Tag Archives: Upfronts15

Upfronts: NBC debuts new fall schedule dominated with dramas (Trailers & full descriptions inside)

Image cache, News, Television, Video, , , , ,

Update (6/5): Heartbreaker star Melissa George is pregnant with her second child, and for that reason the new medical drama is now being held for a midseason start. Taking its place in the Tuesdays-at-9 timeslot is another new hospital-set series, Dick Wolf’s Chicago Med. This post and NBC’s fall schedule have been updated below to reflect these changes.

For TV lovers, this is one of the most exciting times of the year. It’s mid-May and the Upfronts are currently taking place in New York City. In case you’re not aware, the Upfronts is an annual event where the major networks (namely NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS, and The CW) present their upcoming slates of fall and midseason programming to advertisers and the press. The Upfronts are held to get advertisers excited to spend their money on primetime commercials, and the press is there to spur buzz for the public at large. Every year the nets pump out some great content, so without further ado, let’s dive right in!

NBC is first out of the gate this Upfront season, presenting four new dramas, one fresh comedy, and a special variety series hosted by Neil Patrick Harris for the fall. The Blindspot, from executive producer Greg Berlanti (The Mysteries of Laura, The Flash, Arrow), stars Jaimie Alexander (Thor) in the Peacock’s most anticipated new drama. The mystery thriller about an amnesiac covered in tattooed clues has landed the plum post-The Voice spot on NBC’s fall schedule: Mondays at 10. Following The Voice on Tuesdays at 9 is new medical drama Heatbreaker starring Melissa George (The Slap, Grey’s Anatomy, In Treatment) another Dick Wolf spinoff Chicago Med. At 10 is Best Time Ever with Neil Patrick Harris, a new variety show promising “stunts, skits, pranks, audience interaction, musical numbers, giveaways and unlimited surprises.” Chicago Fire will return for its fourth season in that timeslot when NPH’s show ends in November. Wednesday’s crime procedurals The Mysteries of Laura, Law & Order: SVU, and Chicago P.D. remain in tact. The Blacklist is sticking to Thursday nights at 9, sandwiched between event series Heroes Reborn and new drama The Player. This Las Vegas thriller hails from John Davis and John Fox, the executive producers behind the popular James Spader-led series, and it stars Wesley Snipes and Philip Winchester (Strike Back) in a fun twist on the action-crime genre. Friday is the sole night dedicated to NBC comedy with the returning Undatable at 8 (its third season will be completely comprised of live episodes) and new multi-cam sitcom People are Talking starring Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell). At 9 it’s the return of dark fairly-tale genre fare Grimm and newsmagazine Dateline.

New series being held for midseason or later include dramas hospital-set Heartbreaker with Melissa George, Shades of Blue (starring Jennifer Lopez), Game of Silence (starring Revolution‘s David Lyons and Once Upon a Time‘s Michael Raymond-James), and the Wizard of Oz-inspired Emerald City. Comedies coming soon include You, Me, and the End of the World with Rob Lowe (Parks & Rec), Superstore with America Ferrera (Ugly Betty) and Ben Feldman (A to Z), Hot & Bothered with Eva Longeria (Desperate Housewives), the revival of Coach starring Craig T. Nelson, and Crowded with Patrick Warburton (Rules of Engagement) and Carrie Preston (True Blood). Reality series First Dates and Little Big Shots hosted by Steve Harvey, as well as TV specials The Wiz Live!, The Reaper, and Dolly Parton in Coat of Many Colors, are also coming soon.

Jump after the break to preview NBC’s new fall and midseason series with video clips and descriptions. Continue reading Upfronts: NBC debuts new fall schedule dominated with dramas (Trailers & full descriptions inside) →

Upfronts: FOX relies on fresh family sitcoms & recognizable dramas for upcoming TV season

Image cache, News, Television, Video, , , , ,

FOX follows NBC as the second major network to announce its new programs for the upcoming 2015-16 season. A pair of dramas and comedies, as well as a comedy-horror anthology, are premiering on FOX this fall. Minority Report, inspired by Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film starring Tom Cruise, takes place 10 years after the demise of Precrime. Stark Sands stars as a former Precog, and with the help of a police detective played by Meagan Good (Deception), he attempts to solve crimes with the flickering visions he still receives. The sci-fi crime adventure is paired with Gotham on Monday nights at 9. (It has been announced that Morena Baccarin–who plays Ben McKenzie’s James Gordon’s love interest–has been upped to series regular for Gotham season 2.) FOX’s Tuesday lineup is all-new for the fall, featuring new single-camera sitcoms Grandfathered, starring John Stamos, and The Grinder, starring Rob Lowe. Rounding out the night at 10 is Ryan Murphy’s latest creation, one-hour comedy horror anthology Scream Queens with Emma Roberts, Lea Michele, and Jamie Lee Curtis. Empire sits tight at 9 on Wednesday, leading out of new crime procedural Rosewood starring Morris Chestnut (V) as a brilliant private pathologist in Miami. (Empire‘s episode count jumps to 18 episodes for season 2, musician Ne-Yo will write music alongside Timbaland’s production, and upcoming guest stars include Chris Rock, Alicia Keys, and Lenny Kravitz.) Veteran Bones and the returning Sleepy Hollow are paired on Thursday. Masterchef Junior movies to Fridays at 8, leading into World’s Funniest hosted by Terry Crews. Sunday’s lineup, including animated and live action fare, remains in tact: Bob’s Burgers, The Simpsons, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Family Guy, and The Last Man on Earth are all-new come September.

New series being held for midseason or later include dramas The Frankenstein Code (from Homeland & 24 executive producer Howard Gordon, loosely based on Mary Shelley’s creation) and Lucifer (starring a charismatic Tom Ellis as the Lord of Hell in the City of Angels). Six-episode event series The X-Files is primed to premiere Sunday, Jan. 24 following the NFC Championship game. New Girl, entering its fifth season, is also being saved for a January launch for two reasons: star Zooey Deschanel is pregnant, and the network wants to run it without interruptions this time around. New Girl will join newbies Grandfathered and The Grinder on Tuesdays, as well as midseason sitcom The Guide to Surviving Life. (There will be room on the schedule since Scream Queens has a limited run.) Also on tap for midseason is a new animated comedy from the minds of Seth MacFarlane and Mark Hentemann (Family Guy), Bordertown. A three-hour production Grease: Live with Julianne Hough and Vanessa Hudgens will air live Sunday, Jan. 31. Lastly, American Idol will be back in January for its 15th and final season.

Jump after the break to preview FOX’s new fall and midseason series with video clips and descriptions. Continue reading Upfronts: FOX relies on fresh family sitcoms & recognizable dramas for upcoming TV season →

Upfronts: ABC sticks with what it knows works, adds ‘The Muppets’ & conspiracy thrillers for good measure

News, Television, Video, , , , ,

Update (6/2): Due to casting changes, Deadline reports that biblical saga Of Prophets and Kings is being yanked from ABC’s fall schedule and will debut at a later time. Conspiracy thriller Quantico moves into the Sunday 10pm timeslot following Once Upon a Time and fellow freshman Blood & Oil (formally known as Oil). The network has not disclosed what will take over the now-vacant Tuesdays-at-10 slot. This post has been amended to reflect the changes.

Number three is ABC–the third network to present at the Upfronts this week, that is. One look at the Alphabet network’s fall schedule and you’ll notice not much has changed from its 2014-15 grid. In fact, Monday (with Dancing with the Stars and Castle), Wednesday (with comedy lineup The Middle, The Goldbergs, Modern Family, and black-ish, plus country music drama Nashville), and Thursdays dedicated to prolific showrunner Shonda Rhimes (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder), all remain exactly the same. The changes? Sitcom Fresh off the Boat has been bumped to 8:30 to make room for new Tuesday at 8 anchor The Muppets. That’s right–Jim Henson’s famous puppets are coming back to primetime in a half-hour documentary-style show, promising a more adult version of the Muppets that’ll “explore the [their] personal lives and relationships.” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. sits tight at 9, leading into new conspiracy thriller Quantico. On Friday, Last Man Standing is joined by new multi-cam family sitcom Dr. Ken starring Community‘s Ken Jeong and Trophy Wife scene stealer Albert Tsai; newsmagazine 20/20 follows at 10. With Revenge complete and Resurrection cancelled, ABC’s Sundays nights will now consist of Once Upon a Time leading into new soap Oil Blood & Oil (starring Don Johnson as a ruthless oil tycoon) and biblical saga Of Kings and Prophets and conspiracy thriller Quantico.

New series being held for midseason or later include dramas The Catch (which looks to be yet another instant-classic Shondaland show starring The Killing‘s Mireille Enos; it will join Shonda’s “TGIT” lineup once Murder‘s limited run ends), another intriguing conspiracy thriller The Family (starring Bourne Identity franchise actress Joan Allen; it will replace Of Kings and Prophets on Sunday nights when the biblical drama finishes its limited run), and LA-set Wicked City, a serial killer investigative drama starring Gossip Girl‘s Ed Westwick and Parenthood‘s Erika Christensen (this one’ll air between the fall and spring runs of Quantico on Tuesdays). There are two comedies on tap for midseason: Raising Hope‘s Martha Plimpton is back in a new messy family single-cam sitcom, The Real O’Neals, and Mike Epps stars in Uncle Buck, a single-cam half-hour inspired by John Hughes’ 1989 film that starred John Candy. The former will eventually take over the Tuesdays-at-8:30 timeslot when The Muppets‘ limited run ends and Fresh off the Boat returns to its 8pm anchor; the latter has not been scheduled yet. Elsewhere, returning series Galavant will again bridge the gap between Once Upon a Time‘s fall and spring runs, and Marvel’s Agent Carter will do the same when S.H.I.E.L.D. goes on winter break. (The action is moving from New York City to Los Angeles in Agent Carter season 2.) It’s been confirmed that Juliette Lewis will be the sole actor returning to Secrets & Lies in its sophomore season; she’ll reprise Detective Andrea Cornell when the series steps in to fill the void left by Nashville when the country music soap takes its hiatus. John Ridley’s American Crime will return at some point, taking a page out of Ryan Murphy’s American Horror Story–it’s officially been labeled an anthology series and season 2 will feature “a completely different scenario and a completely different crime, placed in a different part of America.” Also like AHS, AC will bring back some cast members from season 1 playing different characters.

Jump after the break to preview ABC’s new fall and midseason series with video clips and descriptions. Continue reading Upfronts: ABC sticks with what it knows works, adds ‘The Muppets’ & conspiracy thrillers for good measure →

Upfronts: CBS benches multi-cam sitcoms to clear the way for single-cams & ‘Supergirl’

Uncategorized, , , , ,

CBS is the last of the Big Four Networks to present its upcoming portfolio of new series. Three new dramas and two single-cam comedies are debuting in the fall. Perhaps the most high-profile show of the bunch is Supergirl from Greg Berlanti (the prolific producer behind The CW’s Arrow and The Flash) and starring Glee‘s Melissa Benoist. She stars as Kara Zor-El, Superman’s cousin, and the show plans to follow her journey of “embracing her superhuman abilities and be the hero she was always meant to be.” When the new TV season kicks off in September, The Eye’s Monday nights will consist of The Big Bang Theory, new feel-good single-cam sitcom with a large ensemble cast Life in Pieces, and returning procedurals Scorpion and NCIS: Los Angeles. Supergirl will join the second half of that lineup in the plum Mondays-at-8 timeslot in November when TBBT and Life in Pieces move to Thursday. Tuesday is home to flagship NCIS, spinoff NCIS: New Orleans, and the Bradley Cooper-produced Limitless, which is a sequel series to his 2011 sci-fi film about expanding the limits of the mind with the fictional drug NZT. (Cooper features prominently in the pilot, and he will recur on the series.) Survivor kicks of Wednesday nights, followed by Criminal Minds and new medical drama Code Black toplined by Marcia Gay Harden and Luis Guzman–it’s being described as ER on steroids; looks intense. When Thursday Night Football concludes in November, the night’s lineup will look like this: The Big Bang Theory, Life in Pieces, Mom, new sitcom Angel in Hell starring Glee‘s Jane Lynch with Maggie Lawson (Psych), and Elementary. Fridays pack The Amazing Race, Hawaii Five-0, and Blue Bloods. And lastly Sunday screens Madam Secretary, The Good Wife, and CSI: Cyber.

New series being held for midseason or later include spinoff Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders with Gary Sinise and a TV adaptation of buddy-cop franchise Rush Hour starring Jon Foo as Detective Lee and Justin Hires as Det. Carter. To make room for Supergirl on Mondays and Limitless on Tuesdays, CBS is benching sitcoms 2 Broke Girls, Mike & Molly, and The Odd Couple, as well as drama Person of Interest for midseason. It’s been confirmed that POI‘s next season is shortened to 13 episodes; all signs (shorter episode count, dwindling ratings, and the fact that CBS shortened and saved for midseason The Mentalist before ending it) point to this being the fifth and final season for the epic procedural/serial hybrid. CBS also made it official that flagship CSI: Crime Scene Investigation will not be returning for a 16th season; instead, it will wrap up storylines with a two-hour finale airing Sunday, Sept. 27 that will bring back original stars William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger. CSI star Ted Danson is relocating to spinoff CSI: Cyber to play opposite Patricia Arquette, kicking out Cyber‘s Peter MacNicol in the process.

Jump after the break to preview CBS’s new fall and midseason series with video clips and descriptions. Continue reading Upfronts: CBS benches multi-cam sitcoms to clear the way for single-cams & ‘Supergirl’ →

Upfronts: The CW keeps its successful status-quo alive, introducing just one new series this fall

News, Television, Video, , , , ,

The CW, CBS’s sister network, unveiled its 2015-16 fall schedule at the Upfronts, too, and you’ll see that very little has changed. The network was quick to mention that The CW is coming off its most-watched season in years, and the crowd applauded its success during awards seasons with Jane the Virgin star Gina Rodriguez winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress. And as the old saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Only one new show will debut in October when The CW kicks off its fall programming slate, a one-hour romantic comedy with musical elements called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. It gets the Mondays-at-8 slot leading into Jane the Virgin. On Tuesdays there’s The Flash with iZombie, Wednesday airs Arrow with CW veteran Supernatural entering its 11th season, executive producer Julie Plec gets her own night a la Shonda Rhimes with The Vampire Diaries and its spinoff The Originals paired on Thursday nights, and period soap Reign moves to Fridays tagged with America’s Next Top Model.

Saved for midseason is another Greg Berlanti superhero series, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (an Arrow/Flash spinoff) and another Julie Plec drama, the apocalyptic Containment. Returning series Beauty and the Beast and The 100 sit on the bench for a future debut.

Jump after the break to preview The CW’s new fall and midseason series with video clips and descriptions. Continue reading Upfronts: The CW keeps its successful status-quo alive, introducing just one new series this fall →