A Review of the 2016 Upfront Presentations

Last week the major networks made their annual presentations to the advertisers in New York, showcasing their fall schedules for the 2016-2017 TV season.

As usual there was a lot of speculation on what new pilots would be picked up by each network as well as what shows would be renewed and cancelled. Some predictions were easy to make in terms of shows that were coming back for another season such as the NCIS franchise on CBS and the Chicago series franchise on NBC; while the cancellation of shows like Castle on ABC weren’t a surprise but still a blow to the show’s fandom.

Let’s take a look at the highlights for each network:

CBS – One of the big new dramas on the number one network is called Bull and it will star one the most popular actors on the network: Michael Weatherly. He will play Dr. Jason Bull, a character inspired by the early career of Dr. Phil McGraw, one of the most prolific trial consultants.

The network will also attempt to adapt the box office film Training Day to the small screen with Bill Paxton in the lead role and, of all things, reboot the legendary (former ABC) drama MacGyver with X-Men alum Lucas Till in the lead role.

My personal opinion? They should leave MacGyver to the hands of time because remaking a classic show like that just isn’t going to work especially for those of us who watched and loved the original.

ABC – The big new drama for the alphabet network is Designated Survivor, which will find Kiefer Sutherland back on the small screen, starring as a lower-level cabinet member who unexpectedly becomes president after a devastating attack on Washington.

It should also be noted that the network will air a 3-hour musical adaptation of Dirty Dancing with Scream Queens and former child star Abigail Breslin in the lead role. Everyone with me now: don’t put Baby in the corner and DON’T try to remake this classic!!

FOX – The network is hoping for success with previous hit shows 24 (this time known as 24: Legacy and featuring an all-new cast) and Prison Break (featuring a number of the original cast members) with all new stories.

And, the network will also present a small screen adaptation of the 1980-1990 box office franchise Lethal Weapon with Clayne Crawford (Rectify) and Damon Wayans, Sr. (My Wife and Kids) in the lead role. I have to admit that the trailer for this adaptation actually looks fairly good.

NBC – The Peacock network has two new dramas that are receiving some good buzz: Timeless and This Is Us. Timeless will focus on an unusual time travel team trying to stop a criminal mastermind to be played by ER alum Goran Visnjic while This Is Us will follow a unique ensemble whose paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways. The cast includes Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia, Justin Hartley and Sterling K. Brown.

The network will also introduce the spin-off shows The Blacklist: Redemption and Chicago Justice later in mid-season as well as the small screen adaptation of the Liam Neeson Taken films, focusing on the lead character’s origin story.

The CW – Just like all the other networks that are adapting box office films to television, The CW will bring the box office film Frequency to the small screen, but the series will switch the story around focusing on a female lead, who somehow contacts her deceased father thirty years apart via an old ham radio.

In addition, the CBS drama Supergirl has switched sides, being picked up by The CW. It will join all of the other DC Comics series already on the air over there (and there is word there will be a four-series crossover at some point). And, there will also be a modernization of the Archie Comics known as Riverdale coming in mid-season that could possibly be interesting to see.

If you would like to see the weekly schedule and trailers for most of the new dramas at each of the major networks, please check out NBC, FOX, ABC, CBS and The CW.