Fall 2015 TV Time Slot Wars: Wednesdays

In the TV world, you're only as strong as your competition and with the scheduling choices made by the broadcast networks last week, there will be plenty of competition as shows try to grab an audience. Especially for new shows, the first few weeks of the TV season are crucial in determining which shows can break out and which ones will cling to life before October is even over. Below, I'll be taking a look at the schedules across all networks on a night-by-night basis to predict the fortunes of this fall's schedules.

WEDNESDAYS

8-9 PM

ABC: "The Middle" & "The Goldbergs"
CBS: "Survivor"
Fox: "Rosewood"
NBC: "The Mysteries of Laura"
The CW: "Arrow"

The networks (for the most part) saw varying degrees of success in this timeslot last year. As a result, every network, save Fox, is keeping their schedule the same in this hour. "The Middle" and "The Goldbergs" is a well-performing hour of family television for ABC that they definitely wouldn't want to mess with. "Survivor," which has been in this slot for a few years now, is still a solid performer for the network. "The Mysteries of Laura," although blasted by critics, had a fair amount of ratings success in this timeslot, enough so that it was able to keep it's position on the schedule. And "Arrow," arguably The CW's biggest show, is a major draw. Fox, however, was not looking to slot "Hell's Kitchen" in this timeslot this time around. Since this Tuesday timeslot eventually goes to "American Idol" at midseason, Fox put new show "Rosewood" in this timeslot. It makes sense to partner the show with "Empire," which airs after this. However, as we saw this year with "American Idol"'s ratings, the "Empire" effect doesn't mean the show before it will have record-breaking ratings as well. Still, Fox can at least hope for mild success with "Rosewood," which it could potentially find as it appeals to a diverse audience that "Empire" attracts. The show looks light and fun, which is a nice appetizer before the meaty main course of "Empire." But will the audience be hungry for "Rosewood"? That's the big challenge of Wednesdays for Fox.

9-10 PM

ABC: "Modern Family" & "Black-ish"
CBS: "Criminal Minds"
Fox: "Empire"
NBC: "Law and Order: SVU"
The CW: "Supernatural"

As above, the networks are sticking with their lineup in this hour, and it's an hour filled with some of each network's biggest hits. Think about it -- each of these shows are among the highest-rated on their respective networks. "Modern Family" is the comedy top dog for ABC and has occupied this spot since it's inception. This season, it found a worthy companion in "Black-ish," a task ABC has had a hard time with for years. They'd be crazy to move "Black-ish," so that stable comedy block will remain in tact. "Criminal Minds" is heading into its eleventh season and also has not moved once, and since it is one of CBS' biggest hits, they're not going to move it. "Empire," recently crowned the highest-rated show on broadcast television (sorry, "The Big Bang Theory"), became a massive hit in this timeslot last year, and while it is still early enough in the show's run that Fox could have moved it to a different slot (like Thursdays, where it would face major competition but draw in large advertising dollars), the network insisted the show was staying where it was strongest. "Law and Order: SVU" has been a team player for NBC for years, and it's the only show left of the franchise. The show has moved timeslots over its run, but has become a reliable player in the 9 o'clock hour in the past few years. It stabilizes a nightly lineup for NBC that consists of primarily young shows and is a good performer for NBC. Finally, "Supernatural," the only remaining show from the inception of The CW, is a vintage player in the same way as "SVU," and will stick to this timeslot. Each show manages to pull in respectable ratings in this timeslot despite the fact that the competition is fierce. With no new shows interrupting things, it should be business as usual.

10-11 PM

ABC: "Nashville"
CBS: "Code Black"
NBC: "Chicago PD"

"Nashville," a show that had to fight hard for a renewal last season, got a vote of confidence with an early renewal this season at ABC, as well as the chance to keep its timeslot where, although not delivering stellar ratings, it performs solidly enough for the network. NBC has "Chicago PD," a show that has performed just as well as the original "Chicago" show at NBC, "Chicago Fire." The network isn't touching it. CBS didn't get stellar ratings from "Stalker" or "CSI: Cyber" in this slot last season, and while one of those shows ("Cyber") is sticking around, it's moving to a different night. Now, CBS is launching another new show in the Wednesdays-at-10 slot, the medical drama "Code Black," which looks more "ER" than "Grey's Anatomy." It could fit comfortably in this hour as it looks like it'll appeal equally to men and women, versus the other shows in this slot which are aimed a bit more at women. "Code Black" should perform comfortably here, although one should be wary if that "comfortable" performance is up to CBS' standards, since their idea of a hit and other network's ideas are two entirely different things.

Evan