New Fall TV Shows: Cancellation And Renewal Predictions

By Elana Goodwin on October 30, 2014

By this time in previous years, a good number of new fall TV shows had already been canned or were circling the drain. Surprisingly, this year, only one TV show — “Manhattan Love Story” on ABC — has been officially cancelled thus far.

But just because other shows haven’t been axed just yet doesn’t mean they’ll last this season or be renewed. Here are my new fall TV show cancellation and renewal predictions.

Though predicting which shows are going to be cancelled isn’t so black-and-white, here are the series that are almost for certain not going to be renewed for a second season (and may even be pulled off the air before their full episode order is completed).

Photo Credit: NBC

“Bad Judge” (NBC). This legal comedy follows party-girl/judge Rebecca Wright and stars Kate Walsh, Ryan Hansen, John Ducey, Tone Bell and Miguel Sandoval.

While Walsh has done well on TV in the past (“Grey’s Anatomy,” “Private Practice,” “Fargo”), even she can’t save this bad TV show which critics have slammed.

“Mulaney” (Fox). As someone who absolutely loves former “Saturday Night Live” writer and comedian John Mulaney, it’s sad to say his show probably won’t see a second season.

Fox has already cut down the episode order for the series, from 16 to 13, and the ratings from sites like Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic have been mostly negative. It’s a shame too, because “Mulaney” has a great cast consisting of Mulaney, Nasim Pedrad, Seaton Smith, Zack Pearlman, Elliott Gould and Martin Short.

Photo Credit: ABC

“Selfie” (ABC). The “Pygmalion”-based romantic comedy starring Karen Gillan and John Cho is about Eliza Dooley who wants to rise to fame through social media and selfies while marketing image expert Henry tries to help her (read: modern day Eliza Doolittle and Henry Higgins). The ratings and viewership for this show are dropping pretty steadily and it’s getting panned hard by viewers and critics.

“Utopia” (Fox). According to reports, Fox sunk approximately $50 million into this reality show that follows 15 people attempting to create and uphold their own society in an isolated area.

“Utopia” has received awful ratings and Fox has already moved it to Friday nights, which is like the kiss of death for TV shows. However, given how much money the network put into it, the show will most likely get to finish out its first and definitely only season.

Photo Credit: NBC

“The Mysteries of Laura” (NBC). This police procedural comedy just got a full season order of 22 episodes even though critics pretty much hate it. The show stars Debra Messing, Josh Lucas, Laz Alonso, Janina Gavankar and Max Jenkins.

Despite the harsh reviews by critics, “Mysteries” is actually doing better than expected, with an average of 10.4 million viewers and a 1.8 rating from adults 18-49.

For NBC, that might be good enough to renew for a second season (plus, they have a habit of giving Messing-starring shows a second chance even if maybe they shouldn’t, a la “Smash”).

“Forever” (ABC). This drama about an immortal medical examiner stars Ioan Gruffudd, Alana de la Garza, Lorraine Toussaint, Donnie Keshawarz, Joel David Moore and Judd Hirsch.

So far the show has garnered mixed reviews but seems like a long shot for renewal given that it’s on ABC and has pretty steadily lost viewers.

Photo Credit: CBS

“Stalker” (CBS). This police procedural drama about stalking victims being investigated by the LAPD’s Threat Assessment Unit also just got a full season order.

The series stars Dylan McDermott, Maggie Q, Mariana Klaveno, Victor Rasuk and Elisabeth Rohm.

The show has received an overwhelming amount of negative reviews by critics but has maintained an average of 9.5 million viewers and garnered a 2.1 rating from adults 18-49.

Still, I wouldn’t be surprised if CBS decides “Stalker” isn’t worth holding onto for another season.

“Red Band Society” (Fox). Given that this comedy-drama is executive produced by bigwig Steven Spielberg, I can pretty safely say that there’s no chance this show will be yanked off the air before the season’s up; whether or not it’s renewed is up in the air.

The show stars Octavia Spencer, Dave Annable, and Griffin Gluck, and is a coming of age story featuring sick kids in a hospital. It’s received mixed reviews from critics but personally, I think it’s worth watching and am hoping it’s renewed.

But you don’t have to worry about a good number of the shows that premiered this fall getting cancelled. Here are the series that I’m predicting are pretty much guaranteed for renewal or are most likely to be renewed:

  • “A to Z” (NBC)
  • “Black-ish” (ABC)
  • “Cristela” (ABC)
  • “Gotham” (Fox)
  • “Gracepoint” (Fox)
  • “How To Get Away With Murder” (ABC)
  • “Jane the Virgin” (The CW)
  • “Madam Secretary” (CBS)
  • “Marry Me” (NBC)
  • “NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS)
  • “Scorpion” (CBS)
  • “The Flash” (The CW)

Plus, there’s a whole slew of new midseason shows that will be hitting the air soon so more cancellations and renewals are up ahead as networks premiere new series.

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