My TV Thoughts.com

Arguably, CBS has been one of the most stable networks this season and looks like it will continue to be going into the next.

“The Big Bang Theory” and “How I Met Your Mother” seemed like it was the perfect 1-2 punch, so I was actually kind of surprised that CBS decided to break them up. However, it makes sense. They need to launch new shows that will do well, ratings-wise, as well. Moving “The Big Bang Theory” behind “Two And A Half Men” is only logical if CBS is trying to ensure that “The Big Bang Theory” will have enough “bang”, so to speak, to take over the night after “Two And A Half Men” retires.

Tuesdays seem kind of strange. Total viewers wise CBS was solid in this night with “NCIS” and “The Mentalist” this season. However, it again makes sense that they want to move shows around to help build an audience with the newcomer. However, basically 2 hours of “NCIS”? Isn’t that a bit of an overkill? I guess not on CBS.

Even though Wednesday comedies were not strong for CBS I applaud them for keeping them in the time slot to try and build a new, much needed, comedy block.

Thursdays are very solid. Well that is as long as “Survivor” and “CSI” do not continue to decline. “CSI” lost a lot of viewers when its lead left this season.

Fridays are also solid. The “Ghost Whisperer” / “Medium” combo might prove to be an overkill with the same type of genre, but I think/hope it will actually work for the network. Especially after the way NBC has mistreated “Medium”. What I am really excited about is the fact that there seems to be a lot more scripted programming on Friday night this upcoming season on all the broadcast networks than there has in a while. Thank you!

Sundays have been the same thing on CBS to me as always, not impressive. I never watch CBS on Sunday.

CBS PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009 (ALL TIMES ET/PT)

(N=New, NT=New Time)

MONDAY

8:00-8:30 PM HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER (NT)
8:30-9:00 PM ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE (N)
9:00-9:30 PM TWO AND A HALF MEN
9:30-10:00 PM THE BIG BANG THEORY (NT)
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: MIAMI

TUESDAY

8:00-9:00 PM NCIS
9:00-10:00 PM NCIS: LOS ANGELES (N)
10:00-11:00 PM THE GOOD WIFE (N)

WEDNESDAY

8:00-8:30 PM THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE
8:30-9:00 PM GARY UNMARRIED
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMINAL MINDS
10:00-11:00 PM CSI: NY

THURSDAY

8:00-9:00 PM SURVIVOR
9:00-10:00 PM CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION
10:00-11:00 PM THE MENTALIST (NT)

FRIDAY

8:00-9:00 PM GHOST WHISPERER
9:00-10:00 PM MEDIUM
10:00-11:00 PM NUMB3RS

SATURDAY

8:00-9:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
9:00-10:00 PM CRIMETIME SATURDAY
10:00-11:00 PM 48 HOURS MYSTERY

SUNDAY

7:00-8:00 PM 60 MINUTES
8:00-9:00 PM THE AMAZING RACE
9:00-10:00 PM THREE RIVERS (N)
10:00-11:00 PM COLD CASE (NT)

Ordered for Midseason:

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Here are previews of the new series ABC has picked up today.

“Cougar Town”

“The Deep End”

“Eastwick”
“Flash Forward”

“The Forgotten”
“Hank”

“Happy Town”

“The Middle”

“Modern Family”
Unavailable at this time.

“Shark Tank”

“V”

This year ABC came out fairly decent in the fall, however, this spring it has been miss after miss. There new schedule brings hope on some nights, but other nights give us the same “miss” that we’ve had this spring.

Given the fact that “Castle” squanders about 50% of its lead in support, I think it is a little wasteful to give “Castle” the post-”Dancing With The Stars” timeslot. Although “Castle” has been ABC’s best midseason replacement contender, it does not do well enough to deserve to be babied in this manor.

Tuesdays are a little off-beat to me.

Wednesdays are exciting and I have a feeling ABC will take control of this night. At least in the later half of the evening. “Modern Family”, “Cougar Town”, and “Eastwick” look promising!

Thursdays are very strong and I cannot wait to see how “Flash Forward” turns out.

Fridays are, well, Fridays. I applaud ABC for keeping “Ugly Betty” after its unworthy ratings. I think moving it to Friday nights does seem kind of like a burnoff, but if “Betty” can maintain its ratings from its Thursday timeslot, it will definitely be an improvement on this night for the alphabet.

Sundays are disappointing. This night has lost steam and the combo of “Desperate Housewives” and “Brothers & Sisters” just is not working anymore. I thought for sure this was the year ABC was going to split them up. “Eastwick” would have been the perfect lead-out of “Desperate Housewives” (even though I like Wednesday’s lineup).

ABC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009 (ALL TIMES ET/PT)

MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars” (two-hours)
10:00 p.m. “Castle”

TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Shark Tank”
9:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00 p.m. “The Forgotten”

WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Hank”
8:30 p.m. “The Middle”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “Cougar Town”
10:00 p.m. “Eastwick”

THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Flash Forward”
9:00 p.m. “Grey’s Anatomy”
10:00 p.m. “Private Practice”

FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Supernanny”
9:00 p.m. “Ugly Betty”
10:00 p.m. “20/20″

SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night College Football”

SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. “America’s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”
9:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00 p.m. “Brothers & Sisters”

“The Bachelor” will air Monday nights from 8:00-10:00 p.m. following the run of “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Scrubs” and “Better Off Ted” will air at 9:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., respectively, following the run of “Dancing with the Stars The Results Show.”

NEW FALL AND MIDSEASON SERIES

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Here are previews of the new series NBC picked up a couple weeks ago. My picks are “Parenthood” and “Mercy”.

“100 Questions”

“Community”

“Day One”

“Mercy”

“Parenthood”

“Trauma”

“The Jay Leno Show”

NBC’s new lineup is just so NBC!

A couple weeks ago during NBC’s “infront”, I was very excited about the new offerings they had. However, they squander every bit of potential they have with their lineup. And, believe it or not, my biggest concern is not even “The Jay Leno Show”. I think that was actually a good move. It’s everything else I’m worried about!

Lets start with Monday. “Heroes” have lost over half of its audience from its first season. It may still be high in the demo for NBC but lets face it, changing its timeslot is not going to help. This show needed a brand new night with a brand new ad campaign to get a feel for a brand new show for anyone to return. The network would have been better off pairing “Trauma” with something else.

Tuesdays, um, do we really need two hours of “The Biggest Loser” anymore? Sure it did well for NBC this season, but, um, broadcast is trying to re-attract its viewers and I think we have made it clear we want quality television again.

Wednesday. I think “Parenthood” will sink and drown since NBC has practically left the show alone on this night. It should have been paired with a more compatible show. Even “The Biggest Loser” would have been better than “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.

Thursdays are the only night that show stability on the network’s schedule. And that’s scary considering none of the shows hit the top ten and “The Office” is really the only one that does well in the demo. Lets hope that “Community” is as good as the buzz wants us to believe.

Fridays actually make the most sense to me. I think NBC made the right move here. However, just keep the budgets low for these shows because I don’t expect NBC to be cashing in on any of the adults 18-49 demographic!

Saturdays are what is to be expected as are Sundays. Midseason has all the same problems that fall does.

NBC PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009 (ALL TIMES ET/PT)

MONDAY
8-9 p.m. “Heroes”
9-10 p.m. – “TRAUMA”
10-11 p.m. “THE JAY LENO SHOW”

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. “The Biggest Loser” (two-hour edition)
10-11 p.m. “THE JAY LENO SHOW”

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m. “PARENTHOOD”
9-10 p.m. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”
10-11 p.m. “THE JAY LENO SHOW”

THURSDAY
8- 8:30 p.m. “SNL WEEKEND UPDATE THURSDAY” (multi-episode run)
8:30-9 p.m. “Parks and Recreation”
9- 9:30 p.m. “The Office”
9:30-10 p.m. “COMMUNITY” (moves to Thursdays 8-8:30 p.m. after multi-episode run “30 Rock” returns)
10-11 p.m. “THE JAY LENO SHOW”

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m. “Law & Order”
9-10 p.m. “Southland”
10-11 p.m. “THE JAY LENO SHOW”

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m. “Dateline NBC”
9-10 p.m. “TRAUMA” (encore broadcast)
10-11 p.m. “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (encore broadcast)

SUNDAY
7- 8:20 p.m. “Football Night in America”
8:20-11 p.m. “NBC Sunday Night Football”

NBC MID-SEASON 2010 SCHEDULE

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I have been waiting for this show to premiere since I started hearing about it last fall. Tonight, it finally did!

I went into “Glee” with high expectations and Ryan Murphy did not disappoint. I felt the first half perhaps was a bit sluggish, but needed to set the tone for the remainder of the episode and hopefully the series. After Mr. Schuester blackmailed Finn in joining Glee Club it was easy sailing for the rest of the episode and I am already hooked!

The last number was amazing. The cast is very well acted, as was the writing. Overall I was very impressed and I will definitely be tuning back in when the show returns in the fall.

Fox’s official description of the premiere episode, “Pilot”

TUESDAY, MAY 19

**SPECIAL PREVIEW**”GLEE”(9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) CC-HDTV 720p-Dolby Digital 5.1

JOIN THE CLUB FOR A SPECIAL PREVIEW OF “GLEE” TUESDAY, MAY 19, ON FOX

From Creator, Executive Producer and Director Ryan Murphy (”Nip/Tuck”)

Optimistic high school teacher Will Schuester tries to refuel his own passion while reinventing the McKinley High School’s glee club and challenging a group of outcasts to realize their star potential. Going up against McKinley’s cruel high school caste system and facing harsh criticism from everyone around him, Will is determined to prove them all wrong in a special preview of the “Pilot” episode of GLEE airing Tuesday, May 19 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (GLE-101) (TV-PG D, L, S)

Cast: Matthew Morrison as Will Schuester; Jessalyn Gilsig as Terri Schuester; Jane Lynch as Sue Sylvester; Lea Michele as Rachel Berry; Cory Monteith as Finn Hudson; Jayma Mays as Emma Pillsbury; Dianna Agron as Quinn; Chris Colfer as Kurt; Kevin McHale as Artie; Amber Riley as Mercedes; Mark Salling as Puck; Jenna Ushkowitz as Tina

Guest Cast: Stephen Tobolowsky as Sandy Ryerson; Naya Rivera as Santana Lopez; Patrick Gallagher as Ken Tanaka

Here are previews of the new series Fox has picked up today.

“Brothers”

“The Cleveland Show”

“Glee” (Preview airing May 19, 2009)

“Human Target”

“Past Life”

“Sons Of Tucson”

What are my thoughts on Fox’s 2009-2010 television schedule?

Solid–yet weak. Monday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday are very solid nights. That leaves Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Tuesday and Wednesday
Dancing overkill! I do not think it is a good idea to do two seasons of “So You Think You Can Dance” back-to-back (this summer and then again in the fall). Especially when ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars” will be on the air and same night. If I had to pick between the two of which will come out on top, my money would not be on Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance”.

Friday
I’d like to take an opportunity to reach out and thank Fox for renewing “Dollhouse”, but can I smack entertainment president Kevin Reilly in the face afterward? What was he thinking. If it did not work the first time around in this time slot, what makes him think it will work the second? Especially with the lead ins given. “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” was obviously a better fit than “Brothers”/”Til Death”. Perhaps a better lead in for “Dollhouse” would have been sci-fi drama “Fringe” or thrill ride “Human Target”.

Those are my only gripes! Otherwise, best of luck to Fox…which by the way is the first time I’ve ever said that!

FOX PRIMETIME SCHEDULE: FALL 2009 (All Times ET/PT)

MONDAY
8:00-9:00 PM HOUSE
9:00-10:00 PM LIE TO ME

TUESDAY
8:00-10:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Performance Show

WEDNESDAY
8:00-9:00 PM SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE Results Show
9:00-10:00 PM GLEE

THURSDAY
8:00-9:00 PM BONES
9:00-10:00 PM FRINGE

FRIDAY
8:00-8:30 PM BROTHERS
8:30-9:00 PM ‘TIL DEATH
9:00-10:00 PM DOLLHOUSE

SATURDAY
8:00-8:30 PM COPS
8:30-9:00 PM COPS
9:00-10:00 PM AMERICA’S MOST WANTED
11:00 PM-Midnight THE WANDA SYKES SHOW (working title)
Midnight-12:30 AM ANIMATION DOMINATION ENCORES

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

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