Making changes but rebooting favorites…that about sums up “new” TV in 2018.
Here are 3 trends from last week’s upfronts.
Reboots galore
The reboots trend will never die at this rate.
Coming off the success of ABC‘s reboot of “Roseanne,” more are coming.
First, “Murphy Brown” returns on CBS, with Candice Bergen bringing her strong newswoman character back to the screen. It’ll air on Thursdays, after CBS hits “The Big Bang Theory” and “Mom.”
Then, there’s “Charmed,” which the CW is bringing back to life. It’ll air alongside “Supergirl” on Sundays, a night that the network hasn’t aired new shows on before.
Lastly, “Last Man Standing” is coming back, on Fox. It’ll be paired with another comedy tailored for an older audience, “The Cool Kids.”
Switcheroos
Speaking of changing networks, “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” is going to NBC after being canceled by Fox.
“Lethal Weapon” replaced lead actor Clayne Crawford after he was accused of poor onset behavior.
And with Thursday Night Football shifting from CBS to Fox, there are many schedule shifts for that network, which, for a network that is known for comedy, only has two new comedies premiering in the fall (“Rel” and the aforementioned “The Cool Kids”)
Very few new shows
With so many networks vying for viewers’ attention, it seems networks are playing it safe by airing fewer new shows and saving some for midseason, when a series premier typically means half the number of episodes.
This fall, most broadcast networks are airing only 2-4 new shows, with the exception of CBS, which boasts six new fall shows.
Midseason, which used to have fewer premieres, now seems to have a similar number of new shows (though that could change before January).
However, the reboots start in the fall, no doubt because they’ll get the viewer’s interest more easily thanks to old and new fans watching.