Broadcast TV: which shows will return in 2012-13?
Amy Poehler stars in "Parks and Recreation," a critical and fan favorite which lacks one thing: a big audience. Then again, none of NBC's comedies draw big crowds anymore, which helps this show's cause. CREDIT: NBC
Loading ...It’s that time of year again where shows “on the bubble” will either find their futures burst into oblivion or kept afloat for another year.
According to a USA Today survey, the most beloved “on the bubble” shows are ‘Parks and Recreation,” “Fringe” (since renewed for 13 more episodes), “Community” and “Parenthood.”
Here’s a broadcast network breakdown featuring which non-summer shows will be back for sure in 2012-13, which ones are already dead and the odds of those who do not know their fate just yet. We’ll have all the answers by the week of May 13.
ABC
Charlie’s Angels: DEAD
Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23: Too early to say since it just debuted. 50/50
GCB: 30% shot of returning with okay ratings, a smattering of controversy
Last Man Standing: 65% shot of returning with so-so ratings
Man Up!: GONE, thank goodness
Missing: No way this is coming back. Sorry, Ashley
Once Upon a Time: Certain to be back
Pan Am: Crash landed. Too bad. It won’t be back.
Revenge: A sure thing to return
The River: Sunk
Scandal: ABC loves Shonda Rhimes and the numbers indicate an 80% shot of coming back.
Suburgatory: Solid. 85% chance of coming back
Work It: Why, oh, why, did this even make it out of the pitch meeting? It’s gone.
You Deserve It: Made zero impression. Won’t be back.
20/20: Sure. It’s always there.
America’s Funniest Home Videos: A staple that seemingly never dies.
The Bachelor: The black and white of it all: yes. It’s coming back, even if the spring numbers were flaccid.
Body of Proof: Close call. Passable numbers so I give this one a 50/50 shot.
Castle: Certainly coming back.
Cougar Town: Beloved fans will have to cry in their wine. This has less than 20% shot of coming back.
Dancing with the Stars: Duh. 100% chance this is coming back.
Desperate Housewives: Already announced. Series finale later this month.
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition: Already gone
Grey’s Anatomy: Aging but this is the type of show ABC will keep around on life support into 2012-13, no matter who stays or grows.
Happy Endings: Has a small but solid following. 90% chance to be renewed.
The Middle: A strong, middle-of-the-road performer. 100% chance it will be back.
Modern Family: If anything is guaranteed for a return, this is it.
Primetime: Easy fill in for Fridays. Yes.
Private Practice: With “Scandal” in the mix, ABC could kill this one. I give it a 50/50 chance.
Saturday Night Football. Of course.
Shark Tank. Yes, for sure.
Wipeout. An easy yes.
CBS
48 Hours: Yes.
60 Minutes. Yes.
The Amazing Race. Renewed
The Big Bang Theory. Renewed
Blue Bloods: Renewed
Criminal Minds: Renewed
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: Renewed
CSI: Miami: 75% chance.
CSI: NY: 50/50 chance.
The Good Wife: renewed
Hawaii Five-0: renewed
How I Met Your Mother: renewed
The Mentalist: renewed
Mike & Molly: renewed
NCIS: renewed
NCIS: Los Angeles: renewed
Rules of Engagement: 60% chance of returning. A safe fill-in sitcim.
Survivor: renewed
Two and a Half Men: will likely return.
Undercover Boss: renewed
2 Broke Girls: renewed
A Gifted Man: 10% chance of survival
How to Be a Gentleman: axed
NYC 22: 5% chance of survival
Person of Interest: renewed
Rob: 20% chance of survival
Unforgettable: 35% chance of survival
Fox
American Dad!: Returning
American Idol: Returning
Bob’s Burgers: 50/50
Bones: Returning
Breaking In: dead
The Cleveland Show: Returning
COPS: Scaled back but still alive
Family Guy: Returning
Fringe: 13 more episodes in 2012-13 and it’s over
Glee: Returning
House: Retiring
Kitchen Nightmares: Returning
Mobbed: This aired as a series of “specials.” I’m not sure if it’s coming back but I doubt it.
Raising Hope: Returning
The Simpsons: Returning
Alcatraz: 15% shot of returning
Allen Gregor: Dead
The Finder: 10% shot of returning
I Hate My Teenage Daughter: Gone, thank goodness
Napoleon Dynamite: 40% chance of returning
New Girl: Returning
Terra Nova: Dead
Touch: 65% shot of returning
The X Factor: Returning
the CW
90210: renewed
America’s Next Top Model: 100% chance of coming back
Gossip Girl: 75% chance of coming back though it’s aging.
Nikita: 40% chance of survival
One Tree Hill: series finale already aired
Supernatural: renewed
The Vampire Diaries: renewed
H8R: already out
Hart of Dixie: 50/50
The L.A. Complex: Only one episode aired and already renewed in Canada. 20% chance of returning
Remodeled: shut down
Ringer: 30% chance of returning
The Secret Circle:70% chance of returning
NBC
30 Rock: 80% chance of returning for one more season
The Apprentice: Returning
The Biggest Loser: Returning
Chuck: Retired
Community:50% chance of returning
Dateline NBC: Returning
Football Night in America: Returning
Harry’s Law: 20% chance of returning. Decent overall numbers, but skews too old
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: 80% chance of renewal
NBC Sunday Night Football: Returning
The Office: 95% chance of returning despite sinking ratings
Parenthood: 75% chance of returning
Parks and Recreation: 95% chance of returning
The Sing-Off: 30% chance of returning
The Voice: Returning
Who Do You Think You Are?: 80% chance of returning
Fear Factor: Joe Rogan told me directly it’s dead again
Are You There, Chelsea? 5% chance of returning
Awake: 10% chance of returning
Bent: 5%chance of returning
Best Friends Forever: not coming back, already bumped to summers
Betty White’s Off Their Rockers: 95% chance of returning
Escape Routes: Doubt it. It was shunted to Saturdays from the get go
Fashion Star: 35% chance of returning
The Firm: Dead
Free Agents: Dead
Grimm: Returning
The Playboy Club: Dead
Prime Suspect: Dead
Rock Center with Brian Williams: 50/50
Smash: Returning
Up All Night: 90% chance of returning
Whitney: 40% chance of returning
Who’s Still Standing? 20% chance of returning
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By Rodney Ho, Radio & TV Talk
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64 comments Add your comment
UGABugKiller
May 6th, 2012
2:25 pm
Wow… I always wondered who watched crap like Last Man Standing… and it’s YOU people.
Talk about TV for the lowest common denominator. It’s a mediocre show, filled with mediocre writing, trite sitcom plots recycled from 30 years ago, and an indifferent, uninterested performance from Allen.
Out of the sitcoms on TV, Community, Cougar Town, Parks & Rec, and a resurgent 30 rock are the best BY FAR, it’s not even close. This is sitcoms written at a much higher IQ-level, so of course most of the people here prefer crap like Last Man Standing with the four cameras and the laugh track so they know “when” to laugh at the horrible jokes.
Modern Family has dropped back a bit, resting on it’s laurels, and going far too broad when it used to rein-in those impulses in its first two seasons. But it’s still good, and right there with The Middle, which is a sweet, funny gem, and The Big Bang Theory, one of the only four camera/laugh track sitcoms left that are any good.
Out of the new sitcoms, the only two that stands out are Suburgatory and Don’t Trust the B in Apt 23, a hilarious odd couple-style comedy which keeps on getting stolen by James Van Der Beek’s uproarious performance as “himself,” a pastiche of what normal people think the egos and actions b-list actors must be like. Suburgatory is almost like a cartoon come to life, but in a good way, with great, scene-stealing supporting performances from Cheryl Hines, Ally Grant, Rex Lee, Carly Chaikin, Alan Tudyk, Ana Gasteyer, and Chris Parnel in support of the very likable leads, Jeremy Sisto and Jane Levy.
From the dramas, know that FNL is gone, Parenthood, also run by Jason Katims, is unflinching and the most “real” of the family dramas. Fringe, as always, is excellent, even when it’s been turned upside down and inside out, and a huge thanks to Fox for “Chuck-ing” the show, bringing it back for a 5th season of 13 eps (and the magic 100-ep number for syndication) to tie up all the lose ends… let’s just hope the finale is WAY better than the horrible Chuck finale.
Of the new dramas, both Grimm and Once Upon a Time have been fun, popcorn fare, both improving as the year has gone on, deserving their renewals.
It must be said, though, that as good as these shows above are, they cannot touch the cable dramas, particularly Justified, the flat-out best show on television, Mad Men, Breaking Bad, or the twisted comedy of Archer, the funniest, most-gut-bustingly hilarious show on TV, bar-none.
Please people… stop admitting in a public forum that you think formulaic crap like Last Man Standing is the “best” or “funniest” show on TV. It’s the merlot of sitcoms. It’s the McDonald’s of comedy.
It’s just… BAD.
caribourancher
May 6th, 2012
2:31 pm
The network with the fewest question marks and cancellations is also the same network with the fewest reality shows. Thank you, CBS. Maybe the others will take notice?
Jim Listens
May 6th, 2012
5:10 pm
AWAKE is a great show. NBC Needs ot give it a chance to find the audience. I have really enjoyed Harry’s Law on Sunday night. It’s a good time slot for a show that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Most disappointing in Rodney’s column is that The Sing-Off might not be back. By far the most entertaining of that genre…and it doesn’t drag on too long.
Tom
May 7th, 2012
1:18 pm
The Office needs to go! The show was built around Steve Carrell. Now even the infusion of British style humor (which does not translate well to the US market) has made it unbearable to watch….time to look for new jobs, guys!
Jay P.
May 7th, 2012
1:33 pm
I wish ABC would have given Cougar Town a fair chance! I also wish the creators of the show would have had enough sense early on to change the name! “Cougar Town” is not at all reflective of the show’s content and most certainly turns some people off before they ever give it a chance. I think Courtney Cox and Josh Hopkins work well together as the main characters in the show.
Chuck
May 7th, 2012
1:45 pm
UGA, all those ‘one-camera’ sitcoms are just as set and formulaic as anything else on TV (and why the heck am I supposed to care how many cameras are used?) all filled with snarky, cynical, self-aware hipster humor, all telling the same jokes to the same people. Don’t get me wrong, I watch ‘em, but ‘The Office’ is spent, ‘30 Rock’ is running out of gas, and the others are going to have to make it on their own merit, just the same as any ‘4-camera’ sitcom. I remember critics saying how much smarter ‘Up All Night’ was than ‘Whitney’, when fact was, I couldn’t sit through either of them.
‘Last Man Standing’ makes me laugh and that’s all I want from a sitcom.
Kay
May 7th, 2012
2:52 pm
Which shows to be safed, Rodney is asking to pick six. I can only pick (2) Scandal & GCB. For as I’m concern they can get rid of the whole lot.
Especially NBC Thursday Night Line Up. Please God
bart
May 7th, 2012
3:00 pm
Harry’s Law is one of the most intelligent and interesting shows on TV, which, of course, means it won’t be back.
BobDog
May 7th, 2012
3:47 pm
Parenthood is one of the best shows on television. I agree with previous posters. Unfortunately, it had to compete with The Good Wife early on, another great show. To cancel Parenthood would be a shame.
another comment
May 8th, 2012
12:17 am
ABC really screwed up cancelling All my Children and One Life to Live. It is great that they are already cancelling the replacements. They have lost alot of long time viewers both daytime and night time due to this fiasco.
Why aren’t you commenting about Don’t be Tardy to the Wedding on Bravo. It is great, funny. K. J. Biermann is the cutest baby. My daughters and I love it. We hope that Bravo does more than 6 episodes. It is so much better than the Bethany show.
brian
May 8th, 2012
10:42 pm
please do cancel GCB ABC its a good show. give it a chance i mean u give shondra rimes shows all a chance why not this one and please dont cancel private just because of different. back to GCB this show is original down to earth and funny..
bloggersstink
May 9th, 2012
11:50 am
“Man Up!: GONE, thank goodness”
You’re an idiot!!
Why?
May 9th, 2012
12:55 pm
Two and Half Men needs to be cancelled. This show is horrible and no longer funny. Ashton Kutcher did nothing for this show. I am glad that Mike and Molly is such a strong show and does not need that loser of a show as it lead-in.
Alcatraz needs to be renewed. Awesome Sci-Fi show.
Manny
May 9th, 2012
5:08 pm
OK, my teenaged kids like the Napolean Dynamite movie. I think it’s one of the funniest movies ever made.
When the TV show came out, we were like “meh.” To us, it wasn’t funny and we were disappointed. And then, we would watch it again. And some more. Now, it’s hilarious!
The cool part about the TV show are the characters. All of them, not just Napoleon. And the random stuff that’s either on the wall, or happening just right off camera; or even the way that every character has their own schtick. That’s funny!
I think if they gave it another season, it’ll grow on you.