Mitchell Haaseth/NBC, ABC/JUSTIN STEPHENS, Chris Haston/NBCWanna know whether your favorite freshman series is kicking butt—or about to get kicked out on its keister? Well, look no further!
Now, my dear friends, comes the fun part of the fall TV season: the moment when the overwhelming majority of new shows have launched (only Women's Murder Club, Viva Laughlin and Samantha Who? remain) and we start to get a clear picture of how the 2007-08 TV season is shaping up.
We've combined your votes from our Save It or Sink It Campaign with your comments and emails, the Nielsen ratings, critical reception and general buzz to produce a list of the biggest winners and losers of the new season. Your Save It votes appear in parentheses, so you can see the verdict from your fellow fans on what's watchable and what's not.
Read our take, and let us know if you agree or disagree in the Comments section below!
ALREADY PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON
Gossip Girl (64%): The CW has already ordered a full season of episodes, and it'll probably be a keeper beyond that, what with major fan enthusiasm, a hot young cast and juicy storylines that fill the never-ending need for sexy teen-soap programming. Like Dawson's Creek and 90210 before it, Gossip should have a nice long run.
HERE TO STAY
Pushing Daisies (80%): Our new favorite and yours, Pushing Daisies, got great premiere numbers (13 million viewers) and kept it going strong last night (10 million). Daisies is easily the most critically acclaimed new show of the fall, and it deserves to be a trophy contender when awards time comes around. Plus, it has more buzz than all of Fox's and CBS' new shows combined. This one is alive—for good.
Private Practice (47%): The most commercially successful show of the new season, Private Practice has the top ratings for newbies and is leading the pack when it comes to new shows on TiVo's Season Pass survey. There's no doubt Practice will stick around for a while, especially given Kate Walsh's popularity and ABC's existing relationship with Shonda Rhimes.
LIKELY A KEEPER
Chuck (62%): NBC just ordered three more scripts, which is a good sign. Plus, Zachary Levi has charm to burn, the cast oozes charisma and the general reception has been quite positive. Still, the ratings are weakening noticeably each week. It will almost certainly get a full-season order, but the ratings slide needs to be halted in order for Chuck to survive its first season.
Life (28%): Also just received a commitment of three more scripts. Life is not quite a breakout, but it has all the makings of one. Though it was originally overlooked and underpromoted, we're rooting for it to become fall's sleeper hit! (P.S.: If you watched this series for the first time last night, give it one more shot. It wasn't the best representation of how good this series can be, IMHO.)
Cane (21%): CBS just picked up four more scripts of the hot and spicy Duques family. And with Viva Laughlin likely to be a dud and Moonlight and Big Bang Theory getting quiet receptions, this is the most likely of all the Eyeball net shows to stick around.
Reaper (56%): The ratings aren't quite spiffy enough for Reaper to be safe, but when the CW finds itself with a show that (a) appeals to the 18-49 demographic and (b) is one of the top-reviewed new shows of the season, it's not gonna go do something stupid like cancel it. Right, CW?
Dirty Sexy Money (44%): It premiered to about 10.5 million viewers two weeks ago, which isn't bad for the 10 p.m. time period it's occupying. Plus, time-slot competitors CSI: New York and Life are averaging similar numbers. Unfortunately, the Darlings lost close to a million fans on their second outing, and will have to prove they can hold the remaining audience's attention for the next few weeks. Though critics are generally happy with the series and creatively it shows promise, if the fans don't stick with it the assistance of Nick George ain't gonna do squat!
Moonlight (55%): From what we've seen, fan response to CBS' vampire-detective drama has been very strong, in no small part because it stars Jason Dohring. CBS has to love the ratings, which allow it (finally) to keep up the momentum in the bridge slot on Friday nights between Ghost Whisperer and Numb3rs. Also, it has Jason Dohring. Consider it a keeper.
HANGING IN THERE
Bionic Woman (35%): Commercially, Bionic is doing fine—it's one of the highest-rated new shows of the season—but we're putting it here because audience reaction to the first few eps has been mixed, and there are also persistent rumors of behind-the-scenes and budgetary challenges. That said, it's from those Battlestar Galactica people (who know what they're doing), and it draws an appealing demographic. Bionic Woman should get a chance to work out the kinks in its system.
The Big Bang Theory (24%): Formulaic but funny, this sitcom from Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre would win its time slot if Dancing with the Stars weren't in the way, and it fits perfectly into CBS' Monday comedy block. A good, easy-to-translate-and-syndicate comedy is hard to find these days, so Big Bang pretty much has it made.
Big Shots (58%): I don't love it, but many of you do. It has Michael Vartan. It doesn't do as well as lead-in Grey's Anatomy, but it has overcome a lot of bad buzz to perform acceptably. So far, not failing just might be enough to keep it around.
Aliens in America (47%): This surprisingly entertaining newbie is already reliably the lowest-rated thing airing on Mondays, which is not good (duh). However, luckily for America, the CW doesn't have a ton of promising replacements waiting in the wings, and it's also a hit among critics and a small but devoted fan base, which is why the network has already ordered a few more episodes. We're hoping this one sticks around.
Journeyman (33%): Despite an outpouring of support from fans and a pickup by NBC of three more scripts, Journeyman needs a lot more eyeballs in order to stick around. So, if you're a fan of this show, start spreading the word and harassing your friends into watching!
AT RISK
Carpoolers (25%): Its premiere episode scored a nice 9 million viewers, with many most likely tuning in to check out its lead-in (the much talked about Cavemen). Unfortunately, even though the second episode was even better than the first, Carpoolers lost a lot of eyeballs this week and needs better ratings in order to stick around.
Back to You (28%): This show has officially premiered to a resounding "meh," as evidenced by lackluster ratings that have declined week after week. However, all that is probably trumped by Kelsey Grammer, Patricia Heaton and the fact that it is funny. Fox has every reason to be patient with it, at least until American Idol premieres in the spring.
TOTALLY SCREWED
Life Is Wild (29%): Low premiere ratings (only 1.2 million viewers), minimal buzz and the prohibitive costs of shooting on location overseas have probably already doomed the Clarkes and their pretty kitties...
K-Ville (19%): The ratings were nothing special to start with (5 millionish viewers), and they're on the downturn. It's in a tough slot opposite Heroes, Dancing with the Stars and Two and a Half Men. It's a generic buddy-cop show. Most of you wanted to Sink It. Consider it sunk.
Cavemen (13%): Hollywood was stunned when this comedy based on a series of insurance commercials about Cro-Magnon frat boys failed to connect with audiences. The curious started bailing after the first ep, and ratings have since been dropping like a Stone Age rock. The viewing public, man. So unpredictable!
—Additional reporting by Jennifer Godwin and Korbi Ghosh