Last year was one of the most successful fall TV seasons in history. Nearly half of the new shows (13 out of 27) got renewed for a second season. Compare that to the year before, when there were only five shows to survive to see another year.

In 2011 every network had a little bit of success. ABC had Revenge, Once Upon a Time and Suburgatory, NBC had Grimm and Up All Night, FOX had New Girl and The X Factor, CBS had 2 Broke Girls and Person of Interest and the CW had Hart of Dixie.

Will 2012 be as good to the new shows as last year? Probably not, but there are definitely a few sure-fire hits on the schedule. Here are my predictions for five new fall shows that will definitely make it to a second season.

Arrow (The CW, Wednesdays at 8pm)

If there's one show sure to hit a bullseye, it's this one. A darker, grittier superhero story, it has everything that attracts young men and young women to the network. I'm so confident in its success that the creators should already be working on the script for the season 3 premiere.

The Mindy Project (FOX, Tuesdays at 9:30pm)

Paired with New Girl, Mindy Kaling is almost certainly going to be the breakout star of the year. For eight seasons she's created a hilarious minor character on The Office, but now she'll get to shine on her own. The comb of Zooey and Mindy is a can't-lose pair.

Elementary (CBS, Thursdays at 10pm)

What does CBS do best? Crime procedurals. While the network might have less success with shows about doctors (A Gifted Man), it always succeeds with detectives. It fits perfectly with the network's Thursday night fans because it has a charismatic leading man (like The Mentalist) a very small group of heroes (like Person of Interest) and nerd appeal (like The Big Bang Theory).

Revolution (NBC, Mondays at 10pm)

I'm an idiot for betting on Revolution. For the last six fall seasons, Monday at 10pm on NBC has been the worst time slot ever. It has killed The Playboy Club, Chase, The Jay Leno Show, My Own Worst Enemy, Journeyman and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. But if anything can change that bad luck, it's Revolution. Ambitious but well-crafted, the show has J.J. Abrams name attached as a producer, but the creator and writer is Supernatural's Eric Kripke. I know mainstream audiences aren't too familiar with Kripke, but those of us who watch Supernatural know that he is a master at crafting stories and relationships the fans will care about.

666 Park Avenue (ABC, Sundays at 10pm)

Last year ABC had two big hits with Once Upon a Time and Revenge. Now those two shows are on the same night, leading into this spooky, soapy supernatural thriller. Clearly ABC has an audience looking for fun soap opera drama, and 666 Park Avenue fits perfectly into that mold. Throw in a cast full of beautiful people and the brilliantly diabolical power couple of Terry O'Quinn and Vanessa Williams and you have a show that is pure fun.


What new shows do you think should already be prepping for season 2?


(Image courtesy of FOX/CBS)