Fall TV’s Timeslot Battles: ‘Bull,’ ‘Bluff City,’ ‘New Amsterdam’ & More (PHOTOS)
Mondays, 10/9c
Bluff City Law (NBC) vs. The Good Doctor (ABC) vs. Bull (CBS)
Last fall, NBC held its own in this hour as it launched the plane-mystery saga Manifest against veteran hits headlined by Freddie Highmore (The Good Doctor) and Michael Weatherly (Bull).
With Manifest‘s return on hold for midseason, NBC bets on new courtroom drama Bluff City Law. Jimmy Smits stars as a father who asks his estranged daughter to join the family firm following the death of her mother — so it should pack an emotional punch just as powerful as its competitors’.
Tuesdays, 10/9c
Emergence (ABC) vs. New Amsterdam (NBC) vs. NCIS: New Orleans (CBS)
Ryan Eggold’s freshman hospital drama New Amsterdam narrowly bested Scott Bakula’s NCIS spinoff last season, giving ABC hope that the right show can break through here.
Its new thriller Emergence casts Allison Tolman (FX’s Fargo) as a police chief determined to protect a young girl with no memory who’s found alone near a plane crash. Unlike The Rookie, which ABC moves to Sundays at 10/9c, it has an ongoing sci-fi mystery that may be enough to make this matchup a draw.
Thursdays, 8:30/7:30c
Perfect Harmony (NBC) vs. The Unicorn (CBS)
Young Sheldon will inherit The Big Bang Theory‘s prime 8/7c slot. Such a lead-in should give The Unicorn, starring Walton Goggins as a widower and doting dad reentering the dating game, the edge in this bout between two highly anticipated new comedies.
That said, Perfect Harmony has its own heavyweight lead, The West Wing‘s Bradley Whitford, and another sweet plot: He’s a former Princeton music professor who finds his calling with a small-town church choir.
Thursdays, 9:30/8:30c
Sunnyside (NBC) vs. Carol’s Second Act (CBS)
Another new-comedy showdown, this one pits Emmy winner Patricia Heaton against Designated Survivor‘s Kal Penn, finally fronting his own ensemble. In Sunnyside, he’s a fallen politician who makes amends by helping immigrants study to become citizens.
Carol’s Second Act showcases Heaton as a divorcée fulfilling her dream of wearing a doctor’s white coat. It looks like a knockout in Carol’s favor, but Sunnyside follows The Good Place, so it could still end up a winner.
If you’re a TV fan, it’s likely you’ve had to choose between two shows at one point. After all, you can’t watch everything (live, that is).
The upcoming fall season will pit some of the networks’ new series against each other and returning favorites in timeslot battles for which there can only be one winner. Can Bluff City Law and Emergence hold their own against shows with established fanbases? What will happen when new series like Perfect Harmony and The Unicorn and Sunnyside and Carol’s Second Act face off?
Click through the gallery above to see the biggest timeslot battles on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.
