Last week, broadcast networks announced their prime time schedules for next season. We’ve got to wait until fall to actually see the new shows. But we can get disappointed just reading their descriptions now!
ABC—“Better Together” is a sitcom about dating. The first of many this season. In “Body of Proof,” Dana Delany gets the call to report for forensic crime solver duty alongside “Bones” and everybody from “CSI.” “Detroit 187” dramatizes detectives in Detroit. “Happy Endings” finds humor in a newly divorced couple trying to keep their friends together. In “Mr. Sunshine,” Matthew Perry (“Friends”) manages a second-rate sports arena. “My Generation” is a drama about a documentary crew following high school students in 2000. Ten years later, the filmmakers catch up with them to see what they’re doing now. It’s scripted, but no more so than “The Hills.” “No Ordinary Family” turns a regular suburban family into superheroes—like The Incredibles but less animated. With “Off the Map,” Shonda Rhimes relocates “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” to South America. “The Whole Truth” is a legal drama that calls itself “unique”—meaning it probably isn’t.
NBC—“The Cape” has an ordinary dad becoming a superhero. “Chase” is Jerry Bruckheimer’s action drama about U.S. Marshals hunting fugitives. “The Event” has an everyman fighting a global conspiracy stolen directly from “Prison Break.” “Friends with Benefits” is another dating sitcom. “Harry’s Law” is another legal drama from David E. Kelley (“L.A. Law,” “The Practice”). “Law & Order: Los Angeles” is, obviously, a spin-off of the now canceled show. “Love Bites” is a dating sitcom, too, but it’s an hour long. It’s also an anthology. ... So, it’s “Love, American Style.” “Outlaw” is a Jimmy Smits courtroom drama. “Outsourced” is set in a call center in India. Think “The Office” with accents. “Perfect Couples” is another dating sitcom. “The Paul Reiser Show” stars Paul Reiser as Paul Reiser. This was funny when Garry Shandling did it. And when Larry David did it. ... Not so much when Kirstie Alley did it. “School Pride” is “Extreme Makeover,” but with schools. “Undercovers” is J.J. Abrams’ action drama about married spies.
CBS—“Blue Bloods” employs Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg as father and son cops. “The Defenders” is a legal comedy/drama with Jim Belushi. “Hawaii 5-0” gets a remake. “$#*! My Dad Says” is based on the Twitter feed “Shit My Dad Says.” “Mike & Molly” is another dating sitcom.
FOX—“Bob’s Burgers” is an animated sitcom about a crummy burger joint. Producers call “Lonestar” a “provocative soap set against the backdrop of big Texas oil.” ... So, it’s “Dallas.” “Mixed Signals” is another dating sitcom. “Raising Hope” is about a dude with a trailer trash family raising the daughter he never knew he had. “Ride-Along” is more cops-and-robbers stuff, this time in Chicago. “Running Wilde” is a romantic comedy starring Will Arnett as a rich playboy trying to impress his high school sweetheart Keri Russell. Like “Raising Hope,” it includes a cute pun involving the main character’s name in the title. That bodes well. “Terra Nova” is produced by Steven Spielberg and follows a family back in time to the era of dinosaurs.
The CW—“Hellcats” finds High School Musical’s Ashley fronting a college cheerleading squad ... with sexy results. La Femme Nikita—which got remade as “Point of No Return” and a USA network series—gets another incarnation, titled “Nikita.” Hong Kong’s Maggie Q is now the titular assassin.