May 23, 2016 4 min read

The networks finally get it.

I think.

Even though the five networks announced a whopping 45 new series for the 2016-17 season, many will not be part of the traditional “fall premiere” season. Instead, most networks are scattering only about half a dozen new shows among established hits. And that’s not the only wise decision to come out of last week’s fall presentations.

Here are some others.

1. The accent is clearly on comedy, as ABC, CBS and NBC all increased the number of comedy blocks. CBS, in fact, doubled down, as well it should. Sitcoms are easily digestible for viewers (few, if any, complicated story arcs are involved), they repeat better than dramas, and they perform infinitely better than dramas in syndication.

2. While reception to series with familiar titles is mixed (“Odd Couple” worked, “The Muppets,” “Minority Report” and “Rush Hour” did not), brand names generally attract a large and curious crowd for the first few episodes. “Prison Break,” “24: Legacy,” “Lethal Weapon” and “The Exorcist” may not succeed in the long run, but they should shore up Fox ratings for at least a few weeks, as should CW’s “Frequency” and NBC’s “Taken.” And, on paper at least, “MacGyver” appears to be a perfect Friday night fit with “Hawaii 5-0” and “Blue Bloods” on CBS.

3. Instead of whining about “black holes” in the schedule, networks did something positive by moving hit shows to bad time slots. At worst, the series can eventually return to safer ground. At best, they establish new hit territory. Come fall, CBS shifts “Scorpion” to Monday at 10 p.m., ABC ships “The Middle” to Tuesday at 8 p.m. and “Agents of SHIELD to the same night at 10, and NBC tries to reinvent its Thursday comedy block , albeit slowly, with “Superstore” and Ted Danson’s “The Good Place.”

4. The networks indicated that they will no longer have extended breaks for many of their hit series in January and February (TV’s most-watched months). Hey, that would seem to be a no-brainer, but it took flops like “Galavant” and “Agent Carter” to convince networks that bringing in a second-rate team to fill the (unnecessary) winter break wasn’t a good idea.

5. Instead of axing “Supergirl,” which wasn’t a good fit for CBS, it moved the show to the CW, which increasingly stands for Comics Wonderland. Come fall, a comic book show will lead off four consecutive nights. Niche programming works.

6. CBS will eventually have sitcoms starring Kevin James, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry on Mondays, along with “Two Broke Girls.” The promos are no doubt already in place: “Old Friends, New Friends Mondays on CBS.” Any way you interpret that, it works.

Not everything the networks announced last week made sense.

• “Code Black,” a relatively low-rated show for CBS, was not only renewed, but also is returning to its old time slot, evidently to languish for another season.

• “Sleepy Hollow,” which hasn’t been a hit since its first season, was renewed by Fox, while the critically acclaimed, albeit ratings-challenged “The Grinder” was not.

• NBC finally pieced together a decent Thursday schedule of “Superstore,” “The Good Place,” “Chicago Med” and “Blacklist,” but will temporarily ditch it mid-November for football.

Prior to announcing their fall schedules, the networks axed 21 “bubble” shows. They include “Agent Carter,” “Castle,” “The Family,” “Galavant,” “The Muppets” and” “Nashville” (ABC); “CSI: Cyber,” “Limitless” and “Rush Hour” (CBS); “Containment” (CW); “Bordertown,” “Cooper Barrett,” “Grandfathered,” “The Grinder” and “Second Chance” (Fox); and “Crowded,” “Game of Silence,” “Heartbeat,” “Mysteries of Laura,” “Telenova” and “Undateable” (NBC). Hard to imagine any of those, save perhaps “The Grinder,” will be missed.

Ten other “bubble” shows will return in hopes of better ratings, including “American Crime,” “Catch,” “Dr. Ken,” “Last Man Standing” and “The Real O’Neals” (ABC); “Code Black,” “Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders,” “Life in Pieces” and “The Odd Couple” (CBS); and “The Carmichaels Show” (NBC).

While success in head-to-head competition isn’t nearly as vital to a series’ success as it was prior to DVRs, here are some interesting fall matchups:

• Tuesday, 10 p.m. – “Chicago Fire” (NBC) hasn’t had much competition in the past. Come September, though, it will face “Agents of Shield” (ABC) and “NCIS: New Orleans” (CBS).

• Wednesday, 8 p.m. – Will the new “Lethal Weapon” (Fox) siphon viewers from this season’s big hit, “Blindspot” (NBC)?

• Thursday, 8 p.m. – Is the aging “Big Bang Theory” (CBS) vulnerable? Probably not. Odd, then, that NBC would pit its most promising sitcom, “Superstore,” against it.