The commercial broadcast networks have presented their plans for 2016-17, and here’s a rundown of new and returning series.
You’ll find lots of fantasy, families with three kids, familiar faces, revivals and “reimaginings” of past projects, all in search of ratings and revenues. You won’t find shows that are set for summer air such as Aquarius (returning June 16) and Mistresses (May 30).
And we have to consider that how many of us watch TV keeps changing. Besides the broadcast shows below, and cable and satellite fare, streaming has become ever more commonplace. CBS, for example, is putting both its new version of Star Trek and a spinoff of The Good Wife (about Diane and Lucca) on its CBS All Access system in 2017.
Still, this is what you can still find on the major networks. For now, that is. Everything is subject to change before fall premieres.
ABC
New this fall: Family comedy American Housewife finds Mike & Molly’s Katy Mixon playing a mother of three; Conviction, with Hayley Atwell as a political scion working for the wrongly convicted; Designated Survivor, a thriller about a low-level cabinet member (Kiefer Sutherland) who suddenly becomes president; Notorious, on the interplay of criminal law and media, with Piper Perabo and Daniel Sunjata; and Speechless, a comedy about a mom (Minnie Driver) whose three children include one with special needs.
New later: Downward Dog, a comedy that looks at a young woman’s life through the eyes of her dog; Imaginary Mary, with Jenna Elfman as a woman whose imaginary friend re-enters her changing life; Still Star-Crossed, a period drama picking up where Romeo & Juliet left off; Time After Time, based on the movie about H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper time-traveling to the present day; and When We Rise, a “limited series event” about the LGBT movement, from the writer of the movie Milk.
Returning this fall: America’s Funniest Home Videos, 20/20, Black-ish, Dancing With the Stars, Dr. Ken, Fresh Off the Boat, The Goldbergs, Grey’s Anatomy, How To Get Away With Murder, Last Man Standing, Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, The Middle, Modern Family, Once Upon a Time, Quantico, The Real O’Neals, Secrets and Lies, Shark Tank. Also, college football on Saturdays.
Returning later: American Crime, The Bachelor/Bachelorette, The Catch, Scandal (delayed because of Kerry Washington’s pregnancy).
Done: The Family, Galavant, Blood & Oil, Marvel’s Agent Carter, The Muppets, Nashville, Of Kings and Prophets, Wicked City, Castle.
CBS
New this fall: Bull, with NCIS’ Michael Weatherly as a trial consultant inspired by Dr. Phil (who’s an executive producer on the show); The Great Indoors, with Joel McHale as a reporter turned editor of a Web magazine staffed by wacky millennials; Kevin Can Wait puts Kevin James back in a CBS sitcom on Monday nights, this time about a newly retired family man facing surprises as a homebody; MacGyver, a reimagining of the drama about saving the world with ordinary objects; Man With a Plan, a comedy with Matt LeBlanc as a contractor spending more time with his stress-inducing kids, and Pure Genius, a “cutting-edge medical drama.”
New later: Doubt, with Katherine Heigl as an attorney falling for her client (Steven Pasquale), who’s accused of murdering his girlfriend; Hunted, a reality show with contestants trying to avoid capture by trained investigators; Training Day, a sequel to the Denzel Washington movie, about another young officer and a “morally ambiguous” veteran (Bill Paxton).
Returning this fall: 2 Broke Girls, 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, The Big Bang Theory, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Code Black, Elementary, Hawaii Five-0, Life in Pieces, Madam Secretary, Mom, NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, NCIS: New Orleans, The Odd Couple, Scorpion, Survivor. Also, “Crimetime” reruns on Saturdays.
Returning later: The Amazing Race, Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Undercover Boss.
Done: Angel From Hell, CSI: Cyber, The Good Wife, Limitless, Mike & Molly, Person of Interest, Rush Hour.
Moved: Supergirl will be on The CW instead of CBS in the fall.
Scheduling note: CBS has football on Thursdays for part of the fall, pushing some of those premieres to October.
Fox
New this fall: The Exorcist, priests and scary stuff inspired by the hit novel and movie; Lethal Weapon, rebooting the saga of Riggs and Murtaugh, with Clayne Crawford and Damon Wayans Sr.; Pitch, drama about a woman pitching for the San Diego Padres; and the live-action/animated hybrid Son of Zorn, bringing a Pacific island warrior into California suburbia.
New later: 24: Legacy, more real-time adventures, now starring Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins; APB, drama about a high-tech, privatized police force; Kicking & Screaming, reality competition pairing survivalists with “pampered partners”; Making History, comedy about time-traveling friends in two different centuries; The Mick, with Kaitlin Olson as a hustler suddenly in charge of three kids; My Kitchen Rules, celebrity duos cook and judge each other’s food; Shots Fired, 10-part drama about race and violence in a small Southern town; and Star, a drama about three ambitious singers, from the maker of Empire.
Returning this fall: Bob’s Burgers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Empire, Family Guy, Gotham, Hell’s Kitchen, Last Man on Earth, Lucifer, New Girl, Rosewood, Scream Queens, The Simpsons. College football on Saturdays.
Returning later: Bones, MasterChef Junior, Prison Break, Sleepy Hollow.
Done: American Idol, Bordertown, Cooper Barrett’s Guide to Surviving Life, Grandfathered, The Grinder, Minority Report.
Unclear at this point: Houdini and Doyle, which just premiered, and whether there will be more X-Files.
NBC
New this fall: The Good Place, comedy with Kristen Bell as a woman trying to fix her life with help from an “afterlife mentor” (Ted Danson); This Is Us, drama about folks whose lives intertwine, with Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia; and Timeless, yet another show about time travelers trying to save history. Also, NBC will have Thursday night NFL games beginning Nov. 17, much the way CBS does earlier in the season; all those Thursday games will also be simulcast on NFL Network.
New later: Better Late Than Never, which has Henry Winkler, William Shatner and others traveling across Asia; The Blacklist: Redemption, a spin-off focusing on Scottie and Tom; Chicago Justice, the fourth show in the Chicago brand; Emerald City, a new interpretation of The Wizard of Oz; First Dates, reality show about, well, people’s first dates; Great News, comedy from Tina Fey, about a TV station producer whose new intern is her mom; Marlon, comedy inspired by the family life of Marlon Wayans; Midnight, Texas, drama about a “safe haven” for hit men, vampires and such; Powerless, comedy with Vanessa Hudgens as an insurance adjuster entangled with superheroes; Taken, prequel to the Liam Neeson movies, with Clive Standen as the young Bryan Mills; Trial & Error, comedy about a lawyer defending an eccentric poetry professor (Akron’s own John Lithgow); and The Wall, a reality competition with Akron’s LeBron James as an executive producer.
Returning this fall: The Blacklist, Blindspot, Caught on Camera With Nick Cannon, Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., Dateline NBC, Football Night in America, Grimm, Law & Order: SVU, Saturday Dateline Mysteries, Sunday Night (NFL) Football, Superstore, The Voice. Also, edited-down Saturday Night Live repeats in Saturday prime time.
Returning later: The Carmichael Show, Hollywood Game Night, Little Big Shots, The New Celebrity Apprentice, Shades of Blue.
Done: Crowded, Game of Silence, Heartbeat, Heroes Reborn, The Mysteries of Laura, The Player, Telenovela, Truth Be Told, Undateable and You, Me and the Apocalypse.
The CW
New this fall: Frequency, a variation on the Dennis Quaid movie of the same name, with a police detective reconnecting to her dead father through a radio; and No Tomorrow, an oddball romance developing during what might be the world’s final months.
New later: Riverdale, a live-action version of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead — and Josie and the Pussycats. We’ll see how well it bang-shang-a-langs.
Returning this fall: Arrow, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, The Flash, Jane the Virgin, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries. Also, Supergirl moves to the CW from CBS.
Returning later: The 100, iZombie, The Originals, Reign.
Done: America’s Next Top Model, Beauty and the Beast (after the final season beginning June 2), Containment (when current run is completed).
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, Ohio.com, Facebook, Twitter and the HeldenFiles Online blog. Contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com. Alexandra Harris also contributed to this story.