Upfronts 2009 – The CW

I think the original idea was for The CW to be a huge network but I feel like the UPN and The WB just canceled each other out.

Going into its fourth year The CW has kind of made a name for itself that isn’t former WB or UPN shows. Lets take a look.

MONDAY
8-9 pm: Gossip Girl
9-10 pm: One Tree Hill

TUESDAY
8-9 pm: 90210
9-10 pm: Melrose Place

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: America’s Next Top Model
9-10 pm: The Beautiful Life

THURSDAY
8-9 pm: Vampire Diaries
9-10 pm: Supernatural

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: Smallville
9-10 pm: America’s Next Top Model Encores

MIDSEASON: Parental Discretion Advised

The most interesting decisions are getting rid of Sunday nights and moving Smallville to Fridays. Even though The CW caters really to woman from 18-34 (why only that I have no idea) if it wants to remain competitive it really shouldn’t take out a whole night.

Moving Smallville to Fridays is an interesting idea. It can be looked at two ways…it is the shows last season so why not end it quietly on Friday or…lets try and build Fridays up into a night of tv. Which has become an interesting network idea. With ABC showing new episodes of Pushing Daisies, Eli Stone, and Dirty Sexy Money on Saturdays this summer as well as CBS pushing Harper’s Island to Saturdays I think they are trying to make it slightly more viable. Same with Ghost Whisperer and Medium on Fridays. Will it work? Probably not, it isn’t the 70s anymore but it is an interesting move.

For not being a ratings juggernaut the CW actually has a fairly tight schedule with big shows every night of the week. Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, 90210, America’s Next Top Model, Supernatural, and Smallville are all of their big name shows and all on a different night. So lets take a quick (and I mean quick) look at their three new shows.

Melrose Place: I think in the same vein of 90210 really. Lets take an old hit and remake it for the current generation and hope that the ratings don’t fall like they did for 90210.

The Beautiful Life: Mischa Barton and Corbin Bleu? That is already reason enough to change the channel. It is about models sharing a place in New York….exciting stuff.

The Vampire Diaries: Hey Vampires are in right now! Lets make a tv show about them based on another book series!

Parental Discretion Advised: A girl who has gone from house to house as an orphan wants to be emancipated finds her frat house dad and radio show mom. A judge doesn’t give her her emancipation and they have joint custody of her. Sounds like a half decent plot but I’m sure it will go into a mess of teen drama angst in about three episodes.

Upfronts 2009: CBS

CBS knows what it is doing. It may not be the most original network and usually when it takes a risk it is something in the Summer or isn’t that risky after all. I don’t watch anything on this network besides Survivor and The Amazing Race really (I am watching Harper’s Island though but that is gone after this summer).

Procedurals work. America and old people love them, they just usually aren’t my cup of tea. So lets take a look at their new schedule.

Fall

MONDAY
8-8:30 pm: How I Met Your Mother
8:30-9 pm: Accidentally On Purpose
9-9:30 pm: Two and a Half Men
9:30-10 pm: The Big Bang Theory
10-11 pm: CSI Miami

TUESDAY
8-9 pm: NCIS
9-10 pm: NCIS: Los Angeles
10-11 pm: The Good Wife

WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 pm: Old Christine
8:30-9 pm: Gary Unmarried
9-10 pm: Criminal Minds
10-11 pm: CSI:NY

THURSDAY
8-9 pm: Survivor
9-10 pm: CSI
10-11 pm: The Mentalist

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: Ghost Whisperer
9-10 pm: Medium
10-11 pm: Numb3rs

SATURDAY
8-9 pm: Crime Drama Encores
9-10 pm: Crime Drama Encores
10-11 pm: 48 Hours

SUNDAY
7-8 pm: 60 Minutes
8-9 pm: The Amazing Race
9-10 pm: Three Rivers
10-11 pm: Cold Case

MIDSEASON: Miami Trauma, The Bridge, Flashpoint, Undercover Boss, Arranged Marriage, Rules of Engagement

Again I am not to well versed in CBS scheduling. So this will be a thin little article (but just wait until I have to do the CW tomorrow). CBS’s comedy block is always strong, even if I think Two and A Half Men will turn into the next According to Jim. I don’t understand its popularity. It looks like Big Bang Theory got a nice cushy spot after it though and How I Met Your Mother (I lied I actually have seen a few episodes and this show isn’t bad) will now start the night at eight.

Two NCIS in a row? And two procedurals taking place in LA? Hmm odd. I read a quote somewhere though that NCIS: LA will be up against only reality shows so that is why they put it there. So smart move having a the only scripted show of the hour.

Good ploy by ABC saying they were going to pick up Old Christine because CBS is going to hold on to it causing them to not really be able to pick up another show.  Thursday used to be CBS’s powerhouse and slowly they’ve lost ground with CSI not doing very well. Survivor still holds strong going into its 19th and 20th season next year though and regularly beats out its competition. So no real surprise they kept these two where they’ve always at least been reliable. Adding the Mentalist there also doesn’t hurt and it will only be going up against Private Practice now.

I do have to say, though I don’t watch it, I am glad that CBS picked up Medium. I caught a bit of an episode a couple of weeks before and it isn’t awful at all and definitely didn’t deserve the treatment it got from NBC. So good job CBS picking it up and making NBC look like a fool. Putting it with Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs is a good decision, since these two shows are really the only Friday shows that do well.

I am a bit surprised they got rid of Without A Trace and The Unit. I thought both did fairly well. But I guess fairly well doesn’t cut it on CBS.

Now to the new stuff (as in I probably won’t be watching unless it is called Kid Nation 2).

Accidentally on Purpose: Um the story of a woman who gets pregnant by a younger man and then that is the show that is what the whole show is based on. Yup.

Arranged Marriage: Reality documentary show based on arrange marraiges, enough said. I don’t know who would want to do this. I know it isn’t a Married By America show and more of a documentary thing but still.

The Bridge: A police show where a person wants to become the head of the leader of the police union and has to deal with crimes.

The Good Wife: Doesn’t look that bad and Julianna Margulies looks like she is doing a great job. It just doesn’t seem that holding for me. I could see this as a movie and a pilot but where does it go after this? Do we just get muddled in procedural cases? I might actually try this out. If the procedural cases are dynamic enough from week to week and the personal stories are good for Julianna this could be a decent show,

Miami Trauma: A medical show…except this time all the patients are life and death cases.

NCIS: Los Angeles: NCIS spin off enough said. Though NCIS seems to have a little more heart then other procedurals this just doesn’t look much different from it.

Three Rivers: Medical show where people need transplants. Very exciting stuff.

Undercover Boss: I like this idea the high level executive goes undercover in the low level jobs and learn what their employees really think of them and do the grunt work. Could be a good one time watch, don’t know how they could make this a full time series after its initial run.

Upfronts 2009: NBC Part 2

NBC already announced their new shows so I am not going to comment on them again but just on their schedule for the 2009-2010 season. They have a lot of work to do this year here is their schedule.

Fall

MONDAY
8-9 pm: Heroes
9-10 pm: Trauma (new drama)
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

TUESDAY
8-10 pm: The Biggest Loser
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: Parenthood (new drama)
9-10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

THURSDAY
8-8:30 pm: SNL Weekend Update Thursday
8:30-9 pm: Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 pm: The Office
9:30-10 pm: Community
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

THURSDAY (after SNL ends)
8-8:30 pm: Community
8:30-9 pm: Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 pm: The Office
9:30- 10 pm: 30 Rock
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: Law & Order
9-10 pm: Southland
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

SATURDAY
8-9 pm: Dateline NBC
9-10 pm: Trauma repeats
10-11 pm: Law & Order: SVU repeats

SUNDAY
7-8:20 pm: Football Night in America
8:20-11 pm:Sunday Night Football

Midseason
(WINTER OLYMPICS  from February 12-28, 2010 will also be pre-empting some of this)

MONDAY
8-9 pm: Chuck
9-10 pm: Day One (new drama)
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

TUESDAY
8-9:30 pm: The Biggest Loser
9:30-10 pm: 100 Questions (new comedy)
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: Mercy (new drama)
9-10 pm: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

THURSDAY
8-8:30 pm: Community
8:30-9 pm: Parks and Recreation
9-9:30 pm: The Office
9:30- 10 pm: 30 Rock
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

FRIDAY
8-9 pm: Law & Order
9-10 pm: Southland
10-11 pm: Jay Leno

SATURDAY
8-9 pm: Dateline NBC
9-10 pm: Southland repeats
10-11 pm: Law & Order: SVU repeats

SUNDAY
7-8 pm: Dateline NBC
8-9 pm: The Marriage Ref (new reality)
9-11 pm: Celebrity Apprentice

Heroes gets moved down an hour to compete against both House and Dancing With the Stars? Really? Whose great idea was that? I don’t watch Heroes anymore but what a scheduling mess. However taking a note from 24 and Lost, NBC will have a one continues season of Heroes showing all 19 episodes back to back and it will be replaced by Chuck in the spring. Chuck seems to be this seasons Jericho with its renewal hopefully it can do well for its fans and be renewed for more then 13 episodes.

I also am again not a big fan of the Jay Leno at 10 pm. It just seems like NBC is trying to fill space. They took up five hours during the week and then have The Biggest Loser running for two hours as well as the Celebrity Apprentice running for two hours mid-season (and let me tell you I found the 2 hour Celebrity Apprentice episodes to be really boring and stretched out.)

If Parenthood becomes a hit NBC could have a strong Wednesday with SVU matching up with it. I know SVU is at least somewhat popular.

Thursdays are also another strong night for NBC with The Office and 30 Rock. Plus Community is looking good and I’m happy that Weekend Update Thursday is back. Hopefully it can do just as well even if there isn’t a presidential election. It also looks like poor Southland got bumped to Fridays which isn’t a good sign. Its ratings I don’t think have been that great but it seemed like NBC was really trying to pimp it out.

Good idea holding off Mercy until the fall. I personally think it is weaker between it and Trauma but the shows seem so similar it would be odd trying to promote both of them at the same time. The Marriage Ref sounds horrible just by the title and I don’t think that was previously announced and teaming it up with The Celebrity Apprentice won’t do wonders for Sunday nights against CBS, FOX, or ABC.

Kind of surprised that Medium didn’t get picked up after all since I was pretty sure it did and it seems there is going to be some controversy with CBS picking it up or not. Also it looks like Friday Night Lights won’t be aired till summer 2010 except on whatever it did this year? (Was it DirectTV?) It also looks like Deal or No Deal is gone as well as Howie Do It which is a little surprising to me. I thought NBC loved Howie Mandel? Of course I know nothing about it though since I don’t love Howie Mandel.

Upfronts 2009: ABC

ABC has really turned itself around these past few years. I remember before 2004 when it was just kind of the network that I watched for The Mole and not to much else. I wish I had been watching Alias at the time but I was a young viewer and didn’t know the good from the bad.

Lost is ending this year and Desperate Housewives and Grey’s Anatomy have taken hits in the ratins and aren’t what they used to be. ABC can still rest on these for now but needs a new hit. Here is there schedule.

Fall

MONDAYS
8-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars (two-hours)
10-11 pm: Castle

TUESDAYS
8-9 pm: Shark Tank
9-10 pm: Dancing with the Stars Results Show
10-11 pm: The Forgotten

WEDNESDAYS
8-8:30 pm: Hank
8:30-9 pm: The Middle
9-9:30 pm: Modern Family
9:30-10 pm: Cougar Town
10-11 pm: Eastwick

THURSDAYS
8-9 pm: Flash Forward
9-10 pm: Grey’s Anatomy
10-11 pm: Private Practice

FRIDAYS
8-9 pm: Supernanny
9-10 pm: Ugly Betty
10-11 pm: 20/20

SATURDAYS
8-11 pm: Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAYS
7-8 pm: America’s Funniest Home Videos
8-9 pm: Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
9=10 pm: Desperate Housewives
10-11 pm: Brothers & Sisters

The Bachelor will take Dancing with the Stars place when it ends and the results show will change to Scrubs and Better Off Ted. No surprise with Sundays, that schedule has been very successful for the past few years and won’t be changing anytime soon. In fact this morning I think that it was even said that Marc Cherry can run Desperate Housewives as long as he wants to. Hopefully though he can get some more creative ideas then mid-life crisis for the Scavos and boring who is Mike marrying cliff hangers.

I think Castle will get even stronger with Dancing With The Stars in front of it and it seems that ABC is trying to help The Forgotten with its Dancing with the Stars Results lead in.

Wednesday is interesting. The whole new night of shows didn’t work last year or the year before for ABC so I don’t know why they are doing it again. I mean the only show that came out of that was Private Practice and ABC let Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies all kind of die there. So I think that is a big risk making a whole night of new shows.

Flash Forward, I think the new show that ABC really wants people to watch is moving to Thursdays at 8. The scifi at eight show worked for Lost in its first season and that would make quite a night of tv with Survivor, Flashforward, Fringe, The Office, and 30 Rock along with Private Practice, Grey’s Anatomy, and Parks and Recreation. I am sure Ugly Betty fans are pissed that it got moved to the death slot though. It could possibly be on its last legs and it seems that ABC is bored by it.

I’m extremely happy that Better Off Ted is coming back even if it isn’t until the mid seasons. It is a brilliant show and deserves to get more attention. Other shows didn’t fair so well. Samantha Who? is gone and finally According to Jim didn’t make the cut.

V, Happy Town, and Deep End also premier mid season and definitely are their lets replace a show that didn’t do so well shows. V will be interesting with how they are scheduling it, but more on that below because it is time to talk about the new shows. (Updated as Clips come online)

The Deep End: Tina Majorino (Veronica Mars cast alum!!!) and Billy Zane in a show together? Hmm I thought this plot was very interesting and I like the four distinct different main characters plus the higher ups. Looks like it could be case of the week along with a couple of continuing storylines. Either way it is a show I am checking out this mid-season. Preview here.

Eastwick: I don’t know who comes up with such weird shows like this. Maybe I’m not into the whole magic and fantasy sort of thing. It just looks ridiculous and silly and I don’t think it will catch on. It just has nothing really clever or new about it so sorry all you witch lovers who don’t mind having sex with the same man who had sex with your other witch friends. I’m not a fan.

Flash Forward: This is an interesting plot (everyone blacks out and sees their future) and there is a lot they can do with this. I am curious though why Seth MacFarlane is in this scene that they showed. Though I am intrigued by this V looks a lot more intriguing after seeing the clip released. There is a lot they can do with this plot at least for the first season but after that I am not to sure where they can go with the story. Can they go really far once these destinies have been fulfilled or avoided? Can they avoid these destinies or is it fate? It will be a show I will be tuning into and hopefully it can keep it going for the whole season and not just for the first few episodes. Here is the clip.

The Forgotten:

Happy Town: From the network that brought you Twin Peaks? What a great way to start a preview. It kind is a better version of Harper’s Island…a much better version. This is one of the shows I am most excited about and I really do hope that it does well. I’ll try to forget that shows like this have a tough time coming back after their first initial mystery is solved but these first seasons are always really fun. It looks like we got some supporting dregs from some other shows but all of them together could be quite nice. Check this one out.

V: This looks extremely intriguing and I wish it was coming in the fall. I like that it is planned to have four seasons. There is an ending to it all. It seems Lost made some progress in not letting shows go on forever and drive them into the ground. Plus I do love Elizabeth Mitchell. Shame on ABC and Lost producers by trying to make us think she was only a guest star. She looks like a main character to me. They released two clips this morning and the second one is very interesting with the alien race trying to keep themselves in a positive light. I wonder why? I would love for this to come out tomorrow…guess I’ll have to wait for 2010. Interesting that Elizabeth Mitchell is said to be in both Lost and this at the same time. Here is clip one and here is the awesome second clip. The full trailer is here. Looks great!

Cougar Town: Or Monica moves to the suburbs. I don’t remember Dirt all to well but did she play a different character there? Courtney Cox is funny and this show doesn’t look terrible but I just feel like it is same old same old and really does ABC want two shows with the word town in the title? I could see this show doing fairly well and again it doesn’t look awful it just doesn’t look original. I’m also not really sure I like this whole new Cougar craze going on but it is what it is. Potential yes? Will I be watching…no.

Hank: Kelsey Grammer basically reinvents Green Acres for a modern era. Doesn’t look very good at all and not very funny. Basically he loses a bunch of money and his family has to move back to their hometown and comic mischief ensues.

The Middle: Doesn’t look to bad. Patricia Heaton isn’t as shrill as she was in Everybody Loves Raymond and I gladly overlooked whatever that last show she was in. This show kind of reminds me of Malcom In the Middle even more then Sons of Tuscon does. Actually if this isn’t the same show except the focus is on the mom and they have a daughter then I don’t know what it is. Interesting. Deserves a look at…at least. Check out the clip here.

Modern Family:

Shark Tank: I am always looking for a new reality show and they seem to come far and far between nowadays then they did in the early years of reality. This show looks a lot like American Inventor though which I did not like but this time it is by Mark Burnett and based off the international hit Dragon’s Den. The format sounds interesting enough. They present their ideas wait for one of the sharks to like it and offer them part of their company’s stock. Then they are further questioned usually revealing their lack of preperation. Really the only reason to watch is because of the sharks put downs and making people cry, but I have nothing to watch on Tuesdays this fall so it looks like it has a shot. Check out the preview here.

Upfronts 2009: FOX

It has been a busy weekend as we head into Upfront week. There has been some surprising renewals and a surprising cancellation or two. Overall though it seems that most people are pretty happy with what is going on, but I will get to those things when I talk about other nextworks.

FOX. Oh Fox. Fox is an interesting Network. The  youngest of the Big Four has really stepped ups its game in recent years with House, 24, and American Idol. I think it wants to become even more competitive and is really making NBC scramble with some new decisions. Lets take a look at their schedule.

Fall

MONDAY
8-9 pm: HOUSE
9-10 pm: LIE TO ME

TUESDAY
8-10 pm: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Performance Show)

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (Results Show)
9-10 pm: GLEE

THURSDAY
8-9 pm: BONES
9-10 pm: FRINGE

FRIDAY
8-8:30 pm: BROTHERS
8:30-9 pm: ‘TIL DEATH
9-10 pm: DOLLHOUSE

SATURDAY
8-8:30 pm: COPS
8:30-9 pm: COPS
9-10 pm: AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11-12 am: THE WANDA SYKES SHOW
12-12:30 am: ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES

SUNDAY
7-8:00 pm: THE OT (NFL post-game)
8-8:30 pm: THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9 pm: THE CLEVELAND SHOW
9-9:30 pm: FAMILY GUY
9:30-10 pm: AMERICAN DAD

Midseason

MONDAY
8-9pm: HOUSE
9-10 pm: 24

TUESDAY
8-9 pm: AMERICAN IDOL (Performance Show)
9-10 pm: PAST LIFE

WEDNESDAY
8-9 pm: AMERICAN IDOL (Results Show)
9-10 pm: HUMAN TARGET (January) / GLEE (spring)

THURSDAY
8-9 pm: BONES
9-10 pm: FRINGE

FRIDAY
8-8:30 pm: BROTHERS
8:30-9 pm: ‘TIL DEATH
9-10 pm: DOLLHOUSE

SATURDAY
8-8:30 pm: COPS
8:30-9 pm: COPS
9-10 pm: AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11-12 am: THE WANDA SYKES SHOW
12-12:30 am: ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES

SUNDAY
7-7:30 pm: ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES
7:30-8 pm: AMERICAN DAD
8-8:30 pm: THE SIMPSONS
8:30-9 pm: SONS OF TUCSON
9-9:30 pm: FAMILY GUY
9:30-10 pm: THE CLEVELAND SHOW

Nothing to scary in the Fall. They are leaving most of their new shows for the mid-season. Which is smart because they have a much stronger line up in the winter then they do in the fall (with of course American Idol). The Dollhouse renewal is intriguing overall and they seem to want it to grow but then they are still leaving it on Fridays. Its Brothers and Til’ Death lineup don’t look like great lead ins either (and when fellow Sci-Fi show Terminator didn’t help how will crappy sitcoms help?).  I’m curious how So You Think You Can Dance will do. To much of one reality show can drive the ratings down. People don’t get time to rest. Fox was very smart way back after the first American Idol to not overdo it and have two seasons a year. It would just be overkill. Case in point Big Brother  on CBS last year. Granted they needed a show to fill in the gaps during the writers strike but their was barely 3 months last year without Big Brother being on. It got tiring.

I am also a little worried about Fringe bearing in mind what ABC and CBS will do. Fringe will be going up against Grey’s Anatomy, CSI, The Office, and 30 Rock. Granted none of these shows have the huge drawings they used to have or ever had but it will be tough for Fringe to edge in there. No offense to Bones but it isn’t exactly a huge draw in. I really do hope that Fringe can stand on its own feet without American Idol and House and prove its own. With its ratings going up though it looks promising. I am still a little worried though and hope that it doesn’t tank and they have to move it. My tivo won’t be happy (and can’t tape 3 thrings) that I have 3 shows going on in one time period but I would gladly move Grey’s Anatomy to the internet so I can watch Fringe, The Office, and 30 Rock.

Finally FOX has plenty of control on Mondays with House and Lie To Me. Unless NBC moves Heroes it is dead in the water.

The mid-season is much more interesting with their new shows. Seems like FOX is going to try and help Past Life become a strong contender matching it with American Idol as well as Human Target. Their schedule as a whole really shows the way that television is becoming. Instead of huge long 22 episodes seasons (which will remain normal for a long time) I really think that television will turn into half season events. You can already see it with American Idol, 24,  and Lost among other things. FOX only has Lie to Me in the fall so will it now only air in the fall? And of course several of these new shows will fail and so I assume FOX will have Lie to Me come back to replace something along with Hell’s Kitchen and Kitchen Nightmares.

Overall I think FOX has a pretty stable schedule and I think is looking to start really competing on Thursdays.

Now on to the NEW SHOWS!!!

Glee: Looks interesting and is somewhat different from previous musical shows. Definitely something I am checking out after American Idol tomorrow but it might be a bit to much for me. The previews look interesting but I don’t know musicals have never really been my cup of tea. FOX is putting a ton of effort into advertising it for tomorrow and pairing it up with SYTYCD and American Idol is smart but I’m not sure this is for me. I barely even like American Idol. And not to be really rude but this face just kind of scares me…sorry you just look to High School Musical intense for me to really like you and she could be the one reason why I don’t watch this. Which is to bad because I loved Jayma Mays in Heroes and Pushing Daisies.

The Cleveland Show: I already thing Family Guy is hit or miss especially since Seth continues to stretch himself to thin. However if this show is like Family Guy I will check it out. I never really liked American Dad mainly because it didn’t have any of the cutaway gags (sorry call me stupid but that is really the only reason to watch Family Guy). So if this has cutaway gags I am sure I will like it. Plus I love that Ariana Huffington is a bear. So this will get a look at from me.

Brothers: It doesn’t look as awful as I thought it was going to look but wasn’t that good either (ie: I didn’t laugh). I still feel like the old sitcom is a tired format and needs to be put to rest. Unless there is some sort of critical approval for it I don’t feel like wasting my time on a show that will most likely get canceled.

Human Target: Mark Valley sure puts a lot more character into this then he ever did on Fringe this year. Plus I am glad that Chi McBride got work so quickly after Pushing Daisies being canceled. This again looks interesting but it just doesn’t look like it has the staying power it needs. It doesn’t premier until January though so it has some time to fix it up and something I might be interested in after some other shows get cancelled or moved around. I personally think the whole “This Person has all these super abilities like being multilingual and extremely smart” is becoming a cliche new genre. Again not awful bu not “I have to see this show now” worthy.

Past Life: Now this is a show I wouldn’t mind checking out. A different reincarnation mystery ever week? I’m not a huge procedural person but the whole plot is interesting. Plus there are things they could do with the main characters and go into their past lives. The whole trailer was fascinating and I wasn’t waiting for it to end which cannot be said for those above. It is just a weird sort of plot device to use and if they use it correctly their could be some very interesting stories especially if they keep it as kind of awkward like a 14 year old boy who used to be a little girl in a previous life. Interesting. Watch the trailer here.

Sons of Tuscon: Very Malcom in the Middle like with the three brothers. In fact almost exactly like it with the weird youngest brother, the smart middle brother, and the older idiot brother. They need a dad since their father is in jail and they don’t want to go to foster care so they get the very funny Tyler Labine (Invasion, Reaper) to be their father. This looks great as well and I think strong enough to debut in the fall. Hopefully this will go well because I’d love to have a nice comedy like this to watch. Watch the trailer here.

Upfronts 2009: NBC

I love Upfronts. I really do. We find out the new TV Schedules, what is returning and what isn’t, and most importantly what is new. Last Monday was NBC doing their infront…and well NBC decided to disappoint again.

Mainly because they don’t know what they are doing…why do this infront thing if you aren’t prepared ? They didn’t give out a schedule because they still don’t even know what shows are coming back (well they know a few and canceled at least one show). Plus I hate the decision of putting Jay Leno on five nights a week completely taking out the 10 o’clock hour. Their ya go, five hours of tv they don’t have to think about. It just seems like an easy and very uncreative way out. I am sure most people would rather watch CBS procedural repeats then Jay Leno. Did you even see the new marketing campaign? Yes people want their murder not their Leno.

The thing that bothers me about network tv is how quickly they try to react without a more wait and see approach. Granted it is a billion dollar industry but cable channels give their new shows a little bit of time and aren’t scared of Fridays and Saturdays…or even Sundays. Heck now only CBS and ABC have 10 o’clock shows. Plus this week showed us why the Nielsen ratings need to be revamped. How can a small portion of people who are the Nielsen families even decide what is popular? I think the networks need to look at tivo ratings, hulu, their own sites, and iTunes to see what is popular in this day and age.

So I can’t say to much on what I think NBC is doing because they haven’t given their schedule yet (showing how useless this infront is instead of just waiting for upfront week). They picked up all the shows I watch on their channel though. So we will see more of 30 Rock, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and The Celebrity Apprentice along with their other shows like Heroes (the finale sucked by the way), Southland, The Biggest Loser, Law & Order: SVU, and Medium. Plus they are bringing back a few new installments of Weekend Update Thursdays after how popular they were during the election. They have yet to pick up the original Law and Order or the much buzzed Chuck after its Subway campaign.

Now on to their new shows:

Trauma: Looks boring and not original. 3 different paramedics working on people in the field. Which is supposed to be completely different from….

Mercy: 3 nurses who work in a hospital who will continually remind us that nurses make sure that the doctors don’t kill us….looks terrible sorry. I would choose trauma over this.

100 Questions: A comedy about a girl looking for the right guy and fills out an online dating survey to help her. Doesn’t look awful but I personally think that the conventional sitcom is a tired format and hasn’t worked well except for How I Met Your Mother.

Now the other three shows look promising and I will put up two of their videos since one of them was just some behind the scenes bull shit.

Day One: Some big event happens and a group of Survivors come together to try and figure out what happened and well Survive. A Lost, Invasion, and Jericho knock off of course. But intriguing enough for me to watch the first episode. However it won’t premier until 2010 so no need in getting my hopes up now.

Parenthood

Looks promising but again is it something I really need to watch? Has a good cast and the video does make it look very intriguing. I will definitely give it a try. It needs to have some sort of hook though right away. Plus I think Peter Krause, Bonnie Bedelia, and Erika Christensen are all great.

Community

This looks excellent and could be a great addition to Thursday nights with My Name Is Earl Supposedly gone. This is really the only new show NBC has to offer that really got me excited. I hope it does well. Joel McHale is great and deserves to have his own sitcom, plus I hear it won’t take away from the soup. I’m a little worried about Chevy Chase but I can get over it if he is in limited form as a supporting character. It looks funny and it looks like it has a little heart as well.

NBC comes back May 19th with their official schedule, so really how useless was last Monday then? Hmm? If you didn’t have time to figure out your whole schedule then you shouldn’t have announced anything at all.