TV Upfronts: Burning Questions for Broadcast Networks

Beyond filling programming gaps amid a shift to streaming, executives have been grappling with some bigger brand-identity concerns ahead of this month’s annual pitch to advertisers

ABC Is it still safe to describe ABC as female-skewing? The Craig Erwich-led network will usher Monday Night Football into its schedule in the fall, with four NFL games set to displace the female-leaning Dancing With the Stars (heading to Disney+) after a 16-year run. How will the network fill the remaining Monday-night block without the reality staple? Grey’s Anatomy continues to be ABC’s crown jewel, and The Rookie is poised to get the franchise treatment after strong ratings for its not-yet-titled Niecy Nash-led spinoff. And while Abbott Elementary and The Wonder Years were clear breakouts, the rest of ABC’s freshman crop is on the bubble.

CBS Inasmuch as broadcast TV works in 2022, CBS has its formula figured out: episodic dramas where the good guys prevail and broad-based comedies, sprinkled with some enduring unscripted franchises, news and sports. It also feeds programming to its sibling service Paramount+, which parent company Paramount Global is heavily invested in growing. Former CBS series SEAL Team is now a Paramount+ original, and back when it was still called CBS All Access, the streamer became the home for The Good Wife spinoff The Good Fight. It seems unlikely that Paramount would raid CBS for content, but more spinoffs ending up at Paramount+ would make some sense.

The CW The network’s years of stability have come to an end. Starting with the late-April cancellations of DC dramas Legends of Tomorrow (after seven seasons) and Batwoman (after three), the studios behind the youngerskewing broadcast network, Warner Bros. TV and CBS Studios, have begun to cut bait amid sale talks to station group Nexstar. Without revenue generated by a $1 billion Netflix output deal and international sales, both studios are expected to continue to thin The CW’s roster of scripted fare ahead of the Nexstar sale. Once considered slam dunks to continue, Charmed, Dynasty and Legacies are all firmly on the bubble.

Fox How will Fox fill the void created by Thursday Night Football moving to streaming? The network will see its primetime ratings drop in the fall — that’s all but guaranteed as it replaces the weekly NFL showcase that averaged nearly 15 million viewers this season. While it relieves Fox of a hefty rights fee, the loss of the NFL on Thursdays creates a programming hole that it will have to fill with just a fraction of the viewers that football brings. With a relatively thin development slate, the network seems more likely to plug in unscripted programming on Thursdays in the fall.

NBC What will NBC look like post-This Is Us? The network will need to give marketers a safe place to land with the hit drama ending after six seasons this year. With its Chicago and Law & Order franchises effectively holding down two nights of the week, NBC needs a fresh drama or two to fill in the gap. Could a Quantum Leap reboot be what it’s missing? On the comedy side, can a Night Court revival jolt an otherwise light comedy lineup? And then there’s the Peacock of it all. Will NBCUniversal lean into streaming as it makes its pitch?