Last week was one of my favorite weeks of the year: the 2016 upfronts. ABC, CBS, the CW, Fox, NBC and many other networks all announced their television lineups for the 2016-2017 season. I will admit that it’s kind of sad that these announcements bring me so much joy, but when you love TV as much as I do, it's pretty exciting. Without further ado, here are some of the highlights of what’s cancelled, what’s renewed and what’s new.
1. The Most Disappointing Cancellations
“Castle” and “Galavant” were probably the most disappointing cancellations for me. I only started watching “Castle” last summer and I’m only up to season five so it’s not like I’ve invested years of my life in the show only to be crushed that it was cancelled. However, I did like the character dynamics and would have liked to see how the show would change it when two of the leading actresses announced they would not be returning if the show was renewed.
I figured that “Galavant” would be cancelled. The fact that they even got a season two was a miracle and the show acknowledged that by naming the first episode back “A New Season aka Suck It Cancellation Bear.” However, they were hopeful for a season three and left the show with a sort of major cliffhanger. It was probably for the best to cancel though, so I’m not heartbroken.
2. Cancelled, but Loved
Two other shows that I was also upset about the cancellations were “The Family” and “Agent Carter.” I previously wrote an article about “The Family” and mentioned that I had almost lost interest in the show halfway through the season. However, the second half of the season renewed my interest and I was shocked by the season series finale with its big reveals. On the bright side, one of the producers talked a bit about what season two would have been about, so the fans have a basic idea of some of the things that would have happened.
If you know me well, you know that I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I first began watching the films in 2013 prior to the release of “Iron Man 3” and since then I’ve seen every film and show that they’ve released. “Agent Carter” is one of those shows. It was a spin-off of “Captain America: The First Avenger” and “Agents of SHIELD” featuring the character Peggy Carter. Season one was amazing and season two was pretty great as well. Unfortunately, the ratings must not have been good enough as the show got cancelled.
The reason these two shows are in this season, though, is because both cancellations were immediately followed by confusion and anger from fans and have both had petitions created by fans to be renewed or saved, mostly by Netflix. “The Family” is looking for 25,000 signatures and currently has slightly over 20,000 of those. “Agent Carter” is currently in need of 48,515 more signatures to reach its goal of 150,000 after reaching over 100,000 in just nine days. “Carter” has a higher chance of being saved by Netflix as it has many more signatures and Marvel and Netflix currently have a deal that includes six shows such as “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones,” so adding one more doesn’t seem too big of an issue.
3. Renewals Galore
Most of the shows that I watch have actually been renewed. I think the four above were the only ones that I watched that were cancelled. Many of the renewals were announced long before last week, but there are still some pretty exciting renewals. “Once Upon A Time,” for example, is one of my favorite shows currently. The season five finale was pretty epic and opened up so many more opportunities for the show in the upcoming years. Without spoiling anything, I will say that I’m excited for the next arc to be about “split personalities” and how the good guys deal with these issues.
Another show that I was excited to see the renewal of was “The Blacklist.” I’ve been watching this show since it premiered and it’s only gotten better. I’ve become so invested in the characters lives that I actually cried when one of them died. I’m not an emotional person, but this show is so amazing that it moved me to tears. Granted the character didn’t exactly stay dead… but that’s a spoiler. Regardless, I cannot wait to see what the show has in store for season four.
4. SO MANY NEW SHOWS
Every year I get really excited about the shows that have been considered and/or picked up by the networks. Then I only end up watching two or three of them and wait to see if the others get cancelled or renewed which will show me how good they are. This year, there are over twenty shows that I am looking forward to either because of a good cast or a good promo. The three that I will most likely try to keep up with as they air are “The Blacklist: Redemption,” “Emerald City” and “Riverdale.”
"The Blacklist: Redemption" is obviously a spin-off based on its namesake. I am beyond excited for this show because, as I said before, the main show is one of my favorites. I'm also excited to see the dynamic that this adds to the main show as the lead actor has stated that he will remain on the original as well as being the lead on the spin-off. I've already added this one to the list of shows that I am for sure keeping up with as opposed to possibly waiting to see if it is received well.
“Emerald City” was being considered by NBC last year, but it didn’t make the cut. However it seems that after some redevelopment, they have decided to go forward with the show after all. I think what drew me to this show was that it was a retelling of “The Wizard of Oz.” I love pretty much everything related to the book and film, so hopefully this show turns out well. It was not announced for the fall lineup, so it will probably begin airing by the spring of 2017.
Finally, “Riverdale” is an adaptation of the Archie comics. Personally, I’ve only read a few pages of the comics while in line at the grocery store, but it seemed cool that the comics were being made into a television show. Being on the CW, the show is going to take on a much darker tone than the comics that I remember reading, with a mysterious death being the cause for the events of the show. The plot is only one of the reasons I decided I would watch the show though. The other reason is that Cole Sprouse was cast as Jughead Jones. Cole played Cody on “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody,” so it’s exciting to see his return to acting.
There are so many more cancellations, renewals and new shows, but there are too many for me to name. So check out this list and then leave me a comment on what you’re most excited for or disappointed about.
