Here is the list of the programming options to expect on TV this coming week, which includes a lot of season/series finales and two new made-for-TV movies:
The finales that will air during the week include:
May 14 – Lucifer (series finale) and The Resident (season finale) at 8 and 9 PM respectively on FOX.
May 15 – NCIS: New Orleans (two-hour season finale) on CBS at 9 PM
May 15 – Rise (series finale) at 9:01 PM and Chicago Med (season finale) at 10 PM on NBC.
May 15 – Shadowhunters (two-hour spring finale) on Freeform at 8 PM
May 16 – The Blacklist (season finale) at 8 PM on NBC.
May 16 – SEAL Team (season finale) on CBS at 9:01 PM.
May 16 – Designated Survivor (series finale) at 10 PM on ABC.
May 17 – Supernatural and Arrow (both season finales) at 8 and 9 PM respectively on The CW.
May 17 – S.W.A.T. (season finale) on CBS at 10 PM.
May 17 – Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19 (both season finales) on ABC at 8 and 9 PM respectively.
May 17 – Gotham (finale) on FOX at 8 PM [there has been no confirmation of whether this show has been renewed yet]
May 18 – Blindspot (season finale) on NBC at 8 PM.
May 18 – Hawaii Five-0 (season finale) at 9 PM on CBS.
May 18 – Rellik (finale) on Cinemax at 10 PM.
May 18 – Once Upon a Time (part 2 of series finale) and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (finale) on ABC at 8 and 9:01 PM respectively [there has been no confirmation of whether SHIELD has been renewed yet].
May 20 – NCIS: Los Angeles (two-hour season finale) and Madam Secretary (season finale) on CBS at 8 and 10 PM respectively.
The made-for-TV movies that will next week include:
The HBO telefilm Fahrenheit 451 will debut on May 19 at 8 PM. Based on Ray Bradbury’s classic novel the film depicts a future where the media is an opiate, history is rewritten and “firemen” burn books. The cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Michael Shannon, Martin Donovan and Soufia Boutella.
The new Hallmark Channel movie Royally Ever After will debut on May 19 at 9 PM. Sara’s (Fiona Gubelmann) dream of finding the perfect mate is realized when boyfriend Daniel (Torrance Coombs) proposes marriage, but there is one tiny hitch. It turns out he is the real-life prince of a small European monarchy, and his marriage requires the approval of his royal parents. Commoner Sara will have to do more than simply impress the in-laws-to-be. If she wants to become Daniel’s wife, she’ll have to prove she’s got all the makings of an honest-to-goodness princess.
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
4:30 PM: The Blind Side movie on Freeform The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug movie on Syfy
5 PM: The Martian movie on FX The Hunger Games movie on TNT
6 PM: Assassin’s Creed movie on Cinemax
7:45 PM: Forrest Gump movie on Freeform
8 PM: Supergirl on The CW (NEW) Harry and Meghan: A Royal Romance: Special Edition movie on Lifetime (Encore) The Accountant movie on Cinemax The Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials movie on FX The Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie on TNT
9 PM: The Resident on FOX (NEW – Finale) Last Scene Alive: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery movie on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (Encore)
10 PM: Elementary on CBS (NEW) X Company on Ovation (NEW)
Outlander has been a two-season renewal by Starz, taking the show to 6 seasons. Both new seasons will consist of 12 episodes each. (Variety)
YouTube Red has given Cobra Kai a second season renewal. (Variety)
Syfy has pulled the plug on The Expanse after its currently airing third season. (Variety)
NOTE: I will be reporting on all of the upfront presentations for the major networks this coming week, which will elaborate on the renewals and cancellations of existing dramas and the pick-ups of new dramas. In fact, I posted NBC’s fall schedule, details about the new dramas and trailers for the new dramas this afternoon.
TV TO THE STAGE
Actress Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) will star as the lead of Beautiful: The Carole King Musical, which will mark her Broadway debut. The limited run begins June 7 through August 4. (Deadline)
TV CASTING NEWS
Actors Josh Hopkins (Cougar Town) and Lonnie Chavis (young Randall on This Is Us) and actress Jodi Balfour (Rellik and Quarry) are set to recur in the third season of True Detective that will tell the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods. Hopkins will play Jim Dobkins, a private attorney in Fayetteville, Arkansas involved in deposing state police detectives in an ongoing investigation. Balfour will play Lori, long-term love interest to Det. Roland West. Chavis will play Wayne Hays’ (series lead Mahershala Ali) son at age 9. (Deadline)
Actress Kate Walsh (13 Reasons Why, Private Practice) has joined the cast of the Netflix original series The Umbrella Academy, which is based on the award-winning comic book series by Gerard Way. This will be a live action series, following the estranged members of a dysfunctional family of superheroes – Luther, Diego, Allison, Vanya, Klaus and Number Five – as they work together to solve their adoptive father Reginald Hargreeves’ mysterious death, while coming apart at the seams due to their divergent personalities and abilities. Walsh is set for the recurring role of “The Handler,” a composed and confident leader of a mysterious, bureaucratic company. The cast already includes Ellen Page (Juno), Mary J. Blige (Mudbound), Tom Hopper (Black Sails), Ashley Madekwe (Revenge), and Colm Feore (House of Cards) [among others]. (The Futon Critic)
It’s that time of year again when the networks make their annual presentations in New York to the advertisers where they announce their proposed fall line-up and announce the new shows they have picked up.
Here is the breakdown for NBC:
MONDAY
8 PM – The Voice
10 PM – Manifest *
Manifest – When Montego Air Flight 828 landed safely after a turbulent but routine flight, the crew and passengers were relieved. Yet in the span of those few hours, the world had aged five years and their friends, families and colleagues, after mourning their loss, had given up hope and moved on. Now, faced with the impossible, they’re all given a second chance. But as their new realities become clear, a deeper mystery unfolds and some of the returned passengers soon realize they may be meant for something greater than they ever thought possible.
The cast includes Melissa Roxburgh (Supernatural and Valor), Josh Dallas (Once Upon a Time), Athena Karkanis (Zoo, The Expanse and The Lottery), J.R. Ramirez (Jessica Jones), Luna Blaise (Fresh Off the Boat) and Parveen Kaur (Beyond and Saving Hope).
Here is a trailer for Manifest:
TUESDAY
8 PM – The Voice
9 PM – This Is Us
10 PM – New Amsterdam *
New Amsterdam – Inspired by Bellevue, the oldest public hospital in America, this unique medical drama follows the brilliant and charming Dr. Max Goodwin, the institution’s newest medical director who sets out to tear up the bureaucracy and provide exceptional care. How can he help? Well, the doctors and staff have heard this before. Not taking “no” for an answer, Dr. Goodwin must disrupt the status quo and prove he will stop at nothing to breathe new life into this understaffed, underfunded and underappreciated hospital — the only one in the world capable of treating Ebola patients, prisoners from Rikers and the President of the United States under one roof — and return it to the glory that put it on the map.
The cast includes Ryan Eggold (The Blacklist), Freema Agyeman (Doctor Who), Janet Montgomery (Salem and This Is Us), Jocko Sims (The Last Ship), Anupam Kher (Sense8) and Tyler Labine (Reaper and Deadbeat).
Here is a trailer for New Amsterdam:
WEDNESDAY
8 PM – Chicago Med
9 PM – Chicago Fire
10 PM – Chicago P.D.
THURSDAY
8 PM – Superstore
8:30 PM – The Good Place
9 PM – Will & Grace
9:30 PM – I Feel Bad *
10 PM – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
8 PM – Dateline Saturday Night Mystery
10 PM – Saturday Night Live (encores)
SUNDAY
7 PM – Football Night in America
8:20 PM – NBC Sunday Night Football
* Denotes new shows
The drama Good Girls will return during mid-season as will the following new dramas:
The Village – This drama is about an apartment building in Brooklyn that appears like any other from the outside but is quite unique inside. The people who reside here have built a bonded family of friends and neighbors. Sarah’s a nurse and single mom raising a creative teen; Gabe’s a young law student who got a much older and unexpected roommate; Ava must secure the future of her young, U.S.-born son when ICE comes knocking; Nick’s a veteran who’s returned from war; and the heart and soul of the building, Ron and Patricia, have captivating tales all their own. These are the hopeful, heartwarming and challenging stories of life that prove family is everything — even if it’s the one you make with the people around you.
The cast includes Moran Atias (Tyrant and The Resident), Warren Christie (Alphas), Frankie Faison (The Wire and Banshee), Jerod Haynes (Benji and Empire), Daren Kagasoff (The Secret Life of the American Teenager), Michaela McManus (SEAL Team) and Lorraine Toussaint (Rosewood and Into the Badlands).
The Enemy Within – In this fast-paced, spy-hunting thriller, Erica Shepherd (Jennifer Carpenter) is a brilliant former CIA operative, now known as the most notorious traitor in American history serving life in a Supermax prison. Against every fiber of his being but with nowhere else to turn, FBI Agent Will Keaton (Morris Chestnut) enlists Shepherd to help track down a fiercely dangerous and elusive criminal she knows all too well. For Keaton, it’s not easy to trust the woman who cost him so much. While Shepherd and Keaton have different motivations for bringing the enemy to justice, they both know that to catch a spy… they must think like one.
The cast includes Jennifer Carpenter (Dexter), Morris Chestnut (Rosewood), Raza Jaffrey (Smash and Lost in Space) and Kelli Garner (Pan Am).
The InBetween – Cassie Bishop was born with a gift, though she may call it a curse. She can see and communicate with the dead, helping them with their unresolved problems … whether she likes it or not. When her longtime friend Det. Tom Hackett and his new partner, former FBI Agent Damien Asante, need help solving a darkly puzzling murder, Cassie agrees to use her abilities. Despite her reluctance, she may have found a way to keep her demons at bay, all while solving some of the city’s most challenging cases.
The cast includes Harriet Dyer (the Australian series Love Child), Anne-Marie Johnson (In the Heat of the Night), Cindy Luna (The Last Ship), Chad James Buchanan (Star) and Paul Blackthorne (Arrow).
A decision has yet to be made on the time-travel drama Timeless, though.
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
5:23 PM: I Am Number Four movie on AMC
5:30 PM: Shooter movie on TNT
6 PM: Downton Abbey on PBS (Reair) The Princess Bride movie on BBC America
6:15 PM: Tomorrowland movie on Syfy
7 PM: Falling for Vermont movie on Hallmark Channel (Reair) The Martian movie on FX
7:30 PM: Hope Floats movie on CMT The Blind Side movie on Freeform
8 PM: Instinct on CBS (NEW) Killing Eve on BBC America (NEW) Little Woman on PBS (DEBUT – Part 1 of 2) Harry & Meghan: A Royal Romance movie on Lifetime (DEBUT) Sweet Home Alabama movie on FXX
9 PM: NCIS: Los Angeles on CBS (NEW) Timeless on NBC (NEW – Two-Hour Finale) The Arrangement on E! (NEW – Finale) Good Witch on Hallmark Channel (NEW) Unforgotten on PBS (NEW) The Princess Bride movie on BBC America The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug movie on Syfy
10 PM: Sweet Home Alabama movie on FXX Steel Magnolias movie on POP
As we close in on the end of the 2017-2018 TV season, two more dramas aired finales and all of the other Friday night dramas aired new episodes.
Here is how all of those Friday dramas fared in the overall ratings last night:
8 PM Shows: Blindspot (NBC) [NEW] – 2.8 million viewers Once Upon a Time (ABC) [NEW – Part 1 of Series Finale] – 2.3 million viewers Dynasty (The CW) [NEW – Finale] – 578,000 viewers
9 PM Shows: Hawaii Five-0 (CBS) [NEW] – 7 million viewers Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC) [NEW] – 1.9 million viewers Life Sentence (The CW) [NEW] – 376,000 viewers
10 PM Show: Blue Bloods (CBS) [NEW – Finale] – 8.7 million viewers
What did you watch on TV last night? Please share.
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
5:30 PM: Red 2 movie on TNT
5:55 PM: The Hitman’s Bodyguard movie on HBO
6:30 PM: Remember the Titans movie on Paramount Network
6:55 PM: Beauty & the Beast (2017 movie) on Freeform
6:58 PM: The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers movie on Encore
7 PM: Moonlight in Vermont movie on Hallmark Channel (Reair) Furious 7 movie on FXX Psych on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries NCIS on USA Network
8 PM: Ransom on CBS (NEW) I Am Number Four movie on AMC Shooter movie on TNT Psych on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries NCIS on USA Network
9 PM: Cooking with Love movie on Hallmark Channel (Encore) Frozen (animated) movie on Freeform Psych on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries NCIS on USA Network
9:15 PM: You’ve Got Mail movie on HBO 2
10 PM: La La Land movie on Cinemax Furious 7 movie on FXX Psych on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries NCIS on USA Network
The primetime landscape was very full last night on the major networks with all of the Thursday night dramas airing new episodes, including a two-hour season finale on NBC.
Here is how all of those Thursday dramas fared in the overall ratings last night:
8 PM Shows: Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) [NEW] – 7.3 million viewers Gotham (FOX) [NEW] – 2.2 million viewers Supernatural (The CW) [NEW] – 1.9 million viewers
9 PM Shows: Chicago Fire (NBC) [NEW – Finale Hour 1] – 5.4 million viewers Station 19 (ABC) [NEW] – 4.5 million viewers Arrow (The CW) [NEW] – 1.4 million viewers
10 PM Shows: Chicago Fire (NBC) [NEW – Finale – Hour 2] – 6.3 million viewers S.W.A.T. (CBS) [NEW] – 5.6 million viewers Quantico (ABC) [NEW] – 2.1 million viewers
What did you watch on TV last night? Please share.
Trying to figure out what to watch tonight? Be it new episodes of the TV season, reairs of cable series or a movie, here are some suggestions:
5:10 PM: The Fate of the Furious movie on HBO
5:50 PM: The Accountant movie on Cinemax
6 PM: Summer Villa movie on Hallmark Channel (Reair) Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation movie on FX
7 PM: Psych on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries NCIS: New Orleans on TNT
8 PM: Blindspot on NBC (NEW) The Sweetest Heart movie on Hallmark Channel (Encore) Assassin’s Creed movie on Cinemax 27 Dresses movie on E! Dirty Dancing (original) movie on POP Red 2 movie on TNT Psych on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries
8:15 PM: Bridget Jones’s Diary movie on HBO
9 PM: Darrow & Darrow movie on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries (Reair) Lucy movie on FX
9:01 PM: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on ABC (NEW)
It was another full night of programming on the major networks last night with all of the Wednesday night dramas airing new episodes, including one season finale on NBC.
Here is how all of those Wednesday dramas fared in the overall ratings last night:
8 PM Shows: Empire (FOX) [NEW] – 5 million viewers The Blacklist (NBC) [NEW] – 4.9 million viewers Riverdale (The CW) [NEW] – 1 million viewers
9 PM Shows: SEAL Team (CBS) [NEW] – 6.2 million viewers Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) [NEW] – 5.7 million viewers Star (FOX) [NEW] – 3.8 million viewers The Originals (The CW) [NEW] – 762,000 viewers
10 PM Shows: Chicago P.D. (NBC) [NEW – Finale] – 6.3 million viewers Code Black (CBS) [NEW] – 5 million viewers Designated Survivor (ABC) [NEW] – 3.3 million viewers
What did you watch on TV last night? Please share.
