Last week, particularly Friday, was a busy one for the networks as they continue to assess their standings. CBS and Fox had mostly good news for its shows, but NBC handed out the pink slips to two new shows.
Last week, CBS cancelled We Are Men, but CBS decided to give full season orders to all three of its remaining new sitcoms, The Crazy Ones, Mom and The Millers. The Crazy Ones was definitely going to get a full season. You don’t spend millions promoting a show starring Robin Williams and decide not to give it a full, 22-episode season.
Over at Fox, Brooklyn Nine-Nine received a full season order. The show, which stars Andy Samberg as a member of a quirky police unit, also earned one of Fox’s post-Super Bowl slots. A new episode will air after New Girl, which will immediately follow the Super Bowl.
This is a huge move for the network, since Tuesday is still its big issue. Publicity from the Super Bowl should help, since none of its sitcoms that night are earning great ratings. We can only hope that the network puts Dads out to pasture already. Wow, that show really is bad.
ABC didn’t make any big moves during the week. NBC, on the other hand, saved all its big moves for Friday afternoon. Ironsides and Welcome to the Family have both been cancelled. However, Welcome’s cancellation doesn’t mean that Community is coming sooner. The cult show won’t be back until Jan. 2. NBC also scheduled Chicago Fire’s spin-off Chicago PD for Jan. 8.
NBC is still trying to figure out how to fix Thursdays. The Michael J. Fox Show already has a full season commitment, but the show isn’t drawing audiences. NBC entertainment president Jen Salke told TheWrap that they’re not giving up on Michael J. Fox.
“I mean right now we’re hopeful that we can create a lift for that show,” she said. “There’ll have to be some strategic scheduling discussions that go along with that. But we are in no way jettisoning our belief in Michael and what that show can do potentially.”
image: Fox