They need good comedies, period. The Office was a big hit for them and it wasn't broad and pandering. 30 Rock and Parks & Rec were never big hits but they sure as hell did a lot better than any of NBC's recent sitcoms. Just make good shows again, because now they're alienating whatever audience they have left while failing to gain a new one.

[Mr. Television]

I hope MJF's new show is good. I wish he would have picked another network to go to.

[1970sTVFan]

Can't wait. Most of CBS shows will be renewed.

[icecream]

I didn't realize Alexis Bledel was in a FOX pilot. I definitely wouldn't mind that being paired with Raising Hope.

[Cyrax]

Really, really hoping that The Neighbors gets renewed!

[tbswatcher]

I decided to give making fall schedule predictions a shot. Here's what I want to happen with ABC. I can't wait to see how wrong I am next week.

ABC Fall 2013

Mondays
8pm DWTS
10pm Castle

Tuesdays
8pm Agents of SHIELD
9pm DWTS Results
10pm Body of Proof

Wednesdays
8pm The Middle
8:30pm Middle Age Rage
9pm Modern Family
9:30pm Super Fun Night
10pm Nashville

Thursdays
8pm Shark Tank
9pm Grey's Anatomy
10pm Scandal

Fridays
8pm Last Man Standing
8:30pm Back in the Game
9pm The Goldbergs
9:30pm King John
10pm 20/20

Saturdays
8pm Saturday Night Football

Sundays
7pm AFV
8pm Big Thunder
9pm Once Upon a Time
10pm Revenge

[tbswatcher]

Here is what I want to happen with CBS this fall:

CBS Fall 2013

Mondays
8pm HIMYM
8:30pm Friends with Better Lives
9pm The Crazy Ones
9:30pm Mike and Molly
10pm NCIS: LA

Tuesdays
8pm NCIS
9pm Hawaii Five-O
10pm NCIS: LA Spinoff

Wednesdays
8pm Survivor
9pm Criminal Minds
10pm CSI

Thursdays
8pm Two and Half Men
8:30pm 2 Broke Girls
9pm The Big Bang Theory
9:30pm MOM
10pm Person of Interest

Fridays
8pm Undercover Boss
9pm The Mentalist
10pm Beverly Hills Cops

Saturdays
8pm Crime Shows

Sundays
7pm 60 Minutes
8pm The Amazing Race
9pm Reckless
10pm The Goodwife