Thanks to the big network upfronts, there’s been a barrage of TV updates this week. How to keep track of which shows were canceled? Which got another season? Which pilots got a pass? And, most excitingly, which new entries got the green light? We’ve got you covered with all the important TV announcements in one convenient location.
(Note: some of the new shows may not air until 2017 if they are chosen to be midseason replacements.)
ABC
Cancelled: Marvel’s Agent Carter (star Hayley Atwell had already been cast as the lead on another ABC show, legal drama Conviction); Galavant; The Muppets
Returning: Agents of SHIELD; Once Upon a Time
Passed over: Agents of SHIELD spin-off Marvel’s Most Wanted, which would have focused on the adventures of Mockingbird and Hunter; Spark, that weird-sounding “it’s 2016 but everything is somehow totally steampunk” drama
New: Imaginary Mary, about a woman (Jenna Elfman) whose new relationship is complicated by the fact that her new boyfriend has three kids.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15vywGIjvPk
AND the fact that her imaginary friend from childhood (an animated character voiced by Rachel Dratch) suddenly reappears in her life. Awkward.
Then there’s Still Star-Crossed, a sequel to Romeo and Juliet from megaproducer Shonda Rimes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LllK0jMn_hs
“Where this tragedy ends, an even greater story begins,” including another would-be Montague-Capulet wedding, apparently.
And, finally, there’s time-travel adventure Time After Time, in which H.G. Wells chases Jack the Ripper into contemporary New York City.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN4C4Ar5BLo
It’s based on the 1979 novel-turned-movie and is produced by Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries).
CBS
Canceled: CSI: Cyber; Person of Interest
Returning: Elementary; Scorpion; Zoo; Supergirl—but it will shift to the CW
Passed over: Detective show Drew, inspired by the Nancy Drew book series (apparently the program “skewed too female,” which… ugh)
New: MacGyver, with X-Men: Apocalypse’s Lucas Till as a younger version of the guy who can build literally anything using a cup of sugar, a stick of deodorant, and a roll of duct tape
Not yet confirmed: The fate of Limitless; as of this writing, CBS is “in discussion with other potential buyers”
Fox
Canceled: Minority Report, Second Chance
Returning: Gotham, The Last Man on Earth, Lucifer, Scream Queens, Sleepy Hollow (however, that show is forever DEAD TO US), Wayward Pines
New: The Exorcist, a drama inspired by the classic horror film.
It stars Geena Davis and looks to be more of an “inspired-by” take on the Exorcist concept rather than having much to do with the original movie. Spooky, though.
Next, there’s time-travel comedy Making History (previously known as In Time).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-TVyOqCkr0
The time machine is a giant duffel bag, the jokes are actually funny, and the Colonial America sets and costumes look just one step up from Drunk History. Just a few reasons why this show looks extremely promising.
Finally, there’s animated/live-action hybrid Son of Zorn.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPnlQTi8heM
That’s Jason Sudeikis voicing the Hot Pocket-obsessed warrior who cuts quite the odd figure in suburbia.
Also of note: The X-Files won’t be back next season to let us know if the world ended or not after that cliffhanger, but it’s looking good for 2017-2018. And the network’s updated take on The Rocky Horror Picture Show will air around Halloween:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outmDIi29Bo
NBC
Cancelled: Heroes Reborn stopped being reborn back in January
Returning: Blindspot, Grimm
New: The only NBC show with a trailer so far is time-travel drama Timeless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4glJzvUunOE
Yes, that makes three new shows about time travel, though they all look like wildly different programs despite that shared element.
There’s also Tarsem Singh’s gorgeous-looking, Wizard of Oz-inspired Emerald City; Midnight, Texas, a supernatural drama from the writer of True Blood; and DC superhero office comedy Powerless.
The CW
Canceled: Containment
Returning: The 100; Arrow; Beauty and the Beast; DC’s Legends of Tomorrow; The Flash; iZombie; The Originals; Supernatural; The Vampire Diaries; and (as noted above) Supergirl will jump to the CW for its second season
Passed over: “Untitled Transylvania project,” which actually sounded like it had some cheesy monster potential; an untitled supernatural drama from Time After Time’s Kevin Williamson (this one is “being redeveloped”); and an untitled drama about Mars explorers
New: Frequency, about a detective who is able to talk to her dead father, also a detective, over a special ham radio (yes, it’s based on the movie, and yes, it’s almost another entry in this season’s time-travel derby); Riverdale, which puts a contemporary twist on the Archie Comics characters (but isn’t, apparently, an adaptation of the current comic book, which has been doing that for some time)
