Fall TV That Won’t Be

Typically by this point in the world of TV viewing, we are gearing up for the soon-to-happen fall TV season, which would normally be starting in a little over a month from now.

But because of both strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, there isn’t going to be a “normal” fall TV season. Sure the networks have announced what the fall TV season will look like for each of their outlets, and sure some projects have been given interim agreements to continue working despite the strikes, but it’s going to be a very bleak TV season nonetheless.

Let’s take a look at what the major networks – ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX and The CW – have in store for TV viewers starting in the fall.

On Monday nights, there will be Dancing With the Stars and The Golden Bachelor (really?!!) on ABC, Kitchen Nightmares on FOX, The Price Is Right at Night and Loteria Loca (a new game show) on CBS and The Voice on NBC. The CW will be airing half-hour shows (which little to no one will be watching, sorry, not sorry!) and CBS will air repeats of NCIS. The only new show that is “expected” to air is The Irrational on NBC, starring Jesse L. Martin as a world-renowned leader in behavioral science who helps the government solve high-stakes cases.

Tuesday is much the same with Celebrity Jeopardy and Bachelor in Paradise (Groan!) on ABC, Big Brother, the new reality series FBI True and repeats of FBI on CBS, The Voice on NBC and Name That Tune and I Can See Your Voice on FOX. The CW will air Inside the NFL and Whose Line Is It Anyway. Once again, NBC will have the only new drama called Found, which will star Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Kelli Williams in a missing persons story about a public relations specialist and her crisis management team who help look for people of color who have gone missing.

Wednesday is much the same with ABC airing Judge Steve Harvey, the news program What Would You Do and repeats of Abbott Elementary, CBS will have Survivor and The Amazing Race while NBC will have repeats of the Chicago One franchise and Magnum P.I. Over on FOX there will be The Masked Singer and a new reality series called Snake Oil. The CW will actually have a couple new dramas that have been transplanted from Canadian TV: Sullivan’s Crossing and The Spencer Sisters while NBC will have new episodes of the reboot of Quantum Leap.

Thursday night is much the same with ABC airing the game shows Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Press Your Luck and The $100,000 Pyramid while CBS will air Big Brother, the new reality series Buddy Games and The Challenge with their schedule changing over to other programming later in the 2023-2024 TV season. NBC will air repeats of the Law & Order franchise as well as Dateline NBC and the third season of the Canadian medical series Transplant. FOX will have Hell’s Kitchen and Lego Masters (Groan!) while The CW will feature the new reality series Fight to Survive and Fboy Island (Double groan!!).

Fridays will find Shark Tank and 20/20 on ABC; The Price Is Right At Night and Let’s Make a Deal Primetime sharing a timeslot on CBS along with the new game show Raid the Cage and repeats of Blue Bloods. Meanwhile, NBC will air The Wall and Dateline NBC. Fox will have wrestling on all night and The CW will have Penn & Teller.

Saturdays will feature College Football on ABC while CBS is claiming they will air “Various Programming” throughout the night along with 48 Hours. Sports will be the mainstay on both NBC and FOX while The CW will air Masters of Illusion and World’s Funniest Animals.

Lastly on Sundays, ABC will air America’s Funniest Home Videos (this show is still on the air, why???!) and The Wonderful World of Disney while CBS will air 60 Minutes and Big Brother along with the network premiere of episodes of the Paramount Network juggernaut series Yellowstone. It’s football all over on NBC along with some football and animation over on FOX while The CW will air the unlikely religious series The Chosen, which makes absolutely no programming sense for the network since this type of series does not fit with ANYTHING else the network is airing.

As I said, it will be a bleak fall TV season with far too much reality and game shows clogging up the timeslots, but when you have no writers and no actors, there isn’t much more that can be aired.

What are you planning to watch this fall TV season? Please share with us in our comments section below.