2014 TCA's: The Big Reveals

By Julia Bianco on July 24, 2014

The Television Critics Association (TCA) fall TV previews are coming to a close, and the major networks have revealed some pretty interesting news about their upcoming fall schedules.

Here are the biggest realizations from ABC, CBS, the CW, FOX and NBC.

ABC

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ABC’s president Paul Lee discussed the network’s new fall programming at the TCAs, focusing mostly on how diverse their new shows are.

“We picked them up because they’re great television,” said Lee of the new shows featuring minorities, including “Cristela,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “Black-ish.” “We embrace it. We love having a diverse slate, but we think these shows are deeply relatable.”

Lee also discussed the cancellation of the critically acclaimed series “Trophy Wife.”

“We were always disappointed … not to get a pulse for it,” he said. “Wherever we put it, it just didn’t connect with an audience and we are sad.”

Lee also mentioned that the fate of long-running drama “Grey’s Anatomy” is still up in the air, with the possibility of extending the series beyond twelve seasons still in the network’s and the creator’s (Shonda Rhimes) minds.

On the ever controversial broadcast versus cable debate, Lee said:

“For scripted television … people choose what they’re passionate about. It’s no longer the least objectionable television, it’s ‘What do I love?’ I think there’s strength and skill on all the different platforms. I’d put any of our shows up against cable shows.”

In specific show news, the network held panels for “Black-ish,” “Selfie,” “How to Get Away With Murder“ and ABC Family’s “Chasing Life.”

CBS

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CBS Entertainment Chairman Nina Tassler spoke on behalf of the network at the TCA’s. She had some things to say about the future of the “How I Met Your Mother” spin-off “How I Met Your Dad,” which many believed to be dead. However, Tassler said that with some re-tooling, the project has the potential to be reintroduced to the network’s programming slate at a later date.

Tassler mentioned the upcoming takeover of the “Late Show” by Stephen Colbert, saying that he will not be using the over-the-top character that he does on “The Colbert Report.”

She also discussed the network’s plans for Craig Ferguson’s time slot, which seem to be pretty open. Tassler says that CBS is looking at all formats to fill this slot, and that the network may rotate hosts for a while in order to find the best fit.

Tassler also talked about CBS’ heavy reliance on multi-camera comedies, saying “our audience does appreciate the level of humor that multi-cams deliver.”

Tassler also had some comments on the recent Emmy nominations, saying, “I’m really pissed about ‘The Good Wife’,” which was snubbed in the race for best drama. “I’ll hold up ‘The Good Wife’ to any show on TV, cable, or broadcast. That’s a great quality show.”

As far as specific shows, the network held panels for “Madam Secretary,” “NCIS: New Orleans,” “Battle Creek“ and “Stalker.”

The CW

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Mark Pedowitz, CW president, talked about the CW’s age demographic, which he is hoping to change.

“’Arrow’ was the first step to that,” said Pedowitz, who is hoping to help the network gain some older viewers. He also cited new show “Whose Line Is It Anyway” (whose renewal he announced) as helping with that cause.

Pedowitz also talked about “The 100,” which was one of the network’s big successes this season.

“[Showrunner Jason Rothenberg] made a gritty show out of something that was maybe not unique at first, but we made unique to ourselves,” Pedowitz said.

On the future of the “Supernatural” spin-off, “Supernatural: Tribes,” which the network decided not to pick up after the backdoor pilot was panned by both critics and fans, Pedowitz said that he isn’t going to give up on the franchise. He said that he hopes to retool the spin-off in the future, as well as extend the longevity of the original past its current 10 seasons.

With the addition of “The Flash” to the CW’s roster, in addition to “Arrow,” many were wondering if the network was looking to pick up any more superhero series.

“If there’s one there, we will do it,” Pedowitz said. He said that, while there is no Wonder Woman series currently in development, if the network is able to secure the rights to the character, he would love to do a series about her in the future.

As far as specific shows on the CW go, there were also panels on “Arrow,” “The Flash,” “Supernatural” and “Jane the Virgin.”

FOX

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FOX Chairman and CEO Peter Rice represented the network this year. He discussed the recent seasons of “American Idol,” which he believes failed due to a lack of interesting contestants, and the quick cancellation of “Hieroglyph,” which he said didn’t live up to the high expectations they had for it. He also talked about long-running drama “Bones,” which he hopes to continue beyond the tenth season.

Rice also talked about the future of the “24″ franchise, which the network rebooted this summer with “24: Live Another Day.”

“I loved this season of ’24′,” said Rice. “But we haven’t had a specific conversation about it coming back yet.”

However, fans of the series should still have hope.

“I’m sure we will in the future,” continued Rice. “It’s a fantastic franchise. I think it still has many more stories to tell.”

Rice also said that, although nothing has been officially discussed, he “hopes ['So You Think You Can Dance'] comes back,” for another season.

There was also some information revealed at panels for specific FOX shows, including “Gotham,” “Sleepy Hollow“ and “Gracepoint.”

NBC

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NBC, represented by Chairman Robert Greenblatt, network president Jennifer Salke, and president of alternative and late night programming Paul Telegdy, had some interesting things to say about broadcast versus cable networks.

“There are so many great shows on so many great networks now,” Greenblatt said. “And cable has the advantage of doing material that’s darker and more interesting. On some levels … it feels cooler than what we do.”

Greenblatt also blamed this difference between broadcast and cable for the low ratings of the critically acclaimed “Hannibal,” which he called “one of the best shows we have created.”

In big casting news, Greenblatt revealed that Christopher Walken (“Hairspray”, “Click,” everything) will star as Captain Hook in NBC’s live winter production of “Peter Pan.” It was also revealed that Kristen Bell was approached to star in the production, but had to turn it down because of her pregnancy.

Greenblatt also announced the renewals of “America’s Got Talent,” “America’s Ninja Warrior” and “Last Comic Standing.” As far as the “Heroes” reboot that has been in the works, Greenblatt says that it likely won’t air until 2015.

Greenblatt also discussed the cancellation of cult favorite “Community,” which was recently picked up for a sixth season by Yahoo.

“Yahoo is in a different business than we are, trying to build their platform,” Greenblatt said. “They made an extraordinary deal that we’re the co-owners of that show, and we’re going to make money on it right away, which wouldn’t have been the case if it had been on the network for another year.”

Parenthood,” “The Mysteries of Laura,” “Constantine“ and ”Late Night with Seth Meyers all had panels.

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