ABC: Shuffling The Deck

ABC has had mixed results in its television programming.  Its overall ratings are decent, but the network is actually fourth in the coveted 18-49 age group.  Also, it does better with women than men. So it's no surprise that it would come up with a show based on a comic book series to attract fourteen-year-old males of all ages.  "Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," produced by "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" creator Joss Whedon, will air on Tuesdays at 8 PM Eastern.

ABC will continue to invest in sitcoms.  Perhaps the most notable new comedy is "The Goldbergs," about a suburban family set in the 1980s, with a pre-teen kid who gets the family's wackier moments on videotape  Right now, it looks like there's no resemblance to the old radio and TV comedy-drama of the same name, though making a series specifically about a Jewish family and naming it after them suggests that it will look at the American Jewish experience with a smile, much like the old "Goldbergs" series (a favorite of my Italian grandmother) did.  Also premiering on ABC this fall is "Trophy Wife," where the title character moves in with her new husband and his three children.  Based on their premises, these two sitcoms would certainly complement "The Middle" and "Modern Family," both of which debuted in September 2009 and will be back this fall, on Wednesday nights. However, both of these shows will be on Tuesdays.

"The Middle" will be followed by the new sitcom “Back in the Game,” about a single mom and her estranged dad, played by James Caan; "Modern Family" will be followed by "Super Fun Night," about three unhip female friends who party every weekend at home rather than go on the town - sort of a snarky answer to "Sex And the City," I'm led to understand.  But you know, I'm getting tired of ABC trying to build a solid Wednesday night sitcom lineup I can watch without gaps here and there. Every series the network has aired after "The Middle" and after "Modern Family" in the past four years has either flopped ("Better With You," for example) or been moved to a different night (like "The Neighbors," returning on Fridays this fall); "Happy Endings," having been ended despite being a cult favorite, falls into both categories.  At least "Nashville," which airs Wednesdays at 10 PM Eastern, will be back after the alphabet network seemingly tried a new drama every three months in that midweek one-hour time slot (and it barely got renewed, its ratings having been on the bubble).  But I'm convinced that before Thanksgiving, one or both of those new Wednesday night sitcoms will fail, leading to reruns of "The Middle" and "Modern Family" in those time slots before mid-season replacements destined to do little better show up.  As for "Suburgatory," it's become a mid-season replacement itself, so while it will be back, it won't be back in the fall.  I think a lot of people have gotten  tired of that show as much as I have, and probably for the same reasons I've explained earlier on this blog.  Conclusion: I do not want to invest any more time in any ABC sitcom that airs on Wednesday nights starting at the bottom of the hour.

Oh yeah, I ought to bring up "How To Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life)," which was one of the ABC shows that got canceled.  Even riding on the coattails of "Modern Family," this show didn't get ratings strong enough to satisfy ABC bosses, despite the fact that its ratings were actually very impressive.  I think it's obvious that viewers still like former "Scrubs" star Sarah Chalke, who starred in this show, despite this cancellation.  I find her likeable, I liked this show, and I hope she bounces back from this.  With two failed sitcoms to her credit, she needs a hit - soon.

"Body of Proof" is gone, but it may be picked up by a cable channel.  "Scandal" and "Revenge" - two dramas getting the kind of ratings NBC thought its canceled drama "Deception" would get (yeah, right) will be back.  

The full ABC 2013-14 lineup is here.