The final of the major five networks made its announcements today and gave us at least a few surprises. Gone of course are the disappointing Melrose Place and The Beautiful Life to be replaced by two new shows. Monday is all new with 90210 and Gossip Girl moving to lead off the week. The surprising […]
The season is complete and V has well and truly invaded our TV sets, unmercifully culling Flashforward while solidifying its own position with consistently good ratings. Is it a shining example of Sci-Fi drama? Or does a look beneath the surface reveal something not so pretty?
FOX won the prime time battle again in 2009-2010 based on their NFL lineup, Glee, American Idol, and strong early season numbers. This year they look to add some new programming along with returning a great deal of their last season shows. Gone is stalwart 24 along with Sons of Tucson, Past Life, Til Death, Brothers, and Dollhouse. New this season are four new comedies and three new dramas.
Of note is the fact that both Lie to Me and Human Target survived to new seasons despite some low ratings and the chance of cancellation. Glee returns as one of the top shows on TV as does American Idol in the spring. Not seen on the schedule but meant as a mid-season replacement is Terra Nova from producers Steven Spielberg, Peter Chernin, Brannon Braga (24, “Star Trek: Enterprise”) and David Fury (“Lost,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”) an interesting looking show with a little bit of a science fiction feel. It looks like it could be good.
CBS looks to build on its already strong lineup with some strategic changes. Eighteen of the shows return from last season. They have mixed and matched some of the new shows into old places and sort of switched things around. For example, the very funny Rules of Engagement finally gets a spot of its own, holding onto its Monday slot before Two and a Half Men. CSI: Miami moves to late slot on Sunday from Monday and the New Hawaii Five-0 takes it place starring Alex O’Laughlin. The very popular The Big Bang Theory moves to lead off the Thursday night programming and is followed by William Shatner’s new raucous comedy $#*! My Dad Says which could be a winner.
Gone are Friday nights The Ghost Whisper and N3mbers as well as Cold Case, the short lived Miami Medical, Accidentally on Purpose, Gary Unmarried, and the New Adventures of Old Christine. Other new shows are from the creator of Two and a Half Men, Chuck Lorre, Mike and Molly a comedy about two people that meet at an Overeaters Anonymous meeting, The Defenders starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell in a Comedic Drama about two Las Vegas attorney’s, and finally Blue Bloods debuting late on Friday’s a generational police drama set in New York City.
Like NBC, ABC seems to have made a major revamping of its lineup. Gone are freshman shows FlashForward, The Deep End, the forgotten, Eastwick, the short lived Happy Town, and Romantically Challenged with Alyssa Milano all replaced with seven new shows. Also discontinued is sophomore comedy Better Off Ted as well as long time favorites Scrubs and Ugly Betty. There are three mid-season replacements and V which was not canceled but seems to be missing from the schedule, but ABC President Steve McPherson made the decision to keep V over Flashforward. Still it’s strange that it does not appear in the fall schedule and must be meant as a mid-season or spring intro.
Well despite a lot of talk otherwise NBC and Angela Bromstad, President, Primetime Entertainment, NBC and Universal Media Studios announced that Law & Order along with Heroes, Mercy, and Trauma will not be returning for next season. While the last three might not be a surprise one has to wonder about the franchise that was about to take the record as longest running hour long series on television away from Gunsmoke.
Bromstad said “it was time to move on”, but Law & Order: SVU and Criminal Intent will be joined by a new Law & Order: Los Angeles in the fall lineup. (Law & Order: Criminal Intent can be viewed on NBC Universal’s USA Network.)
As Jack Bauer, clad in black body armor and a black Darth Vader-esque mask, approaches Charles Logan’s car, the look of fear on Charles Logan’s face is one to remember, a classic moment in a show that’s already given us so much by which to remember it. Jack Bauer has proven for eight years that he is the stuff terrorists’ nightmares are made of, so to see Charles Logan staring in the eyes (or rather, mask) of a man with nothing to lose is nothing short of incredible. Episode 22, the last full episode before the two hour series finale next week, was a bit slow at points, but still proved to be invigorating when focusing on Jack’s violent vendetta against the Russians. Slowly, but surely, the blueprint of Season Eight’s plot is being unfolded and, as the picture becomes clearer, it actually makes me feel a bit better about some of the missteps the show took earlier in the year.
