via TV Guide
Alcatraz (Fox)Wrapped March 26; aired Mondays at 9/8c
The Good News: Fox has kept Fringe alive this long — maybe executives will be generous to another J.J. Abrams drama with a small-but-passionate fan base? And they already canceledTerra Nova, which theoretically helps.
The Bad News: The Voice kind of clobbered it, and worse, viewers flat-out rejected this island mystery. Less than half the audience who watched the premiere tuned in for the finale to learn the secret of those disappearing, reappearing prisoners.
Awake (NBC) Thursdays at 10/9c
The Good News: Series creator Kyle Killen, he of the well-liked-but-short-lived Lone Star, is a guy with ideas! A guy creative people flock to! So what if he makes shows for broadcast that would be better off on cable and not enough folks come to watch?
The Bad News: To be fair, airing it at the end of NBC's low-rated Thursday-night comedy block — and immediately after the night's biggest loser, Up All Night — hasn't been a great fit for the somber drama about a man dealing with tremendous loss. Ratings are abysmal.
Community (NBC) Thursdays at 8/7c
The Good News: After a more than three-month hiatus,
Community returned in March to its biggest audience since October 2010. And relative to NBC's Thursday-night lineup, it's pretty coolcoolcool.
The Bad News: NBC's Thursday-night lineup is a bust, led by a flailing-in-its-eighth season
The Office, so any ratings fetes enjoyed by
Community are still small in the bigger picture — and it will be measured against some strong comedy pilots in contention, among them Justin Kirk-fronted
Animal Kingdom and White House comedy
1600 Penn, starring (
Bill Pullman) and
Book of Mormon's
Josh Gad.
Fringe (Fox)
Fridays at 9/8c
The Good News: Fox has always loved this show, having rescued it from the bubble twice already. Since the network has already canceled Terra Nova and House, it may want to hang on to this cult favorite for a final (probably shortened) season.
The Bad News: Fox has a couple of buzzy new drama pilots, including a serial killer story from Kevin Williamson starring Kevin Bacon, so the network may decide to clear the bench. Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly put it pretty plainly in January that the network's generous pocketbook might be closing when it comes to the costly Fringe: "We're not in the business of losing money," he said.
Parenthood (NBC)
Wrapped Feb. 28; aired Tuesdays at 10/9c
The Good News: This touching family drama is a critical darling with a small-but-loyal fan base, and NBC will need a couple veteran dramas to anchor its fall schedule.
Parenthood is neck and neck with
Law & Order: SVU to be the second-highest-rated drama at NBC behind the already-renewed
Smash.
The Bad News: We're running low on Kleenex over here!
Up All Night (NBC)Wrapped April 12; last aired Thursdays at 9:30/8:30c
The Good News: NBC pulled out all the stops trying to make this one work. After it did so-so numbers on Wednesday, they decided to give it another push, slotting it behind The Office and hoping that viewers would take a second look at Will Arnett and Christina Applegate playing new parents, and Maya Rudolph as a crazy diva talk show host.
The Bad News: The audience actually shrunk in the move to Thursday! NBC already has a few low-rated pedigree comedies it probably wants to keep (30 Rock, Community, Parks and Recreation) and this one has the fewest viewers.
