Fall TV: What We're Not Watching

The fall TV season has barely begun and the vultures are already circling a few series, both newcomers and returning shows. Worse, there's no clear evidence that viewers truly love any of the new shows they've been offered.

Zap2It's Bubble Watch predicts that a big handful of new shows are in danger of not surviving until next year, even though they've only had a couple of weeks to try to build an audience.

ABC seems to be in the worst shape, with several of its new series failing to cash in on the lead-in given to them by the successful premiere of "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D."; "The Goldbergs" got only so-so ratings, "Trophy Wife" had an even smaller audience, and "Lucky 7" was an unqualified ratings failure. Fox isn't doing a lot better; the controversial "Dads" isn't winning anyone over, and after a good debut, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" saw a big ratings drop-off in its second week. On CBS, "Mom" and "Hostages" were disappointing.

The trouble isn't just with new series. Returning shows such as "The Mindy Project," "Revolution," "Parenthood" and "Two and a Half Men" are not putting up the kind of numbers that guarantee renewal, either.

Probably most concerning is the fact that even in the case of the few big ratings successes among new series, no one seems to be raving about how much they love the shows. "The Crazy Ones" probably benefitted from the novelty factor of Robin Williams' presence, but whether curiosity-seekers will keep watching after the newness wears off remains to be seen. Similarly, it's not clear if "Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." will stay strong after it loses all the viewers who were expecting a sequel to "The Avengers."