• by Adam Buckman , Featured Columnist, August 1, 2024

Something we can all agree on is that the TV business has undergone seismic change in the last decade or decade-and-a-half (however you want to measure it).

In that time, this rightfully accepted fact has served as the preamble for countless industry keynotes and editorial commentaries (see paragraph above).

Chief among the changes are the new generation of content-delivery systems and the viewing patterns and habits that they spawned -- namely, the ability to choose from thousands of content options and view them whenever one feels like it unbeholden to linear scheduling.

With all that in mind, are the networks just being stubborn in clinging to this time-honored way of introducing, promoting and scheduling their new shows every Autumn? Or are they onto something?

The TV Blog leans toward the latter question, whose answer may well be yes. For the networks, linear scheduling according to a traditional fall-season model may, in fact, be an asset for the simple reason that they are the last and only content providers doing it.

In many ways, promoting a fall season still makes sense. The fall represents the end of the languid summer, and new TV shows are as traditional at the onset of Autumn as the first day of school, college football and the High Holidays.

In addition, by sticking to a fall season model, the networks can have it both ways. They can serve whatever audience remains for traditional fall-season launches, even if that group is aging.

And they can grow the audiences for the new shows by putting them on their streaming services. 

Moreover, network TV shows are produced and built in order to accommodate commercials. Since their streaming platforms are all selling ads now, that’s an asset for them.

It is what I often say: The television business sometimes seems like the casino business to me -- the house always wins.

Speaking of traditions, the fall TV season gets rolling with the Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 15, on ABC, representing a return to the fall season for the Emmys after airing last January (and tanking in the ratings).

Having said all that, there seems to be comparatively few new scripted dramas and comedies coming this fall on the traditional networks.

NBC has three -- the Reba McEntire comedy “Happy’s Place” (premiering Friday, October 18), the one-camera comedy “St. Denis Medical” (Tuesday, November 12) and the drama “Brilliant Minds” (Monday, September 23).

CBS has the long-awaited and highly anticipated center of all TV excitement this fall, “Matlock” with Kathy Bates, premiering with a sneak peek on Sunday, September 22.

Also on CBS: The “NCIS” spinoff “NCIS: Origins” (Monday, October 14), and the “Young Sheldon” spinoff “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” (Thursday, October 17) and the Damon Wayans comedy "Poppa's House" (Monday, October 21).

ABC has the new Kaitlin Olson mystery series “High Potential” premiering on Tuesday, September 17; and the Don Johnson medical drama “Doctor Odyssey” (Thursday, September 26)

Except for “Matlock,” all else pales this fall next to the upcoming debut season of “The Golden Bachelorette” premiering Wednesday, September 18, on ABC.