Movie Box Review

Well, the good news for A GIFTED MAN is that it's not cancelled.  It even has a "back order."  However, it's about as begrudging as a back order can be:  far from the usual 9 additional episodes, Gifted Man will only get 3 extra, for a season total of 16.  This smacks of a network needing product for a few weeks rather than any enthusiasm for keeping a show on the air, but it allows the series a tiny bit of breathing room before departing on what may be a very long hiatus.

The Eye also cut the season order for RULES OF ENGAGEMENT from 18 episodes to 13 (in addition, there are 2 unaired episodes shot for last season, so the series will air 15 in all).  In this case, the decision isn't by any means necessarily a death knell for the reliable comedy, which has been performing quite decently Thursdays in the 8:30PM slot.  CBS needs the extra space to launch its new Rob Schneider comedy ROB! in that prime post-Big Bang Theory slot, starting in January.

CBS also announced that the new season of UNDERCOVER BOSS will take over THE AMAZING RACE's Sunday slot following the end of Race's current cycle, with the competition show to return at a later date.  Boss will be competing with the new hit Once Upon A Time, FOX's cartoons, and a combination of Dateline and Harry's Law in the slot.

For one network, a night that moved in the wrong direction.

FOX:  Does FOX have to start worrying about X FACTOR?  The show seemed to make its way through the wave of baseball-related preemptions and reschedulings very smoothly, but this week has been troubling.  Both Wednesday and last night, the show has hit season lows for those respective nights, and while the numbers are still perfectly fine (last night's 3.3 was enough for a strong 2d place in its hour), this is the part of the season when competition shows are supposed to start building, not falling apart.  BONES was also down almost 20% from last week, although a drop after the season premiere isn't unusual.  

ABC:  If the network hadn't used the 8PM hour to burn off what may have been the last completed episode of CHARLIE'S ANGELS, ABC might have won the night.  The "fall finale" episode of GREY'S ANATOMY was up to a very solid 4, the highest number it's seem since the season premiere, and PRIVATE PRACTICE is peaking at the right time, with its season-highest rating as lead-up to next week's  2-hour special.

CBS:  Even with mostly reruns, CBS was in the hunt to win the night.  BIG BANG THEORY and RULES OF ENGAGEMENT won their hour handily, and the MENTALIST rerun easily beat NBC's new programming at 10PM.

NBC:  The good news was that THE OFFICE stayed on the safe side of a 3 rating, and WHITNEY, while far from a hit, retained a steady 70% of that number.  The 8PM hour was a disaster, though, with COMMUNITY and PARKS & RECREATION both tying their season lows.  (And when it comes to those shows, that does mean "low.")  PRIME SUSPECT, like a crippled racehorse no one will have the mercy to shoot, continued to howl in pain at a 1.2.

CW  The "fall finale" gambit worked less well for VAMPIRE DIARIES and SECRET CIRCLE, which were both down a bit from last week.

Tonight the Friday watch will be on GRIMM, which needs to stop dropping so NBC can reasonably claim a fall hit (by Friday standards), and A GIFTED MAN, fighting to stay off the autopsy table.