Gayle Falkenthal
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SAN DIEGO, August 25, 2012 – More people watch television on Sunday night than any other night of the week. It makes sense. People are winding down from the weekend, many have to get up to go to work or school on Monday mornings. So they might as well take it easy and take in a little TV before calling it a week.
The networks know there’s a lot of audience ripe for picking on Sunday. They try to offer shows that appeal to a wide range of people and interests. Nothing too quirky or challenging gets on the air Sunday night.
Once a network finds a formula that’s working on Sunday, it tends to stick with it. So there aren’t a lot of changes on Sunday and this fall 2012 season is no exception. There is only one brand new show on Sunday; two other newcomers are shows currently on the air being moved to Sunday from other nights of the week. ABC has moved Revenge to 9 p.m.; CBS has moved The Mentalist from Thursday to Sunday at 10 p.m., where it is replacing the canceled CSI: Miami. CSI Miami fans are angry about the series’ abrupt cancellation and unresolved story line, so they aren’t likely to give The Mentalist a warm welcome.
Saturday is the opposite story, with the smallest amount of viewers tuned in. The networks don’t want to waste too much effort and they stick with sports, reality, and reruns.
New shows marked with an asterisk [*]
SATURDAY
ABC
8 p.m. Saturday Night College Football (September 3)
CBS
8 p.m. Crimetime Saturday (September 28)
10 p.m. 48 Hours Mystery (September 28)
CW
Local station programming
Fox
8 p.m. Sports Saturday (September 3)
NBC
8 p.m. Encore Programming (September 3)
The five networks don’t go out on a limb with their programming on the weekends, for different reasons each night.
SUNDAY
ABC
7 p.m. America’s Funniest Home Videos (October 7)
8 p.m. Once Upon a Time
9 p.m.
Revenge 10 p.m. 666 Park Avenue* (all September 30)
CBS
7 p.m. 60 Minutes
8 p.m. The Amazing Race
9 p.m. The Good Wife
10 p.m. The Mentalist (all September 30)
FOX
7:30 The Cleveland Show (October 7)
8 p.m. The Simpsons
8:30 p.m. Bob’s Burgers
9 p.m. Family Guy
9:30 p.m. American Dad! (all September 30)
NBC
8 p.m. Football Night in America
9 p.m. Sunday Night NFL Football
Also worth mentioning are several returning series on pay channels. HBO’s Boardwalk Empire returns on September 16, and Treme returns on September 23. On Showtime, Dexter will be back at 9 p.m. with Homeland following at 10 p.m., starting September 30. Fans of The Walking Dead on AMC will have to wait until October 14 at 9 p.m.
Once the regular NFL season ends for NBC at the end of the year, the network will bring in returning reality series Fashion Star and Celebrity Apprentice.
The one new show debuting on Sunday:
666 Park Avenue – ABC, 10 p.m.
Premieres: September 30
This series is based on the popular books by author Gabrielle Pierce, and it’s meant to fill the void left by Desperate Housewives. It’s a fantasy set in an Upper East Side apartment building where residents have sold their souls to Satan to make their wildest dreams come true. But the results aren’t always what they hoped for. Among the members of the ensemble cast is Housewives alumna Vanessa Williams.
NOTE: If you missed the previous parts of this series, visit the TV Den column.
Gayle Lynn Falkenthal, APR, is President/Owner of the Falcon Valley Group in San Diego, California. Read more Media Migraine in the Communities at The Washington Times. Follow Gayle on Facebook and on Twitter @PRProSanDiego.
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Copyright © 2012 by Falcon Valley Group
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