Upfronts 2012–NBC and Fox

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 NBC and Fox.
NBC
NBC may finally manage to move up a position from the last place standing it’s been stuck in for the last several seasons, but if it does, it will be solely on the merits of being able to air this year’s Super Bowl. As a result, they are doing some serious re-tooling of their lineup (again) and have picked up quite a few safe (if bland) looking shows.
Cancelled
Awake: About the only show worth mourning on NBC’s cancellation list. It had a unique premise and was very well executed, but it was always going to be too difficult to appeal to the mass audience. With NBC’s ratings struggling across the board, there was no time to try to grow the audience for this one.
Renewed
Community: Perpetually on the bubble, Community has been saved for the fourth season, even though it is currently scheduled for a shortened 13 episode run. Also worth noting is that it has been moved to Fridays, traditionally a death slot for most shows, but if it can hold on to most of its current audience, it may actually been seen as a success here.
Smash: Notable only for the fact that it’s still hanging on. What was supposed to be a huge hit and an anchor for the network has delivered below average ratings at best. It’s being held for mid-season, which will hopefully allow the creators time to fix its many flaws, but will anyone in its small audience even remember it exists by then?
Picked Up
Revolution: This new series from JJ Abrams (Lost, Star Trek), Jon Favreau (Iron Man), and Eric Kripke (Supernatural) is about a future world where all technology has been wiped out. The creators all know how to do science fiction well and have a proven track record for quality, serialized television, so this one will definitely be worth checking out.

Next Caller: I know many are going to disagree with me on this one, but I’ll be trying this show out. Though he has crested the wave of being extremely popular and moved into the internet-reviled range, I still tend to enjoy Dane Cook. That being said, he has yet to make a watchable film. As a self centered radio personality, this could be a good fit for him, but it could also easily be a disaster.

Hannibal: My interest here is based completely on the creator, Bryan Fuller. I’ve enjoyed his work on Dead Like Me, Pushing Daisies, and the first season of Heroes. Beyond that, though, I have no interest in the exploits of a young Hannibal Lector, so, while I’ll be checking this one out when it debuts midseason, I don’t know if I’ll be sticking with it. I’d be much more interested in Fuller’s other NBC reboot (noticeably absent from today’s announcements) Mockingbird Lane.
Fox
Fox has been on top of the ratings for a while now, but this season sees the departure of one of its last remaining, long running shows in House, as well as declines for Glee (particular steep) and American Idol.
Cancelled
Nothing surprising here, everything that was canned suffered miserable ratings or, in the case of House, was announced to be ending long ago.
Renewed
Fringe: The one big renewal surprise, albeit one that was revealed a couple weeks ago, is that cult favorite Fringe would be returning for a fifth, and final, 13 episode season. This will allow it to reach the syndication important 100 episode mark and to bring the proper sense of closure to the best show on network television.
Picked Up
The Mindy Project: I’m interested in the show with the terrible name simply because it is by Mindy Kaling. What’s unfortunate, however, is that the premise seems designed to hide Kaling’s normally biting humour behind a light, female friendly façade. I’ll sample, but my hopes aren’t very high.
Axe Cop: This could be terrible, but I’m a fan of the source material. Axe Cop is a web comic which was written by a 5 year old and illustrated by his 29 year old brother, telling the story of a cop who fights crime with an ax. That sentence should probably give you all the information you need to decide if the comic will appeal to you. The real question is how well a team of adults will be able to translate that very unique sense of story and humour to an animated show.
That’s is for today. Tomorrow: ABC.