Every May, the US television network executives travel to New York to put on the week-long Upfronts. Each day during this week, the networks present their plans for the upcoming television season to advertisers, trying to convince them to buy commercial time during their shows.
As viewers, though, this week is notable as the time when we finally find out, with certainty, which shows we watch will be returning, which are cancelled, and and get our first glimpses of the new shows we can check out in the fall. For the most comprehensive list of renewals, cancellations, and pick ups, head over to Futon Critic.
Each day this week, I’ll be looking at the news from each of the networks that caught my interest. Today is ABC.
Like NBC and Fox yesterday, ABC’s new schedule is dominated by comedies, most of which, but the overall schedule does take slightly more risks than the competition. The most interesting thing they are doing this year seems to be the return of an unofficial TGIF comedy block on Fridays, harkening back to the network’s ‘90s heyday.
Cancelled
Like Fox, there are no real surprises in the cancellation department. GCB got moderate ratings, but was never the Desperate Housewives replacement the network hoped for. Most of the rest of the canned shows have already been long gulled from the air.
Renewed
Cougar Town: This series got off to an extremely rough start, but by the end of the first season it had been completely retooled and turned into a quirky, well written comedy. Unfortunately, perhaps because of the poor start and a name which now has nothing to do with the premise of the show, Cougar Town never became a ratings success. It has been renewed for a fourth season, but this year it will be moving to TBS, where, if it can retain its audience, its ratings will look impressive.
Grey’s Anatomy: As the highest rated drama with viewers under 50, it’s not terribly surprising that Grey’s has been renewed. The core cast has signed contract renewals through 2014, and the lack of an announcement about this being a final season suggest that the extra year was not merely a precaution to keep the cast locked in, which should please the extraordinary SHF and other fans of the show.
Picked Up
Last Resort: The crew of a nuclear submarine disobeys orders to attack Pakistan and goes into hiding on an exotic island. Created by Shawn Ryan, who has a strong history of quality, the stumbling point could be the inevitable comparisons to Lost.
Zero Hour: This sounds like a combination of National Treasure and The X-Files. If taken seriously and given the time to grow, this could potentially become a great cult show.
666 Park Avenue: Terry O’Quinn as the owner of an apartment building full of supernatural tenants is an idea that immediately appeals to me. There are so many ways this could go wrong, however, that I’m keeping my expectations suitably low. I’ll still be checking it out, though.
That’s it for today. Tomorrow we’ll look at CBS.
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