TV This Fall: Mondays

Hello everyone, I've decided to start a new feature today called TV This Fall. As the beginning of the TV season is imminent, I've decided to analyze each day of the week and see what shows to watch, which to skip, and which ones should be hits and misses. Of course, there's nowhere better to start than Mondays!

MONDAYS:
8:00-9:00
How I Met Your Mother/Partners (CBS, premieres 9/24), The Voice (NBC, 9/10), Bones (Fox, 9/17), Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9/24), 90210 (The CW, 10/8)
9:00-10:00
2 Broke Girls/Mike and Molly (CBS, 9/24), The Voice (NBC, 9/10), The Mob Doctor (Fox, 9/17), Dancing with the Stars (ABC, 9/24), Gossip Girl (The CW, 10/8)
10:00-11:00
Hawaii Five-O (CBS, 9/24), Revolution (NBC, 10/17), Castle (ABC, 9/24)

Starting at 8:00-9:00, it's interesting that each network, starting next Monday, is launching their shows, so there are no direct head-to-head premieres in this timeslot. That's actually a good thing since there won't be any major direct competition for each of these shows. Still, this is a jam-packed hour. Most would say the hour is between CBS, NBC, and ABC, but Fox will still have a good performer with Bones, one of their strongest shows and one they'll have to rely on now that House is gone, and 90210 is one of The CW's biggest shows, although it definitely won't rank higher than fifth in this timeslot. Back to the main competition, CBS has the younger skewing comedy crowd, pairing veteran How I Met Your Mother with new comedy Partners. Partners should get good ratings for the first couple of the weeks because of its placement in the CBS Monday comedy block. However, it would appear that the main competition is between ABC's long-standing victor Dancing with the Stars and NBC's hottest reality competition (possibly) ever, The Voice. Of course, ratings for reality shows are always bloated in the first few weeks, and that's certainly the case for The Voice, whose blind auditions always attract a huge audience. As for the whole season, however, Dancing with the Stars will probably take over that top spot, unless the changes to The Voice's format lead to consistently fantastic ratings for the whole season.

The 9:00-10:00 hour has basically the same set-up as the previous hour. The final season of Gossip Girl might bloat ratings, but don't expect massive numbers that overtake the other networks. The Mob Doctor has the potential to be a hit for Fox, but it's unlikely the show will win the hour. CBS' comedy hour is now missing long-time staple Two and a Half Men, but last year's breakout hit 2 Broke Girls has now taken it's space. Certainly, that looks to attract a female audience, and paired with Mike and Molly, it could prove to be a big hour. But, of course, it's down to NBC vs. ABC once again, since both of their reality shows air for two hours on Mondays, so expect NBC to win for the first couple of weeks, with ABC winning the whole season, barring, as mentioned before, a shift for The Voice.

Finally, the 10:00-11:00 hour features two of the timeslot's oldest veterans and one of this fall's hottest pilots. CBS and ABC's mainstays, Hawaii Five-O and Castle, respectively, have been solid performers in this timeslot for the past couple of years, with Castle having the edge over the CBS reboot. However, this year, after many years of struggling to find a hit (minus midseason's Smash), NBC seems to have a solid competitor for the 10:00-11:00 hour: Revolution, an ambitious new pilot about an energy-less country facing revolt. The pilot has gotten a lot of early buzz, which could bloat ratings in the beginning of the season, but facing solid competitiors like Castle and Hawaii Five-O will make a takeover for NBC very hard unless the show impresses creatively. To do this, the show needs to shed those Terra Nova comparisons....fast. For now, I say Castle will still win the timeslot, with Hawaii Five-O close behind and Revolution a respectable third.

What do you think? What shows are you watching on Mondays this fall? What shows do you think will be ratings successes this fall? Let me know in the comments section below!

Evan