The broadcast networks’ newly unveiled 2016-17 TV schedule has caught Funny or Die’s attention after ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW previewed an “all new” lineup of “original” programming that may sound familiar…
“Are you looking for new TV shows? Well, the broadcast networks have you covered with the hottest new programs for 2016, like ‘The Blacklist: Redemption’ and ’24: Legacy’ — shows you remember without the cast you like,” the voiceover quips in the comedy site’s video.
“But if you’re looking for Kiefer Sutherland, you’ll find him completely reinventing himself as ‘Jack Bauer with glasses’ in ABC’s ‘Designated Survivor.’ If you loved Kevin James as a blue collar delivery man in ‘King of Queens,’ you’ll love him as a blue collar cop in ‘King of Cops’ — or ‘Kevin Can Wait.'”
Many of the series debuting this fall include shows that have already had their time in the spotlight. 1985’s “MacGyver” will be getting a reboot on CBS, and “Prison Break,” which ended in May 2009, will be returning to Fox for a sequel series. Other shows such as Fox’s “Lethal Weapon” and “The Exorcist” and CBS’ “Training Day” take their plots from films of the same name.
NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt defended the Peacock’s lineup in a recent conference call: “We’re not throwing shows up against the wall and hoping for the best. We’ve some great anchors and hits that have solidified over the past year or two.”
Fox chief Dana Walden emphasized the 2016-17 season is Fox’s most stable fall schedule in the past four years. In reference to “The Exorcist” and “Lethal Weapon,” Walden said the shows are so instantly identifiable to the audience that they “don’t require the same marketing muscle of trying to introduce a brand-new concept.”
But never fear, Funny or Die assures us that there are still plenty of equally original concepts left over from previous seasons that are still around, like “Supergirl,” “Limitless,” “Hawaii Five-O,” “The Odd Couple,” “Elementary,” “Battlebots,” “Uncle Buck,” “Agents of SHIELD,” “Gotham” and potentially another “X-Files.”
