TV Talk: Broadcasters announce fall prime-time plans, renewals, cancellations

Managing the decline of a broadcast empire requires compromises as the Big Four networks made clear during this week’s “upfronts” in New York, an annual tradition where broadcasters try to entice advertisers to commit ad dollars to their new season lineup in advance.

As media companies prioritize their streaming services, their linear networks will play second fiddle with fewer expensive scripted comedies and dramas and more low-budget game show and reality fare.

As Jimmy Kimmel said during his stand-up routine at Disney/ABC’s upfront regarding broadcasters: “We’re a fax machine five years after they invented e-mail.”

Below are brief descriptions of new series broadcasters ordered:

ABC

“Alaska” (10 p.m. Thursday): Hilary Swank stars as a disgraced New York journalist who starts over in Anchorage.

“The Rookie: Feds” (10 p.m. Tuesday): Niecy Nash-Betts stars as the oldest rookie at the FBI academy in this spin-off.

ABC has the fewest cancellations of any broadcaster, dumping only “Promised Land” and “Queens,” and its schedule is pretty stable.

To replace “Dancing with the Stars,” which moves to Disney+, “Bachelor in Paradise” will air 8-10 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. “Abbott Elementary” joins ABC’s comedy block at 9 p.m. Wednesday with “Big Sky” at 10 p.m.

“Celebrity Jeopardy!” will air at 8 p.m. Sunday followed by “Celebrity Wheel of Fortune” and “The Rookie.”

New at midseason: Comedy “Not Dead Yet” starring Gina Rodriguez (“Jane the Virgin”) as a newly-single woman who writes obituaries.

Returning at midseason: “The Wonder Years,” “A Million Little Things,” “American Idol,” “The Bachelor” and “Judge Steve Harvey.”

CBS

CBS goes from eight half-hour comedies to just four with “Bob (Hearts) Abishola” and “The Neighborhood” at 8 and 8:30 Monday and “Young Sheldon” and “Ghosts” at 8 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday. Otherwise, it’s another stable schedule with three new dramas:

“East New York” (9 p.m. Sunday after “The Equalizer” and leading into “NCIS: Los Angeles”): Cop drama.

“Fire Country” (9 p.m. Friday after “S.W.A.T.” and before “Blue Bloods”): A young convict joins a firefighting program. Max Thieriot stars and co-wrote the pilot story; he’ll pull double duty on this show and “SEAL Team,” now on Paramount+.

“So Help Me Todd” (9 p.m. Thursday as the lead-in to “CSI: Vegas”): Private investigator (Skylar Aston) agrees to work for his lawyer mom (Marcia Gay Harden).

CBS canceled Chuck Lorre’s “The United States of Al” and “B Positive” after two seasons each. “Magnum P.I.,” “How We Roll” and “Good Sam” also bit the dust along with “Bull.”

Wednesday goes all-reality with “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race” and “The Real Love Boat,” a reality dating show set aboard a Princess Cruise.

CBS ordered a series version of the 1994 Arnold Schwarzenegger-Jamie Lee Curtis movie “True Lies” for midseason.

“Blood & Treasure” moves from CBS to Paramount+ for its second season debuting July 17.

The CW

The two “All American” shows will pair on Monday with “DC’s Stargirl” leading into “Kung Fu” on Wednesday and “Whose Line is it Anyway” paired with “Penn Teller Fool Us” episodes on Friday.

“The Winchesters” (8 p.m. Tuesday): “Supernatural” prequel narrated by Dean Winchester (voice of Jensen Ackles) about how his parents met.

“Professionals” (9 p.m. Tuesday): Security operative (Tom Welling, “Smallville”) goes to work for a billionaire futurist (Brendan Fraser, “The Mummy”).

“Walker: Independence” (9 p.m. Thursday after “Walker”): “Walker” prequel set in the late 1800s.

“Magic with the Stars” (8 p.m. Saturday before “World’s Funniest Animals”): Celebrities train with magaicians.

“Family Law” (8 p.m. Sunday before “Coronoer”): After going on a bender, a lawyer (Jewel Staite, “Firefly”) has to work with a mentor: her estranged father (Victor Garber).

The CW is now for sale and looking to slim down, canceling “Batwoman,” “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow,” “Dynasty,” “Charmed,” “Roswell, New Mexico,” “In the Dark,” “Legacies,” “Naomi” and “The 4400.”

“Riverdale” will return at midseason for its seventh and final season along with new superhero show “Gotham Knights” about Bruce Wayne’s adopted son forging an unlikely alliance with the children of Batman’s enemies.

Also at midseason: “The Flash,” “Nancy Drew,” “Superman Lois,” “Masters of Illusion” and new competition show “Recipe for Disaster,” featuring chefs cooking under “absurdly adverse conditions.”

The CW’s “Babylon 5” reboot remains in consideration to be piloted for the 2023-24 TV season, per CW CEO Mark Pedowitz, who said in a Thursday teleconference he watched every episode of the original 1993-98 series with producers slipping him DVDs before episodes aired: “I would love to bring back that story in some way, shape or form. It’s perfect for TV.”

Fox

Fox declined to release an actual fall schedule but the network did announce its new series for 2022-23, including the delayed, Susan Sarandon-starring soap “Monarch,” which has a country music backdrop.

Additional new series pickups include:

“Accused”: Weekly anthology told from the point of view of the defendant. Pittsburgh native Billy Porter will direct an episode.

“Alert”: Police procedural set in the Los Angeles Missing Person’s Unit.

“Grimsburg”: Animated comedy about a detective (voiced by Jon Hamm) who returns to his hometown.

“Krapopolis”: Animated comedy set in ancient Greece from Dan Harmon (“Rick and Morty”).

“Gordon Ramsay’s Food Stars”: Cooking competition series.

Fox canceled “The Big Leap,” “Our Kind of People” and “Pivoting.” But the network renewed the low-rated “Welcome to Flatch” for midseason. Season two of “Next Level Chef” will premiere after the 2023 Super Bowl.

Fox pulled two series from its summer schedule, opting to hold “Fantasy Island” and “Lego Masters” for the 2022-23 TV season.

NBC

“Lopez vs. Lopez” (8 p.m. Friday beginning in November): George Lopez and his real-life daughter square off as a dueling father-daughter. “Lopez” will be paired with the retuning “Young Rock.”

“Quantum Leap” (10 p.m. Monday): Leading out of “The Voice,” this sequel to the 1989-93 NBC series so far does not include original star Scott Bakula in its cast.

NBC canceled “Mr. Mayor,” “Kenan,” “The Endgame” and “Ordinary Joe.”

The peacock network’s prime-time schedule doesn’t change much with the “Chicago” shows still on Wednesday and three “Law Orders” on Thursday. “La Brea” subs in for the concluding “This is Us” on Tuesday, not exactly an even exchange when it comes to quality drama.

At midseason NBC will offer a “Night Court” sequel series starring John Larroquette from the original and Melissa Rauch (“The Big Bang Theory”) as the new judge.

Camila Cabello will replace Kelly Clarkson for the upcoming season of NBC’s “The Voice.”

Channel surfing

Chris Wallace will get a new Sunday prime-time show this fall on CNN and HBO Max after his CNN+ interview show died along with the short-lived streaming service. … “Yellowstone” spin-off “6666,” which had been announced for Paramount+, will now premiere episodes on the linear Paramount Network first (no premiere date announced).

You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at rowen@triblive.com or 412-380-8559. Follow Rob on Twitter or Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or phone. Please include your first name and location.