In BuddyTV's 2007 Fall TV Guide, we assessed each night to see which shows the major networks were pitting against each other, and determined which ones would emerge victorious in the ratings war.
Big Shots is ABC's latest attempt at capitalizing on the vast popularity of
Grey's Anatomy.
Grey's Anatomy, which airs on Thursdays at 9pm, is currently one of the top two rated prime time dramas on television, tangling with time slot foe
CSI for the number one slot.
Since last fall, ABC has been searching for the right show to place in the Thursday 10pm time slot. They began with
Men In Trees, which performed reasonably well. They eventually moved the show out of the 10pm slot, and it continued to perform OK, and they gave it a second season pick-up. Last spring, ABC installed
October Road into the post-
Grey's perch. It also did OK, and the network surprisingly picked it up for a second season, which will premiere at some point mid-season. However, ABC still didn't feel like they had found the right show to follow their huge hit
Grey's Anatomy. This year, they're placing a new show after
Grey's. It's called
Big Shots.
Starring Dermot Mulroney (
The Practice),
Michael Vartan (
Alias) and two other dudes,
Big Shots is essentially
Sex and the City with men. That's it. Set in Manhattan,
Big Shots follows the lives of four wealthy buddies who work in the corporate world and yak about their lady troubles. The pilot has not received very good reviews, but I can guarantee that the premise is what ABC fell in love with. The
Grey's Anatomy audience is big on women and
Big Shots is thematically similar to
Grey's.
Will
Big Shots find an audience? It's the only new show on Thursdays, which makes sense because Thursday is a huge TV night and is littered with hits everywhere. People tend to have their Thursday nights mapped out. Fans of
The Office are going to watch
The Office. Same with
Grey's. Same with
CSI. Same with
Survivor. Is there room for another hit? Well, there might be.
Big Shots, in the 10pm slot, is only up against two other shows:
ER and
Without A Trace.
ER is winding down and there's been some talk that this season may be its last. However, the medical drama still gets solid ratings. Thematically, though,
ER and
Big Shots aren't all that similar.
Without a Trace plays to the older, procedural-loving crowd that CBS has cultivated. If
Big Shots pleases the
Grey's crowd, then it could be a big hit. It needs to gain momentum early, and you can be assured that ABC is going to promote the hell out of
Big Shots.
In the end, it all comes down to quality.
Big Shots will have every opportunity to succeed. If it makes people want to come back, then ABC could have a top 20 show on their hands. If people don't like it,
Big Shots will be off the air by Thanksgiving.
<<Previous Next>>
Comment on the day if we have overlooked something or you have noticed something we missed.
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Sunday.
-Oscar Dahl, BuddyTV
(Image courtesy of ABC)