Fall 2011 Upfronts

It's season finale time, which also means...upfronts! Here are my thoughts on the networks' schedules for next season.

NBC:

• Somewhat surprisingly Chuck was renewed for a 13-episode 5th and final season. Sometimes I'm a bit lukewarm on this show but I'm glad that the writers are getting the advance notice to end the show properly.
• The Sing-off is getting an expanded season to be a placeholder until The Voice comes back in spring. I liked the show a lot but partly because it was so short. Not sure how the new format will be...and Nicole Scherzinger is out because she's hosting Fox' The X-Factor.
• The Playboy Club - Trying to be Mad Men-esque, I suppose with its 60s setting. I'm not a big Eddie Cibrian fan though.
• Grimm - Something about fairy tales. Didn't really make sense to me but I give all the genre stuff a chance.
• Awake (midseason) - High-concept drama about man who gets into a car accident with his family and finds himself living two parallel lives -- one where his wife died and one where his son did -- and doesn't know which is real and which is a dream. This kind of show seems to always get cancelled though.

FOX:

• The X-Factor - Of course. I'll watch it.
• New Girl - I like Zooey Deschanel so I hope this one's funny.
• Terra Nova - Strong possibility this will be a trainwreck. But there are dinosaurs?
• Alcatraz (midseason) - Also sort of sci-fi-ish about former prisoners returning or something.
• Napoleon Dynamite (midseason) - I don't watch any of FOX's animated shows but I'm a big fan of the movie and the entire original cast is voicing this, so I'll at least check it out. 

ABC:

• I've never blogged about it but at some point I became a fan of Cougar Town and I'm a little bummed that it's being pushed to midseason. 
• ABC cancelled a whole lot of stuff, including No Ordinary Family, Brothers & Sisters, Off the Map, Mr. Sunshine...
• Pan Am - ABC's attempt to be Mad Men-esque about the pilots and flight attendants of the erstwhile airline.
• Once Upon a Time - Another fairy-tale-related drama. This one seems to make even less sense. 
• Charlie's Angels - Not really interested but seems obligatory. 
• Apartment 23 (midseason) - James Van Der Beek plays himself?? He seems to be doing alright making a career of spoofing himself.

CBS:

• 2 Broke Girls - It's CBS so this will probably be pretty conventional but I really like Kat Dennings and it sounds like it'll be a good companion for How I Met Your Mother. 
• Person of Interest - Michael Emerson from Lost was all I needed to hear. I don't watch any CBS dramas but I'll check this out.

CW:

• Whew, Nikita was renewed! Unfortunately it's being banished to Friday nights with Supernatural. Supernatural does have a lot of rabid fans though so hopefully that will be good for Nikita. 
• One Tree Hill NEVER DIES! Ok actually this is going to be the final season. 
• Hellcats dead. Oh well. It got kinda bad near the end.
• Ringer - I called it last year that Sarah Michelle Gellar needs to come back to TV, and it's happening! Originally this show was rumored for CBS but I think the CW is a much better fit, plus the ratings expectations will be much lower. I hope it's worthy. I don't like that it's being paired with 90210 though.
• Hart of Dixie - Josh Schwartz (The OC, Gossip Girl, Chuck) vehicle for Rachel Bilson. I like her a lot too but a bit skeptical of the concept (NYC doctor moves to Southern town).
• The Secret Circle - From the same author as The Vampire Diaries and same producer, this time with witches! Britt Robertson is starring and I did like her on Life Unexpected before the show went completely off the rails.