Upfrontgasm: ABC - 
by Guest Columnist
By Umnata
My coverage of the "upfronts" in New York—the television networks' annual presentation of their fall schedules to foaming-at-the-mouth advertisers and media outlets—continues with a look at ABC's fall schedule.
In probably the biggest shakeup of the season, ABC has made plans to move Sunday night juggernaut Grey's Anatomy (which has now surpassed Desperate Housewives as the network's number one show) to Thursdays at 9PM. The shakeup is necessary for ABC, though. After an out-of-nowhere 2004 season that launched Desperate Housewives, Lost, and Grey's Anatomy as monster hits, none of ABC's shows from last season are making it back for sophomore seasons (except What About Brian, which was one of the biggest surprise renewals this year, and I think had more to do with appeasing executive producer J. J. Abrams than anything else). It doesn't help that ABC is still smarting from the colossal flameout of Commander in Chief (this is what happens when you hire Geena Davis, people), which was poised to be the "next great drama," with huge ratings and positive reviews last fall, until it crashed and burned under the weight of its own pedigree.
So ABC is casting a wider net this season to see what they catch with the ten (!!!) new shows slated for the fall. Betting on so many new shows mean a lot of old ones had to be let go, which in most cases on ABC's schedule was not a bad thing. Of the cancelled shows, only Invasion (finally, picking up steam after a lackluster half season) and midseason comedy Sons & Daughters (a worthy successor to the Arrested Development dysfunctional family throne) were worth saving. Other shows like Hope & Faith, Freddie (I admit a guilty pleasure of mine, but certainly not changing the face of television as we know it—although Brian Austin Green's comedic talents must be put on display elsewhere), and In Justice, had either passed their prime or had a failure to launch. So ABC is spreading the wealth and hoping that the relocation of a big hit like Grey's will serve as a launching pad for some new series. Here's what the schedule looks like:
Sunday
|
| | Next Page... 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 ( Comments ) | Discuss In Our Forums |