The networks may now take a backseat to larger conglomerate sales at the upfronts, but what they’re showing between ads — the actual programs — still matters. Of course, these days that mostly means live sports. Entertainment fare is facing reduced shelf space in primetime, and even the streamers are placing more of their attention on live events, which perhaps means less attention on good ol’ fashioned scripted programming.
Maybe that’s why it feels like there are fewer shows on the bubble or less cancellations at the broadcast networks — because there’s just a lot less shelf space than there used to be, and most of those timeslots are already accounted by hit franchises. (NBC and ABC, for example, devote as many as three full nights of a seven-night schedule in the mid-fall to live sports.) Still, broadcast did cultivate some new hits this season with freshman entries like CBS’ “Marshals,” ABC’s “Scrubs” redux and Fox’s “Best Medicine.”
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CBS already announced their fall slate in April, including LL Cool J’s return to the “NCIS”-verse with a New York flavor, a Silicon Valley hot take from Robert and Michelle King (“Cupertino”) and the vampire-themed “Eternally Yours” from the “Ghosts” producers.
Here’s what to expect as the networks and streamers get ready to pitch Madison Avenue the week of May 11.
ABC/Hulu
Hits: Procedural favorites “High Potential,” “The Rookie” and “Will Trent” remain at the top of the charts, while the return of “Scrubs” outperformed expectations and earned a Season 2. For Hulu, “Chad Powers” and “All’s Fair” are returning, and “Paradise” remained a Season 2 delight, with Season 3 on the way. And then there’s Hulu’s “The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives” phenom, which finally spawned an “O.C.”-themed spinoff despite its ongoing scandals.
Misses: Speaking of that, you may have heard about ABC’s “The Bachelorette” debacle, with star Taylor Frankie Paul. Yep, Paul wound up in enough hot water that the season had to be pulled. Will it ever see the light of day? What’s next for “The Bachelor” franchise?
Needs: More shows. Seriously, ABC has so little shelf space that its new output has been limited. Meanwhile, Hulu could use a few more originals as well.
‘RJ Decker’ Renewed for Season 2 at ABC
Amazon Studios/Prime Video
Hits: Though it aired its series finale last fall, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” remains a winner for Amazon with eager anticipation for the upcoming movie. The final season of “The Boys” debuted strong and momentum for the Jensen Ackles-starring prequel series “Vought Rising” is high. There’s also “Thursday Night Football,” “Fallout,” “Cross,” and “Young Sherlock.”
Misses: “The Boys” spinoff “Gen V,” “The Wheel of Time,” “The Runarounds,” and “Outer Range” have all been canceled.
Needs: The streamer can’t seem to crack comedy these days. There’s also the concern of Amazon’s love of pricey fantasy series and video game adaptations not being worth the ROI. Now under new TV chief Peter Friedlander (formerly of Netflix), the streamer is making adaptations of hit romantasy novel “Fourth Wing,” and video games “Tomb Raider” and “God of War,” but if any one of those pricey projects becomes the lukewarm hit that “The Rings of Power” turned out to be, it could be time to reexamine that strategy.
Amazon Sees ‘Strong’ Upfront Market, even with Signals of Caution
CBS
Hits: “Marshals,” the first broadcast original in Taylor Sheridan’s “Yellowstone” universe, came out strong as the largest open for a scripted broadcast series premiere in more than seven years (exclusing titles behind NFL games). The Eye’s newcomers, “Boston Blue,” “CIA” and “Sheriff Country” also launched big.
Misses: Not everything new made it: Freshman “DMV” was canceled, while “Watson” ended its run after two seasons. Then there’s CBS’ head-scratching decision to cancel “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and lease out the time instead.
Needs: CBS needs a long-term strategy for 11:35 p.m. With both “DMV” and “The Neighborhood” gone, it needs more laughs too — and hopes to build a new comedy audience with “Eternally Yours,” a vampire-themed half-hour from the “Ghosts” producers. The network doesn’t necessarily need any more franchise procedurals, but it will get them with “NCIS: New York” (featuring the return of LL Cool J), the long-awaited “Einstein” and another spinoff in the “Fire Country”/”Sheriff Country” universe. And it could use more drama without a crime element — which is where Robert and Michelle King come in with “Cupertino,” their take on Silicon Valley.
Paramount’s First Upfront Under Skydance Touts Tech, Sports and the Company’s Rebirth
CBS to Air First-Ever ‘The Price Is Right’ Live Special, Adds Kids Choice Awards Simulcast
‘Harlan Coben’s Final Twist’ Renewed for Season 2 at CBS
Matt LeBlanc Cop Drama ‘Flint’ in Development at CBS
‘NCIS: New York’ Starring LL Cool J and Scott Caan Set at CBS
Paramount’s New Sales Chief Wants to Break Barriers Between Streaming, Stand-Alone TV
Fox
Hits: Fox’s unscripted lineup continues to perform, while on the scripted side, “Doc Martin” adaptation “Best Medicine” starring Josh Charles and Patrick Dempsey-led drama “Memory of a Killer” both earned second season renewals.
Misses: Fox took a big swing with the Biblical series “The Faithful: Women of the Bible,” which aired in three parts over the Easter season. But the show failed to connect with critics and audiences alike, and it passed with barely any notice. Also canceled
Needs: With “Going Dutch” gone, Fox has just one live-action half-hour comedy (“Animal Control”) on the air at present (although it also classifies the hour-long “Best Medicine” as a comedy, and still has a huge stable of half-hour animated laffers). The only new shows on deck so far are the “Baywatch” reboot, “The Interrogator” starring Stephen Fry, the “Family Guy” spinoff “Stewie” and reality entry “Marriage Market.”
Fox Puts New Spotlight on Measuring Audience Reaction to Commercials
NBCUniversal
Hits: “The ‘Burbs,” a comedic mystery series starring Keke Palmer based on the 1989 Tom Hanks film of the same name, was Peacock’s best season of all time in terms of overall reach. On broadcast, NBC pushed a “Legendary February” campaign centered around the Olympics, Super Bowl LX and NBA All-Star Weekend that broke viewership records and paid off in advertising reach.
Misses: Freshman cheer comedy “Stumble” stumbled for ratings, while the second seasons of dramas “The Hunting Party” and “Brilliant Minds” failed to make an impact.
Needs: NBCUniversal needs new blood on broadcast. While Dick Wolf’s “Law & Order” and “One Chicago” universes will always keep the network afloat, “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins” starring Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe was the only non-franchise title to garner much buzz. But there’s hope for a successful refresh with four new series orders for the 2026-2027 season, including the “Rockford Files” reboot tarring David Boreanaz, the actioner “Line of Fire,” the Téa Leoni/Tim Daly comedy “Newlyweds” and Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici’s private investigator comedy “Sunset P.I.” (starring Jake Johnson). NBC also has its civilian version of “The Traitors” coming.
‘Rockford Files’ Reboot, Cop Drama ‘Line of Fire’ Picked Up to Series at NBC
‘The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins’ Renewed for Season 2 at NBC
Netflix
Hits: The final season of “Stranger Things” already ranks as one of the streamer’s most-watched seasons of all time. Elsewhere, “Wednesday” Season 2 returned to massive views while short-order shows (6 episodes) like “Untamed” and “His & Hers” proved to be surprise hits.
Misses: The fourth season of big budget series “The Witcher” landed with a thud, with the fifth and final season poised to go out with a whimper. And Netflix’s high-profile partnership with Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, yielded virtually no success.
Needs: Bingeable procedural dramas in the vein of “Law & Order” or “The Pitt” have seen a major resurgence of late given their cost-effective nature and ability to return annually, but Netflix has yet to come up with a breakout one.
Hits: Top of the list is “Heated Rivalry.” “The Pitt” Season 2 drew even more viewers than its first outing. There’s also “Euphoria” Season 3, the “Game of Thrones” universe (including “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” and the upcoming third season of “House of the Dragon”) and hits that still keep cable alive, like Food Network’s “Tournament of Champions.”
Misses: With “Hacks” on its final season and “The Comeback” a one-season-only return, HBO has got to figure out its future in comedy.
Needs: As the pending deal for David Ellison’s Paramount Skydance to acquire the David Zaslav-led WBD continues to make headlines, partners are understandably wondering about the future of programming and ad sales strategies for a company that could soon combine Paramount+ with HBO Max, plus several linear networks still in play.
Source: variety.com
