Re-Visiting My TV Faves...

The 2006-2007 TV season comes to a close in just 3 months. So I thought I would take a look back on my Early Fall Favorites before they aired and how they are doing now. First, STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP, 30 ROCK and THE CLASS have all under-performed, as we all know. In the best position to get renewed is probably 30 ROCK. I doubt STUDIO 60 will come back, especially if NBC picks up another low-rated critically-adored show called FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS instead. Or who knows, maybe all 3 NBC shows will bite the dust. Personally, I would love to see CROSSING JORDAN and LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT get canned. Other NBC early casualties were KIDNAPPED and TWENTY GOOD YEARS. The BIG success story for NBC this year was HEROES, which also happened to be one of the shows I was most excited about seeing. Over at ABC, the big show for me was UGLY BETTY, and it rocked! I also had hoped BROTHERS & SISTERS would be another good-trashy soap opera, but it's more boring-family-drama soap-lite instead. And after a few early episodes, I bowed out of it. But it has done so-so in the ratings, and ABC will likely pick it up again. MEN IN TREES also has a shot at renewal, especially if OCTOBER ROAD (replacing it on Thursday nights) tanks. However, if OCTOBER does really well, ABC may make a decision to keep it instead (or maybe WHAT ABOUT BRIAN will exit). In any event, ABC has some awesome new drama pilots in the works (GREYS ANATOMY spin-off, FOOTBALL WIVES, DIRTY SEXY MONEY, CASHMERE MAFIA). ABC's comedies THE KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY, BIG DAY, HELP ME HELP YOU, IN CASE OF EMERGENCY: all HORRIBLE! And does anyone even remember THE NINE, SIX DEGREES or DAY BREAK? No, it's probably a foregone conclusion that ABC will be cleaning house at the end of the season and adding some awesome high-concept shows to replace them next fall. CBS had the least to worry about at the start of the season: they only premiered 4 new shows: THE CLASS, JERICHO, SHARK and SMITH. Only SHARK has made the Top 20 during this winter season, with JERICHO losing out to AMERICAN IDOL and now in danger of not making it back for round 2: ditto THE CLASS. On any other network, THE CLASS and JERICHO would be successful enough, but with so few holes in CBS' schedule, SOME shows are going to have to exit so that newcomers can come in. And SMITH is already gone. FOX had a bad fall (again): STANDOFF, VANISHED, TIL DEATH, HAPPY HOUR, and an entertainment-law drama that I can't think of off-hand, nor do i care to even go find out (I mean, is it really worth it since it's been cancelled anyway?). The only show worth coming back is TIL DEATH. I would like to see it paired up with ACTION NEWS to create an EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND-alum hour: Brad Garrett in TIL DEATH and Patricia Healey in ACTION NEWS. At The CW: the newcomer RUNAWAY. Already gone. So overall, not a great year for the nets, with HEROES, UGLY BETTY and SHARK being bright spots.