Top TV Network Scheduling Screw-Ups

Just as important as creating a compelling TV show that people want to watch is scheduling it at the right time on the right night so those people will actually tune in. All networks schedule differently, some better than others.

The ratings success of CBS is in large part to brilliant scheduling. They put new shows like The Mentalist, Worst Week and Eleventh Hour on after highly-rated shows like NCIS, Two and a Half Men and CSI.

However, there are plenty of poor choices that result in low ratings and quick cancellations. This season, only FOX seems to have perfected its scheduling, combining similar dramas in the early part of the week and dumping all of its reality shows at the end. The other four networks, unfortunately, have made some serious missteps.

ABC – Wednesday Night Redux
Last year ABC tried something daring by putting three new hour-long shows on a single night. The critical love for the lineup of Pushing Daisies, Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money helped make it a success. The writers' strike brought an abrupt halt to that experiment, and foolishly, ABC kept its Wednesday night schedule the same this season, and the result has been incredibly low ratings.

Read the rest of the story...