A year after they limped toward the season finish line, the broadcasters have put a little spring back into their midseason step.
In a change in strategy vs. recent years, the nets are opting to lie low during the dark winter months of January and February, preferring to save their fire power for March and April, when they unveil most of their scripted fare.
If nothing else, this should help the broadcast biz avoid the bare-cupboard syndrome that came about a year ago courtesy of the writers strike.
This time around, March and April is when ABC makes over its 10 p.m. slot on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with newbies "Castle," "Cupid" and "The Unusuals." It's also when NBC launches its most promising contender, "Kings," and CBS bows the thriller "Harper's Island," both in the Thursday 10 p.m. spot.
On the flip side, other than Fox -- which has drama newcomers "Lie to Me" and "Dollhouse" premiering over the coming month -- the nets are filling their January and February skeds with an avalanche of reality, some quite schlocky.
The coldest months of the year have been stuffed with light fare like "Superstars of Dance" (NBC), "True Beauty" (ABC), "13: Fear Is Real" (CW), "Howie Do It" (NBC) and "Game Show in My Head" (CBS). Emmy voters can probably take the month off.
Such a move seems designed to allow "American Idol"-fueled Fox to take center stage for a while, as it usually does at this time of year, anyway.
But with "Idol" exhibiting midseason ratings dips in the past few years, rivals see new opportunities come March and April.
Holding back on new scripted fare until then also keeps the nets out of what promises to be a packed start to the year, thanks to the awards season and NFL playoffs.
But with the inauguration, not to mention what's expected to be a busy first few weeks in office for incoming President Barack Obama, audiences may be distracted by the day's headlines. There's also the mid-February digital transition, which could potentially impact ratings.
And not only are the other nets avoiding Fox's "Idol" dominance, but they're also steering clear of what promises to be the busiest start to a new year on record for basic cable.
By bowing a barrage of series so late in the season, the networks will avoid most of those January and February quirks. What's more, they won't be scraping to keep the lights on in April, and may actually manage to end the season in May on a high note.
That's because the late-season scheduling allows the networks to avoid as many repeats as possible late in the season. Last year, of course, the lengthy writers strike shut down the scripted pipeline, forcing the nets to vamp come spring.
But even in the years prior to the strike, the nets hoarded original episodes of scripted series for May sweeps, forcing them to cram repeats into March and April. But as viewers departed for fresher pastures -- and came back in fewer numbers every May -- the nets have decided to do things differently.
That's where the decisions to save serialized players like "24" and "Lost" for midseason came in, allowing the nets to stick with originals throughout the spring. And this time around, they're also subbing in shows late in the year to keep some semblance of momentum.
NBC's "Kings," for example, is taking over for "ER" as that show completes its series run in March. And in April (usually considered too late to launch a scripted series), the Eye's "Harper's Island" is set to take over when "Eleventh Hour" runs out, and ABC's "The Unusuals" will slide in on Wednesdays after "Life on Mars" wraps up.
If history's any guide, the nets still have their work cut out for them: Series that bow late in the year rarely succeed -- and the nets usually don't have enough ratings data to decide come May whether those shows will live for another season.
But as the networks continue to move away from a rigid fall calendar, they're more willing to try out new shows throughout the year.
For now, though, viewers will have to make do with more dance and beauty competitions, hidden came skeins and gameshows than any other primetime sked in recent memory.
Contact Michael Schneider at
mike.schneider@variety.com