Television analyst Marc Berman is already taking bets on which show will be the first casualty. Fox's Seinfeld inspired sitcom Mulaney, Selfie, which is ABC's modern twist on Pygmalion and NBC's irreverent comedy Bad Judge are all on his hit list. This year, broadcasters have been slower to pull the trigger. But increasingly, executives have shown far less patience with shows that don't gain traction right out of the gate. So ground breaking shows like Seinfeld, which had middling ratings for the first couple years before hitting it big, wouldn't survive in the current reality. In today's cutthroat environment, developing social media buzz early and bolting from the gate is crucial to success. Nervous broadcasters are also increasingly ordering only a few episodes to test the waters before committing to a full season.
Meanwhile, the biggest hits of the new season include Gotham, How To Get Away With Murder, The Flash, Black-ish and NCIS: New Orleans. For the record, I actually did catch an episode of Mulaney about a week or so ago, and … maybe that was just a weak episode in a strong season, but it didn't leave a particularly great impression. Considering how Netflix now has shows like Orange is the New Black, Bojack Horseman and Arrested Development, all of which can be watched any time, network comedies might have to start trotting out their A-game right out of the gate–because time isn't a luxury they have anymore.
Ferras knows how to "Speak In Tongues"