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TELEVISION RATINGS 2011-2012 season

Written by USTownhall staff

Thursday, 29 September 2011 20:22

Dec 19-25

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: million

NBC: million

FOX: million

ABC: million

Univision: million

The CW: million

2011_Dec_19-25_new_final

[Source: Nielsen]

Dec 12-18

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 11.4 million

NBC: 6.2 million

FOX: 5.6 million

ABC: 5.0 million

Univision: 3.3 million

The CW: 1.1 million

2011_Dec_12-18_new_final

[Source: Nielsen]

Dec 5-11

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 10.5 million

NBC: 7.3 million

ABC: 6.2 million

FOX: 6.0 million

Univision: 3.4 million

The CW: 1.3 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
7	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	12.8
8	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.7
20	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	10.7
23	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Wed	9.8
25	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	8.9
26	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	8.8
31	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	8.0 (r)
31	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	8.0
35	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	7.3
45	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	6.8
56	*I Hate My Teenage Daughter*	Fox, Wed	5.4
56	*Grimm*	NBC, Fri	5.4
65	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	5.0
68	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	4.8
78	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	4.1
91	*You Deserve It*	ABC, Mon	3.6
94	*Rock Center*	NBC, Mon	3.4
109	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	1.8
119	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	0.9 (r)
120	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	0.8 (r)
	*Allen Gregory*	Fox, Sun	pre-empted
	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	pre-empted
	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	pre-empted
	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	pre-empted
	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	aired 7 episodes
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, December 5 -December 11, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Giants v Cowboys*	NBC, Sun	24.5
2	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	15.2
3	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	14.7
4	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	14.0
5	*Football Night in America pt. 3*	NBC, Sun	13.3
6	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	13.0
7	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	12.8
8	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	12.7 (r)
8	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.7
8	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	12.7
11	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	12.4
12	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	12.2 (r)
12	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	12.2
14	*The Amazing Race*	CBS, Sun	11.7
15	*The Good Wife*	CBS, Sun	11.6
15	*Survivor: South Pacific*	CBS, Wed	11.6
17	*How I Met Your Mother*	CBS, Mon	11.5
18	*CSI*	CBS, Wed	11.1
19	*Hawaii Five-O*	CBS, Mon	11.0
20	*X Factor*	FOX, Wed	12.7

Nov 28-Dec 4

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: million

ABC: million

NBC: million

FOX: million

Univision: million

The CW: million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
7	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.0
12	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Wed	10.3
12	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	10.3
18	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	9.7
23	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	9.1 (r)
28	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	8.2 (r)
30	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	8.0
39	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	7.6
42	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	7.2
47	*I Hate My Teenage Daughter*	Fox, Wed	6.8 (debut)
49	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	6.6
59	*Allen Gregory*	Fox, Sun	5.3
61	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	5.2 (r)
69	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	4.7
72	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	4.6
78	*Rock Center*	NBC, Mon	4.4
78	*You Deserve It*	ABC, Mon	4.4 (debut)
83	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	4.0 (r)
85	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	3.9
100	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	1.9
104	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.6
109	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	0.9 (r)
	*Grimm*	NBC, Fri	pre-empted
	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	pre-empted
	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	aired 7 episodes
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, November 28-December 4, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Lions v Saints*	NBC, Sun	18.9
2	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	13.4 (r)
3	*Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer*	CBS, Tue	12.6 (r)
4	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	11.9
5	*Football Night in America pt. 3*	NBC, Sun	11.2
6	*Blue Bloods*	CBS, Fri	11.1
7	*Survivor: South Pacific*	CBS, Wed	11.0
7	*X Factor*	FOX, Wed	11.0
9	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	10.5 (r)
10	*CSI: Miami*	CBS, Sun	10.4
10	*Victoria's Secret Fashion Show*	CBS, Tue	10.4
12	*X Factor Results Show*	FOX, Th	10.3
12	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	10.3
14	*Harry's Law*	NBC, Wed	9.9
14	*The Good Wife*	CBS, Sun	9.9
14	*Law & Order: SVU*	NBC, Wed	9.9
17	*CSI: NY*	CBS, Fri	9.8
18	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	9.7 (r)
18	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	9.7
20	*The Amazing Race*	CBS, Sun	9.6

Nov 21-27

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 9.8 million

ABC: 8.7 million

NBC: 6.0 million

FOX: 5.5 million

Univision: 3.0 million

The CW: 1.2 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
10	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.3
13	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	10.7
15	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	10.4
19	*X Factor*	Fox, Tue	9.4
20	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	9.3
22	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Wed	8.6
24	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	8.4
26	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	8.0 (r)
32	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	7.3
37	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	6.7
39	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	6.5
59	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	4.3
74	*Rock Center*	NBC, Mon	3.6
78	*Allen Gregory*	Fox, Sun	3.2
92	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	1.8
104	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	0.8 (r)
	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	pre-empted
	*Grimm*	NBC, Fri	pre-empted
	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	pre-empted
	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	pre-empted
	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	pre-empted
	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	pre-empted
	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	aired 7 episodes
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, November 21-27, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Steelers v Chiefs*	NBC, Sun	20.3
2	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	19.6
2	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	19.6
4	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	18.5
5	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	17.0
6	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	15.8
7	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	14.1
8	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	13.1
9	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	12.7
10	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.3
11	*Castle*	ABC, Mon	10.9
12	*Football Night in America pt. 3*	NBC, Sun	10.8
13	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	10.7
14	*Hawaii Five-O*	CBS, Mon	10.6
15	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	10.4
15	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	10.4
17	*The Amazing Race*	CBS, Sun	10.9
18	*How I Met Your Mother*	CBS, Mon	10.0
19	*X Factor*	FOX, Tue	9.4
20	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	9.3

With relatively few specials from its competitors and a full lineup of new episodes, CBS increased its lead over 2nd place ABC by almost 2 million viewers. Two and a Half Men seems to have stabilized at just under 15 million viewers a week, but it looks as though The Big Bang Theory will reign as TV's top comedy for the foreseeable future. Fox, meanwhile, slipped into fourth place due to the absense of football spillover into its Sunday night lineup and the slipping ratings of most of its series. This allowed NBC to jump up to third place without gaining any viewers.

Over at ABC, Charlie's Angels was sent to cancellation heaven as of last week's episode. It's 8th and final episode will not air. The AMAs that aired Sunday saw an increase in viewers over last year's event and gave ABC a stronger Sunday than usual. It will be interesting to see if the pre-emption of the network's surprise hit Once Upon a Time will have a negative effect on the ratings when the series returns.

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 11.4 million

ABC: 9.6 million

NBC: 6.8 million

FOX: 6.2 million

Univision: 3.8 million

The CW: 1.5 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
16	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.8
17	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.7
20	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.4
21	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.3
30	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	9.7
34	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	9.1
36	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	8.2
36	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	8.2
39	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	8.0
45	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	7.0
46	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	6.9
49	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	6.3
57	*Grimm*	NBC, Fri	5.4
61	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	4.9
72	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	4.3
80	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	4.0
83	*Allen Gregory*	Fox, Sun	3.9
83	*Rock Center*	NBC, Mon	3.9
104	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.8
107	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	1.6
	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	pre-empted
	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	pre-empted
	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	aired 7 episodes
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, November 14-20, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Eagles v Giants*	NBC, Sun	20.3
2	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	20.0
3	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	17.9
4	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	15.2
5	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	15.1
5	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	15.1
7	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	14.8
8	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	14.5
9	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	12.9
10	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	12.7
11	*20/20*	ABC, Mon	12.4
11	*Blue Bloods*	CBS, Fri	12.4
13	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	12.2
13	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	12.2
15	*American Music Awards*	ABC, Sun	12.1
16	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.8
17	*Hawaii Five-O*	CBS, Mon	11.7
17	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.7
19	*Survivor: South Pacific*	CBS, Th	11.6
20	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.4

Nov 7-13

ABC scored its best week in terms of average viewers thanks to a strong performance by this year's Country Music Association Awards, which the network's highest-rated show of the week and pre-empted its Wednesday night lineup. ABC would likely have won the week if the CMAs were held on Thursday, a weaker night for the the network. However, this Thursday's Grey's Anatomy episode did gets its best viewership of the season for its fall finale, which was up against a rerun of Person of Interest, which fell out of the top 30. Once Upon a Time retained all of its viewers from last week and remains one of the few new fall series with any buzz although Revenge (pre-empted this week) is starting to heat up as well.

Elsewhere, there were no real surprises. The new fall series seem to have found their audiences, for better or worse, and most notched similar ratings to last week's episodes.

In cancellation news, yet another NBC series, Prime Suspect, was announced as getting the axe after its 13th episode airs. In January, The Firm, a sequel to the John Grisham novel and movie adaptation, will air in its timeslot on January 12, 2012 following a special two-hour premiere on Sunday, January 8. Josh Lucas takes over the Tom Cruise role as lead protagonist Mitch McMeere.

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 10.8 million

ABC: 10.3 million

FOX: 7.8 million

NBC: 6.8 million

Univision: 3.8 million

The CW: 1.8 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
13	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.7
15	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	11.4
15	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.4
25	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	10.2
28	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	10.1
32	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	9.3
34	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	9.1 (r)
38	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	8.2
39	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	7.8
47	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	6.8
49	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	6.2
55	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	5.6
61	*Grimm*	NBC, Fri	5.2
63	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	5.1
64	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	4.9
67	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	4.8
76	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	4.3
78	*Allen Gregory*	Fox, Sun	4.2
84	*Rock Center*	NBC, Mon	3.5
95	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	2.2
101	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.7
104	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	1.4
	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	pre-empted
	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, November 7-13, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Patriots v Jets*	NBC, Sun	20.9
2	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	20.4
3	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	18.2
4	*CMA Awards*	ABC, Wed	16.4
5	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	15.9
6	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	15.7
7	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	15.1
8	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	14.7
9	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	13.1
10	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	11.9
11	*Football Night in America pt. 3*	NBC, Sun	11.8
11	*The OT*	Fox, Sun	11.8
13	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.7
14	*Rules of Engagement*	CBS, Th	11.6
15	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.4
15	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	11.4
15	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	11.4
18	*Blue Bloods*	CBS, Fri	11.3
18	*Grey's Anatomy*	ABC, Th	11.3
20	*Castle*	ABC, Mon	11.1

Oct 31-Nov 6

With the World Series over, CBS reclaimed its usual number one spot in the weekly ratings with a season-best thanks to a special broadcast of NCAA football on Saturday, which drew 20 million viewers and was a hair's breadth away from being the number one show for the week. It's been quite a long time since any Saturday show could make that claim. Elsewhere, CBS's lineup remained strong, although Two and a Half Men continues to lose, with a single exception, at least a million viewers each week . The Big Bang Theory, in contrast, soared to its second-highest audience level of the season, taking Men's place as America's top comedy.

Fox remained strong at number 2, but the shows pre-empted by the World Series did suffer ratings drops. New Girl returned after 3 weeks off and lost 1.3 million viewers from its previous episode on October 4. Terra Nova likewise lost a chunk of its audience – about 1.7 million viewers – from the last time it aired. Glee's return after a month saw its lowest ratings in two years. However, Bones returned to the lineup with its 7th season premiere and drew an audience of 10 million – about even with its season 6 premiere.

NBC saw its strongest weekly average in about a month, but its shows struggle every night. Grimm is a relative bright spot as its second episode only lost 600,000 viewers from its premiere, but Chuck, in its last season, is dying a painful death in the Friday 8pm timeslot, coming in 97th place with 3.1 million viewers. Brian Williams' debuting newsmagazine Rock Center brought in worse ratings than the premiere of the already-canceled The Playboy Club in the same timeslot. Rock came in 80th place with 4.1 million viewers. Besides football, only Harry's Law and Law & Order: SVU manage to crack the top 50 for NBC.

Over at ABC, Tim Allen's sitcom return, Last Man Standing, continues to lose a noticeable amount of viewers each week, while Once Upon a Time and Revenge are holding their audiences. Modern Family remains ABC's biggest hit entertainment series, but none of the other sitcoms around it are approaching its numbers. Perhaps ABC should consider moving The Middle to the 9:30 slot to form a stronger one-hour block. Happy Endings loses almost 6 million viewers from its Modern Family lead-in, and when Cougar Town returns mid-season, it will likely not fare much better.

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 13.0 million

FOX: 8.2 million

ABC: 8.1 million

NBC: 7.2 million

Univision: 3.3 million

The CW: 1.7 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
18	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.8
18	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.8
21	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	11.6
22	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	11.4
24	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.3
25	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.0
34	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	9.4
39	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	8.6
39	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	8.6
41	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	8.5
46	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	7.4
49	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	6.6
52	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	6.4
55	*Grimm*	NBC, Fri	6.0
60	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	5.3
62	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	5.2
63	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	4.8
70	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	4.5
75	*Allen Gregory*	Fox, Sun	4.3
75	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	4.3
80	*Rock Center*	NBC, Mon	4.1
102	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	2.3
110	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.8
	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, October 31-November 6, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Ravens v Steelers*	NBC, Sun	22.1
2	*NCAA Football: LSU v Alabama*	CBS, Sat	22.0
3	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	19.7
4	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	16.3
5	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	16.0
6	*The OT*	Fox, Sun	15.7
7	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	15.5
8	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	15.4
9	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	13.9
10	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	13.7
11	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	13.4
11	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	13.4
13	*Football Night in America pt. 3*	NBC, Sun	13.1
14	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	12.9
15	*Blue Bloods*	CBS, Fri	12.7
16	*Castle*	ABC, Mon	12.6
17	*Survivor: South Pacific*	CBS, Wed	12.0
18	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.8
18	*Rules of Engagement*	CBS, Th	11.8
18	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.8

Oct 24-30

Although this year's World Series started off weakly, it ended on a strong note as Friday's final game was the most watched Series game since 2004 thanks to a tight competiton that pushed the Series to a full 7 games – the first since 2002. The Series has wreaked havoc with Fox's primetime lineup which had a ton of pre-emptions, but a second week at number one made up for that. X Factor, airing a two-hour installment on Tuesday, ratched up its best ratings since its premiere episodes in September. However, Sunday's premiere of Allen Gregory, the final piece of Fox's Sunday Animation Domination lineup, debuted weakly at number 60 with 4.8 million viewers.

In its second episode, ABC's Once Upon a Time held up nicely and remained in the top 20. It was the highest-rated entertainment program on Sunday. CBS remains strong every night of the week and has top 20 hits from Sunday to Thursday. In contrast, NBC has problems every night and really doesn't have any blockbuster entertainment series to build on. Grimm debuted on Friday to 6.6 million viewers – the second best debut for a new NBC series this season, but it was good for only 47th place. Still, that was acceptable given that it was up against the final game of the World Series. However, football remains NBC's only real ratings draw.

Average viewers

for the week:

FOX: 12.6 million

CBS: 11.0 million

ABC: 8.9 million

NBC: 6.5 million

Univision: 3.4 million

The CW: 1.8 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
14	*X Factor*	Fox, Tue	12.1
17	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	11.7
18	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.6
21	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.2
21	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.2
30	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	9.9
33	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	9.7
37	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	8.7
46	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	6.8
47	*Grimm*	NBC, Fri	6.6
50	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	5.8 (r)
53	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	5.5
60	*Allen Gregory*	Fox, Sun	4.8
71	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	4.2
76	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	4.0
84	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	3.5 (r)
96	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	2.3
104	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	2.0
116	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	0.8 (r)
	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	pre-empted
	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	pre-empted
	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, October 24-30, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*World Series, Game 7: Rangers v Cardinals*	Fox, Fri	25.4
2	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Cowboys v Eagles*	NBC, Sun	23.0
3	*World Series, Game 6: Rangers v Cardinals*	Fox, Th	21.1
4	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	19.4
5	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	18.6
6	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	17.2
7	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	15.9
8	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	15.3
9	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	14.5
10	*World Series, Game 5: Rangers v Cardinals*	Fox, Th	14.3
11	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	14.1
12	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	12.4
13	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	12.2
14	*X Factor*	Fox, Tue	12.1
15	*Football Night in America pt. 3*	NBC, Sun	11.9
16	*Survivor: South Pacific*	CBS, Wed	11.8
17	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	11.7
18	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.6
19	*Criminal Minds* (rerun)	CBS, Wed	11.3
19	*Modern Family* (rerun)	ABC, Wed	11.3

Oct 17-23

The World Series battle between the Rangers and the Cardinals, although relatively low-rated, led Fox to its first weekly win of the season. Expect this to be a more regular occurrence once American Idol returns in January.

However, the other networks didn't seem phased by the Fall Classic at all as each network actually posted gains in audience over last week. That is, except for NBC who basically sat in the dugout on Thursday by putting up a night of reruns against Game 2, which drove it to a season-low average of 5.3 million viewers for the week. Once again, Harry's Law was the network's top scripted series, coming in at number 42 with 8.4 million viewers.

NCIS, now in its 9th season, remains the number 1 show for a second week, while Tim Allen's Last Man Standing lost about 3 million viewers and fell all the way to 30th place. Man Up! debuted even more poorly: it muscled up a wimpy 7.8 million viewers – good for 46th. Ratings declined from there in its second outing on October 25 (to be seen in next week's chart), so the series will likely be castrated shortly. On the plus side, another ABC series, Once Upon a Time, debuted extremely well on Sunday in a difficult timeslot opposite both the fourth game in the World Series and NBC's Sunday Night Football. If ratings hold, this could be the surprise breakout hit of the season as series that have been much more heavily hyped – Charle's Angels, Pan Am, Prime Suspect, and The Playboy Club – have all fizzled.

The Sheen-less Two and a Half Men loses a noticeable amount of viewers with each successive episode, but it's still the highest-rated comedy on television. Another Chuck Lorre series, The Big Bang Theory, is nipping at its heels this week, though.

Average viewers

for the week:

FOX: 11.9 million

CBS: 11.0 million

ABC: 8.7 million

NBC: 5.3 million

Univision: 3.3 million

The CW: 1.8 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
13	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	12.9
17	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.4
18	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.9
19	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.5
29	*X Factor*	Fox, Tue	10.4
30	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	10.3
39	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	8.8
41	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	8.7
43	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	8.3
45	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	8.0
46	*Man Up!*	ABC, Tue	7.8
53	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	5.7
54	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	5.6
54	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	5.6
83	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	2.8 (r)
85	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	2.6 (r)
93	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	2.1
100	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.8
101	*Hart of Dixie*	The CW, Mon	1.7
	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	aired 3 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, October 17-23, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	19.4
2	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	17.8
3	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	15.4
4	*World Series, Game 4: Rangers v Cardinals*	Fox, Sun	15.2
5	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	15.1
6	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	14.9
7	*The OT*	Fox, Sun	14.7
8	*World Series, Game 2: Rangers v Cardinals*	Fox, Th	14.3
9	*World Series, Game 1: Rangers v Cardinals*	Fox, Wed	14.2
10	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	13.8
11	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	13.2
12	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	13.0
13	*Once Upon a Time*	ABC, Sun	12.9
14	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	12.6
15	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	12.5
15	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Colts v Saints*	NBC, Sun	12.5
17	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.4
18	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.9
19	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.5
19	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	11.5

Oct 10-16

After a 12-year absence from network television, Tim Allen returned to prime time with the one-hour debut episode of his new series Last Man Standing and promptly landed right back in the top 10. Only the premiere of 2 Broke Girls had more viewers for a sitcom premiere this season. Speaking of Girls, the show has lost about 8.5 million viewers since it began, but is still one of the highest-rated comedies airing right now and builds on its lead-in, How I Met Your Mother. Elsewhere at CBS, Person of Interest and Unforgettable have settled comfortably in the top 20 as has X Factor on Fox. The news wasn't all good at CBS, however, as it canceled How to Be a Gentleman for a second time after its single airing in its new Saturday night timeslot drew only 2.4 million viewers.

Back at ABC, Charlie's Angels was given its pink slip after its October 13 episode aired. However, an additional four episodes will be broadcast before the Angels are sent to cancellation heaven permanently. Given that Pan Am performed even worse and has lost almost half its audience since its premiere last month, we think it likely that this period drama will be grounded once its initial order of episodes has run.

Major League Baseball playoffs on Fox pre-empted its shows on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, but vaulted its ratings over ABC to come in second place behind perennial front runner CBS. NBC crashed with its worst ratings of the season drawing an average of only 6.4 million viewers for the week and landing with a thud in fourth place. As can be seen in the charts below, NBC's highest-rated new series for the week was Up All Night, which only managed to come in 58th place. NBC's ratings will look even worse after football seaon is over. The Kathy Bates vehicle, Harry's Law, remains NBC top-rated scripted series landing in 40th place.

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 10.6 million

FOX: 9.0 million

ABC: 8.6 million

NBC: 6.4 million

Univision: 3.2 million

The CW: 1.7 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
9	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	13.2
14	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.0
15	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.7
17	*X Factor*	Fox, Th	11.2
21	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	10.7
32	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	8.9
39	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	7.9
41	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	7.7
46	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	7.0
51	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	5.9
52	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	5.8
58	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	5.2
63	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	4.6
68	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	4.3
90	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Sat	2.4
93	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	1.9
97	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.7
	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	pre-empted
CANCELED SERIES:
	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	aired 4 episodes
	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	aired 3 episodes

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, October 10-16, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	19.0
2	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	16.9
3	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	16.8
4	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Bears v Vikings*	NBC, Sun	16.6
5	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	16.2
6	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	15.4
7	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	13.6
7	*The Big Bang Theory* (8:00)	CBS, Th	13.6
9	*Last Man Standing*	ABC, Tue	13.2
10	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	12.9
11	*The OT*	Fox, Sun	12.8
12	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	12.4
13	*The Big Bang Theory* (8:30)	CBS, Th	12.1
14	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.0
15	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.7
16	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	11.6
17	*Blue Bloods*	CBS, Fri	11.2
17	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.2
19	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	11.0
20	*CSI*	CBS, Wed	10.9

Oct 3-9

In week 3, The Playboy Club aired its final episode on NBC, and notice came down that Free Agents, another NBC series, was canceled after its fourth episode aired on October 5. Likewise, The CW canceled its ratings-anemic H8R after its fourth episode aired the same night.

CBS remains the number one network by a comfortable margin, and there's nothing on the horizon from any network that will unseat it from that position. The Tiffany network is unstoppable on most nights with Tuesdays being particularly strong as its three series all land in the top 20. However, there are some cracks in the armor: Person of Interest is not a worthy successor to CSI in the Thursday 9pm timeslot ratings-wise, and A Gifted Man provides only a mediocre lead in for CBS's Friday night lineup.

ABC has no breakout new hits, but its returning shows are still doing relatively well. Modern Family has been firmly ensconced in the top 10 all season and is the network's highest-rated scripted series. However, ABC's much-hyped Pan Am continues to hemorrage viewers. It likely won't last past a single season.

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 11.3 million

ABC: 8.2 million

NBC: 7.3 million

FOX: 7.1 million

Univision: 3.9 million

The CW: 1.7 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
14	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.9
16	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	11.7
17	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.6
17	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.6
19	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.6
31	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	9.1
34	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	8.7
34	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	8.7
41	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	7.7
43	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Th	7.6
44	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	7.5
49	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	6.4
53	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	5.9
58	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	5.6
62	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	5.0
64	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	4.9
81	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	3.5
86	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	3.3
103	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	2.0
109	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.5
114	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	1.1

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, October 3-9, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Packers v Falcons*	NBC, Sun	22.0
2	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	19.3
3	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	17.7
4	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	16.6
5	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	15.3
6	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	14.8
7	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	13.9
8	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	13.4
9	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	13.3
10	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	13.2
10	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	13.2
10	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	13.2
13	*CSI*	CBS, Wed	12.0
14	*Football Night in America, part 3*	NBC, Sun	11.9
14	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.9
16	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	11.7
17	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	11.6
17	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	11.6
19	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.4
20	*Blue Bloods*	CBS, Fri	11.3

Sep 26-Oct 2

The second week's ratings are in, and the new series are starting to find their audiences for better or worse. There are no breakout new hits this year as the sole new entry in the top 10 last week, 2 Broke Girls, has shed about 7.5 million viewers from its premiere and has dropped to number 17 this week. That makes Person of Interest the current top new series, which comes in at number 13. It's ratings are off slightly from CSI's 11th season average in that same timeslot, however.

As we stated in our Fall TV Preview article, period dramas tend not to do well on network television, and that has borne out as The Playboy Club became the first casualty of the season. It's third episode, which aired Monday, October 3, was its last. Production will continue until the sixth episode has wrapped, and then NBC will try to see if it can be sold to another network like Bravo (also an NBCUniversal company). The other period drama, Pan Am, has also seen its ratings decline about 3.5 million viewers in its second week.

Three new series debuted this week, and two of those managed to attract a decent sized sampling: Fox's Terra Nova landed at number 33 with 9.2 million viewers opposite longtime favorites Dancing with the Stars (ABC) and How I Met Your Mother (CBS). On ABC, Suburgatory did better, nabbing 9.8 million viewers – more than three times its direct timeslot competition, NBC's Free Agents (3.1 million). Free Agents was NBC's lowest-rated series for the week, and we predict it will be quietly removed from the schedule shortly. The other debut this week, The CW's Hart of Dixie, starring The OC's Rachel Bilson, caught the attention of 1.9 million viewers – about what could be expected from a CW series.

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 12.2 million

ABC: 8.7 million

FOX: 7.4 million

NBC: 7.1 million

Univision: 4.0 million

The CW: 1.8 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
13	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.5
14	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	12.4
15	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	12.2
16	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.9
17	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.8
29	*Suburgatory*	ABC, Wed	9.8
32	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	9.3
33	*Terra Nova*	Fox, Mon	9.2
35	*Revenge*	ABC, Wed	8.5
36	*How to Be a Gentleman*	CBS, Th	9.0
40	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	8.2
41	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	7.8
48	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	7.1
59	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	5.7
62	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	5.4
64	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	5.3
81	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	4.0
90	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	3.1
101	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	2.1
102	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	2.0
110	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	1.4

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, September 26- October 2, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	20.5
2	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	19.5
3	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Jets v Ravens*	NBC, Sun	18.9
4	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	17.1
5	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	16.3
6	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	16.2
7	*The Big Bang Theory*	CBS, Th	14.7
8	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	14.4
9	*Mike & Molly*	CBS, Mon	13.9
10	*Modern Family*	ABC, Wed	13.4
11	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	12.9
12	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	12.6
13	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	12.5
14	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	12.4
15	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	12.2
16	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	11.9
17	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	11.8
17	*CSI*	CBS, Wed	11.8
19	*Castle*	ABC, Mon	11.7
20	*Blue Bloods*	CBS, Fri	11.3
20	*Hawaii Five-O*	CBS, Mon	11.3

Sep 19-25

Sunday, September 25 ended the first official week of the new television season, and on the surface, not a lot changed from last season: CBS was still the number one network, and NBC was still number four. Of the new network offerings, 2 Broke Girls, Unforgettable, and Person of Interest – all on CBS – cracked the top 20 as did Simon Cowell's X Factor (both episodes) on Fox.

In spite of a change in management, NBC's fortunes continued to dwindle. Its top rated series were The Office and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit – both tied for 46th place with 7.6 million viewers each. That a major network cannot place a single entertainment series in the top 45 is astonishing. NBC was putting a lot of marketing muscle behind its adaptation of the British hit, Prime Suspect, but it pulled in fewer than half the viewers of its timeslot competitor, The Mentalist, which entered its fourth season on CBS. Football remains NBC's only bright spot as this week's showdown between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts was the number 2 watched broadcast.

Over at Fox, X Factor, while much hyped, underwhelmed. The reunion of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul only mustered up 12.5 million viewers on each of its two airings this week. Cowell himself had gone on record saying that anything less than 20 million viewers would be a disappointment. Perhaps he meant the two installments added together? Still, the series is Fox's top-rated entry right now as Glee began its third season with 9.2 million viewers and a #41 rank.

Speaking of much hyped, ABC had solid-if-unspectacular starts for its soaps, Pan Am (#26 for the week) and Revenge (#35). Desperate Housewives entered its 8th and final season ranked #36. The network's remake of its 1970s classic Charlie's Angels was its lowest-rated new series coming in at #44. Thursdays at 8pm has been a difficult timeslot for ABC since forever, so if ratings hold steady, there's still a chance the series could get a full season pickup.

Based on this week's ratings, we'd predict quick cancellations for NBC's The Playboy Club and Free Agents. Watch them now while you can. Up All Night will likely hang around a little longer as it has gotten good reviews.

The CW continues to be a non-factor in the ratings as it is routinely beaten by Spanish-language network Univision. The CW's highest-rated series was The Vampire Diaries with 2.5 million viewers coming in at #98 – its only series to crack the top 100. America hates H8R – its second episode, which aired September 21, was the lowest-ranking new episode of any series on any network.

Average viewers

for the week:

CBS: 12.1 million

ABC: 9.9 million

FOX: 8.4 million

NBC: 7.5 million

Univision: 3.7 million

The CW: 1.6 million

HOW THE NEW SERIES DID:
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
3	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	19.4
12	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	14.1
15	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	13.3
18	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	12.5
18	*X Factor*	Fox, Wed	12.5
26	*Pan Am*	ABC, Sun	11.1
33	*New Girl*	Fox, Tue	10.3
35	*Revenge*	Wed, ABC	10.0
39	*A Gifted Man*	CBS, Fri	9.4
42	*Charlie's Angels*	ABC, Th	8.8
50	*Whitney*	NBC, Th	6.8
54	*Prime Suspect*	NBC, Th	6.1
56	*Up All Night*	NBC, Wed	6.0
65	*The Playboy Club*	NBC, Mon	5.0
83	*Free Agents*	NBC, Wed	3.9
102	*The Secret Circle*	The CW, Th	2.1
104	*Ringer*	The CW, Tue	1.9
111	*H8R*	The CW, Wed	1.0

[Source: Nielsen]

NETWORK TOP 20, September 19-25, 2011
RANK	SERIES	NETWORK	VIEWERS (millions)
1	*Two and a Half Men*	CBS, Mon	28.7
2	*NBC Sunday Night Football: Steelers v Colts*	NBC, Sun	20.4
3	*NCIS*	CBS, Tue	20.0
4	*2 Broke Girls*	CBS, Mon	19.4
5	*Dancing with the Stars*	ABC, Mon	19.0
6	*NCIS: Los Angeles*	CBS, Tue	16.7
7	*The Big Bang Theory* (8:30 special episode)	CBS, Th	16.9
8	*Dancing with the Stars Results Show*	ABC, Tue	14.8
9	*Modern Family* (9:00 episode)	ABC, Wed	14.5
9	*Modern Family* (9:30 special episode)	ABC, Wed	14.5
11	*The Big Bang Theory* (8:00 episode)	CBS, Th	14.3
12	*Criminal Minds*	CBS, Wed	14.1
12	*Unforgettable*	CBS, Tue	14.1
14	*The Mentalist*	CBS, Th	13.6
15	*Castle*	ABC, Mon	13.3
15	*Person of Interest*	CBS, Th	13.3
17	*CSI*	CBS, Wed	12.7
18	*X Factor Results Show*	Fox, Th	12.5
18	*X Factor*	Fox Wed	12.5
20	*60 Minutes*	CBS, Sun	12.3

FALL 2011 TELEVISION SEASON PREVIEW

Written by USTownhall staff

Sunday, 04 September 2011 18:52

The Fall 2011 television season officially premieres on Monday, September 19, and the five networks are unveiling no less than 27 new series: 5 on first place network CBS, 7 on ABC, 6 on NBC, 5 on Fox, and 4 on The CW. Fall TV season is always brutal and the few that survive should always count themselves lucky.

Of the 23 series that premiered in September 2010, 17 have been canceled – some after just a handful of episodes were aired. The six returnees: Hawaii Five-O, Mike & Molly, Raising Hope, Nikita, Blue Bloods, and Body of Proof – three from CBS, and one each from ABC, FOX, and The CW. All of NBC's new shows from last September, including the much-hyped The Event, are gone. However, mid-season replacement Harry's Law performed strongly and is back for a second go-round.

Looking over the offerings, we see a few gems, but we think most of these series are rather uninspired and will die a quick death. Once again, we're seeing the continuation of hip, single camera comedies that tend to be neither hip nor funny. Other trends include some period dramas (Pan Am and The Playboy Club), fairy tales come to life (Grimm and Once Upon a Time), and that old chestnut, The Odd Couple (2 Broke Girls and How to Be a Gentleman).

MONDAY

MONDAY'S NEW SERIES

01_CBS_2_Broke_Girls_01-resize

(l-r) Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs [Photo Credit: CBS]

2 BROKE GIRLS

8:30pm • CBS • premieres September 19

Stars: Kat Dennings, Beth Behrs, Jonathan Kite, Garrett Morris, Matthew Moy

Premise: Think Laverne & Shirley in a diner. Odd couple Dennings (the tough/brash one) and Behrs (the girly/prissy one) work at a diner (in a shocking departure from the brewery) while trying to make their dreams come true by raising the money to start their own cupcake business. Sensibilities of the show will lean more toward crass one-liners than the broad physical comedy of Marshall and Williams, however.

Chances for survival: It's slotted between How I Met Your Mother and Two and a Half Men, so its success largely depends upon how well the two aging shows fare against ABC's powerhouse Dancing with the Stars and Fox's new adventure series Terra Nova not to mention how well America takes to Ashton Kutcher.

01_FOX_Terra_Nova_01-resize

Jason O'Mara (l) and cast of Terra Nova [Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting]

TERRA NOVA

8:00pm • FOX • premieres September 26

Stars: Jason O'Mara, Stephen Lang, Christine Adams, Shelley Conn, Mido Hamada, Landon Liboiron, Alana Mansour, Allison Miller, Naomi Scott

Premise: It's Jurassic Park in the Jurassic Age as the Shannon family travel back in time from the year 2049 to the prehistoric world of 85 million years ago in an effort to rebuild civilization. Hot on their trail are the terrorist "Sixers" determined to start civilization over their way, and a potential traitor in their ranks in the form of Commander Taylor (played by Stephen Lang).

Chances for survival: Produced by Stephen Spielberg (who has never really had much success with television), Terra Nova is ambitious, but will the dinosaur-filled world translate effectively on a television budget? Has a shot at success only because it's so different from anything else the networks are offering this season. Could build up a Lost-like cult following if the intrigue factor is kept high.

01_NBC_Playboy_Club_01-resize 01_NBC_Playboy_Club_02-resize

(l-r) Eddie Cibrian, Amber Heard [Photo Credit: NBC]

THE PLAYBOY CLUB

10:00pm • NBC • premieres September 19

Stars: Eddie Cibrian, Amber Heard, Naturi Naughton, David Krumholtz, Jenna Dewan, Laura Benanti, Leah Renee

Premise: Set in the world of the turbulent and transitional 1960s, politicians, mobsters, and entertainers all converge on the Playboy Club to rub shoulders and make backroom deals. Cibrian stars as Nick Dalton, a lawyer with political aspirations as well as ties to the Chicago underworld figures who frequent the exclusive club.

Chances for survival: Period dramas always have a rough go of it on network television and the time period is murder. Last season's Chase died a quick death on NBC up against Castle and Hawaii Five-O, and it's likely that The Playboy Club will follow suit against that same competition this year.

01_THECW_Hart_of_Dixie_01-resize

(l-r) Scott Porter, Jaime King, Rachel Bilson, Wilson Bethel, Cress Williams [Photo Credit: The CW]

HART OF DIXIE

9:00pm • The CW • premieres September 26

Stars: Rachel Bilson, Wilson Bethel, Scott Porter, Jaime King, Cress Williams

Premise: Southern Exposure. New York doctor (Bilson) leaves the Big Apple for a life down south in a town full of colorful and quirky stock television characters. Romantic element supplied by fellow New Yorker played by Friday Night Light's Scott Porter. Bilson is caught in a romantic comedy love triangle between Porter and his southern belle fiancée played by Jaime King.

Chances for survial: It's up against tough competition from all the other networks, but The CW tends to hang on to shows a lot longer than the big guys. If it can muster up just 2 million viewers a week, it has a shot.

MONDAY'S RETURNING SERIES:

ABC:

Dancing with the Stars [Season 13 premieres September 19]: The set we've seen for the past 6 years (and 12 seasons) has undergone a massive multimillion dollar overhaul. Among the new features are a movable orchestra area and staircases and tiered seating that will now accommodate a studio audience of up to 750 people. Overall, the set will now look more like a traditional opera house. This season, three-time winner Derek Hough returns to the series and Maxim Chmerkovskiy's brother Valentin joins the cast as a regular. As far as the celebrity contestants, they will be: David Arquette (paired with Kym Johnson), Chaz Bono (with Lacey Schwimmer), Elisabetta Canalis (with Valentin Chmerkovskiy), Kristin Cavallari (with Mark Ballas), Nancy Grace (with Tristan MacManus), Rob Kardashian (with Cheryl Burke), Carson Kressley (with Anna Trebunskaya), Ricki Lake (with Derek Hough), J.R. Martinez (with Karina Smirnoff), Chynna Phillips (with Tony Dovolani), Hope Solo (with Maksim Chmerkovskiy), and Metta World Peace (with Peta Murgatroyd).

Castle [Season 4 premieres September 19]: At the end of Season 3, Captain Montgomery sacrificed his life to save Detective Beckett after it was revealed that Montgomery was involved in the conspiracy regarding the killing of Beckett's mother. At Montgomery's funeral, Beckett (Stana Katic) was shot and Castle (played by Nathan Fillion) revealed his true feelings to her. Beckett survives, of course, and the relationship between her and Castle moves to a new level. Penny Johnson Jerald joins the cast as Captain Montgomery's replacement, a hard-nosed character nicknamed "Iron Gates."

CBS:

How I Met Your Mother [Season 7 premieres September 19]: At the end of Season 6, the series flashed foward to the wedding day of Barney (played by Neil Patrick Harris). In the present, Robin realized she still had feelings for Barney and Lily (Alyson Hannigan) told Marshall that she was pregnant. Whom will Barney marry? Robin, his girlfriend Nora, or someone else? This season will follow Barney on that journey while Robin seeks therapy and begins a relationship with her therapist, played by Kal Penn. Meanwhile, Ted (Josh Radnor) is still looking for "the one" who will end up being the Mother of the series title and it has been promised that Ted will meet her at Barney's wedding, which will happen in the show's final season (likely Season 8 beginning September 2012).

Two and a Half Men [Season 9 premieres September 19]: At the end of Season 8, Charlie Harper (played by Charlie Sheen) flew to Paris to propose to his girlfriend, Rose. As Season 9 opens, Charlie has died under mysteriouis circumstances and Internet billionaire Walden Schmidt buys Charlie's Malibu beach house and convinces Alan and Jake (Jon Cryer and Angus T. Jones) to stay. Making return appearances this season will be Courtney Thorne-Smith as Lyndsey and Jenny McCarthy as Courtney. Judy Greer joins the cast as Bridget, Schmidt's soon-to-be-ex-wife. Everyone involved with the show promises that it will remain as raunchy and offensive as ever.

Mike & Molly [Season 2 premieres September 26]: In the first season finalé, Mike proposed to Molly. In the new season, we follow the couple as they make wedding plans, and we meet more of their extended families. However, will Mike and Molly actually make it down the aisle?

Hawaii Five-O [Season 2 premieres September 19]: At the end of the first season, McGarrett (played by Alex O'Laughlin) was framed for murder and Five-O was no more. In Season 2, the members of the team will find their way back to each other after going through some tough times. Kono (played by Grace Park) will be featured in a five-episode arc where she tries to regain her badge after having been arrested for theft at the end of Season 1. We'll also be introduced to new members of Danny's (played by Scott Caan) family. This year's season-long arc will be a mystery that will involve McGarrett's deceased father and Wo Fat.

FOX:

House [Season 8 premieres October 3]: At the end of Season 7, House crashed his car into Dr. Cuddy's living room after seeing her with her new boyfriend through the window. Season 8 picks up a year later and begins with House in jail, but he gets released on parole with the condition that he continues to practice medicine. Lisa Edelstein, who played Dr. Cuddy has departed the series, and Odette Yustman will join the cast as Dr. Jessica Adams who works at the prison where House is incarcerated.

NBC:

The Sing-Off [Season 3 premieres September 19]: The hit series featuring a capella singing groups that aired over the holidays for the last two years is back with an expanded season of 11 two-hour episodes that begin in September rather than its traditional Thanksgiving to Christmas run. Other changes include a new judge, Sara Bareilles, joining returnees Ben Folds, Shawn Stockman, and series host Nick Lachey. Nicole Scherzinger jumps ship to join Simon Cowell's X Factor.

THE CW:

Gossip Girl [Season 5 premieres September 26]: At the end of Season 4, one of the girls was revealed to be pregnant. Which one? You will know by the end of the Season 5 premiere. Producers promise that this season will be lighter in tone and that, now that the kids are almost 21, stories will be a bit more adult than in the past. Elizabeth Hurley joins the cast in a recurring role as Diana Payne, a media mogul that will become mixed up in the lives of our favorite dysfunctional socialites.

MONDAY'S PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	Dancing with the Stars				Castle
CBS	How I Met Your Mother	2 Broke Girls	Two and a Half Men	Mike & Molly	Hawaii Five-O
FOX	Terra Nova		House		Local
NBC	The Sing-Off				The Playboy Club
THE CW	Gossip Girl		Hart of Dixie		Local

TUESDAY

TUESDAY'S NEW SERIES

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Tim Allen & Nancy Travis with cast of Last Man Standing [Photo Credit: ABC]

LAST MAN STANDING

8:00pm • ABC • premieres October 11

Stars: Tim Allen, Nancy Travis, Kaitlyn Dever, Hector Elizando, Molly Ephraim

Premise: Tim Allen's back in a family comedy that's not too different in tone from his Home Improvement hit. His three kids are now female, but Tim's character, Mike Baxter, is still a guy's guy who likes being just that.

Chances for survival: Allen is a proven hit commodity, but Standing is up against TV's highest-rated drama, NCIS. Further, it's paired with the similar-themed, but weaker Man Up! so a strong competing one hour block isn't there for ABC to steal viewers away from NCIS or Fox's Glee. Hopefully, ABC will give it a full season to find an audience and pair it with a better companion once it inevitably dumps Man Up!

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Cast of Man Up! [Photo Credit: ABC]

MAN UP!

8:30pm • ABC • premieres October 18

Stars: Christopher Moynihan, Dan Fogler, Mather Zickel, Amanda Detmer, Teri Polo, Henry Simmons

Premise: Three buddies try to reclaim their manhood in the post-Alpha male 21st century.

Chances for survival: Slim to none. Narrow premise, weak pilot, and lack of name actors in the cast will doom this unfunny series to a quick cancellation.

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Poppy Montgomery (l) stars with Dylan Walsh (far right) in Unforgettable [Photo Credit: CBS]

UNFORGETTABLE

10:00pm • CBS • premieres September 20

Stars: Poppy Montgomery, Dylan Walsh, Michael Gaston, Kevin Rankin, Daya Valdya

Premise: Without a Trace's Poppy Montgomery takes center stage in a new procedural playing a homicide detective who is gifted/cursed with Superior Autobiographical Memory – the total recall of everything she's ever seen or experienced. She works alongside her ex-boyfriend, played by Dylan Walsh, to solve the case of the week as well as piece together the one event she can't remember – the murder of her sister when they were children. Taxi's Marilu Henner, one of six Americans who actually have Superior Autobiographical Memory, is onboard the series as a consultant.

Chances for survival: If scripts get stronger and the character interplay between Montgomery and Walsh sparks, this could be one of the hit dramas of the season.

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(l-r) Lamorne Morris, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Zooey Deschanel [Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting]

NEW GIRL

8:30pm • FOX • premieres September 20

Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Max Greenfield, Jake Johnson, Lamore Morris, Hannah Simone

Premise: After getting dumped by her boyfriend, Deschanel's character Jess moves in with three roommates – all guys – who try to offer their insights into the dating scene, how guys think, and life in general. However, Jess, cute but socially awkward, finds herself attracted to one of her three new big brothers.

Chances for survival: Deschanel, an established movie actress and the younger sister of Bones' Emily Deschanel, makes her weekly series debut here in a comedy that tries way too hard to be hip and "now," but never actually succeeds at being funny. Deschanel has appeal to spare and the awkward-female-finding-her-way bit has worked on TV since the Mary Tyler Moore Show, but the dialogue and situations are just groan-inducing.

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Above: Sarah Michelle Gellar [Photo Credit: The CW]

RINGER

9:00pm • The CW • premieres September 13

Stars: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ioan Gruffudd, Nestor Carbonell, Mike Colter, Kristoffer Polaha, Tara Summers

Premise: Fan favorite actress Sarah Michelle Gellar returns to series television as twins Bridget and Siobhan. Bridget, on the run rather than testify at a murder trial, assumes the identity of her missing twin sister Siobhan, a New York City socialite. However, Bridget discovers that her twin's seemingly perfect life is full of its own secrets, danger, and soap operatic intrigue. Along for the rollercoaster ride are Ioan Gruffudd as Siobhan's husband, Kristoffer Polaha as Siobhan's lover, and Nestor Carbonell as an FBI agent. Can Bridget dodge those out to kill her and convince everyone that she is her own sister? And what exactly happened to the sister anyway?

Chances for survival: Originally developed for CBS before it was decided that it was more compatible with the younger-skewing CW. Gellar, now in her 30s, is a little bit older than the typical CW character, but her Buffy fans will undoubtedly give this a shot and the intriguing premise may just keep them tuning in for the long haul.

TUESDAY'S RETURNING SERIES:

ABC:

Dancing with the Stars Results Show [Season 13 premieres September 20] : With Last Man Standing and Man Up! both premiering in October, expect to see the DWTS Results Show or specials take up the 8-9pm timeslot until then. Then expect the actual results to be announced at 9:57pm.

Body of Proof [Season 2 premieres September 20]: Season 1 was supposed to begin in November 2010, but then was postponed until midseason. This time, Dana Delany's medical drama begins during premiere week. In this season, romance is in the air for Delany's character Megan Hunt as she has a fling with an FBI agent with a promise of another big romance further along. Nathalie Kelley from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift joins the cast as Dani, the driver of Megan's medical examiner van who drives her male co-workers wild. The romance between Megan's ex-husband and her boss heats up, which causes strife in both Megan's personal and professional lives.

CBS:

NCIS [Season 9 premieres September 20]: This season, Cote de Pablo's character, ex-Mossad agent Ziva David, becomes an official team member. Also, Tony DiNozzo is still on the case trying to uncover a mole – an assignment he got at the end of last season by the Secretary of the Navy, who will be a key player in the drama this season. Scott Wolf, fresh off ABC's canceled V reboot, joins the cast as an FBI agent, while Jamie Lee Curtis is on board as a potential love interest for Mark Harmon's character. Other returnees and new faces include Robert Wagner, Ralph Waite, Sarah Jane Morris, and Enrique Murciano. Expect to see Muse Watson's character Mike Franks pop up during the season in some capacity despite having been killed off last year.

NCIS: Los Angeles [Season 3 premieres September 20]: At the end of Season 2, the NCIS: LA team raced to Romania on a mission to rescue Linda Hunt's character Hettie Lange. Hettie gets shot, and while she's in recovery, Lauren Hunter will continue to fill in. During the season, we'll get to know more about Chris O'Donnell's character, G. Callen, than has been revealed thus far – but still not what the "G" stands for. LL Cool J gets a spotlight story arc during November sweeps. Also be on the lookout for a possible crossover with Hawaii Five-O as Kensi Blye, played by actress Daniela Ruah, visits the gang in LA.

FOX:

Glee [Season 3 premieres September 20]: Much of the drama surrounding this series actually took place behind the scenes over the summer as series creator Ryan Murphy made some comments that lit up the Internet stating that some main cast members including Lea Michele, Cory Monteith, and Chris Colfer would all be departing by season's end as their characters graduated high school. Fans were shocked and disapointed, and some of the actors voiced surprise as well because they were not previously told that they would be let go. Since the debacle, Murphy and the other producers have kept quiet on this season's developments, but rumors have started to circulate that the departing cast members would actually be heading toward a spinoff series.

Raising Hope [Season 2 premieres September 20]: On this very competitive night, Fox's quirky family comedy returns with single dad Jimmy Chance (Lucas Neff) becoming a slightly more competent and confident father. Stories this season involve the Chance clan taking a Vegas road trip. Also, Cloris Leachman enjoys an expanded role this season as a series regular.

NBC:

The Biggest Loser [Season 12 premieres September 20]: In this season, overweight people will compete to see who will lose the most weight. Not exactly tampering with the formula, here, but in this season, tennis pro Anna Kournikova joins the cast replacing trainer Jillian Michaels. She'll join returnee Bob Harper as well as celebrity trainer Dolvett Quince in putting this season's crop of contestants through their paces..

Parenthood [Season 3 premieres September 13]: Getting an early jump on the competition, Parenthood begins its new season a week ahead of this fall's official premiere week. In this season, Adam (Peter Krause) agrees to become business partners with his brother Crosby (Dax Shepard) in a recording studio, which will play host to musician Cee Lo Green guest starring as himself in an episode. Other goings-on in the Braverman family include Julia (Erika Christensen) makes plans to adopt a baby; Sarah (Lauren Graham) resumes her relationship with Jason Ritter's character now that The Event has been canceled. Ritter will be appearing in much of this season. Adding to Sarah's complicated love life will be the return of her ex-boyfriend Seth. Crosby and Jasmine struggle to co-exist and co-parent their son in spite of having broken up as a couple. It doesn't help matters when Jasmine starts dating her child's pediatrician.

THE CW:

90210 [Season 4 premieres September 13]: Just as in the original series, the kids of the reboot graduated high school at the end of Season 3. After being made a series regular last season, actor Trevor Donovan goes back to recurring status, which means that his character of Teddy Montgomery, who came out of the closet last year, will be seen a lot less. Three new characters will be added to the cast including Navid's 17 year-old sister. With the kids older, expect less focus on parents and teachers and more on musical beds, mirroring the original series' storyline trajectory.

TUESDAY'S PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	Last Man Standing	Man Up!	Dancing with the Stars Results Show		Body of Proof
CBS	NCIS		NCIS: Los Angeles		Unforgettable
FOX	Glee		The New Girl	Raising Hope	Local
NBC	The Biggest Loser				Parenthood
THE CW	90210		Ringer		Local

WEDNESDAY

WEDNESDAY'S NEW SERIES

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Above: Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, and the cast of Suburgatory [Photo Credit: ABC]

SUBURGATORY

8:30pm • ABC • premieres September 28

Stars: Jeremy Sisto, Jane Levy, Carly Chaikin, Allie Grant, Cheryl Hines, Alan Tudyk

Premise: New Yorkers George and his daughter Tessa (Sisto, Levy) pack up and head for the quiet of the suburbs but discover that life in the 'burbs is about competing to keep up with the latest trends and can be just as stress-inducing as life in the big city.

Chances for survival: Sisto and Levy are solid – Levy in particular may prove to be a breakout – and this series is a more suitable companion piece to ABC's Wednesday night comedy lineup than last season's Better With You was.

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Above: Emily Van Camp with the cast of Revenge [Photo Credit: ABC]

REVENGE

10:00pm • ABC • premieres September 21

Stars: Emily Van Camp, Christa B. Allen, Josh Bowman, Henry Czerny, Ashley Madekwe, Gabriel Mann, Connor Paolo, Madeline Stowe, James Tupper, Nick Wechsler

Premise: In a somewhat-distaff version of The Count of Monte Cristo, Emily Thorne (played by Van Camp) enters the upper crust of The Hamptons, the uber-wealthy Long Island community, in order to get, as the title says, revenge on those who were responsible for destroying her father when she was a child.

Chances for survival: It's been awhile since a nighttime soap became a hit on the major networks, and we're not convinced that this entry will be any different. However, with Desperate Housewives on its way out, ABC might be willing to stick with it to see if it can build enough of an audience to be a potential replacement. If it shows any promise, ABC would be wise to move it to a different night.

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(l-r) Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell [Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting]

THE X FACTOR

8:00pm • FOX • premieres September 21

Stars: Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, Antonio "L.A" Reid, Nicole Scherzinger, Steve Jones

Premise: Unless you've been living under a rock, you already know the drill: Simon Cowell brings his hit UK series to America and reunites with ex-Idol panelist Paula Abdul. X Factor distinguishes itself from Idol in a few important ways: there is no upper age limit to the contestants, and they can be as young as 12. Also, solo acts will be competing against groups. Finally, the four judges will take a more active role in mentoring the contestants before the finalists are chosen to compete for America's votes. At stake: the largest cash prize of any reality competition series – a cool five million dollars.

Chances for survival: Simon and Paula have a love/hate relationship that is irresistable to watch, so many will be tuning in just for that. However, we think that the personal stories of the hopefuls will also grab viewers and make them come back each week. Fox always takes the ratings crown during the January through May period when Idol airs, but X Factor may be enough to give them the title all year round.

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(l-r) Katie Finneran, Jaime Pressly [Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting]

I HATE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER

9:30pm • FOX • premieres November 30

Stars: Jaime Pressly, Katie Finneran, Chad L. Coleman, Aisha Dee, Kristi Lauren, Kevin Rahm, Eric Sheffer Stevens

Premise: Two moms commiserate about raising their somewhat obnoxious teenage daughters. It doesn't help that their kids remind them of the girls who used to bully them in high school.

Chances for survival: Fox always seems to struggle to find a hit show to follow American Idol, and it looks like they'll have the same problem with X Factor. This sitcom lacks heart, which will likely seal its fate rather quickly.

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(l-r) Will Arnett, Christina Appelgate [Photo Credit: NBC]

UP ALL NIGHT

8:00pm • NBC • premieres September 14

Stars: Christina Appelgate, Will Arnett, Nick Cannon, Maya Rudolph

Premise: Thirtysomething couple has baby, which upends their lives and wreaks havoc on their social, personal, and professional lives.

Chances for survival: Super-appealing cast and bright writing elevate this sitcom above its unoriginal premise. However, the competition is murder as it must find an audience among fans who are already watching Survivor, X Factor, and The Middle. Likely won't last the season without a timeslot change.

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(l-r) Hank Azaria, Kathryn Hahn [Photo Credit: NBC]

FREE AGENTS

8:30pm • NBC • premieres September 14

Stars: Hank Azaria, Kathryn Hahn, Anthony Head, Natasha Leggero, Joe LoTruglio, Al Madrigal, Mo Mandel

Premise: Middle-aged co-workers take a second shot at romance by entering into a relationship in this cyncial romantic sitcom adapted from the British hit.

Chances for survival: Not very good as sitcom characters generally have to be more likeable to succeed on American television, Seinfeld aside.

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Above: Mario Lopez [Photo Credit: The CW]

H8R

8:00pm • The CW • premieres September 14

Stars: Mario Lopez

Premise: Host Mario Lopez brings together celebrities (really D-list reality stars for the most part) together with online bloggers who trash them to see what happens when they meet face-to-face.

Chances for survival: On a regular network, this wouldn't last past one episode, but The CW is so starved for programming that this cheap-to-produce series may just run ten years.

WEDNESDAY'S RETURNING SERIES:

ABC:

The Middle [Season 3 premieres September 21]: The Middle kicks off ABC's Wednesday night with a one-hour premiere that reunites star Patricia Heaton with her Everybody Loves Raymond husband, Ray Romano. In a flashback sequence, to Frankie (Heaton) and Mike's (Neil Flynn) honeymoon, Romano's character, Nicky, intrudes on the newlyweds.

Modern Family [Season 3 premieres September 21]: Mitchell and Cameron (Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet) decide to have another child and will explore whether to adopt or use a surrogate. Elsewhere, Phil and Claire's oldest child becomes a high school senior. The season premiere will be a one-hour special that finds the entire family taking a trip to a dude ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Happy Endings [Season 2 premieres September 28]: A surprise renewal from ABC brought this quirky, single-camera comedy back from cancellation and forced star Damon Wayans Jr. to leave his new role in Zooey Deschanel's New Girl after the pilot to return to Endings. This season won't reinvent the sitcom so much as refine and refocus on what worked best for the series – following the lives of these six dysfunctional twenty-somethings. In the premiere, the gang marks the one-year anniversary of the non-wedding of Dave and Alex (Zachary Knighton, Elisha Cuthbert). Also look for guest star Megan Mullally (Will and Grace) as Penny's mother, which will allow us to gain insight into Penny's super-optimistic character.

CBS:

Survivor [Season 23 premieres September 14]: In this competition round, the sixteen new castaways head to the South Pacific island of Upolu, Somoa to try to outwit, outplay, and outlast each other to become this season's survivor and the winner of the $1 million grand prize. Redemption Island, introduced in the last season, will return. Also returning are two former contestants, Benjamin "Coach" Wade (from Season 18's Tocantins and Season 20's Heroes vs. Villains) and Ozzy Lusth (from Season 13's Cook Island and Season 16's Micronesia: Fans vs. Favorites). Among the new players is Brandon Hantz, who is the nephew of Russell Hantz one of the more notorious "villains" of the series. Brandon is seeking to redeem the Hantz family name.

Criminal Minds [Season 7 premieres September 21]: The cast is being restored back to where it was after adverse fan reaction to changes that were made. Gone is Ashley Seaver (actress Rachel Nichols did not have her contract renewed for this season) and back are Emily Prentiss (who, apparantly, did not die last season after all), portrayed by Paget Brewster, and JJ Jareau (actress AJ Cook). Producers promise that the return of Emily Prentiss will be handled plausibly with the character having faked her death and gone on the run after having escaped from her kidnapper, Ian Doyle, an old Interpol nemesis. Well, that's plausible for this type of show.

CSI: Crime Scene Investigation [Season 12 premieres September 21]: Major changes are in store for this long-running series that kicked off the CSI franchise. For one thing, the show gets booted from its familiar timeslot of Thursdays at 9pm in favor of Jim Caviezel's new series, Person of Interest. Also, star Laurence Fishburne has departed, and Ted Danson joins the cast as DB Russell, a well-adjusted family man who will bring a new sense of balance and stability to the show. Marg Helgenberger and her character Catherine Willows will depart the series in January and the stories for the first half of the season will be leading up to that. However, producers aren't keen on killing the character off, which may lead to return appearances in the future if Helgenberger is willing.

NBC:

Harry's Law [Season 2 premieres September 21]: With the cancellation of Fox's Human Target, star Mark Valley joins the cast of this David E. Kelley legal drama headlined by Oscar-winner Kathy Bates. Valley previously worked for Kelley on Private Practice and will now play Oliver Richard, an attorney who was in Harry's old law firm. Oliver seeks out Harry's assistance with a murder case featuring guest-star Alfred Molina for a three-episode arc. Following that, Oliver joins Harry's shoe store law firm for good.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit [Season 13 premieres September 21]: Series star Christopher Meloni departed the cast at the end of Season 12 when he was unable to come to new contract terms with the show. Mariska Hargitay carries on alone, but reportedly with a reduced, more supervisory role, in the stories. Kelli Giddish (star of last season's Chase) and Danny Pino (of Cold Case) join the cast as new lead detectives, Amanda Rollins and Nick Amaro. L&O's trademark "ripped from the headlines" stories will continue, of course, with a story about a foreign dignitary accused of raping a hotel maid. Guest stars this season include Andre Braugher, TR Knight, Kyle MacLachlan, and Dan Lauria, among others. Also look for more screen time for series regulars Richard Belzer, Ice-T, and Dann Florek. Returning for occassional visits are Diane Neal (ADA Casey Novak) and Stephanie March (ADA Alexandra Cabot). Crossing over from the original L&O series is Linus Roache as Bureau Chief Executive ADA Michael Cutter.

THE CW:

America's Next Top Model [Season 17 premieres September 14]: This cycle will be an all-stars version with all fourteen contestants having appeared in prior seasons: Shannon Ratliff (Cycle 1), Camille McDonald (Cycle 2), Brittany Brower (Cycle 4), Lisa D'Amato (Cycle 5), Bre Scullark (Cycle 5), Bianca Golden (Cycle 9), Dominique Reighard (Cycle 10), Isis King (Cycle 11), Sheena Sakai (Cycle 11), Allison Harvard (Cycle 12), Laura Kirkpatrick (Cycle 13), Angelea Preston (Cycle 14), Kayla Ferrel (Cycle 15), Alexandria Everett (Cycle 16). In addition to the standard modeling competitions, there will be a focus on the fame aspect of the modeling industry as each of the fourteen have become known to the fans and public since their appearances on the series. Competitions will include making a music video with rapper Game, changing up their look with singer Ashlee Simpson, and a Michael Jackson inspired photo shoot mentored by Jackson's sister LaToya.

WEDNESDAY'S PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	The Middle	Suburgatory	Modern Family	Happy Endings	Revenge
CBS	Survivor: South Pacific		Criminal Minds		CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
FOX	The X-Factor			I Hate My Teenage Daughter	Local
NBC	Up All Night	Free Agents	Harry's Law		Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
THE CW	H8R		America's Next Top Model: All-Stars		Local

THURSDAY

THURSDAY'S NEW SERIES

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(l-r) Rachael Taylor, Minka Kelly, Annie Ilonzeh [Photo Credit: ABC]

CHARLIE'S ANGELS

8:00pm • ABC • premieres September 22

Stars: Minka Kelly, Annie Ilonzeh, Rachel Taylor, Ramón Rodriguez

Premise: "Once upon a time, there were three beautiful girls..." You know the drill. Except that this time the three angels (Abby, Eve, Kate) and Bosley had all run afoul of the law and fell from grace. Charlie took them away from all that, and now they work for him in this reboot helmed by Smallville's Al Gough and Miles Millar. Drew Barrymore, who brought the franchise to the big screen is also on board the series as an Executive Producer.

Chances for survival: Pretty good if the series proves to be as fun as the original. It's up against both the X Factor results show and The Big Bang Theory, so the chemistry of the leads really has to be there. Not to mention tons of eye-candy moments.

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(l-r) David Hornsby, Kevin Dillon [Photo Credit: CBS]

HOW TO BE A GENTLEMAN

8:30pm • CBS • premieres September 29

Stars: Kevin Dillon, David Hornsby, Rhys Darby, Dave Foley, Nancy Lenehan, Mary Lynn Rajskub

Premise: The ever-dependable odd couple template gets another workout when a prissy magazine columnist becomes roommates with the boorish guy who bullied him in high school as Dillon's character offers his help to help make the magazine more "manly."

Chances for survival: Gentleman has a dream timeslot in that it follows The Big Bang Theory. If the writing is there, this could be another top 10 hit. However, the ratings really must hold up and not fall too far from Theory's lead in. Last season's $#*! My Dad Says was given the heave-ho despite being a top 30 series, and buzz on Gentleman's pilot was not good.

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Above: Jim Caviezel [Photo Credit: CBS]

PERSON OF INTEREST

9:00pm • CBS • premieres September 22

Stars: Jim Caviezel, Michael Emerson, Taraji P. Henson

Premise: In this new crime drama, the post-9/11 world of heightened security and heightened paranoia are explored as two men head up of team of vigilantes who try to stop violent crimes before they happen by spying on the persons of interest through the use of a suveillance project the head of the team once created for the government. Caviezel plays an ex-CIA agent who has fallen on hard times, become homeless, and is searching for a new purpose in life. Enter Michael Emerson's character, an eccentric billionaire with secrets of his own, who created the aforementioned surveillance system and can still tap into it. He recruits Caviezel to be his foot soldier in his private war on crime. This series will have both an ongoing mythology that will be revealed slowly over the course of the series – JJ Abrams of Lost is one of the creators of this series – as well as a case of the week that will be resolved by the end of each episode.

Chances for survival: Excellent. It occupies the golden timelost formerly held by CSI for the last decade and is one of the fall's most anticipated series along with NBC's Prime Suspect. The backstories and relationships between the characters are full of mystery and intrigue that will surely keep viewers hooked. Will likely be the highest-rated new series of the season.

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Britt Robertson (c) and the cast of The Secret Circle [Photo Credit: THE CW]

THE SECRET CIRCLE

9:00pm • The CW • premieres September 15

Stars: Britt Robertson, Thomas Dekker, Ashley Crow, Gale Harold, Shelly Henning, Natasha Henstridge, Louis Hunter, Jessica Parker Kennedy, Phoebe Jane Tonkin

Premise: Robertson stars as Cassie Blake who, after being orphaned, moves to Washington to live with her grandmother. It isn't long before she discovers that she's descended from Salem withes and joins with other magical teens in their coven. In a departure from most series of this type, the teens are not living secret lives behind the backs of their clueless parents. The grown ups are also part of the magical action and the struggle between good and evil that surrounds Cassie.

Chances for survival: Very good. Off the success of author LJ Smith's The Vampire Diaries series of books, The CW optioned Circle, another LJ Smith series. Like Diaries, The Secret Circle will be helmed by Kevin Williamson.

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(l-r) Chris D'Elia, Whitney Cummings [Photo Credit: NBC]

WHITNEY

9:30pm • NBC • premieres September 22

Stars: Whitney Cummings, Chris D'Elia

Premise: Cummings brings her stand up routine to the sitcom format in this comedy that mirrors her real-life take on relationships.

Chance for survival: Iffy. Viewers who know Cummings are used to her being a whole lot more raunchy than she will be here on network prime time, and the viewers who don't know her may find themselves unimpressed by these watered-down anecdotes. Also, it's the only show on NBC's Thursday night comedy block to use a laugh track, which makes it seem markedly out of place.

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(l-r) Maria Bello, Aidan Quinn [Photo Credit: NBC]

PRIME SUSPECT

10:00pm • NBC • premieres September 22

Stars: Maria Bello, Kirk Acevedo, Peter Gerety, Tim Griffin, Damon Gupton, Joe Nieves, Brian F. O'Byrne, Aidan Quinn

Premise: One of the more anticipated new series of the new season, Prime Suspect is an American adaptation of the venerable British hit and stars Maria Bello in the Helen Mirren role. Bello's Jane Timoney has to navigate both the male-dominated New York City homicide squad as well as her own chaos-filled private life.

Chances for survival: Up against CBS's hit The Mentalist and ABC's Private Practice, Prime Suspect may fall squarely in the middle, ratings-wise, which should be enough to keep it on the schedule and get it renewed for a second season. The Mentalist still has plenty of juice left, while Private Practice – never as big a hit as its Grey's Anatomy lead-in – will likely prove little competition for Suspect.

THURSDAY'S RETURNING SERIES:

ABC:

Grey's Anatomy [Season 8 premieres September 22]: This season will mark a turning point for the series as the contracts of all the original cast members will come up for renewal at season's end. Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shepherd) has already stated that this season would be his last, but then later partially backpedalled. This season's storylines concern Meredith Grey (Ellen Pompeo) and Shepherd's trying to rebuild their relationship after last season's separation and their adoption efforts falling apart. Christina Yang (played by Sandra Oh) is still facing an unwanted pregancy and the possibility of getting an abortion. We'll find out at the end of the season premiere what her decision is. On the less tumultuous side of things, Callie and Arizona (Sara Ramirez, Jessica Capshaw) are enjoying being newlyweds and new mommies. Eric Dane's Mark Sloan, the baby's biological father, will be involved in storylines away from Callie.

Private Practice [Season 5 premieres September 29]: Storylines this season include Kate Walsh's Addison trying to conceive a child with the help of new cast member Benjamin Bratt, who plays fertility doctor Jake Reilly. Addison and Sam (Taye Diggs) continue their relationship discreetly, but will Addison want him to be the father of her baby? Pete (Tim Daly) recovers from his heart attack while Violet (Amy Brenneman) is away on a book tour leading to some anger issues for Pete. Naomi (Audra McDonald) departed for New York at the end of Season 4 to be with Dr. Gabriel Fife, but will make some guest appearances this season.

CBS:

The Big Bang Theory [Season 5 premieres September 22]: TV's favorite nerds move forward with their romantic entaglements this season as Penny (Kaley Cuoco), who still loves Leonard (Johnny Galecki) ended up drunk and in bed with Raj (Kunal Nayyar), but did they actually go all the way? We'll find out in the season premiere. Meanwhile, Leonard continues his relationship with Priya, in spite of the fact that she returned to India, via Skype. Don't count on Sheldon losing his virginity this season as his and Amy's (Mayim Bialik) relationship doesn't appear to be headed in that direction. She is still his girl-friend, but not his girlfriend. Howard and Bernadette are engaged and planning their wedding, but will they actually make it down the aisle?

The Mentalist [Season 4 premieres September 22]: Season 4 picks up directly after the Season 3 cliffhanger in which Simon Baker's Patrick Jane killed his ongoing nemesis, Red John, a serial killer who murdered his wife and daughter years earlier. Jane is arrested and put in jail with bail set at $1 million. Jane is found not guilty by the jury as he tries to prove that the man he killed was indeed Red John, but was he? This season, the entire CBI team had been disbanded and reassigned in the wake of the Red John fiasco, but Jane will attempt to bring his team back together while working with a new team in the meantime.

FOX:

Bones [Season 7 premieres November 3]: At the end of the previous season, the will-they-won't-they storyline had been resolved – they did. To accommodate star Emily Deschanel's real-life pregnancy, her character Bones will also be pregnant. However, the odd couple relationship between her and Booth (David Boreanaz) will not soften as living arrangements and different ideas on parenting will continue to cause the two to butt heads. A new villain arrives this season in the form of a tech-savvy killer confined to his home due to an ankle bracelet, but who still manages to keep the team on its toes. Look for Ralph Waite to make return appearances this season as Booth's grandfather as Booth suffers a great personal loss.

NBC:

Community [Season 3 premieres September 22]: Despite extremely poor ratings (it's second season was ranked #115 overall and had fewer than 4.5 million viewers per episode on average), Community is back for another season. John Goodman joins the cast as the Vice Dean of Greendale's Community College. Elsewhere, Ken Jeong's character joins campus security putting the rageaholic ex-professor in a position of power, and Abed and Troy (Danny Pudi and Donald Glover) move in together, and we see the follow up of the kiss between Abed and Annie (Alison Brie).

Parks and Recreation [Season 4 premieres September 22]: Like Community, Parks and Recreation is another critical darling that keeps getting low ratings and keeps getting renewed. It's previous season was ranked right behind Community at #116. At the end of Season 3, star Amy Poehler's Leslie Knope had a big decision to make: running for office or exposing her secret romance with her boss, played by Adam Scott. Poehler promises that Leslie will make her decision in the season premiere. Tom (Aziz Ansari) quit his job with the city to form an entertainment company with his friend, but is having a difficult time getting it off the ground and signing clients. Actress Patricia Clarkson has been cast as Ron's (Nick Offerman) first ex-wife, Tammy I.

The Office [Season 8 premieres September 22]: James Spader's Robert California joins the cast as Dunder Mifflin Sabre's new CEO after being introduced in the Season 7 finale. It remains to be seen whether viewers will take to Spader in the wake of Steve Carell's departure – much more low key than the Charlie Sheen debacle over at Two and a Half Men, but no less important as far as NBC is concerned. The Office, despite middling ratings is one of its crown jewels and as long as ratings stay steady, expect this critical darling to be a slam dunk for renewal.

THE CW:

The Vampire Diaries [Season 3 premieres September 15]: The season picks up with Stefan (Paul Wesley) having been forced to drink human blood by Klaus (Joseph Morgan) and join with him in exchange for obtaining some of Klaus's blood to save Damon (Ian Somerhalder), Stefan's brother. When Damon and Stefan's girl, Elena (Nina Dobrev), go off to find Stefan, Elena is revealed to Klaus as still being alive. Circumstances force Damon to take on a more heroic role as he has to protect Elena and rescue Stefan, but Damon will struggle with this and his dark side will not be kept at bay for long. Simmering feelings between Damon and Elena threaten to surface while Stefan is out of the picture.

THURSDAY'S PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	Charlie's Angels		Grey's Anatomy		Private Practice
CBS	The Big Bang Theory	How to Be a Gentleman	Person of Interest		The Mentalist
FOX	The X Factor Results Show		Bones		Local
NBC	Community	Parks and Recreation	The Office	Whitney	Prime Suspect
THE CW	The Vampire Diaries		The Secret Circle		Local

FRIDAY

FRIDAY'S NEW SERIES

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Above: Patrick Wilson [Photo Credit: CBS]

A GIFTED MAN

8:00pm • CBS • premieres September 23

Stars: Patrick Wilson, Jennifer Ehle, Rachelle Lefevre, Margo Martindale, Pablo Schreber

Premise: Wilson portrays Dr. MIchael Holt, a gifted – and abrasive – neurosurgeon who begins to receive visits from the ghost of his recently deceased ex-wife, Anna, who had been working at a free health clinic. Anna seeks to help Michael become a better person and rediscover his humanity by having him care for the economically disadvantaged patients she left behind.

Chances for survival: If it can attract the same audience as The Ghost Whisperer or Medium did on Fridays in their heydays, then this series has a chance.

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(l-r) David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby [Photo Credit: NBC]

GRIMM

9:00pm • NBC • premieres October 21

Stars: David Giuntoli, Russell Hornsby, Reggie Lee, Sasha Rolz, Bitsie Tulloch, Silas Weir Mitchell

Premise: Giuntoli stars as Nick Burkhardt, a descendant of the Brothers Grimm and a homicide detective for the Portland police department. Turns out those Grimm Fairy Tales weren't just stories – they were written in that style to serve as cryptic warnings of the creatures and monsters that really do exist. Burkhardt has the power to detect these creatures as they interact with everyday society in human form. Each week's episode is a police procedural riff on a classic fairy tale – for example, the pilot is a takeoff on the story of "Little Red Riding Hood."

Chances for survial: Likely not very good considering it's on Friday nights – typically a low ratings night for television – and is up against CSI: NY. Also, Fox's Fringe and The CW's Supernatural are already splitting the scifi/fantasy audience in that timeslot.

FRIDAY'S RETURNING SERIES: (details coming soon)

ABC:

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition [Season 9 premieres Sunday, September 25]:

20/20 [Season 35 premieres September 23]:

CBS:

CSI: NY [Season 8 premieres September 23]:

Blue Bloods [Season 2 premieres September 23]:

FOX:

Kitchen Nightmares [Season 5 premieres September 23]

Fringe [Season 4 premieres September 23]:

NBC:

Chuck [Season 5 premieres October 21]:

Dateline NBC [Season 20 premieres September 23]:

THE CW:

Nikita [Season 2 premieres September 23]:

Supernatural [Season 7 premieres September 23]:

FRIDAY'S PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	Extreme Makeover: Home Edition				20/20
CBS	A Gifted Man		CSI: NY		Blue Bloods
FOX	Kitchen Nightmares		Fringe		Local
NBC	Chuck		Grimm		Dateline NBC
THE CW	Nikita		Supernatural		Local

SATURDAY

SATURDAY'S RETURNING SERIES: (details coming soon)

ABC:

Saturday Night Football [Season 6 premieres September 3]:

CBS:

Rules of Engagement [Season 6 premieres October 8]:

48 Hours Mystery [Season 25 premieres September 24]:

FOX:

Cops [Season 24 premieres September 10]:

America's Most Wanted [Season 24, consisting of 2-hour quarterly specials premieres October 29]:

NBC:

NBC does not broadcast any new programming on Saturday nights.

THE CW:

The CW does not broadcast on Saturday nights.

SATURDAY'S PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	Saturday Night College Football
CBS	Rules of Engagement	Comedytime Saturday (reruns)	Crimetime Saturday (reruns)		48 Hours Mystery
FOX	Cops	Cops	America's Most Wanted specials		Local
NBC	Reruns
THE CW	Local programming

SUNDAY

SUNDAY'S NEW SERIES

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Above: Jennifer Morrison (r) with the cast of Once Upon a Time [Photo Credit: ABC]

ONCE UPON A TIME

8:00pm • ABC • premieres October 23

Stars: Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Ginnifer Goodwin, Robert Carlyle, Josh Dallas, Jamie Dornan, Jared Gilmore, Raphael Sbarge

Premise: Like Grimm, this is another fairy-tales-are-real series. In the fictional locale of Storybrooke, Maine, Morrison's character is the grown-up daughter of Snow White (played by Ginnifer Goodwin). Snow's daughter is caught in the middle of the ongoing struggle between her mother and the Evil Queen. The series goes back and forth between the two worlds of the fairytale land and modern suburbia.

Chances for survival: Not bad considering that there's no killer competition in the timeslot. Whether viewers will buy into the premise is another story and it remains to be seen whether it will be a happy ending.

07_ABC_Pan_Am_03-resize

(l-r) Margot Robbie, Christina Ricci, Karine Vanasse, Kelli Garner [Photo Credit: ABC]

PAN AM

10:00pm • ABC • premieres September 25

Stars: Christina Ricci, Kelli Garner, Karine Vanasse, Margot Robbie, Michael Mosely, Mike Vogel

Premise: Pan Am takes place in 1963 – the year of the Kennedy assassination. In this era of the Cold War and Camelot, we follow the lives and loves of four glamourous stewardesses on their global travels to all the international hotspots. Pan Am is pure glossy escapism and romance of the type that has rarely been seen on TV since the 1980s. The series is shot at Brooklyn's Steiner Studios, the largest film and television production complex outside of Hollywood. Steiner has played host to other television productions including Damages and Boardwalk Empire. Some exterior scenes for Pan Am were recently shot on the streets of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn.

Chances for survival: Assuming the scripts remain of high quality, the chances of this opulent sudser finding a big audience is a given in spite of the fact that period dramas don't ordinarily translate into ratings gold.

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[Photo Credit: Fox Broadcasting]

ALLEN GREGORY

8:30pm • FOX • premieres October 30

Voice cast: Jonah Hill, Nat Faxon, Will Forte, Joy Osmanski, Cristina Pucelli, French Stewart

Premise: After his gay dads will no longer homeschool him, obnoxiously precocious Allen Gregory DeLongpre must attend public school like an ordinary 7 year-old – much to his eternal chagrin. As Allen sips on his Pinot Grigio in the lunchroom, he fantasizes about having sex with his 68-year-old principal.

Chances for survival: Now that The Simpsons and Family Guy are no longer considered envelope-pushing, Allen Gregory will definitely fill that void. Animated cartoons have always gotten away with more than their live action counterparts have, so it remains to be seen just how much of a fuss will be raised over this. Could very well be the sleeper hit of the season.

SUNDAY'S RETURNING SERIES: (details coming soon)

ABC:

America's Funniest Videos [Season 22 premieres October 2]:

Desperate Housewives [Season 8 premieres September 25]:

CBS:

60 Minutes [Season 44 premieres September 25]:

The Amazing Race [Season 19 premieres September 25]:

The Good Wife [Season 3 premieres September 25]:

CSI: Miami [Season 10 premieres September 25]:

FOX:

The OT [Season 7 premieres September 25]:

The Cleveland Show [Season 3 premieres September 25]:

The Simpsons [Season 23 premieres September 25]:

Family Guy [Season 10 premieres September 25]:

American Dad [Season 7 premieres September 25]:

NBC:

Football Night in America [Season 6 premieres September 11]:

NBC Sunday Night Football [Season 6 premieres Thursday, September 8]:

THE CW:

The CW does not broadcast on Sunday nights.

SUNDAY'S PRIMETIME SCHEDULE
	7:00	7:30	8:00	8:30	9:00	9:30	10:00	10:30
ABC	America's Funniest Videos		Once Upon a Time		Desperate Housewives		Pan Am
CBS	60 Minutes		The Amazing Race		The Good Wife		CSI: Miami
FOX	The OT	The Cleveland Show	The Simpsons	Allen Gregory	Family Guy	American Dad	Local
NBC	Football Night in America		NBC Sunday Night Football
THE CW	Local programming

2010's Canceled Series

In case you didn't get the memo, here's a listing of the series that ended or were canceled during the 2010-2011 television season:

ABC

CBS

FOX

NBC

CABLE

• All My Children (final new broadcast episode airs Sep 23)

• Better With You

• Brothers & Sisters

• Detroit 1-8-7

• The Gates

• Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution

• Mr. Sunshine

• My Generation

• No Ordinary Family

• Off the Map

• One Life to Live (final new broadcast episode airs Jan 2012)

• Scoundrels

• Secret Millionaire

• Skating With the Stars

• Supernanny

• V

• The Whole Truth

• As the World Turns

• The Bridge

• CHAOS

• Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior

• The Defenders

• Live to Dance

• Mad Love

• Medium

• Same Name

• $#*! My Dad Says

• America's Most Wanted

• The Chicago Code

• The Good Guys

• Human Target

• Lie to Me

• Lone Star

• Running Wilde

• Traffic Light

Note that Breaking In received a last minute renewal and will return midseason

• 100 Questions

• America's Next Great Restaurant

• Breakthrough With Tony Robbins

• The Cape

• Chase

• The Event

• Friday Night Lights

• Last Comic Standing

• Law & Order: LA

• Love Bites

• Outlaw

• Outsourced

• The Paul Reiser Show

• Perfect Couples

• Persons Unknown

• School Pride

• Undercovers

• 18 to Life

• Hellcats

• Life Unexpected

• Shedding for the Wedding

• Smallville

A&E

• The Hasselhoffs

ABC Family

• Greek

• Huge

AMC

• Rubicon

Bravo

• Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D-List

• The Real Housewives of D.C.

CMT

• Working Class

CNN

• Larry King Live

Cartoon Network

• Batman: The Brave and the Bold

• Robotomy

• Sym-Bionic Titan

• Tower Prep

• Unnatural History

Comedy Central

• Onion Sportsdome

• Sports Show with Norm McDonald

Disney Channel

• Hannah Montana

• Jonas L.A.

• Sonny with a Chance

• The Suite Life on Deck

• Wizards of Waverly Place (last new episodes still running)

• Lights Out

• Resuce Me

• Terriers

Food Network

• Ace of Cakes

Fox News Channel

• Glenn Beck

HBO

• Big Love

• Entourage

• In Treatment

• The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency

IFC

• The Whitest Kids U'Know

MSNBC

• Countdown with Keith Olbermann

MTV

• The Hard Times of RJ Berger

• Skins

Nickelodeon

• True Jackson, VP

Oxygen

• The World According to Paris

Showtime

• Secret Diary of a Call Girl

• The United States of Tara

Starz

• Camelot

• Gravity

• Party Down

Syfy

• Caprica

• Stargate Universe

• WWE NXT

TBS

• Glory Daze

• Lopez Tonight

• My Boys

• Tyler Perry's House of Payne (final new episodes to air soon)

TLC

• Kate Plus 8

• LA Ink

• Little People, Big World

• Sarah Palin's Alaska

TNT

• Dark Blue

• Hawthorne

• Men of a Certain Age

USA

• Law & Order: Criminal Intent

VH1

• Audrina

• I Love Money

Syndicated

• At the Movies

• The Oprah Winfrey Show

Television trailers: AMC's THE WALKING DEAD Season 2

Written by USTownhall staff

Sunday, 31 July 2011 13:28

AMC's hit television series The Walking Dead returns for its second season on Sunday, October 16, 2011.

THE WALKING DEAD Season 2 trailer

USTownhall RealStories presents the cast of THE VOICE

Written by Scott Katz

Friday, 06 May 2011 12:13

NBC's new reality singing competition, The Voice, is an American version of the hit Dutch television series, The Voice of Holland. Carson Daly serves as host and four celebrity judges – Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Cee Lo Green, and Blake Shelton each pick eight contestants, based solely on vocal talent, to be on their team in the first of three stages in the competition. After this initial "blind audition" phase has been completed, contestants sing against others in their teams in the "battle" phase. Those making it through advance to the "live performance" phase and will sing in front of America for the grand prize – $100,000 and a recording contract. Perhaps the most high-profile contestant of this initial season of the series is Frenchie Davis, who was dismissed in the early rounds of American Idol Season 2 after pictures she had modeled for years earlier came to the attention of the public. Since then, Ms. Davis has found success on Broadway, but is back on the national scene on this inaugural season of The Voice.

MAY 9:

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO JAVIER COLON, NAKIA, TYLER ROBINSON, BEVERLY McCLELLAN OF THE VOICE:

USTH: Javier, you were one of the two contestants in that first round who was selected by all four judges just like Jeff Jenkins was. Just like Jeff, you selected Adam Levine as your coach. What made you select Adam?

JAVIER COLON: You know, I honestly would have been absolutely just ecstatic to have just one person turn around and then stay in the competition.

But the fact that all four turned around was just awesome. I was very flattered. And the reason that I picked Adam was because the way the competition is set up, your coaches are the ones that keep you in the competition or they send you home for these first rounds.

So, if I was lucky enough to have my choice between several judges or coaches, I wanted to make sure that I picked somebody that I thought was enthusiastic and just really adamant about having me on their team.

And Adam was almost distracting me during the song because he was just so animated and so into the performance which really, really meant a lot to me and which is one of the main reasons that I chose him.

USTH: Nakia, you were one of two people that selected a song to sing that was one of the judges' own songs.

What was your strategy in selecting a Cee Lo Green song? Were you hoping he was going to pick you, and did you ever consider that choosing a judge's song could derail your chances of getting picked?

NAKIA: Well, I chose "Forget You" first and foremost because "Forget You" is an instantly recognizable, wildly accessible song all over the world.

Anybody who hears those first four bars of dah, dah, dah – you know what song it is. So, my thinking was that sure it's great that Cee Lo's in the audience, but at the same time the American audience, the people watching at home will recognize that song and connect with that song thereby connecting with me because what happens if no one does turnaround?

I still needed the opportunity to connect with America in that one moment. I knew choosing it was a risk because Cee Lo was in the audience.

But having Cee Lo turn around, I mean that in itself was hugely validating for me as an artist for him to say, "You know what? You sang my song, and I think that you did a great job, and I think I could do something more with you."

So to me, it was not only a risk but at the same time it was also a chance for me to connect with the viewing public at home.

USTH: Tyler, what has your coach Blake Shelton taught you, or what have you learned from Blake?

TYLER ROBINSON: Blake really taught me something that I found really special. He taught me [that] I don't have to risk every time I get the opportunity to. And it really made me take a step back and look at what I was doing before I sang.

USTH: Beverly, how has Christina Aguilera been as a coach for you, and what have you learned from her?

BEVERLY McCLELLAN: Well I've been learning from [her] since she was a young child – started way before this competition. She has been singing it dirty for quite some time. And I'm just honored to be on her team and singing it dirty for her now. So you know that feels good. That feels great.

And more than anything, she encourages me to bring it and also gives me advice on how to do that. She is awesome. That's all I can say. They all are, but I'm so excited to be on Team Christina for sure.

USTH: The Voice is obviously structured very differently from a lot of other singing competitions like American Idol. What is it like for you guys to have to compete against other more directly? You're pitted against each other within your own teams.

Would you have preferred something more straightforward where you're singing for America's vote every week like American Idol?

How are you adjusting to the format of The Voice? Are you able to maintain friendships with each other even though you're very much in direct competition with each other for a spot in the finals?

NAKIA: That's a great question. And I think that one of the main things that I'm taking away from this experience is the cherished and treasured friendships that I've made with the other artists on the show.

And I think I can speak for everybody when I say that without exception that all of us have a deep love for each other and that we really and truly came out of the blind auditions with some serious friendships.

Even the people that went home we had bonded with. So that was very tough. But when you get to see the battle round, I think that it becomes a lot more tough for us to watch each other go through that process because we have formed those relationships and we have bonded so much.

And it definitely becomes harder because you don't want to see someone go home. But at the same time you want to do well and you want to succeed.

So, you have to put that aside for that time while you're performing and really turn on your game, you know?

USTH: Javier, how do you feel about this format versus a more straightforward format like American Idol?

JAVIER COLON: You know what? It makes it difficult like Nakia said because you make some really strong friendships just being on the show.

It makes it hard when you have to go into a battle round knowing that one of you is going to advance and one of you is going to go home. It's a very difficult situation.

But, after the battle round obviously it goes to live shows where it does get to that point where basically America will be choosing who they like and so forth.

So, I think it's kind of the best of both worlds. I mean, it's really exciting TV to watch, for sure.

The tension is high and the emotions are just running rampant. So, it's going to be exciting to watch, for sure.

USTH: Tyler, as Javier said, it's exciting TV. But, is it difficult for you to compete against someone that you have a friendship with and have to knock them out of the game?

TYLER ROBINSON: Absolutely. It was definitely something that was hard to do because we did become such good friends. We were stuck in a hotel with these people for five weeks and we're sort of forced to become friends with them.

And it was all good. And then you get put up against someone, and you just have to put your differences aside and be like, "You know what? This is a competition."

And in the end, we're all there for one thing. And so, you both sing your heart out and it's crazy to see it – how a lot of these battles go down.

It's very exciting. And I think the format is wonderful and so exciting and new. And I think it's just a great idea.

USTH: Beverly, as everyone has said, it's difficult. Were you aware of this format before you signed up to do the show? And was the reality more difficult than you perhaps first thought it would be?

BEVERLY McCLELLAN: Well, you know, it sounded like a pretty easy idea from home. And then you get there, and you meet all of these wonderful artists and, you know, now artists-slash-friends.

And, we are all there at the end of the day for the same thing. And our friendships are lifelong regardless of what the outcome of whatever happens on stage because that's just business.

But like you said, you make really good friends and you've met some wonderful artists. And, it's a hard thing to do, yes. That is the reality of the show – not versus any other – but I'm just saying as far as me personally living it, I have a newfound respect for reality TV.

MAY 3:

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO FRENCHIE DAVIS, JEFF JENKINS, KELSEY REY, & PATRICK THOMAS OF THE VOICE:

USTH: My first question is for Jeff Jenkins. You were one of the two people that were selected by all four judges. What made you decide on Adam Levine as your coach, and how has it been working with him?

JEFF JENKINS: A big thing my mom always taught me was to follow your gut. When listening to all of the coaches talk to me and say why I should be on their team, he really stood out. He spoke after every other coach spoke and said that he could take me to that next level. And that's what The Voice is about is going to that next level.

And, I'm really happy with my decision. He's an awesome coach. He really, really knows exactly what he's talking about. He pinpoints all your problem areas and knows how to tell you how to fix those. And he's really cool. And he adds a new side to what I know about the music.

USTH: Frenchie, it's been about eight years since you were dismissed from American Idol in season 2. I'm just wondering...

FRENCHIE DAVIS: Almost nine. Yes, I'll be 32 on Saturday and I was 23 when I did Idol so it's been a little minute.

USTH: Well, happy birthday.

FRENCHIE DAVIS: Thank you.

USTH: And my question for you though is in all these almost nine years that have elapsed, what in your personal life or in your personal upbringing got you through those tough times? And what have you learned about yourself over the years that has helped you in The Voice?

FRENCHIE DAVIS: I've learned that I'm a lot stronger than I gave myself credit for. And, I have just used this time to grow. What's gotten me through the tough times? I would have to say faith and just [that] I am one of those people that – I truly believe that there's good out there. I believe that there's good out there for all of us. You just have to go out there and grab it.

And there was a part of my life when I had allowed what happened with me on Idol to kind of scare the hell out of me. And there was a part of me that had been afraid to really take a chance and take a – you know, Broadway was safe for me. There was a part of me that was afraid to take that leap of faith, take that chance and really put myself out there again.

And I'm telling you ending up on the cover of the National Enquirer for being fat is the best thing that could have ever happened to me because it made me have an epiphany that being afraid of putting myself out there isn't protecting me from the scrutiny. So I might as well go balls to the wall for my dream because they're going to come for me anyway.

USTH: That is true. Well, good for you. Do you keep in touch with any of the other American Idols from your season – season 2?

FRENCHIE DAVIS: I do. And, you know, it was so amazing watching Ruben Stoddard and Kimberley Locke tweeting the other night rooting for me. Ruben is like my brother. Kimberley and I – we still perform together every now and then because we both have a huge following in the gay community, and the gay boys will revolt if we don't sing together.

And I'm still friends with Trenyce, and Clay has been an amazing support. He's come to see me in almost every Broadway show I've been in. And I went to go see him when he was in Spamalot in Broadway. What's been the highlight of this experience has been the wonderful friendships that I've built because I made lifelong friends when I did Idol and I was only on Idol for like two minutes.

USTH: Kelsey, if you should, down the road, make your own record, what type of music do you think is your particular style, and what type of record would you like to make?

KELSEY REY: It might come to surprise everybody that I – yes, I do love pop music, and I do think that I fit in with the pop genre. But I like pop with flair – like I like soul music, and I like blues. Like I really like to sing from the heart. And I like big band stuff. I would like to eventually someday have a band behind me. And I would love to have an all-girl band, which is kind of crazy but I think that would be really cool.

I really like big band stuff. And I think that's another reason why I chose Cee Lo.

USTH: And for Patrick, what are some of the artists that you grew up with that have been an influence on your career?

PATRICK THOMAS: You know, country was kind of a recent thing for me. I didn't really start singing country until I was about 16. For me, in middle school, I was listening to Josh Groban. And when I was singing even at a younger age – at 8, 9, 10, it was Robert Goulet. It was Broadway artists. It was Bing Crosby. I was singing "Would you Like Sing on Star." And so, I've had a very wide array of influences.

My parents were both Broadway performers, so I had that background always. But country was the most commercial for me, and I learned to love it. I needed a place to play at 16, and my dad suggested country.

And at first, I hated it, but I started watching CMT television every morning and I fell in love with "Amazed" by Lonestar. I fell in love with Clay Walker – with Blake Shelton. And it became the only thing I listened to on the radio. I still have a lot of different genres that I love, but country is not definitely how I identify myself.

USTH: Our thanks to the cast of The Voice for speaking with us today. The Voice airs Tuesday nights on NBC.

USTownhall RealStories presents MICHELLE McNULTY of THE SING OFF

Written by Scott Katz

Friday, 06 May 2011 11:03

The reality series The Sing-Off has gotten the green light for a third season, and auditions are currently underway in various cities around the country to find the next hot a cappella vocal group. Check below after the interview with casting director Michelle McNulty for a list of cities and dates where the auditions will be held.

USTOWNHALL SPEAKS TO MICHELLE McNULTY, CASTING DIRECTOR FOR THE SING-OFF:

USTH: I noticed in your bio you've cast not only music shows and singing shows but On the Lot with Steven Spielberg and America's Best Dance Crew.

So going from singing to dancing to film – and all these areas might not actually be part of your background – so when you do cast a show that's not part of your background, what makes something pop for you? What do you look for when you cast – when you say, "This would be a good contestant for my show," whatever show it happens to be?

MICHELLE McNULTY: Well, I think it's that thing that we all talk about in this business – that "it" factor – that thing that's sort of intangible. And I think it's the performance and when they come in here and how they're connecting with you. And I actually do have a bit of a performance background so these performance shows actually work very well for me.

So, it's that confidence and that coming in there and really nailing that performance – connecting with the audience. You can tell the people that work and that train at what they do which is so important for the types of shows that I've been doing. It's not just coming in and being a silly character and getting that 15 minutes of fame.

We're looking for people that really train at what they do whether it's dancing or whether it's singing and movie making on top of that. So it's that kind of intangible "it" factor thing that we always look for.

USTH: I notice you're also casting The Voice. I guess you must have recognized Frenchie Davis from American Idol. What was your thought process when she came into the auditions and you saw her? Did you feel that you wanted to give her a second chance at a shot on television?

MICHELLE McNULTY: Well, I think so. I mean, we all remember Frenchie and that big voice that she had that sort of captivates you in a way and gives you those goosebumps when she sang. And it was sad to me that she never got – she didn't get eliminated because of singing, she got eliminated for something that she had done in her past.

And for me, when you're a performer you've got ups and downs and you train your whole life for this or you spent so many hours training for it, to not get that shot that she, in my opinion, deserved – that was one of those things that I thought was exciting about having her there and having her involved with the show.

And that's again one of those things that is so important I think across the board with all of our shows, with all the shows that I'm sort of doing right now is these performers are training and working and this is their dream or their passion.

And when you see that when they walk in the room and then they give this great performance and you get goosebumps – it's one of the reasons why I love my job so much. I love it because you see that passion behind what they're doing. Whether it's a cappella or dancing or singing, I love it – even boxing.

USTH: As a casting director, do you ever watch any of the other reality competitions out there – let's say American Idol or the other ones – and pick out contestants that you think might be good for you in the future if they don't work out in the show that they're already on?

MICHELLE McNULTY: Well listen, I love reality television. I absolutely love reality television – everything from Survivor, which I still watch after all of these seasons, to our show. I definitely watch American Idol.

When I'm watching shows at home, I'm sort of just watching as a viewer to be quite honest with you. And if there is somebody that sort of sparks my interest, I think that's great. When I'm sitting at home watching television it's because I'm enjoying TV. But I do love reality.

USTH: Our thanks to Michelle McNulty of The Sing Off for speaking with us today. Audtions for the next season of The Sing Off take place in the following cities:

BOSTON, Thursday, May 5 Emerson College's The Paramount Theatre 560 Washington Street Boston, MA 02111	NEW YORK CITY, Saturday, May 7 SIR Studios 520 W. 25th Street New York, NY 10001
NASHVILLE, Saturday, May 14 SIR Studios 1101 Cherry Avenue Nashville, TN 37203	CHICAGO, Saturday, May 21 Superior Street 2744 Superior Street Chicago, IL 60612
LOS ANGELES, Saturday, June 4 Center Staging 3350 Winona Avenue Burbank, CA 91504

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