I understand that this isn’t how most TV works anymore – streaming services, where a majority of people watch TV, don’t follow typical September to May TV schedules. It’s why the Emmys feel so out of place right now. They should be moved to the start of the year like the other award shows so they better reflects how the TV landscape looks now. With that being said… Network TV is back! I know this because I spent almost 4 hours this weekend trying to catch up. Of course, I watch all network TV on streaming services (mainly Hulu) but still – I appreciate the weekly, 18-episode seasons. You can assume I watch almost all of these shows on Hulu after they premiere unless I say otherwise.
I’ll give you a sneak peak into my TV schedule plans (at the moment) for the upcoming fall season:
Sunday: Keeping Up with the Kardashians (E!), Shark Tank (ABC)
Monday: 9-1-1 (Fox)
Tuesday: This Is Us (NBC), black-ish (ABC)
Wednesday: Almost Family (Fox), Riverdale (CW)
Thursday: Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), A Million Little Things (ABC), The Good Place (NBC)
Friday: n/a
Saturday: Saturday Night Live (NBC)
I know what you’re thinking… are we sure she has a real job? This is an ambitious schedule and I guarantee I won’t make it through the whole season for all of these shows. I think it’ll be interesting to analyze how I watch all these shows and break down how I think that reflects the larger TV landscape.
KUWTK is the only show I’ll watch with commercials for a few reasons. The first is that it’s one of the only shows I watch with my roommate – it’s appointment viewing for us and something that is more fun when watching together. The second is that I’m quite obsessed with the family and I love getting insights into their lives and all the drama that we witnessed but didn’t have specifics on a few months ago. It also feels like if you don’t watch these episodes week to week, the relevance expires unless you’re doing a Kardashian rewatch (which serve as amazing time capsules and can be extremely enjoyable as well).
I’ve been watching Shark Tank for years. There’s something very enchanting about the premise of helping make the American Dream come true and something inspiring about the “if they can do it, why can’t I” mentality. I don’t feel any pressure to watch this immediately since there isn’t too much pop culture conversation around it, but I will no doubt keep up with it. It’s so different than any other show I watch – reality or scripted. I love finding new products and definitely watch in the perspective of a buyer; I like to see what I would and wouldn’t use. I also feel like now I understand exactly how the investors will react and know their personalities well enough to know who will be mad at what, inspired by what, and take a chance on what. Robert Herjavec is my favorite, followed by Lori Greiner, Mark Cuban, and Kevin O’Leary. I think Daymond John and Barbara Corcoran can be too harsh and not in a funny way like Mr. Wonderful (O’Leary). The guest stars have been fun too, especially Alex Rodriguez, Rohan Oza and Sara Blakely.
9-1-1 is a bad show, but it’s very addicting because of how over-the-top it is. A Ryan Murphy creation starring Peter Krause and Angela Bassett, the procedural drama takes us through the lives of the first responders to 9-1-1 calls, including firefighters and the police. Each episode has more absurd emergency situations than the next. I find myself very entertained by the show but not super invested in the main characters. This is a show that I’ll binge a few episodes at a time when I have nothing else to watch on Hulu. I don’t feel any pressure to keep up with this show week by week because there isn’t much conversation about it online and as emphasized, I’m not extremely invested in the characters.
This Is Us is potentially the most popular network show I have listed here. There’s always tons of conversation happening online surrounding each episode. Again, I never watch anything live but I will always try and watch this the day after so that I can talk with people about it ASAP. This is the show that everyone talks about being extremely emotionally invested in – the characters have pulled almost all the viewers in and it’s not unusual to cry. Most of the adult actors have become breakout stars, including Justin Hartley and Chrissy Metz but especially Sterling K. Brown. Of course, Milo Ventimiglia and Mandy Moore are veterans in the entertainment industry but I think that this show has made them more relevant than ever. People are obsessed with the love story between Jack and Rebecca (I know I am). Plus, the show always gives us enough mystery to keep coming back every week. Season 4 started off on an interesting note introducing us to three new characters – the Malik / Deja relationship is already my favorite. I can’t wait to see what we learn next about these characters.
I followed the opposite path of most – I got into black-ish because I watched grown-ish first, loved it, and wanted more of both the Johnson family and creator Kenya Barris. This is definitely a show I’ll binge a few episodes at a time throughout the season when I get bored and want to switch up to a different comedy. There definitely is conversation surrounding the show online but since it’s a 30-minute comedy that doesn’t involve much story continuity from episode to episode, I don’t feel like I’m out of the loop if I don’t watch on time.
I put Riverdale on this list because I still love the show no matter how bizarre the storylines have gotten. I’ve become super invested in this cast – they utilize social media like no other stars we’ve seen. Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse are constantly out here teasing us about their relationship but keeping it just private enough that we always want to know more. KJ Apa is always putting his hilarious shenanigans on his Instagram stories. Camila Mendes and Lili Reinhart’s friendship is adorable – the whole cast’s obvious love for each other is really a joy to watch. Moral of the story: I will watch this show eventually, but I’m guessing that won’t be until it’s on Netflix. I’m a millennial and have been trained to despise commercials. This is one of only two shows on this list where I have to watch commercials; the other being KUWTK. Because The CW app inserts extremely long commercials into every episode and they don’t put their episodes on Hulu, I won’t watch. I also feel like the zeitgeist-y part of watching Riverdale isn’t being part of the online conversation around the show, but being involved in the actor’s lives on social media. Love this show, but I already know it’s not making it very long for me this fall. Its season 4 premiere is scheduled for October 9th.
Almost Family just came out Wednesday night. I have yet to watch therefore I will reserve judgement on whether or not I even like the show or whether I will add it to my schedule, but I thought it was worth noting that the trailers for the show have reeled me in. I freaking love Emily Osment from my Hannah Montana days – I actually watched and liked her show Young & Hungry that was on Freeform. I also love Brittany Snow – more from John Tucker Must Die than Pitch Perfect but she was great in both. The show is about three girls (two of them being Osment and Snow) who find each other after finding out they all share the same father – he was a sperm donor to at least 100 children. It’s kind of an odd premise but I’m ready to give it a shot. It premiered October 2nd on FOX.
Grey’s Anatomy is definitely in my top 5 favorite shows of all time. I’ve done so many rewatches that I’ve lost count – I’m in the middle of one right now. I’m on season 6 and all I want to do is watch Grey’s when I get home. I’ve been with these characters for so long that I can’t imagine not sticking with the show. I know for a lot of people it ended after the shooting at the end of season 6, the plane crash at the end of season 8 or maybe even after Derek’s death at the end of season 10… but for me I’ll be with the show for as long as Ellen Pompeo and Shonda Rhimes keep blessing us with the story of Meredith Grey. I will 100% be keeping up with this show every week (even as I continue my rewatch).
Admittedly, I had to be convinced to watch A Million Little Things. The premise was just so depressing and I had promised myself that I was done watching sad TV (sorry Sharp Objects and Unbelievable). The show follows a friend group in the aftermath of one of them committing suicide. It acts as a typical romantic dramedy with the added aspect of a mystery as we follow the clues as to why John killed himself. Despite a dark premise, the characters themselves are actually very funny people, which makes the drama seem less heavy. I appreciate how the show is a comedy and a mystery show wrapped in a typical 40-minute drama on ABC. I see myself keeping up with this show the best I can. I loved season 1 and season 2 started off on a great note.
The Good Place is easily the best comedy on network TV at the moment, and yes, I also love Brooklyn Nine Nine and as I’ve stated above, black-ish. As NBC likes to say, they know good comedy. Kristin Bell is one of my favorite actresses and I’ve also come to be obsessed with D’Arcy Carden and Ted Danson (sorry I never watched Cheers; it’s on my list) through the show. Every joke is so sharp and relevant and the ensemble comedy is expertly executed. For me, this is a must-watch show not only because I like to follow it on social media and so many of the terms have permeated the vernacular (cc: fork these benches) but also because I just love it and it genuinely makes me laugh. TV that acts purely as entertainment and makes you smile is something that should never be underrated. Also, for nerdy people like me, the way they casually explore philosophical questions is extremely interesting and is a great way to make you think.
I watch Saturday Night Live purely on social media and YouTube. Clips from the show will often go viral on Twitter if they are funny or topical enough. If it’s a host or musical guest I love, then I’ll usually watch their monologue on YouTube and any clips they’re in that look entertaining to me. I’m most excited for the Phoebe Waller-Bridge / Taylor Swift episode. I can’t think of two people I’d want more in an episode. I love them both so much I’ve written seven other articles about them combined.
Moral of the story: I, like most millennials, try to watch TV without commercials (with extremely limited exceptions). ABC, FOX and NBC clearly have lucrative deals with Hulu where they put their current shows on Hulu the day after they premiere on the networks themselves. I really hope this doesn’t change moving forward as NBC moves to “the Peacock” or at least I hope they continue to release their current shows without commercials the next day on their own streaming service. Otherwise I probably won’t watch until a commercials-free version is available. I love Network TV more than most people my age who I’m sure are more excited about The Politician (sorry I love you Ben Platt, but I hated the first episode) on Netflix than A Million Little Things on ABC. But I still refuse to watch commercials as I’m now trained to binge almost everything in one large gulp of 22 or 42 minutes at a time. I’ll let you all know how I do when all these shows go on their holiday breaks – which made it the whole season, which dropped off, or if I added any (looking at you, Batwoman).
