2020-21 Drama Scorecard (2/28-3/10) -- NBC Is Likely to Blow Debris Off Their Schedule As Zoey Looks Better On the Air


51 original dramas now grace the lineup with NBC leading in ratings and renewed series.  This leaves slim pickings for weaker shows to emerge or the network needing to cull a few to create space for the upcoming pilot season.  Debris unfortunately turned to leaf litter in two outings, dropping from 0.59 to 0.36.  NBC may find space somewhere on the schedule, but where?  The Good Girls performs solidly to Sunday standards, and Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist has too much cultural hype to dispense.  Even underperforming Blacklist received a renewal on Fridays.  A poor performance out of an ultra-lucrative The Voice has left Debris a Likely Cancellation.

Speaking of Zoey's, where does it fit best?  It is baffling irony NBC's visually most appealing and updated drama cannot seem to locate a solid timeslot where it is compatible.  A brief outing next to This Is Us only resulted in mild windfalls.  It fits nicely on Sundays with the upbeat Good Girls, but fans need to wait to enjoy.  Would Zoey's pair well next to the sitcoms on Thursdays?  This could poach displaced viewers who will likely see less sitcoms next fall, but moving it to this timeslot may disrupt Law and Order: SVU's current resurgence.  Heaven forbid NBC decides there is no space for Zoey's on their schedule, Peacock is eagerly looking for strong series to boost their platform.

Outside of NBC and CW's locked in schedules, the action is plentiful on the other three networks.  ABC finally reclaimed 2nd place among the dramas as CBS' NFL Inflated Equalizer and FBI have cooled down.  Equalizer's strong Sunday Ratings earned it a Renewal.  Beyond that, the question is where will CBS make room on their schedule?  Clarice has failed to capitalize on sitcom upticks and too dark in tone to prove compatible, leaving it now a Likely Cancellation.  SWAT belted out another embarrassing 0.37 rating this week, leaving it remaining in the Leans Cancellation bucket.  All Rise also fails to capitalize on the lead-in sitcoms' windfalls, and an opportunity has come forth for CBS to move the Thursday 9:00 sitcom hour to Mondays after Mom's final season was declared.

Elsewhere, the writing is on the wall for FOX dispensing Prodigal Son.  The critically-acclaimed series has lost ground as The Resident gained some, leaving Prodigal Son next in line for clearance once FOX needs to locate suitable space for freshman pilots.  A pity Prodigal Son didn't launch on ABC as the dark tone may have been welcome.  ABC's dramas stand strong with only For Life in line for Certain Cancellation.  The next weakest entry is The Rookie, which rates more than a tenth higher on a difficult Sunday timeslot.  The controversies over police shows continue to cloud The Rookie but its delivery is strong, leaving it remaining as Leans Renewal.  

Now the question remains: is it possible for CW to outright cancel a show?

Share this

Related Posts

Previous
Next Post »