We’re continuing our survey of the fall primetime schedule (our merry band includes former head of NBC Scheduling Mitch Metcalf, former head of NBC Current Programming Ted Frank and myself) with Thursdays, when CBS will finally do what people have been expecting for the past several seasons and expand to a 4-sitcom night.  (Here […]

  CW has released a :30 promo and a little more than a minute of REIGN, the teen Mary, Queen of Scots soap that will have the showcase spot on its schedule next fall, Thursday 9PM after The Vampire Diaries.  Here’s what we’ve got: Promo Clip Well, there’s Mary all right, and there’s Francis, whom […]

  EMPIRE:  Midseason TBD on FOX THE FACTS:  Think Nashville, but with a hip-hop beat and an A-level pedigree.  Music tycoon Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) is dying–although not just yet–and has to decide who between his two sons will inherit his giant company, causing all manner of family scheming.  Complicating things further:  his ex-wife (Taraji […]

  CW has released a mix of promos and short clips from its new series, which don’t do much more than provide the premises and a brief taste of the pilots.  Strong caution should be used in making any judgments from these, although we will anyway.  For THE TOMORROW PEOPLE, which will be paired with […]

  Fridays aren’t the most exciting night on the broadcast network schedule, but there are some interesting changes coming next fall.  We’re following our predictions for Monday,  Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday with a look at what Fridays have in store.  These projections cover the September 22-December 7 period, before holiday reruns and specials kick in, […]

  MULANEY:  Sunday 9:30PM on FOX THE FACTS:  John Mulaney, in real life a stand-up comic and TV comedy writer (most notably on SNL, where his biggest claim to fame may be co-creating Bill Hader’s Stefon character), plays one in the sitcom he created for himself, too.  His TV show boss is Martin Short, and […]

  UTOPIA:  Tuesday 8PM and Friday 9PM on FOX THE FACTS:  Based on a Dutch format and produced by unscripted specialist John de Mol, UTOPIA is a reality show that puts 15 people into an isolated area for an entire year and forces them to make up their own rules for their new “civilization.”  Viewers […]

  Another sitcom for NBC’s new “we wouldn’t be edgy if you begged us” Thursday night comedy line-up, as Sean Hayes returns to what’s now “Might-Watch TV” with SEAN SAVES THE WORLD.  Well, let’s give Sean this much:  as gay family sitcoms go, it looks better than The New Normal.  And Hayes seems to have […]