Hunter's Fall 2016 Schedule Predictions - April 2016

As I said I would in December, I am posting my predictions for fall 2016 again, this time with titles of new shows and the knowledge that Cooper Barrett was a flop. My predictions have changed a lot since December, with the debut of many midseason shows, and now that Containment has finally premiered, it seemed that the time is right to do this post. As with my December post, I will provide reasoning. There is a method to the madness!



ABC

SUNDAY
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Once Upon a Time
9:00 Secrets & Lies
10:00 Quantico
MONDAY
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
10:00 Conviction
TUESDAY
8:00 The Middle
8:30 Square Roots
9:00 Fresh Off the Boat
9:30 Black-ish
10:00 Agents of SHIELD
WEDNESDAY
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 Imaginary Mary
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Dream Team
10:00 Designated Survivor
THURSDAY
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Scandal
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder/Still Star-Crossed
FRIDAY
8:00 Last Man Standing
8:30 Dr. Ken
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 20/20

Mid-season:
Nashville
The Second Fattest Housewife in Westport
Speechless
Presence

Reasoning: ABC has renewed 5 comedies, 2 more look like they will be renewed, and this year's 2 new fall comedies was unusual. I doubt that they will air just 1 new comedy in the fall, so the most logical option seems to be to expand comedy on Tuesdays. The 10:00 hour on Tuesdays is a major problem anyway, so they may as well put SHIELD there. Secrets & Lies has been held for fall, and since Sundays at 9:00 have become a problem as well, it can just take its old timeslot, and then ABC can put no new shows on Sunday. This leaves two slots open, Monday and Wednesday at 10:00. Considering the competition of Chicago PD and likely Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders on Wednesday, it would be better for procedural Conviction to air on Monday. Also, it has a female lead, while Designated Survivor has a male lead, so it makes more sense to air it on Monday. This full of a fall leaves little room for midseason dramas, so I only expect fellow procedural Presence, and almost to syndication on CMT and much paid for by Tennessee Nashville to be saved. On the comedy side, Dream Team aims to be the next Modern Family, important because the once huge hit is now dying, Square Roots and Speechless aim to increase diversity on ABC, racially and otherwise, Imaginary Mary could get picked up due to a deal with Sony, because of the Goldberg name, or just because it is so creative of a concept, and The Second Fattest Housewife seems quirky enough to get the final midseason comedy slot.


CBS

SUNDAY
7:00 60 Minutes
8:00 Madam Secretary
9:00 NCIS: Los Angeles
10:00 Elementary
MONDAY
8:00 The Odd Couple
8:30 Kevin Can Wait
9:00 Supergirl
10:00 Scorpion
TUESDAY
8:00 NCIS
9:00 NCIS: New Orleans
10:00 Doubt
WEDNESDAY
8:00 Survivor
9:00 Criminal Minds
10:00 Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders
THURSDAY
8:00 The Big Bang Theory
8:30 My Time/Your Time
9:00 Life in Pieces
9:30 Mom
10:00 Limitless
FRIDAY
8:00 The Amazing Race
9:00 Hawaii Five-0
10:00 Blue Bloods

Mid-season:
2 Broke Girls
The Great Indoors
Superior Donuts
Bunker Hill

Reasoning: With the toss-ups of The Odd Couple and Limitless, CBS is tough. Since it got 1.5 without an original Big Bang Theory, I think it will get renewed. Also, CBS Studios! And, since I think it will get renewed, I think it will get a fall slot, because a 13-episode third season would put it 50 episodes away from syndication after three seasons. This means slightly stronger 2 Broke Girls has to wait, for real this time. With Life in Pieces having proven its strength, it will also return to the fall schedule, along with The Big Bang Theory and Mom, so CBS needs another comedy hour to air any new comedies in the fall. Meanwhile in the drama department, Supergirl and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders are looking good for a return, and Limitless is looking to join them. That only leaves room for 1 new drama on the fall schedule, but I think that won't matter because I think CBS won't be a big fan of most of their drama pilots, only picking up Doubt and Bunker Hill. Doubt would fit tonally on Sunday, replacing The Good Wife, but since CBS Sundays have been so weak, and ABC has been very unsuccessful at launching new shows in that timeslot, NCIS: LA should just move there, and Doubt should air on Tuesdays, pushing Limitless to Thursdays. Why Tuesdays? Well, that lets Limitless take over the more problematic Thursday timeslot and NBC to take the procedural viewers on Tuesdays at 10:00.


CW

MONDAY
8:00 No Tomorrow
9:00 Jane the Virgin
TUESDAY
8:00 The Flash
9:00 Riverdale
WEDNESDAY
8:00 Arrow
9:00 Supernatural
THURSDAY
8:00 Legends of Tomorrow
9:00 iZombie
FRIDAY
8:00 The Vampire Diaries
9:00 Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Mid-season:
The 100
The Originals
Colony

Reasoning: No Tomorrow has pretty much been created to air with Jane the Virgin, so they take Monday. Riverdale, the most anticipated CW show of the season, gets the biggest lead-in possible. Wednesdays go for stability. That's the easy part of the schedule. Legends of Tomorrow and The Vampire Diaries stay in place at their 8:00 spots, and The 100 is saved for midseason again (or summer if there is no room), leaving two spots and three shows (iZombie, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The Originals). Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is going for awards, so it will get a fall premiere, and iZombie can't take too short of a season in order to reach 70 episodes in four seasons (38 more episodes are necessary, I'm betting on two more 19-episode seasons). This leaves The Originals, which I think will take the first spot opened up in the schedule. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend takes Friday and iZombie takes Thursday because Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is more Friday-worthy.


FOX

SUNDAY
7:00 The OT
7:30 Bob's Burgers
8:00 The Simpsons
8:30 Son of Zorn
9:00 Family Guy
9:30 The Last Man on Earth
MONDAY
8:00 Gotham
9:00 24: Legacy
TUESDAY
8:00 New Girl
8:30 Charity Case
9:00 The Enforcers
9:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine
WEDNESDAY
8:00 Star
9:00 Empire
THURSDAY
8:00 Lucifer
9:00 Rosewood
FRIDAY
8:00 MasterChef Junior
9:00 Scream Queens/Bones

Mid-season:
Chad: An American Boy
Havoc
Shots Fired

Reasoning: FOX has already renewed a surprising number of shows, and seems to have already renewed Family Guy. I think that FOX will spend their remaining time on the fall schedule fairly evenly on comedy and drama, putting 3 new comedies and 2 new dramas on the fall schedule. This fills up male-aimed Sunday and female-aimed Tuesday, sticking season four of Brooklyn Nine-Nine at 9:30. Star is an obvious pair with Empire, and I think that 24: Legacy will get picked up because this is FOX, and will get a fall spot because, from what I understand, a new 24 series would work best with a full season. Thursday could easily become procedural night, as it is comedy night on CBS and TGIT on ABC, and the shorter seasons of Scream Queens and Bones can pair up on Friday at 9:00. At midseason, Chad: An American Boy can replace one of Charity Case or The Enforcers if they don't perform well, and Havoc can air Sundays at 9:30, with The Last Man on Earth taking a break like this season, and either returning at 9:30 if Havoc fails, or in the 7:00 hour if it succeeds.


NBC

MONDAY
8:00 The Voice
10:00 Chicago Justice
TUESDAY
8:00 The Voice
9:00 Powerless
9:30 Superstore
10:00 Chicago Med
WEDNESDAY
8:00 Chicago Fire
9:00 Law & Order: SVU
10:00 Chicago PD
THURSDAY
8:00 Emerald City
9:00 The Blacklist
10:00 Blindspot
FRIDAY
8:00 Dateline
9:00 The Carmichael Show
9:30 Marlon
10:00 Grimm/Shades of Blue

Mid-season:
The Apprentice
The Biggest Loser
Hollywood Game Night
Little Big Shots
Good Place
Imaginary Friend
Sunset PPL
Patient Zero
Taken
The Blacklist spin-off

Reasoning: I think that NBC will go for two hours of comedy in the fall, one single-camera and one multi-camera. The single-camera block, including Superstore and a new comedy, either Powerless or Sunset PPL would be most compatible, I'm going for Powerless, which I think will be their priority, and as a result get post-The Voice treatment. The multi-camera block, I am predicting will air Fridays at 9:00 because, unless NBC decides to dump Emerald City there, Friday is the only available day. I chose 9:00 because I don't think that The Carmichael Show should go up against Last Man Standing, though the recent 0.7 for The Carmichael Show may cause NBC to decide to renew Undateable instead, in which case I think Dateline would air at 10:00 like usual, and the sitcom block will remain at 8:00. Chicago Med is probably too weak to lead off Wednesdays, but Chicago Fire isn't, so I think that Med will move by an hour, while Fire will move nights to create an all Dick Wolf Wednesday. Meanwhile, the newest of the Chicago series, I think will get the great Monday at 10:00 timeslot. Emerald City seems to have been pushed to fall, and it seems to be expensive, so I don't know if Friday is the right day for it. That leaves Thursday at 8:00, assuming NBC wants Blindspot to air out of The Blacklist. I don't think that Emerald City will have much TGIT crossover, so Thursdays could work for it. All signs seem to be pointing to a final season for Grimm, so I have paired it with Shades of Blue. Mid-season, I expect Good Place and Imaginary Friend to air like Superstore and Telenovela did, the same process for The Biggest Loser, Little Big Shots either keeping its timeslot or airing on Tuesdays (or both), The Blacklist to move to 8:00, with the new spin-off airing at 9:00, The Apprentice airing on Sunday, Taken airing on Sunday, replacing Chicago Justice if it somehow fails, or waiting for summer, and Sunset PPL either replacing a fall comedy that fails or waiting until summer.


And now I assume you want to tell me how wrong I am with my schedules. Go ahead, leave a comment!

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