Here’s a breakdown of what’s working, what’s not, and what’s on the bubble.
Monday
* Chuck
NBC is the land of the critically acclaimed but low-rated show. Its lineup includes series you haven’t watched in years, such as “Chuck.” What to do? Executives refused to cancel it, but now that the show is logging another year of low ratings, it might be time to let the show go quietly into that good night. Definitely on the bubble.
ABC
“Detroit 1-8-7” seems doomed.
* The Cape
The season finale airs on Feb. 28, a sure sign that this midseason replacement is not long for this world. “The Cape” has been a disappointment and will be replaced by the return of “The Event” on March 7, the show’s last chance to prove itself worthy.
* Lie to Me
The Tim Roth crime procedural has been one of those series that has always come in off the bench for Fox , but it is expected to join “Running Wilde,” “Good Guys” and “Lone Star” in the cancellation pile.
Tuesday
* No Ordinary Family
This was the series that was supposed to endear Michael Chiklis to America again after the relentless bad behavior he displayed as Vic Mackey on “The Shield.” The show has an attractive cast, including Chiklis’ co-star Julie Benz (“Dexter”) but the series turned in its lowest ratings of the season in its last outing and is being termed “creatively uneven,” according to one source. That’s industry speak for “dead in the water.”
“What ABC needs to do is get new shows,” says Brad Adgate, senior vice president, director of research for Horizon Media. “Their two tentpole shows, such as ‘Desperate Housewives’ and ‘Grey’s Anatomy,’ are still doing very respectable numbers and will be back next season, but they really need to get some suitable replacements. They didn’t do it this season.”
* Detroit 1-8-7
On this most endangered list is “Detroit 1-8-7,” another low point for “Sopranos” alum Michael Imperioli after “Life on Mars.” The police drama, which co-stars James McDaniel of “NYPD Blue” fame and is set in the bleak Motor City, debuted against CBS’ “The Good Wife” in the increasingly tough 10 p.m. time slot, but didn’t draw viewers.
The task of finding ABC’s next big scripted hit — and it’s not the “Off the Map” — rests on the shoulders of ABC’s new entertainment president, Paul Lee, who moved over to the network from ABC Family last summer.
The network is currently developing new properties from Shonda Rhimes (“Grey’s Anatomy”) and Marc Cherry (“Desperate Housewives”) but final scheduling decisions won’t be announced until the spring.
* Parenthood
While the show has been a mediocre ratings performer, it is so creatively good that NBC hopes it will continue to win new fans. But this one is on the bubble. NBC, just acquired by Comcast, is a wild card. Showtime’s buzz-maker, Robert Greenblatt, is taking over as entertainment chief, and most expect to see a lot of executive shuffling at the network over the next few months. He can’t do it all at once, so much of the schedule may remain intact while he gets operations up and running.
WEDNESDAY
* Human Target
The midseason drama starring Mark Valley was never a strong performer and made some changes in its returning season, but the show has been on Monday,s Wednesdays and Fridays, signaling that Fox will stick it anywhere — not a vote of confidence.
THURSDAY
* %$#@ My Dad Says
No network is more solid than CBS. Even its weakest shows would be considered viable on another network. Still, every Garden of Eden has its snake.
“When you look at the numbers, ‘%$#@ My Dad Says’ is doing fine,” says Adgate, “but when you compare it to its lead-in, ‘The Big Bang Theory,’ it’s not. It’s also in a very difficult time period, but it should be performing better to be a slam-dunk for renewal.”
* Perfect Couples
This imperfect “Friends” copy, starring Olivia Munn, hasn’t done well and would seem to be on the way out. NBC’s lowest-rated comedy.
* Outsourced
The controversial comedy about Indian workers at a call-in center was never anyone’s favorite show.
FRIDAY
* The Defenders
The writing was on the wall for “The Defenders,” starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell, when CBS schedulers swapped it with “Blue Bloods,” moving the Tom Selleck drama to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. for a month, and “Defenders” to Fridays, TV’s death trap.
“That’s a good indication that they think ‘Blue Bloods’ has more promise than ‘Defenders,’ ” says Adgate. And it looks like the suits were right: “Blue Bloods” hit a series high on Feb. 9.
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