It’s been an OK fall for the broadcast networks with a few solid new entries, NBC’s Manifest and New Amsterdam, ABC’s The Conners, CBS’ FBI, Fox’s Last Man Standing and the CW’s Charmed.
Besides the two NBC dramas, no other new series probably qualifies as a breakout hit but there were no outright flops either that were quickly pulled or downgraded except for ABC’s Alec Baldwin talk show.
However, the performances of the new and returning series has been largely overshadowed this fall. The broadcast networks are at crossroads following unprecedented corporate upheaval, with none of the executives who were at the top of each network the same time last year in their posts now.
CBS Corp. CEO Les Moonves was ousted following a slew of sexual misconducts allegations, with Showtime’s David Nevins taking programming oversight of CBS and the CW. Bob Greenblatt and Jennifer Salke left NBC (the latter for Amazon Studios), replaced by Paul Telegdy & George Cheeks and Lisa Katz & Tracey Pakosta, respectively. Disney’s acquisition of Fox assets led to seismic changes at both ABC and Fox, with AMC’s Charlie Collier replacing Gary Newman and Disney-bound Dana Walden at Fox, and Disney-ABC’s Ben Sherwood and Channing Dungey exiting, with Fox’s Peter Rice and Walden taking over top Disney-ABC duties and Karey Burke succeeding Dungey, who has since landed at Netflix.
The uncertainty, combined with declining linear ratings (of the five broadcast nets, only Fox is in positive territory year-to-year thanks to the addition of Thursday Night Football) adds to the growing anxiety associated with broadcast, as top creators increasingly gravitate toward cable and streaming. (Coincidentally — or not — the Big 4 nets all are reducing their dependence on scripted programming in midseason with the biggest blitz of high-profile contingent of reality series in recent memory). Fortunately for the networks, selected few creators, like Chuck Lorre, can do both. The sitcom king behind CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, Mom and Young Sheldon, who is garnering awards recognition for his Netflix comedy The Kominsky Method, also has a new multi-cam pilot for CBS, Bob Abishola.
CBS
CBS
Top new series: FBI, God Friended Me, The Neighborhood
Biggest disappointment: the Murphy Brown reboot, which could not match the cultural and ratings impact of the original.
CBS, which has been rocked by the Moonves scandal, braces for the loss of its top series, The Big Bang Theory. In its 12th and final season, Big Bang (average of 16.9 million viewers, 3.6 adults 18-49 most current rating) still ranked as the most watched non-sports program on broadcast TV this fall and No.2 in adults 18-49 behind NBC’s This Is Us. The network’s season-to-date averages (8.9 million, 1.4 in 18-49) are down -9% in viewers and -18% in the demo as the network doesn’t have Thursday Night Football, which it shared with NBC last fall. The impact of losing Big Bang could be similar or even larger next fall if CBS does not find a new hit to replace it, with Lorre’s new sitcom among the projects the network is pinning its hopes on.
CBS Corp. Chief Creative Officer David Nevins, who now oversees CBS’ programming, recently indicated that the network will likely use Big Bang spinoff Young Sheldon, which is the network’s second highest-rated series, as Big Bangreplacement in the anchor Thursday 8 PM slot next season.
Besides the imminent departure of Big Bang, CBS faces other challenges too. The future of its third highest rated comedy, Mom, hinges on producing studio Warner Bros. TV securing new deals with stars Anna Farris and Allison Janney but the two sides are still far apart. Meanwhile, one of the network’s better performing dramas, Bull, got entangled into the Moonves controversy with recent revelations of a settled sexual harassment complaint against lead Michael Weatherly, one of CBS’ biggest stars.
Looking ahead, CBS is making its biggest push in unscripted programming in more than a decade, with the most new in-season reality series launches, led by World’s Best, which is slated to debut following the Super Bowl. Having the Super Bowl also guarantees CBS a No.1 finish for the season in total viewers for an 11th straight year.
(Excerpt) Read More at: Deadline.com