Critics Rate ABC's New Fall Schedule

From Kansascity.com-

By Aaron Barnhart

As television's network bosses unveiled their fall schedules to advertisers in New York this week, many of them vowed to keep the reality-show count lower next year.

We'll see about that. The networks can promise to keep reality junk off their airwaves, but their resolve will be only as strong as the new shows they've scheduled.

Overall, the 2003-04 season looks to be a good one for CBS and WB, which are making money by giving viewers what they want. It will be a make-or-break year for NBC, UPN and Fox as they shuffle their schedules and plan for the future. As for any new ABC shows, they will pay for the sins of their network, which gorged on reality shows more than any other.

But how will the new shows do?

Below, I've given each of them strength ratings based on time slot, network and my reaction to the show's preview (not much different from watching a film trailer). Each show has a rating from 1 to 10, 10 being strongest.

"I'm With Her," ABC. Schoolteacher marries movie star. Based on life of writer who has been married barely two years to Brooke Shields. Rating: 5

"Threat Matrix," ABC. This drama -- the first to focus solely on homeland security -- looks interesting, but its biggest threat is the time period: 7 p.m. Thursdays, an historic black hole for ABC programs. Rating: 3

"Back to Kansas," ABC. Fourth-rated ABC made some strange scheduling moves this week. One was shipping "George Lopez" and "Life With Bonnie" to Fridays along with two new sitcoms. One of them is "Back to Kansas," about a New York writer who moves to the Sunflower State with his wife. This is Kansas as only a Hollywood screenwriter imagines it; the family sings "The Appleseed Song" at dinner, puts up with an anti-Semitic uncle and couldn't be more hickish if they wore overalls. Rating: 1

And the rest

Here's a quick look at the remaining new shows. Some have high ratings, but that doesn't mean I like them that much. It does means that through good placement or a proven premise, the show has a better than average chance of survival.

"Karen Sisco," ABC. Based on Jennifer Lopez's character in "Out of Sight," she has kick but her time slot (Wednesdays, after a fading "Bachelor") doesn't. 5

*New Alias Lead In~ "10-8," ABC. Senior cop breaks in rookie cop. 5

"Hope and Faith," ABC. Kelly Ripa cheekily plays washed-up daytime star in show buried on Friday. 5

"It's All Relative," ABC. Like "Dharma & Greg," only the girl has two dads and the boy's father is a homophobe. It's all bad. 3
 
not everything critics say we should believe ... anyways, lets hope for the best for "Alias" and its new lead in ... (y)
 
Back
Top