The TV Column

NBC, Fox first to reveal their new fall schedules

They’re back! Tim Allen and Nancy Travis will return in Last Man Standing when the canceled ABC sitcom is resurrected by Fox this fall.
They’re back! Tim Allen and Nancy Travis will return in Last Man Standing when the canceled ABC sitcom is resurrected by Fox this fall.

It's time, fellow TV lovers. The networks have completed their annual upfront presentations for advertisers, and we now know which shows will return and which have been put out to pasture.

A few shows, however, are still in limbo. Let's begin with what we know for certain from Fox and NBC.

FOX

First, the bad news.

Getting pink slips are The Last Man on Earth, The Mick, Lucifer, The Exorcist, Wayward Pines, The X-Files and, in a planned departure, New Girl.

In addition, the Fox sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine is moving over to NBC's midseason lineup. NBC owns the show and the ownership of a series plays an increasingly important role in whether a series lives or dies these days.

No decision has been made on the fates of L.A. to Vegas or Ghosted.

But the most surprising news to come out of the Fox upfronts is that the former ABC sitcom Last Man Standing -- starring Tim Allen -- is being resurrected by Fox. ABC canceled it last season.

What's up? There's a deal in the works where Fox parent company 21st Century Fox is trying to sell its TV and movie production assets to Disney, ABC's parent company. Fox owns Last Man Standing and it's selling nicely in reruns, so the network figures there's more money to be made by bringing it back.

When ABC axed the show, some observers believed it was because of Allen's right-wing political leanings. A Trump supporter like Roseanne Barr, Allen is a rare conservative awash in a liberal Hollywood sea. In reality, ABC was losing money because it didn't own the series and ad sales didn't even cover the licensing fees.

That'll get you canceled long before any political considerations.

Here's the Fox fall lineup with new series in bold.

Sunday: The Simpsons returns at 7 p.m., followed by Bob's Burgers and Family Guy. At 8:30, Rel, a new live-action comedy starring Lil Rel Howery (The Carmichael Show) as a newly divorced dad in Chicago. Sinbad co-stars.

Monday: The Resident; 9-1-1.

Tuesday: The Gifted; Lethal Weapon. Note -- Seann William Scott (American Pie) will play a new character, replacing Clayne Crawford in the buddy cop drama. Crawford was reportedly fired for repeated outbursts on the set.

Wednesday: Empire; Star.

Thursday: Fox takes over Thursday Night Football from CBS and NBC. After the season, The Orville will return.

Friday: Last Man Standing; The Cool Kids; Hell's Kitchen. The Cool Kids is a new sitcom starring comedy veterans Martin Mull, David Allen Grier, Vicki Lawrence and Leslie Jordan as feisty denizens of a retirement community.

Saturday: A variety of sports events is planned.

Fox has several shows on order for midseason to go along with a fifth (and final) season of the Batman prequel Gotham in which Bruce Wayne will finally become Batman. Also returning is Cosmos, hosted by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

NBC

Canceled: Taken, The Brave, Law & Order: True Crime, Rise, The Night Shift, Shades of Blue and Great News. In limbo are Timeless and Champions.

The 2018-2019 season will see NBC adding five new series, three of which will debut in the fall. Thanks to the Olympics and Super Bowl, NBC was the only Big 4 network that didn't lose viewers last season.

Here's NBC's fall lineup. New series are in bold.

Sunday: Football Night in America; NBC Sunday Night Football.

Monday: The Voice; Manifest, a new Lost-esque time-traveler mystery series about 191 passengers who get off an airplane after a turbulent flight and discover five years have gone by and everyone thought they were dead.

Tuesday: The Voice; This Is Us; New Amsterdam, yet another medical drama. Yep, TV needs another medical drama.

Wednesday: Chicago Med; Chicago Fire; Chicago P.D. It's an all-Chicago night. Expect story overlaps and crossovers.

Thursday: Superstore; The Good Place; Will & Grace; I Feel Bad; Law & Order: SVU. I Feel Bad is new comedy about a working mom who is struggling to be OK with being imperfect.

Friday: Blindspot; Midnight, Texas; Dateline NBC.

Saturday: Dateline Saturday Night Mystery.

Notes: To fill the gap between the fall and spring editions of The Voice, NBC plans a winter edition of America's Got Talent with Simon Cowell as a judge.

Dwayne Johnson will be part of the new competition series The Titan Games.

Ellen's Game of Games will return at some point and, save your emails, Blacklist is set for midseason.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Style on 05/22/2018

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