DAVID WIEGAND
We’re entering the final week of the upfronts, the process by which various providers reveal what’s canceled, what’s renewed and what new shows are on tap for the fall season. So we’ll pause from offering info on what’s on Monday to give you an idea of what will still be on — or not — in the fall season.
ABC has canceled some shows, renewed several others, and there aren’t really any surprises. Of the cancellations, I can’t cry over the departures of
“Dr. Ken ,”“Imaginary Mary,” “Secrets and Lies ”or“The Catch,” although “Dr. Ken ”wasa
hit for a minute and “The Catch” had potential that never quite clicked. “Last Man Standing ”is done after six seasons, which is part of the reason “Dr. Ken” isn’t going forward.
I am sorry about the cancellation of John Ridley ’s“American
Crime,” an unusually smart, well-written and well-acted anthology series with one of the greatest core casts anyone could ever want in a show: Felicity Huffman, Lili Taylor, Regina King, Connor Jessup, Timothy Hutton and others. King won Emmys for her various roles, and Huffman was nominated, and so
deserving.
I never felt that ABC quite knew what to do with this show. There was an odd tentativeness about it when they started it three seasons ago. Personally, I think it was just too sophisticated for them, and it was never given the right time slot. Also canceled, “The Real
O’Neals,” which probably deserved more support from the network. The show’s star, Noah Galvin, did a really bratty interview with Vulture in 2016, making disparaging remarks about Colton Haynes’ coming-out process. Some members of the LGBT audience were pissed off about that interview, and no doubt they were part of the core audience for the show. It deserved a shot, though. Good ensemble cast, and Galvin may be a jerk, but he was an appealing star. Yes, he copped to being a jerk and apologized.
Martha Plimpton was, as
usual, fantastic. The bland, chirpy “American Housewife ”gota renewal order, as did — major “duh” alert — “Designated Survivor.” Also coming back: “Scandal,” but its seventh season will
be its last; “Black-Ish,” “The Middle ,” “The Goldbergs ,”“Agents of SHIELD ,” “Grey’s Anatomy ,” “Speechless ,” “Fresh Off the Boat ,” “How to Get Away With Murder ,”“Modern Family,” etc. Still unannounced at this writing: the fate of “Quantico” which is presumed to be safe for renewal. CBS has cancelled “2 Broke Girls,” but renewed “Big Bang Theory ,”“Blue Bloods ,” “Criminal Minds,” “Hawaii Five-O ,”“Mom,” “Madam Secretary,” “Code Black,” “Life in Pieces,” all three “NCIS”
dramas, “Scorpion ,” “Zoo,” “Bull ,”“MacGyver ,” “Kevin Can Wait ,”“Man With a Plan ,”“The Good Fight” “Elementary,” “The Amazing Race” and “Superior Donuts.” Among the CBS shows whose fate is still unknown is “The Odd Couple.” Over the weekend, CBS killed “The Great Indoors,” after one season. CBS holds its upfront presentation on Wednesday, May 17. Fox will hold its upfront Monday, May 15, but so far, the network has axed three first-season shows: “Making History” (which I kind of liked), “Zorn” (which I kind of detested) and “APB” (at which I kind of shrugged). Also axed: “Rosewood” and “Sleepy Hollow.” Renewed Fox shows include “Gotham ,”“Last Man on Earth ,”“The Simpsons,” “The Exorcist,” “Empire ,” “Star ,”“Brooklyn Nine-Nine ,” “The Mick ,”“Lucifer ”and“Lethal Weapon .”“New Girl” has been renewed for one last season, its seventh. “Bones” ended after 12 seasons. The fate of the rest of the shows should be known today, including “Bob’s Burgers ,”“Family Guy ,”“Scream Queens,” “Wayward Pines ,” “Prison Break ,”“Shots Fired” and “24 Legacy.”
NBC also has its upfront presentation scheduled for Monday, May 15. The new comedy “Great News,” starring Andrea Martin, has been picked up for a second season, which is also in the major “duh” category — not just because it’s a funny show and Martin kills, but because
Tina Fey is among the producers of the show. NBC also OKd a fifth season for
“The Blacklist,” but dumped “Blacklist Redemption” after one season. Renewed shows so far include three of the “Chicago” dramas from Dick Wolf, but the jury is still out on the very weak “Chicago Justice.” Also renewed: “Law & Order: SVU,” “The Night Shift ,”“Blindspot,” “Shades of Blue ,”“Superstore ,” “The Good Place ,”“Taken ”and“This Is Us.” Canceled so far are
“Emerald City” and “Powerless .”“Timeless” was also canceled...for a couple of days, but NBC reversed that decision this weekend and has okayed a second season. I’m kind of glad, but it’s up to the showrunners to pump more life into it. The cast is superb and has great chemistry, but there’s a bit of same old, same old
from episode to episode. “The Carmichael Show” is still awaiting a verdict, but I’d be surprised and disappointed if it was canceled.
The CW will bring the 2017 upfronts to a close on Thursday, but much of its plan for the fall is already known. Renewed shows include “Arrow ,”“The 100,”
“Supernatural ,”“Crazy Ex Girlfriend ,” “Jane the Virgin ,”“iZombie ,” “Legends of Tomorrow ,”“The Flash ,”“The Originals” and “Riverdale.” “Reign” and “Vampire Diaries” both ended this season.
Canceled CW shows include “Frequency” and “No Tomorrow.” In non-upfront news, The Hollywood Reporter says Jason Bateman has sealed the deal on a longrumored season 5 of “Arrested Development” for Netflix.