You might not have noticed it, but this weekend ABC was the first network to cancel one of its new fall shows. The axe came down on Manhattan Love Story, an awful sitcom in which we heard what a man and a woman were thinking. Of course, there are more cancellations to come.
Usually, the first cancellations come at the beginning of October, but there was a delay this year. That doesn’t mean every new show is a Friends-sized hit, just that this is something of an odd season.
Part of the reason Manhattan Love Story (and the other duds of 2014) are lasting so long is because the premiere schedule isn’t nearly as packed as it used to be. Previously all new dramas and comedies would come out on the same week, with few outliers. Now things are spread out ever since Fox started airing their shows earlier – to give them a fighting chance before their schedule gets wonky due to the World Series in late October – and the CW network decided to wait much later to try to break through the noise of premiere week. Some shows, such as NBC’s Katherine Heigl drama State of Affairs, isn’t even premiering until November.
Also, the networks are now taking DVR viewers into consideration – and it takes longer for Nielsen to provide that data. Entertainment Weekly has a different theory, conjecturing that the networks are wary of their midseason replacements and fear they could do worse than the current crop. That doesn’t bode well for any of us.
Here’s how each of the networks are doing with their new offerings after a few weeks for us to get acquainted with everything.
ABC
Sure, they may have been first to cut a show loose, but it’s mostly good news for ABC with two of the biggest hits of the season: Black-ish and How to Get Away with Murder. See, diversity does draw crowds. Both of these shows have the green light for a full season. While Manhattan Love Story’s companion, the equally awful Selfie, is sure to be doomed, most of the network’s other shows look solid. Cristela is performing well on Fridays – traditionally TV’s backwater – and Forever is struggling on Tuesdays. But considering the season ABC is having, the overall climate should take the heat off it for now.
CBS
Everything is fine on CBS; the most popular channel continues to churn out the hits. NCIS: New Orleans is, of course, the fall’s biggest new show, clocking in at around 18 million viewers an episode. Of the four dramas the network debuted – NCIS: New Orleans, Stalker, Scorpion, and Madam Secretary – all of them have been given full season orders. Looks like they’re four for four! The network’s only comedy, The McCarthys, debuts on Thursday. If I was a betting man, I’d put $100 on it being a hit.
NBC
It’s a mixed bag over at NBC. Its delightful new romcom A to Z is sure to get the hook any day now, with only 3 million viewers for its last episode. Bad Judge, in the Thursday time slot before it, had 4.4 million, which isn’t great, but it’s holding on (however, awful reviews of the show might push it over the brink). While all of this season’s romcoms have been duds, the charming Marry Me is looking to be a bit of a hit, with a debut of 8 million and 6 million in its second episode.
The critically reviled The Mysteries of Laura is holding strong with about 8 million viewers, though its demographics skew old, which could prove troublesome if NBC has other shows it wants to prioritise. Constantine debuted to an audience of about 4 million, which isn’t bad for Friday, but if those numbers go down, he’ll be chasing the demons to hell.
Fox
Things are looking bad for Fox. Its only hit is Batman-without-Batman show Gotham on Monday nights, which has been ordered for the entire season. Other than that all its other shows continue to be duds. Reality experiment Utopia, while possibly the best reality show on TV, has been trimmed from two nights a week to just Fridays. Medical drama Red Band Society isn’t rating well, but it’s consistently the show with the biggest bump from DVR viewing, so it might stay on life support for the rest of the season. Mulaney looks DOA, but will at least last through the World Series (but, hey, Fox took an entire season to cancel Dads, so who knows). Broadchurch remake Gracepoint is basically being ignored with only 3.5 million viewers on a very competitive Thursday night, but it will probably stick around for the end of its 12 episodes. Well, we’ll always have Broadchurch 2 on BBC America.
The CW
With only The Flash and Jane the Virgin added to their roster, the CW is doing gangbusters. Factoring in DVR audience, the premiere of The Flash was the network’s biggest show ever, and with last week’s second episode at 4 million (huge for The CW) it looks like this is a fast champion. The Flash attracts a lot of men, which has never been something this soapy network was known for. Jane the Virgin is the best show they have had on a Monday night in years, so while it’s a moderate success, with about only 1.3 million viewers, it will probably make it for the entire season. And while it continues to be charming, this could be one of the biggest winners of the whole season.
