The third of the network upfronts is out, covering ABC’s fall schedule. Here are my thoughts and what I anticipate Critical Myth will be covering in one degree or another next season. The following is the schedule released by the network on 17 May 2011:
ABC FALL 2010 SCHEDULE *New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET
MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10:00 p.m. “Castle”
TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “LAST MAN STANDING”
8:30 p.m. “MAN UP”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “Body of Proof”
WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “The Middle”
8:30 p.m. “SUBURGATORY”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “Happy Endings”
10:00 p.m. “REVENGE”
THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. “CHARLIE’S ANGELS”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Shark Tank”
10:00 p.m. “20/20″
SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”
SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “ONCE UPON A TIME”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “PAN AM”
- Mondays
No amount of ridiculously hot women in skimpy dancing outfits is going to get me to watch “Dancing With the Stars”. I’d be far more likely to watch “Castle”, but so far, it just hasn’t been in the cards, which so much else on during the weekend and Monday nights. But who knows? It’s the kind of show that might work as summer catch-up fare, and it does star Cap’n Tightpants.
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Tuesday
ABC has a lot of holes in the schedule to fill, and they are trying a mix of comedies and dramas this season. “Last Man Standing” and “Man Up” have nice enough casts, but the premises don’t appeal to me at all. The last said about the “Dancing With the Star Results Show”, the better. “Body of Proof” has always struck me as just another procedural, and they don’t do much for me these days.
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Wednesday
This is a big comedy line-up. “The Middle”, “Suburgatory”, and “Happy Endings” aren’t my cup of tea. “Modern Family”, on the other hand, is a show we’re catching up on and enjoying a great deal. “Revenge” has an interesting premise, but considering that two of its executive producers were involved with “Twilight”, I just don’t think this will work for me.
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Thursday
Does the world really need another iteration of “Charlie’s Angels”? I’ll grant that the cast is hot, which is a nice draw, but if it ‘s a choice between that and “The Vampire Diaries”, I think I know which one has more of a chance to deliver. “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” are staples of the spousal unit’s weekly viewing, so I’m sure we’ll continue to watch them. (I openly admit to having a major crush on Chyler Leigh.)
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Friday
At least ABC is not contributing to the major pile-up of genre shows on Friday nights. On the other hand, is this really a winning line-up?
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Saturday/Sunday
Saturday Night College Football will be situational for me, but if my Hokies are playing, it’s a given. In terms of Sunday night, I’m definitely going to give “Once Upon a Time” a chance, given its production pedigree (ex-“Lost” folks) and solid cast. (I personally think this beats “Grimm” into the pavement, but I’ll be fair and check out both.) Surprisingly, “Pan Am” looks worthy of at least a look, though I doubt it will end up on my regular DVR list.
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Mid-Season
A lot of genre shows are ending up in the mid-season pile, which is not a good thing. “The River” has something of an iffy premise to me, but there’s enough there to make me want to check it out. “Missing” has a solid cast and interesting production pedigree, so that might be worth a look.
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What Didn’t Make the Cut
“Hallelujah” may have sounded like an “American Gothic” clone, but with Terry O’Quinn on board, who wouldn’t have wanted that on their TV screen every week? It’s a crime that he’s not fully employed on some show or another. “Poe” had some potential, I think, but there’s a glut of similar material coming in the next couple years. Still, it would have been nice to have Natalie Dormer on my screen again. (There’s always “The Tudors” on-demand, I suppose.)
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Final Verdict
So when it comes to ABC, the shows that will likely be covered on Critical Myth include Once Upon a Time and The River. Perhaps not surprisingly, there’s just not much else that catches my eye on the genre front.
