Written Asking if Any Sitcom is Capable of Serving a Successful Term on ABC Tuesdays at 9:30 by Bridger Cunningham
Welcome back to the Weekly Sitcom Scorecard, the first entry to be posted outside the 2017 calendar year. Join TVRG as merely three weeks away, this article series rings in its one-year anniversary with a commemorative article featuring every post ever crafted on the series.
Before delving into the night by night playbacks, props to CBS for wisely giving Young Sheldon an early renewal! The series has utilized its rich lead-in and currently the 2nd highest-rated sitcom of the season. Take a bow and celebrate The Mayor, a well-written series which stuck out like a sore thumb on ABC. Just yesterday, the network pulled it from the schedule, as yet another show befalls ABC's cursed Tuesday 9:30 timeslot. After 9 low-rated episodes averaging 0.82, the series never stood a chance.
TVRG took a week off along with the holidays as only one scant sitcom delivered an original showing. Great News, left behind like a holiday orphan forced to celebrate at the corner bar. The series once again tied its series low on Thursday, December 28 (0.4). FOX Sundays and CBS Mondays took the New Year's evenings off. Jump forward to Tuesday, January 2, and new material came with mixed blessings. ABC's The Middle enjoyed a healthy two-tenth spike (1.5), as did its follow-up, Fresh Off The Boat (1.2). And Black-ish, well, maintained (1.1). The Mayor took the evening off (and ultimately was removed from office).. FOX debuted the season's 29th entry, LA>Vegas, which launched a modest 1.1 (up three tenths from The Mick's last showcasing at 9:00). The Mick returned even (0.8), up a tenth from Brooklyn 99's last original showing (0.7).
Wednesday, January 3 exhibited ABC shows returning down a tick in the first hour and stable in the second. The Goldbergs (1.5) and Speechless (1.1) lost a tenth, while Modern Family (1.7) and American Housewife (1.3) remained stable. Thursday, January 4 delivered inflated fortunes to CBS and harsh lows to NBC. The Big Bang Theory gained a half-point (3.1), Young Sheldon bostered an impressive eight-tenth spike (2.6), Mom enjoyed a three-tenth inflation (1.7), and Life In Pieces took two-tenths (1.3). NBC's Superstore (1.1) and The Good Place (1.0) held steady with their last deliveries. Will and Grace dropped four-tenths and registered a series low (1.4), and Great News only regained two-tenths despite a stellar lead-in (0.6).
Last year, 34 sitcoms aired material prior to May Sweeps. Happily, the 2017-18 season is on track to increase that number to 36-37 entries, as LA>Vegas entered the lineup as the 29th entry. Next, NBC will give a special February 1 showcase to AP Bio, which will continue to air again March 1. CBS' Living Biblically premieres February 26 at 9:30, ABC's Splitting Up Together has an unspecified March premiere date, and the network will also mark the 21-year return of Roseanne on March 27 fo its 10th season. And New Girl arrives on FOX in April for its 7th and final season. Still unspecified for premiere dates are NBC's Trial and Error and ABC's Alex, Inc. Speculation has Champions arriving on NBC this summer, and TVRG will keep readers posted with the latest developments.
Elsewhere, changes came about to the Sitcom Scorecard. Now showcasing 29 sitcoms and seasonal averages trajecting downward, adjustments were made to the three classifications. Leading the Pack dropped .05 to a 1.25 or greater average, as the eight-tenth gap between Family Guy and Kevin Can With distorted the balance. KCW returned to its former range, as Bob's Burgers marks its first weekly entry into "Leading The Pack" as it is currently positioned as the 10th highest sitcom on television. The Middle of The Pack cannot lower its range to 1.00 until Man With a Plan returns next Monday, and the Abyss raised the water level .05 to a 0.70 entry, only housing the poorly-rated, on hiatus Brooklyn 99.
A third show experienced a status change besides The Mayor and Young Sheldon's fates were determined, as Great News was downgraded to 20% (Likely Cancellation). Series lows and network burnoffs indicate NBC may be poised to part with its weakest entry. Every network but ABC now holds a series classified as Likely or Certain Cancellation, as CBS' 9JKL is getting ding-dong-ditched by Nielsen deliveries, and NBC's lacking great news and FOX in Brooklyn dialing 911 instead of 99 leave these series likely to exit the schedule with one more fell number.
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