There’s something scary going on in television that we haven’t seen in a very long time, if ever. I can define it in one word: stability. After years where viewers waited on their couch edges waiting to hear if their favorite shows have been renewed, we’re now getting a number of very early seasonal pickups for some popular shows.
Part of this, most likely, is to enable the networks to keep or grow the audience they already have for these programs. The other part — and this is purely speculation — is they want to show their viewers that they aren’t the train wreck that NBC has become. Either way, the early renewals show us a partial picture of the 2010-11 season. And, so far, it looks pretty good.
Here are a few examples:
The dark horse is NBC. The only show they have given an early renewal to is Parks & Recreation. However, with the network currently in shambles, there’s a good chance they’ll be renewing shows like The Office, 30 Rock, original Law & Order and Law & Order: SVU. And, if they know what’s good for them, they’ll renew Chuck for a fourth season.
As I said in the title, it all looks good on paper. All of these shows could implode in the first few weeks, leaving us with numerous runnings of The Amazing, Biggest Wipeout Loser Survivor. As the spring upfronts get closer, we’ll have to see how the rest of the schedules flesh out.
Clacked by Richard Keller 
on Feb 01, 2010 @ 17:17 EST5EDT
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I’ve heard rumors, not from any good sources, that L&O will get a 21st season just because NBC is so desperate. I watched Friday’s episode and I’m really loving the show again, the cast works well together, the cancer storyline works well. The ratings overall have been good, the demo sucks, but it’s NBC and they need some good news so it 7.5 million people are watching something of theirs they shouldn’t complain.
NBC isn’t a train wreck, it’s almost like that TV movie they did, Nuclear Train. However this is the sequel when the train explodes, planes fall from the sky, a 10.5 Earthquake hits, an comet hits, we have a World War 3 then the really bad things happen. :)
I know this is a stupid question because you would’ve likely covered it here, but no word on “Fringe” yet? I know there are fans and detractors of the series here, but I had been waiting for something to fill the void left by the X-Files and for me this is exactly what I needed.
And even though this may make me a pariah I will admit that I enjoyed the X-Files to the very end, albeit much, much less at the end. But I would still rather have bad X-Files than no X-Files at all. Fortunately for me, I think Fringe is better entertainment than X-Files considering it’s only in season 2. I believe the ratings, while not great, are slowly improving and should Fox give this one time to grow I think it could eventually equal its ancestor, if not even outshine it in some ways.
The ratings actually were perfectly fine and they only went down when Fox stuck it on Thursday 9pm death slot. Now with repeats the ratings are increasing.
True enough. It irritates the snot out of me when networks try to counter-program against each other. Everybody loses because good shows are pitted against other good shows so something will falter in the ratings.
In the end, it is we, the viewers, who lose. Thank God for cable networks at least.
Don’t worry Lenny, I too enjoyed The X-Files to the very end. And Fringe has definitely helped fill that Mulder and Scully shaped hole in my heart.
Too bad ABC seems to be killing off its funniest comedy by far, “Better Off Ted”. I like “Modern Family” and “30 Rock”, but I laugh much more, and much harder, at any episode of “Ted”. That (and “Dollhouse”) will be the big losses for me next season.
I sure hope they renew “Ted” because it’s the only ABC comedy we watch and we all love it. And that is exactly why it’s going to die.
I’d really like to see “Lie to Me” return, too, although considering the netherworld it’s been thrown into (with no return date for the rest of S2!) I have my doubts. Probably too expensive, when they can just put on another reality show instead.
“Lie To Me” is one of our favorite shows and I thought it was getting decent ratings. I also didn’t know there isn’t yet a return date for the rest of season 2. I’ve been dying to see more new episodes.