Showing posts with label me myself & i. Show all posts
Showing posts with label me myself & i. Show all posts

Me, Myself & I Officially Dead at CBS

What little hope Me, Myself & I had left is gone now. The freshmen comedy was pulled in favor of fellow comedy Man With a Plan in November 2017 after poor ratings across its run. The show wasn't a huge ratings disaster, but it was undeniably a flop. It posted a mediocre (and very frontloaded) 1.0 average in its six episodes. Bobby Moynihan, John Larroquette, and Jack Dylan Grazer all starred as three version of the same man at different points in his life.

What do you think of this news? Are you unsurprised? Of course you are. But still, let us know in the comments below!

CBS Pulls 'Me, Myself & I' and Schedules 'Man with a Plan'


CBS has pulled its experimental three-timeline comedy Me, Myself & I from the schedule. Through six episodes the single-cam sitcom averaged about a 1.0 rating (A18-49), hitting a low of 0.7 in the demo this week. You can view its season one ratings here. The series is effectively cancelled with this action and will be a correct prediction by The TV Ratings Guide.

The network will debut the second season of Man with a Plan at 8:30 after Kevin Can Wait, starting November 13. A repeat of The Big Bang Theory is scheduled to air at 8:30 on November 6. 9JKL shifts to the 9:30 slot after Superior Donuts and will begin airing there immediately.

CBS Renew/Cancel: 'Madam Secretary' is Certain to be Renewed

Teá Leoni ("Madam Secretary") | CBS
Welcome to the CBS Renew/Cancel Watch. All in-season, scripted primetime shows airing on CBS in the 2017-18 season are included in the prediction table below. My current predictions are current as of October 14, 2017.

The key to the right indicates the colors associated with each prediction. The data in the table includes current season lows, highs, and averages (Adults 18-49 demo), as well as the year-to-year changes for returning shows. The shows are ordered by their season averages against other scripted CBS shows.

   Rank     
Show
    Season Low / High /Average     
 Y2Y Change
1
Young Sheldon
- / 3.8 / 3.80
--
2
 The Big Bang Theory 
2.9 / 4.1 / 3.40
+7%
3
Kevin Can Wait
1.2 / 2.3 / 1.61
0%
4
NCIS
1.4 / 1.6 / 1.47
-15%
5
9JKL
1.4 / 1.5 / 1.45
--
6
SEAL Team
1.2 / 1.5 / 1.31
--
7
Bull
1.2 / 1.3 / 1.25
-12%
8
Me, Myself & I
0.9 / 1.6 / 1.18
--
9
 Wisdom of the Crowd 
1.0 / 1.3 / 1.17
--
-
Criminal Minds
1.1 / 1.3 / 1.17
-16%
11
NCIS: LA
1.0 / 1.3 / 1.13
-14%
12
Hawaii Five-0
1.0 / 1.1 / 1.05
-8%
13
NCIS: New Orleans
1.0 / 1.1 / 1.04
-12%
14
Blue Bloods
0.9 / 1.1 / 1.02
-18%
15
Scorpion
0.8 / 1.0 / 0.86
-29%
16
MacGyver
- / 0.8 / 0.81
-25%
17
Madam Secretary
- / 0.8 / 0.80
-9%

9JKL
Status: On the Bubble
However you look at it, 9JKL is unimpressive. Young Sheldon debuted to monstrous ratings only a couple of weeks ago, and its replacement leaves a lot to be desired. After two weeks, the show has averaged a 1.45 rating in the A18-49 demo and dropped one tenth between episodes (1.5, 1.4). It's slightly promising that there wasn't much of a drop in week two, but these ratings are concerning for the weeks where it'll have to depend on Kevin Can Wait for a lead-in rather than The Big Bang Theory. I expect it to plummet without the post-Big Bang casual viewing. Being owned by CBS has to help it somewhat over the unowned Me, Myself & I, which is notably doing worse (though with far less help). CBS already has Young Sheldon as a comedy success story even after one episode, and they have Man with a Plan and By the Book waiting to air, which makes their "need" for another success story rather slim. The network did renew multiple first-season sitcoms last year, but that doesn't mean they need to apply the same strategy again this season. I'm giving it another few data points before I make the downward prediction, but it's certainly on the vulnerable end of the bubble after just two weeks. 

Madam Secretary
Status: Certain to be Renewed
The Secretary of State drama has been one of CBS's lowest-rated shows, and enters the index as the lowest-rated CBS show so far this season, but it is now comfortably in the league of Elementary with a hugely lucrative syndication package. The syndication masters at CBS were able to convince WeTV, Netflix, and station groups to buy into episodes of the series, bringing it to an estimated $2 million/episode syndication value. That's a million short of Elementary, which the network has allowed to suffer in linear ratings because it makes them so much money. This is the first deal to be made for its class as Scorpion and NCIS: New Orleans are yet to be sold into syndication. I have no reason to believe that CBS will not renew Madam Secretary for at least one more season with this kind of deal in ink.

Me, Myself & I
Status: Likely to be Canceled
The three-timeline comedy is looking as weak as expected after three weeks on air. The typical downward spiral has brought it from a 1.6 debut rating down to a 0.9 for the most recent Monday airing. CBS can't be happy with it going fractional this soon, but they also couldn't have expected much from this scheduling. Kevin Can Wait is not a sound lead-in, and it's certainly not compatible with the experimental single-cam. As I mentioned above, CBS has Man with a Plan and By the Book waiting to air and they probably can't justify a full season of Me, Myself & I with the current ratings, especially if it continues to fall. The show just seems too off brand for CBS and is disadvantaged in its time slot. It's most likely a goner.

NCIS: LA
Status: Likely to be Renewed
This show has continued to breathe some needed life into Sundays and hold up the middle of the night. It should be fine going forward.

Wisdom of the Crowd
Status: On the Bubble
Expectations were slightly optimistic for the premiere of Wisdom of the Crowd, which sort of fizzled with a 1.3 debut rating. In week two, the billionaire tech, cop procedural dropped to a 1.0, nearing fractional territory. It held almost all of its lead-in (60 Minutes, 1.1) but it still looks fairly weak after just two episodes. CBS's other new drama, SEAL Team just received a full-season order of 22 episodes after three airings. Will Wisdom get the same treatment after this Sunday's third airing? A backorder of any size would help, as we have seen that CBS is willing to renew shows that don't air 22 episodes (Code Black). It's positioned firmly on the bubble and looks like a weaker candidate than SEAL Team at the moment. The addition of S.W.A.T. to the mix in November should further clarify the place of Wisdom in CBS's drama hierarchy moving forward. 

MacGyver
Status: On the Bubble
MacGyver had a surprisingly strong series premiere in 2016, grabbing a 1.7 in the demo. It dropped considerably after that, falling as low as a 0.8 for its season one finale. It returned a few weeks ago tie that series low and has matched it for three airings now (pending an adjustment for 10/13). It is certainly weaker than Hawaii Five-0 and Blue Bloods and it's only just beginning its second season, though the night overall has lower expectations and is known for its durability. Going forward, I think it has a higher position on the bubble, but it's not giving me enough confidence yet to predict that CBS will continue to invest in it for years to come. 

Hawaii Five-0
Status: Likely to be Renewed
I've been cautious with the future prospects of Hawaii Five-0 since May, thinking a Friday drama is likely to end up ousted at the end of the season. I didn't think that it would be leaning towards MacGyver over the show that controversially lost two of its cast members over salary disputes and has a lead actor that has made questionable and discouraging remarks about leaving after eight seasons. Regardless of all that, the Hawaii-based cop drama has won each of the last two Friday nights with just a slight 8% drop year-to-year. It looks quite strong at the moment and could maybe survive more cast changes. I'm not extremely confident on the show's return, but I'm giving it credit at the moment and promoting it from the bubble. There's a lot of season left for this status to fluctuate, but it's clearly working hard for CBS.

CBS Renew/Cancel: 'Young Sheldon' Starts Strong


CBS
Welcome to the CBS Renew/Cancel Watch. All in-season, scripted primetime shows airing on CBS in the 2017-18 season are included in the prediction table below. My current predictions are current as of September 29, 2017.

The key to the right indicates the colors associated with each prediction. The data in the table includes current season lows, highs, and averages (Adults 18-49 demo), as well as the year-to-year changes for returning shows. The shows are ordered by their season averages against other scripted CBS shows.

   Rank     
Show
    Season Low / High /Average     
 Y2Y Change
1
 The Big Bang Theory 
- / 4.1 / 4.10
+32.2%
2
Young Sheldon
- / 3.8 / 3.80
--
3
Kevin Can Wait
- / 2.3 / 2.30
+42.9%
4
NCIS
- / 1.6 / 1.60
-7.0%
5
Me, Myself & I
- / 1.6 / 1.60
--
6
SEAL Team
- / 1.5 / 1.50
--
7
Bull
- / 1.3 / 1.30
-9.1%
8
Criminal Minds
- / 1.3 / 1.30
-6.5%
9
NCIS: New Orleans
- / 1.0 / 1.00
-15.2%
10
Scorpion
- / 1.0 / 1.00
-16.7%

The Big Bang Theory
Status: Already Renewed
Currently in its 11th season, The Big Bang Theory has already guaranteed itself a 12th season to air in 2018-19 thanks to CBS's two-year renewal back in March. Could it be dethroned over the course of the season by its shiny new successor? That's likely to be the only interesting challenge it'll have this season, but one it may not mind losing. 

Young Sheldon
Status: Likely to be Renewed
The prequel-spinoff of The Big Bang Theory debuted to a strong and unprecedented 3.8 rating and 17 million viewers on Monday, holding on to 93% of the mother show's audience in the demo. This performance is nothing short of incredible to launch the fall season for CBS. The network has already given Young Sheldon a full-season order to reward it and to continue the good work. While this start is beyond great, it's too soon to say how the season will unfold. The series returns on Thursday, November 2 at 8:30pm and will face ABC's Grey's Anatomy, NBC's The Good Place, FOX's Gotham, and The CW's Supernatural. 

Kevin Can Wait
Status: Likely to be Renewed
In the Look Ahead article I wrote last week I outlined my concerns for the second season of the Kevin James-led sitcom. In short, with Leah Remini on board as a series regular and Erinn Hayes out, the show has a lot to prove to its core audience, as well as the new fans it seeks to gain by adding Remini as a controversial key player. The season premiere on Monday scored a very respectable 2.3 rating (-12% from its S1 premiere), which looks worse when you account for its mediocre 60% retention from Young Sheldon. Regardless of the inflated nature of premiere night, this is a strong number for the show and it will hope to retain as much of that audience as it can going into next week and the weeks following, especially when it must anchor Mondays again come November.

NCIS
Status: Likely to be Renewed
So far this season, NCIS remains the highest-rated drama series the network has. It has been CBS's #1 drama for years and continues to rank near the top across all of scripted television. The network can still use it as a launchpad for new shows, or continue to nurture the likes of a Bull. There's little reason to believe that the final season is upon us yet.

Me, Myself & I
Status: Likely to be Renewed
A 1.6 rating for a comedy on CBS is objectively fine in 2017, but this series stands a lot to lose in the coming weeks and in November when it has to compete without the major viewing benefits that The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon bring to the line-up. It may be the victim of a bad time slot, or an unlikely hero that actually helps keep up the back-end of the night. For now, there simply aren't enough data points to suggest it's not safe, but that could change as drastically as next week.

SEAL Team
Status: Likely to be Renewed
The new David Boreanaz-led military drama brought in a 1.5 rating on Wednesday with almost 10 million viewers. Compared to last fall's debuts, this lags behind Bull (2.2) and MacGyver (1.7), but exceeds the Thursday premiere of Pure Genius (1.0). Looking back, Criminal Minds earned a 1.9 for its Season 12 premiere last year in the same slot. Considering all of that data, it appears to be a decent start for an untested property in a nice time slot. If it holds on to most of that audience it should be fine going forward.

Bull
Status: Likely to be Renewed
One of CBS's two returning sophomore dramas, Bull returned to a 1.3 rating on Tuesday in its same time slot as last year. This result is down 40% from its series premiere and up 15% from its Season 1 finale (1.1). It's not a very encouraging number, but it is one of the stronger young properties CBS has to work with right now. Barring any kind of major collapse, the show and star Michael Weatherly should likely be around again next fall.

Criminal Minds
Status: On the Bubble
This show has been on a noticeable downward trend as it's aged and has faced cast changes and cost negotiations with ABC Studios. Its 1.3 rating on Wednesday night is respectable for 10pm, where it tied NBC's Chicago PD in the demo and beat ABC's Designated Survivor (1.1). Looking inward, it even beat Scorpion (1.0) and NCIS: New Orleans (1.0). However, the Season 13 premiere was down 32% from last year's premiere, when it aired in the 9pm hour, and saw a decline of 19% from the Season 12 finale. This is the second oldest series on CBS, and it's starting to show cracks. The network did not get rid of any veteran dramas last year, and my gut is telling me that this series might be vulnerable by May as CBS tries to phase it out. On top of costs and cast changes it has not been able to launch a successful spinoff, which could be detrimental to its future on CBS. How the other veterans perform this year could be helpful to clear up its future, but at the moment the Season 14 forecast is not easy to predict either way and likely won't be for the foreseeable future.

NCIS: New Orleans
Status: Likely to be Renewed
The latest spinoff of the valuable NCIS franchise premiered to a 1.0 rating on Tuesday night, which was down 29% from its Season 3 premiere and down 10% from its Season 3 finale. This isn't good, but CBS may not be so quick to let go of its third wheel in the NCIS franchise just yet when it has had trouble grooming new properties to replace it. 

Scorpion
Status: Likely to be Renewed
Scorpion also returned to a 1.0 this week, which was down 33% from its Season 3 premiere and a 17% slide from its Season 3 finale. This looks worse than the slide for New Orleans despite similar results, and it stands as a single property apart from any franchise support. However, it also benefits from the argument that newer properties remain untested, and the competition for renewals might look different in a few weeks or by the end of the year. A big syndication deal like another show from its class, Madam Secretary, recently got could come in handy about now and make things a whole lot easier on it. I wouldn't be quick to assume this series isn't going to be back yet, and with the likelihood of something from Fridays being cancelled (I'm looking at the yet-to-premiere Hawaii Five-0), something in the realm of a Season 5 of Scorpion would be a decent fit for that night of lower expectations. 

Check back next week for updates, when MacGyver, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, Wisdom of the Crowd, NCIS: LA, and 9JKL enter the table. 

CBS Renew/Cancel: A Look Ahead



CBS RENEW/CANCEL: 
A LOOK AHEAD

This fall, CBS is set to premiere the hour-long series Wisdom of the Crowd, S.W.A.T., and SEAL Team, as well as the half-hour series 9JKL, Young Sheldon, and Me, Myself & I. As the season gets in gear this week, here's a look at some of the pressing issues across the network that will be interesting to follow over the course of the season.

Comedy Revival
By now, it's no secret that the latest television revival is none other than The King of Queens. Well, more or less. With CBS's shocking decision to cut its relationship with actress Erinn Hayes (and effectively killing her character off the planet of TV Earth), the second season of Kevin Can Wait is getting a major cast shake-up this year. Kevin James' former Queens co-star, Leah Remini, is joining the network's #1 new comedy of 2016-17 as a series regular. This caused a lot of backlash online from fans and from people who have never seen the show but know of the stars' intimate TV marriage history.

Remini did provide a slight uptick in the ratings for the two-part season finale in May, but it's unclear how much of an impact she will have on the show's ratings in season two. It's possible that the reunited on-screen couple will wear thin on viewers, and/or the firing of the original lead actress will leave a bad enough taste in viewers' mouths that they won't give the new (or, rather, old) pairing a chance. However, Remini has had a significant career resurgence following her highly publicized departure from the Church of Scientology, which has ignited a media firestorm and provided her with a platform that has spawned successful books and, most notably, a popular TV show on A&E.

The sitcom is definitely going to see a second-year decline, as it won't get another launch out of The Big Bang Theory like last year, and the initial interest that people may have had in Kevin James' return to TV won't fuel its first few airings this time around. However, I do think that Leah Remini's casting will help to soften the blow a bit. CBS obviously had a reason to make this decision, they've gotten a lot of media coverage over it, and it'll either blow up in their faces or carry them safely into another two seasons at least.

Aging Veterans
CSI and The Mentalist ended in 2015, Person of Interest and The Good Wife went off the air in 2016, and somehow zero long-running dramas were given pink slips in 2017. It appears that the network is due for several long-running series to end, which could realistically be Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-0, and/or Elementary by May of next year. These three series are entering their thirteenth, eighth, and sixth seasons, respectively.

Criminal Minds has been tapping criminals since 2005, which makes it CBS's second longest-running series on the air after NCIS. It wasn't included in the early mass renewal last year due to ongoing negotiations between CBS and ABC Studios, which is one reason why this show always has the high possibility of being canned: costs. There have been some cast shake-ups in recent seasons, with Shemar Moore leaving and Paget Brewster returning, namely, but that drama isn't as significant as it is over in Hawaii. It's maintained as one of CBS's stronger drama performers, but it has seen some sharp year-to-year declines, and now it moves from 9pm to the 10 o'clock hour. It seems that CBS is slowly phasing it out, but will it end its run on Wednesdays or will CBS wait and retire it for another season on Fridays or Sundays? It's really not an Elementary that makes CBS syndication money, nor an NCIS: LA that is a venerable franchise show (in fact, it has failed to generate a franchise), so it's quite possible that a move to another night is not a redeeming strategic option here.

Hawaii Five-0 has been a respectable performer on low-viewed Fridays alongside its companion show Blue Bloods, but it faces rising costs and the controversial departures of co-stars Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park over salary inequality disputes. Whether or not their absences in the show affect the ratings in 2017-18, Alex O'Loughlin has expressed a desire to leave after Season 8 of the series. Losing three of its stars in a matter of a year would be troubling for the show, and it wouldn't be surprising if this is its last go.

Elementary hasn't been a strong performer for CBS in its last couple of seasons, and it was nearly the lowest-rated show on the entire network just last year, averaging a pitiful 0.64 demo rating on Sundays at 10. However, its $3m/episode syndication deal is extremely valuable to CBS, so they continue to capitalize on its odd profitability despite low first-run ratings. It's always looked weak enough for cancellation despite its syndication deal, so is the end of Season 6 finally going to be its curtain call? Probably, maybe - who knows? It has never failed to surprise us.

Me, Myself & Man with a Plan
CBS has been heavily promoting its new span-of-a-life comedy, Me, Myself & I, starring Bobby Moynihan, John Larroquette, and Jack Dylan Grazer as three versions of the same character. Despite an original-sounding concept, it has the unfortunate business of airing without much lead-in support. Sure, it'll get some eyes in the few weeks where The Big Bang Theory kicks off the night, but it's airing at 9:30 and those eyes will have to continue watching 9JKL and Kevin Can Wait before they get to this one. Post-NFL it'll move up half an hour and follow 9JKL. Unless Leah Remini brings an unforeseen amount of heat to the Kevin Can Wait ratings, or 9JKL really blows up with its Big Bang exposure, I foresee this singlecam having a rough go on a multicam-dominated Monday.

Thus, Matt LeBlanc may be on TV sooner than expected with the return of Man with a Plan. As it stands, the sophomore comedy has been scrapped from airing in the fall in order to give three new sitcoms a shot, along with the second season of Superior Donuts getting a better chance to grow. CBS might be testing how much they need Man with a Plan by benching it, but if they have any desire to get it to syndication without much fuss, it'll likely be looking to slide in to one of the new comedies' time slots. At this time, Me, Myself & I looks especially vulnerable, but only time will tell. Keep in mind that another new comedy, By the Book, waits on the sideline as well, so nothing can be too safe.

#Military
The military drama is in trending supply this season, whether or not the demand is there. The CW is airing Valor, NBC is airing The Brave, and CBS is airing David Boreanaz (also referred to as SEAL Team). The trend last season appeared to be time travel dramas, but only one of them made it to a second season (after being cancelled first - hey, Timeless). Does an abundance of dramas with a similar theme make it harder to stand out? Maybe.

CBS's shot at tapping into patriotism is with SEAL Team, led by a successful and recognizable TV star in Boreanaz, who comes directly off of 12 seasons of Bones. CBS pushed Criminal Minds to the end of the night in order to give this new drama the Survivor lead-in, which should give it a solid chance of catching viewers. Luckily, its positioned against comedies on ABC, a soap on The CW, and a musical drama on FOX. It must face the beast of Law & Order: SVU, but Criminal Minds has been managing that for a long time.

In a sense, SEAL Team looks to be CBS's best chance to generate a hit new drama (arguably, Wisdom of the Crowd has a nice time slot as well), but it faces the risk of being one of three similar dramas on television this fall. Whether or not this one succeeds is important for the network's development slate, considering S.W.A.T. isn't getting quite as generous of a time slot on Thursdays at 10.



The CBS Renew/Cancel Watch returns next week.
Here's a poll to let me know what the readers of this column plan to watch on CBS this season.


I Watch / Will Watch...

9JKL
The Big Bang Theory
Blue Bloods
Bull
Criminal Minds
Hawaii Five-0
Kevin Can Wait
Life In Pieces
MacGyver
Madam Secretary
Me, Myself & I
Mom
NCIS
NCIS: LA
NCIS: New Orleans
Scorpion
SEAL Team
Superior Donuts
S.W.A.T.
Wisdom of the Crowd
Young Sheldon
SurveyMaker