ABC Fall 2013 Schedule

Even though they are in nowhere near as deep a ditch as NBC, there a similar air of renewal and fresh starts prevalent at ABC during their upfronts. Akin to NBC's practice of scrapping many a failed show and putting on new ones, ABC is ready to press forward after cutting Happy Endings and Body of Proof (although both are still in contention on cable), with many pilots they've picked up and scheduled for the fall. But what's even more telling is just how much Disney is embracing technology. In fact, ABC is going all-out in regards to internet viewing practices, beginning with the announcement of an app to stream ABC live, a first for a broadcast network and an expansion of similar apps developed for the Disney cable networks. At the upfronts, executives touted the intention to start counting internet viewers in the ratings.

Watch some of the trailers for ABC fall shows, and you may notice some subtle differences. Now I already spoke in the past of how much I admired the editing and presentation style of ABC promos, but you may notice a different font on the text reading "Coming this Fall" at the end of each. And afterwards, the simple and minimalist but eyecatching ABC logo itself has changed, revealing a more downplayed 3-D look.

As far as programming goes, there isn't really anything all that surprising. The highlights as we will see are two major franchise pickups, including one truly awesome entry. Like at NBC, there are a lot of family sitcoms, but in the case of this network it's more their bread-and-butter, adding to a long history of hits that helped define ABC over the years.

This is a network that has left an impression on me in past forms with a style that remains kinetic even as their substance seemed to heavily alter. And it was probably the one network whose upfronts I've been looking forward to the most, so let's not dilly-dally any further!

MONDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Dancing With the Stars (Reality Competition)
10:00/9:00c -- Castle (Drama; 6th Season)

The most static part of the fall schedule, representing a block that has worked out fairy well in the past for the network. Really, the only thing of note here is the fact that it's now the only night of Dancing With the Stars, a good enough indicator of how much this once-hot show has cooled down.

TUESDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Marvel's Agents of SHIELD (New Drama; Spin-off of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following declassified missions within the agency known as SHIELD)
9:00/8:00c -- The Goldbergs (New Comedy; A family living in the 1980s, as seen through the video camera of the youngest son)
9:30/8:30c -- Trophy Wife (New Comedy; A party girl marries into a dysfunctional family, including two ex-wives)
10:00/9:00c -- Lucky 7 (New Drama; The employees of a Queens, New York gas station strike fantastic luck when their lottery pool gets the winning numbers)

With Dancing off Tuesdays, we now get a completely new Tuesday night schedule. Starting off the night was the first pickup ABC committed to this season, Marvel's Agents of SHIELD. Since Disney bought Marvel Entertainment, they have been committed to developing a TV series meant to go with the massively popular motion pictures produced by Marvel Studios beginning with 2008's Iron Man. In the year since the massively successful film Marvel's The Avengers, ABC has been fast-tracking this show and have managed to get it out while we were still in an opportune time frame. There may not be a single series on TV this year that is more pressured to perform than this. On the other end of the night, Lucky 7 reminds of other shows ABC tried in recent years, such as Six Degrees or My Generation, which worked with a high-concept premise dealing with a large cast of core characters mingling. Given that both those shows tanked hard, I think I understand why this one (with sort of a strange setup of having the people who win the lottery work where they bought the ticket) is launching in what's traditionally been a death slot for the network. In between, we have two new domestic sitcoms, both holding decent potential. In the case of Trophy Wife though, we have a solid cast of actors to work with, including Marcia Gay Harden, Michaela Watkins, Super 8's Ryan Scott Lee and Josh from The West Wing/Eric from Billy Madison himself, Bradley Whitford! On top of the show though, we also have Malin Akerman playing the actual "Trophy Wife", on the heels of acting on Suburgatory as Tessa's estranged mother.

WEDNESDAY
8:00/7:00c -- The Middle (Comedy; 5th Season)
8:30/7:30c -- Back in the Game (New Comedy; A washed-up softball player and her son move in with her father)
9:00/8:00c -- Modern Family (Comedy; 5th Season)
9:30/8:30c -- Super Fun Night (New Comedy; Rebel Wilson stars as a burgeoning lawyer with a tradition of going out with her friends every Friday)
10:00/9:00c -- Nashville (Drama; 2nd Season)

ABC shows how much faith it has in Nashville, among the rest of its primetime soap hits in letting it stay put, not unlike the comedy hits on the same night. We also have two new comedies, including family comedy Back in the Game. But we also have the outlier among the sitcoms airing in the fall, Super Fun Night. This workplace comedy stars burgeoning comedy star Rebel Wilson, who also created the show. And the trailer makes it clear that the actress from Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect is the key selling point for this show, the motivation for ABC to pick it up, and the reason it's going on after Modern Family. With a weak trailer and a thin premise for a series, I honestly hope for Wilson's sake that it does eventually turn out good with or without blacklash.

THURSDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (New Drama; Miniseries offshoot of the fairy tale-inspired drama utilizing elements from the Lewis Carroll story)
9:00/8:00c -- Grey's Anatomy (Drama; 9th Season)
10:00/9:00c -- Scandal (Drama; 3rd Season)

Really, the only detail of note on ABC's Thursday night lineup is the 8:00 hour, an even worse death slot than Tuesdays at 10:00. Since the third season of Ugly Betty, ABC has mightily struggled to launch any successful new show in that slot, trying dramas and comedies alike, but only getting anywhere with the popular, outlandish game show Wipeout. As such, I have to wonder about the mentions of this Once Upon a Time spinoff actually meaning to be a miniseries, and the plans for others like it in the future. It really comes off like it's the best they are willing to try.

FRIDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Last Man Standing (Comedy; 3rd Season)
8:30/7:30c -- The Neighbors (Comedy; 2nd Season)
9:00/8:00c -- Shark Tank (Reality Competition)
10:00/9:00c -- 20/20 (Newsmagazine)

To be perfectly honest, I never believed Paul Lee's intent to revive TGIF. Honestly and truly, what's past is past and we've since moved on. At the same time though, nothing is going to stop him from trying. And when a show like Last Man Standing is popular enough to get enough people to follow it to Fridays, that is at least justification for an hour of comedy. Provided, of course that it maintains a substantial and consistent viewership level, as demonstrated by NBC's Grimm. With ABC's decision to renew The Neighbors along with the decision to cancel Malibu Country, it's less surprising to see the former is the one getting the Friday night treatment. (And really, with so many similarly high-concept comedies airing on TGIF back in the day, it fits in on this night most of all.) In theory, another renewed sitcom Suburgatory could have aired in that same slot, being another show driven heavily by its younger characters (though the same could be said of the perennial Wednesday night hits The Middle and Modern Family). But I think I can say it's for the best that if ABC had to trade something off in return for a renewal, that it's just waiting until midseason. It can always return sooner (not that I'm rooting for any sitcom to bomb, of course), as opposed to wither away on such an intense night of the week.

SATURDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Saturday Night College Football

SUNDAY
7:00/6:00c -- America's Funniest Home Videos (Reality Competition)
8:00/7:00c -- Once Upon a Time (Drama; 3rd Season)
9:00/8:00c -- Revenge (Drama; 3rd Season)
10:00/9:00c -- Betrayal (New Drama; A chance encounter between an attorney and a photographer married to an aspiring politician spins their worlds out of control)

No changes to the Sunday lineup, with the sole exception of the tough 10:00 slot. Watching the trailer for the show slated for it, Betrayal I honestly get a vibe comparable most of all to the shows ABC picked up in the 90s. Really, the best way I can describe the feel I get is that it feels not so much like the standard primetime soap airing on ABC in recent years, but like something that would have aired before Capital Cities Communications sold out to Disney. It's hard to understand, but I kind of like it. Now, the show just needs to be good.

Midseason
The Bachelor, Killer Women, Mind Games, Mixology, The Quest, Resurrection, Suburgatory, The Taste

Cancelled Shows
666 Park Avenue, Body of Proof, Don't Trust the B-- in Apt. 23, Happy Endings, How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), Last Resort, Malibu Country, Private Practice, Red Widow, Zero Hour

Well, there you have it. There's lots of family comedies coming to ABC (as per usual), along with a fair share of ambitious, very much hypeable shows. This should certainly be interesting.

FOX Fall 2013 Schedule

If you want a good indicator of how much broadcast television has fallen, you ought to consider the Fox network. Anybody who willingly follows the ratings every week (and if you want to start, I recommend TV by the Numbers, which also sports plenty of insightful commentary on the numbers game) would see how much the standards have lowered over the last few years, from declining averages all around. But you don't even need to read that far into it to get a good impression.

One can just consider American Idol, which was formerly a titan dominating television and constantly swept the floor with the scripted competition. It still ranks very high in viewership, but how much things have changed is more apparent in other places. Simon Cowell, once considered the heart of the show in his duties as a judge has since moved on to other projects. Among them, fellow FOX show The X Factor, a talent competition with a similar origin in Great Britain and given how much the popularity of Idol raised expectations, was a middling success in the overall context. Further, NBC has since attracted reasonable attention to their own singing competition, The Voice. The addition of this mere one show has managed to crowd the marketplace, rendering Idol less important and influential.

Now, it has reached a point where one of the other original judges, Randy Jackson has decided to leave. With that, American Idol may have to start again from scratch.

Over the rest of the network however, FOX is now embracing big, ambitious programming like never before. Of course, this could stem back to the days when Idol was king, when the likes of House and 24 (which bee-tee-dubs, is going to get a revival as a miniseries, more on that later) gave the broadcaster something resembling a premium cable scope with its shows. This year has dealt a risky gambit with The Following, a procedural/horror mash-up from veteran writer Kevin Williamson, that paid off fairly well in the end. It's expected to start another season in the same place next year. In addition, FOX is going forward with a surprisingly amble number of beefy, ambitious dramas with unique premises. What's more, there are more than six, I repeat six new "Event Series" slated to kick off next season. Among them, we will get a revival going by 24: Live Another Day.

MONDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Bones (Drama; 9th Season)
8:00/7:00c -- (In Late Fall) Almost Human (New Drama; Cop drama set decades in the future, where officers are paired with highly-evolved androids)
9:00/8:00c -- Sleepy Hollow (New Drama; Supernatural procedural based loosely on the tale of the Headless Horseman, following Ichabod Crane into the present day)

First of all, just so we are clear Bones will remain on Monday nights initially and then move to Fridays later on in the fall. On the same night, we have two new, incredibly ambitious dramas set to launch, one following Bones and the other eventually filling its slot. The former is called Sleepy Hollow from veteran TV and movie writers, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (responsible for movies like Transformers and Star Trek, and shows like Fringe). This has some potential to be a fantastic show, but I sense some potential problems. The trailer showcases a subtle sense of humor against the gritty scope of the show, such as a crack about the ubiquity of Starbucks Coffee (a joke that was more prevalent in the late 90s) and one character (played by Orlando Jones) calling Ichabod "Captain America". Otherwise, I may need to revisit the Sleepy Hollow story sometime, but I sense an overcrowding in the conceit that the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse are also involved. Slated to replace Bones later in the fall is a high-concept, speculative cop drama called Almost Human, the latest from J.J. Abrams. Karl Urban (who plays Dr. McCoy, a different "Bones" in the new Star Trek movies) is in the lead, and it looks like ideal casting for the standard issue wrung-out cop role. As far as procedural go, it already has a high launching platform and would do wonders if it maintained such a lofty position.

TUESDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Dads (New Comedy; Executive produced by Seth MacFarlane, two successful men must contend with their fathers moving in with them)
8:30/7:30c -- Brooklyn Nine-Nine (New Comedy; A comedic take on a cop show, stars Andy Samberg)
9:00/8:00c -- New Girl (Comedy; 3rd Season)
9:30/8:30c -- The Mindy Project (Comedy; 2nd Season)

FOX is once again trying a whole night of comedies, including the multi-camera Dads from Seth MacFarlane, representing his clout at FOX. Clearly, the executives here are trying to compensate with him after the massive missed opportunity that became the blockbuster film Ted over at Universal. And speaking of NBC Universal, notice that the other new show Brooklyn Nine-Nine has the support of lead Andy Samberg. On top of that, one of its creators is Michael Schur, a co-creator on Parks and Recreation. This works as a compliment to the continued faith in Mindy Kaling, Kelly from The Office and her show The Mindy Project. It's quite amusing that FOX is hoping to build up their live-action comedy department with the talent of NBC.

WEDNESDAY
8:00/7:00c -- The X Factor (Reality Competition)

Not much to say, except that I don't really watch reality shows. Let's just see if it improves or declines further.

THURSDAY
8:00/7:00c -- The X Factor Results (Reality Competition)
9:00/8:00c -- Glee (Drama; 5th Season)

Also doing well for FOX is the love-to-hate-it hit Glee, retaining good enough numbers to continue existing much to the chagrin of the "haters". And it continues to fit like a glove following the talent shows.

FRIDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Junior Masterchef (New Reality Competition; Off-shoot of Gordon Ramsey series where children compete in a cook-off)
9:00/8:00c -- Sleepy Hollow Encores

FRIDAY (Late Fall)
8:00/7:00c -- Bones (Drama; 9th Season)
9:00/8:00c -- Raising Hope (Comedy; 4th Season)
9:30/8:30c -- Enlisted (New Comedy; A sergeant must contend with an offbeat Army troop, among them his two brothers)

Okay, it kind of complicates matters when FOX explicitly states during the upfronts that it's proposed Friday night schedule, which looks like it required some thought is going to start late compared to the rest of the fall lineup. As such, the presence of the latest in a long line of Gordon Ramsey shows makes the most sense for this night. But to say that Bones (as I mentioned earlier) is going to take over the slot when the initial cycle ends gives me the impression that FOX is anticipating that Sleepy Hollow will fail and need to get pulled early, requiring Bones to remain on Mondays with Almost Human. But do not quote me on this, just because Fridays are often a low-traffic night in general. Otherwise, it serves as a potential second night of comedy, paring the family sitcom Raising Hope with a new show called Enlisted, from the co-creator of Cougar Town and whose cast includes Ryan from Suburgatory.

SATURDAY
Primetime -- Fox Sports Saturdays
Late Night -- Animation Domination HD

There actually is something special to note here -- FOX is no longer airing regular, original programming on Saturday nights. For the longest time, Cops (which will be moving to Spike) and America's Most Wanted (which left the network two years ago, and only recently ended a run on Lifetime) towered as a lone holdout lineup on a night where it was clear nobody was left watching TV. Now, they are going the ABC route and covering various sporting events on this night. As if to compensate, FOX is reentering the late night game by launching an ambitious new animation block at 11:00 PM on July 27th. It will feature animated series and shorts, aiming for a style akin to Adult Swim beyond the reruns of Animation Domination's Sunday night hits. In fact, there's already a website up showcasing shorts and sketches. It's worth checking out if you want a feel for what it'll be like.

SUNDAY
7:00/6:00c -- NFL Overrun
8:00/7:00c -- The Simpsons (Comedy; 25th Season)
8:30/7:30c -- Bob's Burgers (Comedy; 4th Season)
9:00/8:00c -- Family Guy (Comedy; 12th Season)
9:30/8:30c -- American Dad! (Comedy; 10th Season)

And here's Animation Domination classic, the very lineup the late night "HD" will expand on. Looks like the same old, same old at this point.

Midseason
American Idol, The Following, Gang Related, Murder Police, Rake, Surviving Jack, Us and Them

Upcoming Event Series
24-Live Another Day, Billy the Kid, Blood Brothers, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, The Run of His Life: The People V O.J. Simpson, Shogun, Wayward Pines

Cancelled Shows
Ben and Kate, Cops, Fringe, The Mob Doctor, Touch

(No final word exists at press time for The Cleveland Show)

And so, I have to admit that I am optimistic for the upcoming season on FOX. My sister is a long-time viewer of the network, always enjoying a wide variety of dramas coming off the network, including this past season's The Following as the latest in this line. With this much ambition on tap to the extent that so many miniseries are augmenting the offerings, I can safely say that I can't blame my sister for gravitating towards the FOX network. The new dramas slated for fall look fantastic. And coming midseason, I sense plenty of fantastic, reliable names headlining some shows. Us and Them pairs Jason Ritter with Alexis Bledel, who formed the Gilmore Girls with Ritter's Parenthood love interest Lauren Graham, so I can hope for the show to turn out better than the trailer suggests. And then you have Rake, supported by the consistent film actor Greg Kinnear.

(UPDATE: Literally as soon as I posted this schedule, FOX put up a trailer for the comedy Surviving Jack, co-created by Bill Lawrence and starring Christopher Meloni as the patriarch of a family. I gotta say, considering Meloni's background in comedy despite his reputation on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, to pair him with someone like the creator of Scrubs seems like a match made in heaven. It took me watching this trailer to realize this show, and it's unusual but potentially ripe early-1990s setting may in fact end up being the funniest comedy FOX will launch all season.)

NBC Fall 2013 Schedule

At the end of the season, NBC enters at the same point where it was last year, if not lower. As a broadcaster, they have been suffering for years. However, what was remarkable was that business really seemed to have been booming last fall. With the decision to do a cycle of The Voice at the beginning of the year, the peacock network saw some of the highest ratings they have gotten in years. New shows really got a major boost, leading many to believe that the likes of Go On and Revolution were the next big TV hits. They actually won their first November sweeps in years during this high period.

But once The Voice wrapped up, everything just came crashing down. Now mind you, all of broadcast was heavily bleeding viewership, but NBC really suffered greatly. Figures for new sitcoms sunk like a stone, and new shows failed to gain any sort of traction. One new show, Do No Harm was actually the lowest rated drama premiere in television history. And for further humiliation, NBC actually ranked behind Univision for the first time in February sweeps.

Unsurprisingly, NBC is going to try starting fresh next year. Only two sitcoms were renewed after a powerful wave of pilots, and only one (Parks and Recreation) will be on in the Fall. Any dramas that a returning are going to try new time slots, some in a more advantageous position than others.

MONDAY
8:00/7:00c -- The Voice (Reality Competition)
10:00/9:00c -- The Blacklist (New Drama; James Spader stars as a long-wanted former government agent agrees to help the FBI hunt down criminals)

All I can really note about this night is that Revolution is moving off of it, and I'll elaborate when I cover the night it's moving to. Otherwise, I need not point out that any drama leading out of The Voice is going to gain increased exposure, whether it benefits from it or not. Another thing demonstrating how much faith NBC has in The Blacklist is that it was the first trailer the network released for its new fall series, well before the others were during the upfronts.

TUESDAY
8:00/7:00c -- The Biggest Loser (Reality Competition)
9:00/8:00c -- The Voice Results
10:00/9:00c -- Chicago Fire (Drama; 2nd Season)

Chicago Fire had proven itself as a solid hit this past season, so I think I can assume that it's earned a plum spot leading out of The Voice. If that wasn't good enough, it will also be getting a spinoff, Chicago PD slated for a midseason launch.

WEDNESDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Revolution (Drama; 2nd Season)
9:00/8:00c -- Law and Order: SVU (Drama; 15th Season)
10:00/9:00c -- Ironside (New Drama; Remake of the 1960s cop drama, with Blair Underwood as a tough NYPD detective who refuses to let a wheelchair slow him down)

In being placed at the start of another night of programming, the ambitious (or at least previously ambitious) Revolution now experiences increased pressure to perform. I will also admit that Ironside looks like a potentially compelling new procedural. I never watched the original, but I am aware of Raymond Burr's prominence in classic television from the era. And I have faith that Blair Underwood can bring a substantial presence to such a role.

THURSDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Parks and Recreation (Comedy; 6th Season)
8:30/7:30c -- Welcome to the Family (New Comedy; Two families are brought together begrudgingly when one's teenage son impregnates the other's teenage daughter)
9:00/8:00c -- Sean Saves the World (New Comedy; Sean Hayes executive produces and stars as a single father hoping to develop a substantial relationship with his daughter)
9:30/8:30c -- The Michael J. Fox Show (New Comedy; Loosely based on Michael J. Fox's life, he plays a family man dealing with Parkinson's Disease trying to start his career back up)
10:00/9:00c -- Parenthood (Drama; 5th Season)

Among NBC's comedy pickups, we're getting a lot of family comedies, and we're getting a parade of them on the trademark Thursday lineup. The returning Parks and Recreation stands out the most in this block. These new shows are nothing particularly special, among them Sean Hayes headlining a classic-styled multi-camera comedy. Also ordered well in advance of the upfront season was a vehicle for Marty McFly himself, The Michael J. Fox Show (what a creative title, by the way) mines from the actor's real-life experiences. But what really strikes me (and it demonstrated in the trailer) is how his character receives a lot of hype for his return to the news, a distinct parallel to how NBC certainly feels about the star of Family Ties doing a new show for them. Parenthood is also getting possibly the best treatment it had ever received (including a full 22-episode order), airing in 10:00 time slot in a suitable pairing with similar shows airing most of the rest of the night.

FRIDAY
8:00/7:00c -- Dateline NBC
9:00/8:00c -- Grimm (Drama; 3rd Season)
10:00/9:00c -- Dracula (New Drama; Period piece interpretation of the classic vampire character)

Following solid Friday night hit Grimm, we're supposedly getting a new, highly ambitious period piece drama based on an iconic movie monster. Let me guess, some other drama elsewhere in the week will stiff, and NBC will pull it, allowing Dracula to easy maneuver into its place, right? Why else would NBC put anything on this night and time of the week?

SATURDAY
Encore Programming

SUNDAY
7:00/6:00c -- Football Night in America
8:15 EST -- NBC Sunday Night Football

Midseason
About a Boy, American Dream Builders, Believe, Chicago PD, Community, Crisis, Crossbones, The Family Guide, The Night Shift, Undateable

Cancelled/Ended Shows
30 Rock, 1600 Penn, Animal Practice, Deception, Do No Harm, Go On, Guys with Kids, The New Normal, The Office, Ready for Love, Rock Center with Brian Williams, Smash, Up All Night, Whitney

(No final word exists at present for Betty White's Off Their Rockers, Fashion Star, or Hannibal)

Perhaps the most fascinating thing about these new pickups might be the fact that so many come from one specific studio, and one so distant from any American television network. Sony Pictures Television is the producer of Michael J. Fox's new sitcom (picked up well in advance of the development boom for this year's upfronts), in addition to two new shows on the fall lineup. There's the sitcom Welcome to the Family (from executive producer Jamie Tarses, whom we can also thank for Happy Endings and Franklin and Bash), and action drama The Blacklist. These two shows were reportedly part of a massive deal between Sony and NBC, which also granted a pickup to the medical drama The Night Shift.

But the most incredulous part of all was that this same deal included a renewal. The great sitcom Community was allowed to live to see another season thanks to a tight negotiation between network and studio (even if they're technically in the same boat). This makes this deal all the more amazing. NBC was very much willing enough to pick up a boatload of new shows and start anew, and seemed to be so willing to do so that they would stick to a show that's been around a while.

But now, let's look back on the new fall shows. Overall, I have to say I am not impressed. Ironside looks like it might be interesting by procedural standards (even if it is remaking an old show), and I might feel inclined to give the sitcoms a show. But all in all, none of these new fall shows really speak to me all that much. I'm just hoping Revolution rebounds creatively, and doesn't invite failure in it's new timeslot.

Last Call for Cancellations

Next week will bring the Upfront Presentations for the major broadcasters, huge dog-and-pony shows each network to mark the end of the main season. Plans for the following season are revealed, including new shows to be picked up and initial schedules for the fall.

Even in this atmosphere where options go beyond 1000 channels, this whole exercise still proves rather fascinating.

Most of the networks have already made up their minds on what shows will be coming back. CBS made early renewal choices in late March, FOX picked up some of their comedies right before that, and NBC renewed a few of their dramas only a couple of weeks ago. One can pick up on news of this fairly easily in the modern, digital era, especially when cable channels can pick up and cancel shows at any time. Still, there are some shows that haven't heard the final word yet. For example, ABC has yet to renew a single show.

And this will be the week when the final decisions must be made.

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Like I said before, a good chunk of the main renewals at CBS and FOX have already been made, and the same is true for the CW. If any show is a good performer for the network, it's already guaranteed to come back. In fact, CBS has mega-successful shows like The Big Bang Theory, which tend to receive renewals for multiple years at a time.

In the case of those three, it would be easier to list off the shows that haven't been renewed yet. Firstly, in the case of FOX the only shows awaiting a decision are the ones that perform the weakest.

Touch This drama starring Keifer Sutherland has aired on Friday nights throughout its second season, and there hasn't been an episode where it did better than Fringe's final outings. Really, it was lucky to get a second season in the first place.
The Cleveland Show It has been pretty much confirmed that Family Guy's spinoff will not get any more episodes ordered, so the remaining episodes will be the last ones.

On CBS, there is only one well-performing show they've held off on renewing.

Criminal Minds CBS has waited to renew this series compared to the rest of their lineup, mostly because they were waiting on contract negotiations. (The same thing happened to Two and a Half Men, which was renewed once Jon Cryer and Ashton Kutcher signed on and Angus T Jones agreed to only return in a limited capacity.) The showrunner has since signed a new contract with CBS, as have leads Joe Mantegna and Thomas Gibson. I think I can expect to see it return.
Vegas I honestly think my father was one of the only people to follow this show to Friday nights, after an underwhelming Tuesday run. It's not coming back.
Golden Boy It was originally going to move to Fridays, but remained in Vegas' old slot in the hopes that it would gain better traction on a night with higher traffic. That never happened.
Rules of Engagement For seven seasons, this show primarily stuck around as a pinch hitter amongst the network's comedies, usually returning at midseason or earlier after a new comedy flops and filling the gaps for the remainder of the season. This time however, it seems that this show's time has run out, with weak ratings likely ending the show for good.

The first CW shows to get renewed are, interestingly the action-orientated series, Supernatural, Arrow (as in Green Arrow, the DC Comics character), as well their highest-rated show The Vampire Diaries. The next ones spared were Beauty and the Beast and Heart of Dixie, whilst the decision to bring 90210 to a close was called fairly early. That leaves two shows left waiting.

The Carrie Diaries This prequel to Sex and the City has done tepidly on Monday nights, and as such the CW won't feel inclined to keep it around.
Nikita This series has aired quietly on Friday nights, surviving into its third season. It can easily gain a fourth, primarily playing to the CW's syndication prospects by fulfilling the minimum number of episodes to sell a show. The real question is if they will jump for it on this show.

NBC waited until a few weeks back to renew their stronger dramas, from veteran Law and Order: SVU to freshman Chicago Fire and Revolution. But perhaps the biggest conundrum they have is with sitcoms. It would appear that only two sitcoms on NBC have been performing well, Parks and Recreation and The Office, and the latter is coming to an end anyway. All the rest have pretty much been bombing!

1600 Penn One prime example of a comedy flop, having eventually come down to anemic numbers running from January through March. Doing so drastically worse than the others, it isn't coming back.
Deception Primetime soap which aired during the first part of the year, and did only well enough to air its entire run. Otherwise, it may not merit a renewal between all the other dramas picked up.
Guys with Kids One of two multi-camera sitcoms which aired this season, the other being Whitney. While NBC is considering other multi-camera pilots for their fall schedule, this show has the lesser advantage on the pair of being spared. Even with newly-crowned Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon vouching for it.
Whitney The other multi-camera comedy NBC aired this year, gaining a second season as miraculously as Touch did. Assuming the network wants to pick up a new multi-camera show and needs another to pair with it, this has the ratings advantage compared with Guys With Kids and may survive to see a third season.
Hannibal Ambitious horror procedural drama, based on the Red Dragon novel of the Hannibal Lecter legacy. It did well initially, but coming down to the wire it's starting to plummet, and may escape a renewal. (I would compare this to The Firm, but that show bombed right out of the gate.)
The New Normal Ryan Murphy's sitcom about a gay couple and their surrogate was amongst several sitcoms on NBC which started to tank as we really started to delve deep into the season. The best case for this show may be the rebound it made on the last two weeks of the first season's run, airing out of The Voice. But even then, it ranks low compared to the other comedies on the chopping block.
Go On Matthew Perry's comeback vehicle was one of the shows that saw its ratings suffer the most. And even then, it holds the best case for a renewal, mostly because of it retained its audience comparatively well and because of Perry's reputation.
Community Arguments can be made for this show's quality suffering after creator Dan Harmon left, although its ratings haven't been any phenomenally worse than the rest. Still, it has enough episodes for syndication, and that could be argument enough to let it go.
Parks and Recreation This was the most solidly performing comedy all season. It's gonna come back!
Up All Night Wait, this wasn't cancelled yet? Last I've heard they were going to try and turn this into a multi-camera comedy. But then showrunners bailed, as did lead actress Christina Applegate. This was not officially cancelled, but on the other hand neither was Smash after it was moved to Saturdays.

And ABC has so many shows awaiting renewal that the only factor that would impact the lions share is some kind of unexpected twist, like say a new direction or something. Otherwise, there is a good number of no-brainer renewals (or cancellations) on this list, and you can expect to hear the final word this week.

Happy Endings The ratings for this show really suffered this season, despite ABC's best intentions and support for the show. (No really, network promos have asked viewers to "Save Our Show".) After performing so poorly on Fridays (especially in light of how other sitcoms did on the same night), it will not see another season on ABC. (However, it might find salvation from cable. USA is reportedly interested in the show.)
Red Widow Serialized drama which went overlooked on Sunday nights. Given how far it dropped after three weeks off, I can imagine this won't be continuing.
Family Tools Oh, this is one of those shows like FOX's The Goodwin Games or NBC's Save Me. It was  part of a massive sitcom boom, from networks hoping to find the next breakout hit that didn't happen. Now, it's only launching at the end of the season, showing how little faith the network had in it. As such, this got the lowest sitcom premiere ratings in ABC's history, so it's gonna get the boot.
Body of Proof This procedural drama (the only one on ABC besides Castle) only barely managed to get a third season after doing horribly last year, mostly because of the California state filming credits. Otherwise, it started doing better leading out of Dancing with the Stars. Chances are ABC could use a pinch hitter for midseason, and this show has the distinction of being able to make money for the network (and for Disney) without necessarily being a huge, dynamo hit. That is what would up its chances.
Last Man Standing This sitcom starring Tim Allen has aired on Friday nights, and did far better than anybody could have guessed, performing consistently throughout its run. It will likely get a third season, but whether it remains on Fridays remains to be seen.
Malibu Country Reba's Friday night sitcom performed solidly, occasionally rebounding from softer ratings and doing well for a Friday. Prospects for renewal, however aren't as good as Last Man Standing's, and bearing a miraculous TGIF revival (what with other multi-camera pilots ABC has in the can) probably won't come to pass.
How to Live With Your Parents... A late launch for an ABC comedy, getting a decent bump from following Modern Family and gaining good traction from that. On its own, it did okay, and has a 50/50 chance of returning.
The Neighbors High-concept sitcom, developing sort of a backlash after a negative reception to its earlier episodes. However, the ratings were consistent and viewers agreed it eventually found its groove. Its chances of renewal are only slightly behind those of How to Live With Your Parents. If nothing else, it could always move to Fridays, following Last Man Standing.
Nashville ABC executives seemed really proud of this latest in their run of primetime soaps, about rival country singers. The numbers have been fairly solid, only somewhat diminishing towards the homestretch of the season. Compared with the similar, and similarly performing Revenge this bears a decent chance of renewal.
Suburgatory This sitcom in its second season only wrapped up early to accommodate Family Tools, and performed well all season. There is no reason to cancel it, other than a stretch of an argument involving the episodes that aired following The Middle, as opposed to the ones following Modern Family. Arguments for the show airing after Last Man Standing could also be made.
Revenge The second season of this show, a breakout hit in its first has gotten an increase in critical flack. However, it sustained the similar ratings, so it can very easily return next season.
Castle And from here on out, we have nothing but obvious renewal choices for ABC. This is their key procedural drama hit, and has always paired well with Dancing with the Stars on Monday nights. It's comfort food, likely to keep going.
Once Upon a Time A solid Sunday night success, developing even more complex mythos in season two. On top of that, a spinoff is in development.
The Middle Comfort food in a similar manner to Castle, in this case representing the classic family sitcom mold that has helped define ABC for decades
Scandal Primetime soap from the creator of Grey's Anatomy, which ABC has successfully built into a smash hit over the last year. A renewal is quite the obvious call.
Modern Family One of ABC's signature programs, and a very close runner-up to The Big Bang Theory, in regards to the most-watched comedy on TV.
Grey's Anatomy ABC's key veteran drama, still going strong after nine seasons.

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In addition to reporting on shows once they are renewed or cancelled, you can look up a list of series that have already been cancelled. You can look up your favorites anytime, and get the final word.

Check it out at http://www.tvseriesfinale.com.