Which of These New Fall TV Shows Will Fail First?
It will happen. At some point this fall, one of the broadcast networks will be the first to pull the plug on one of its once-promising but now ratings-challenged new shows.
But predicting which show will be the first to go is tough. As we've seen in the past, the first-canceled program isn't necessarily the worst show of the fall—on occasion, it is even one of the best. But to help you get a feel for the prospects of this year's newcomers, we have identified some of the pros and cons of each of the 20 new broadcast series debuting this month and next.
Pros: It's another show where a late start date, at a minimum, could spare it from "first-canceled" status. Network audiences may fondly remember star Matt LeBlanc from the 1990s hit Friends, which has unexpectedly become a bit of a hit again (with a younger audience) over the past year after it was added to Netflix streaming.
Cons: Network audiences may not-so-fondly remember star Matt LeBlanc from the 2000s dud Joey. And critics have been hinting that Plan is even worse, with its stale stay-at-home-dad storyline the least of the show's problems. Having another new show (Kevin Can Wait) as a lead-in could also pose an obstacle, unless audiences immediately take to the Kevin James newcomer (which is also disliked by critics).