The new us tv season
Checking out the trends in the networks’ upcoming shows…
NETWORKS ARE STICKING WITH WHAT THEY KNOW
Remember when shows got cancelled left, right and centre? It’s still happening, of course, but numbers seem to be dwindling – networks are playing it safe with established properties. This means, to cite a few examples, a season six for Grimm and Once Upon A Time; Sleepy Hollow hits its fourth year (despite losing its female lead); The 100 and The Originals are four, The Vampire Diaries is eight and Supernatural is up to a round dozen.
EVERYBODY’S TIME TRAVELLING
ABC, Fox and NBC have all greenlit shows about time-travel – as though there weren’t already enough to go around. So, on ABC we’ll get Time After Time, about HG Wells hunting Jack the Ripper; Fox is bringing us comedy Making History, about a bunch of guys who discover they can hop through time; and NBC is working on Timeless, where a criminal heads to the past to change history.
SUPERHEROES ARE STILL BIG
In addition to all the current staples – Gotham, Agents Of SHIELD, Supergirl (which is moving to The CW), The Flash, Arrow, Legends Of Tomorrow and the like – we’re also getting Powerless on NBC, a comedy set in an insurance office in the DC universe, and Syfy are producing Superman prequel Krypton. The only surprise here is that Agent Carter didn’t make the cut, nor the mooted SHIELD spin-off, Marvel’s Most Wanted. Boo.
THERE ARE FEWER SHOWS MADE FROM ESTABLISHED BRANDS
Recently we’ve been subjected to 12 Monkeys, Minority Report, Heroes, The X-Files, Damien... It was starting to feel as though network execs were browsing IMDb, randomly pointing at things and ordering them to be updated. While a few were successful, we’re not seeing the same approach this year. Among those that were greenlit are Frequency on The CW, Geena Davis in The Exorcist on Fox, and Emerald City on NBC. The trend has also decreased for more mainstream TV, but it’s still just as popular on the big screen… Live-action The Little Mermaid, anyone?
COMIC ADAPTATIONS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE
You already know how many subscription-only comic-book shows are being made right now – one day we suspect Netflix and Amazon might actually fight a real-life Civil War over them. But comics are also being adapted for network TV like there’s no tomorrow. The CW is producing a surreal version of the classic Archie comics named Riverdale; while ABC has ordered a full season of Marvel’s Cloak And Dagger. Meanwhile NBC has grabbed Hawaiian Dick, about a PI (Johnny Knoxville) investigating supernatural crimes. There are more. Many more. Comics continue to take over the world. We approve.