Another new television season is upon us and despite the fact that many science fiction and fantasy fans regularly complain that there is nothing to watch on the tube, the number of genre entries offered by the broadcast networks and cable channels continues to grow each year. This Fall, there are more than twenty new and returning genre shows that will debut between September and November, and at mid-season there are more than a dozen set to join those (I’ll be covering them as it gets closer to January). So there are plenty of offerings for fans to choose from and some that look quite promising along with others that should continue to deliver the same level of quality we have seen in prior seasons (and you can see my recommendations for the coming season at this link). But as always, shows in the sci fi vein (applying that term broadly to science fiction, fantasy, and horror) face that monolithic hurdle called the Nielsen ratings that they must contend with to remain on the air. I track the ratings for all of the sci fi shows currently airing each week with my Cancellation Watch column and also over at the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site. And before the season begins (and again at mid-season), I usually give my predictions on how likely a show is to get cancelled. My Fall 2013 Preview Page has my look at each of the upcoming genre entries that will debut between September and November with the pre-season Cancellation Alert status I have assigned to each. Last season I was pretty accurate with these, pegging 666 Park Ave and Last Resort as likely goners and Arrow as an almost certain hit (by The CW standards at least). I did miss on The Neighbors–flagging it as sure to be cancelled by mid-season–but you can make a pretty strong argument that it should have been axed based on its numbers. Note that I rarely give a new series the lowest or highest Cancellation Alert statuses because there are too many variables that haven’t come into play yet that makes it harder to predict accurately how they will perform in the ratings. That said, I did it last season with two shows (I hit on Arrow as sure to get renewed, but missed on The Neighbors as mentioned above). And I am doing it again this season with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (more on that at my preview page). You can see my full predictions for all of the science fiction and fantasy over at my Fall Preview Page, and below I have a quick look at which shows are most likely to survive and which ones could face a potential date with the network executioners (note that any renewal predictions on The CW shows assumes that network doesn’t fold, which is always a possibility). I also have the full list of Fall premieres below sorted by their debut date.
September 13th is when things get kicked off with the premieres of Haven on Syfy and The Legend of Korra on Nickelodeon. You can see the full schedule of Fall 2013 shows (along with series descriptions for the new entries) with premiere dates at this link. And keep a close eye on my Cancellation Watch column and at the Cancellation Watch Twitter Site for when the early results from the Fall season will start rolling in. So strap yourself in because another wild season is about to start up and stick with this site to know whether your favorite shows might be facing the looming threat of cancellation.
New shows with the best chances of surviving:
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)
The Originals (CW)
The Tomorrow People (CW)
Dracula (NBC)
Returning shows most likely to earn yet another season:
American Horror Story (FX)
Arrow (CW)
Grimm (NBC)
Person of Interest (CBS)
Supernatural (CW)
Vampire Diaries (CW)
The Walking Dead (AMC)
New shows facing an uphill climb:
Almost Human (FOX)
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (ABC)
Sleepy Hollow (FOX)
Returning shows with struggles ahead:
Haven (Syfy)
Revolution (NBC)
Full List of Fall Premiere Dates for Fall 2013 Science Fiction and Fantasy Shows:
The Legend of Korra (Nickelodeon) September 13
Haven (Syfy) September 13
Sleepy Hollow (FOX) September 16
The Neighbors (ABC) September 20
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) September 24
Person of Interest (CBS) September 24
Revolution (NBC) September 25
Once Upon A Time (ABC) September 29
The Originals* (CW) October 3
Vampire Diaries (CW) October 3
Witches of East End (Lifetime) October 6
Beauty and the Beast (CW) October 7
Supernatural (CW) October 8
Arrow (CW) October 9
The Tomorrow People (CW) October 9
The American Horror Story: Coven (FX) October 9
Once Upon A Time in Wonderland (ABC) October 10
The Walking Dead (AMC) October 13
Grimm (NBC) October 25
Dracula (NBC) October 25
Almost Human (FOX) November 4
Atlantis (BBC America) November 23
*The Originals will premiere on Thursday, Oct 3rd at 9 PM EST after the 5th season premiere of Vampire Diaries. It will then move to its regular Tuesday 8 PM EST timeslot on Oct 9th.
See My Full Fall 2013 Science Fiction and Fantasy TV Preview at This Link
A quick correction for anyone looking – Legend of Korra is on Nickelodeon, not CN.
My bad, thanks for pointing that out. I have corrected it now.