2024-25 Freshman Series Status Report: Episode Counts, Back Order & Renewal Prospects
Maybe it was the extra gestational periods for some shows due to strike-related delays, maybe it is the newfound comfort-food appeal of broadcast fare this season that has middle schoolers binging shows like High Potential, but the new 2024-25 network scripted series have fared pretty well, with no outright flops among them.
Of course, some shows have done better than others — we’ve had our first Season 2 renewal and back orders this fall, all courtesy of CBS. Here is a rundown of the new fall 2024 live-action scripted series with details about how many episodes each will produce this season, news on Happy’s Place and Lopez vs Lopez additional script orders as well as explanation why Matlock got a Season 2 renewal and not a back order like the other freshman CBS series and why one of the biggest new series of the season, ABC’s High Potential, won’t produce more than 13 episodes.
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High Potential has been a breakout hit that already has become ABC’s most-watched new series in 6 years, with its pilot episode crossing the 20M viewer mark across platforms.
Disney likely would’ve loved to have more episodes of the procedural starring Kaitlin Olson, which has been a fixture on Hulu’s Top 15. Unfortunately, that is not an option because production on Season 1 had to wrap after its initial 13-episode order to accomodate Olson’s commitment to her other full-time series job on FX’s It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia. (She also has a high-profile recurring role on Max’s Hacks.) High Potential was on an atypical production schedule as it was originally ordered for last season so it finished filming early, about two weeks after the series debuted on ABC.
As a consolation, ABC viewers will be able to see a bit more of Olson beyond the 13 episodes of High Potential as she will appear on the network’s comedy Abbott Elementary with the rest of the Sunny gang in a crossover.
Unlike High Potential, ABC’s other new fall 2024 scripted series, Doctor Odyssey, did not go through a pilot stage that is traditionally followed by a 13-episode pickup. Coming from Ryan Murphy, the medical drama starring Joshua Jackson received a full-season straight-to-series order for 18 episodes in March. That matches the season sizes of Doctor Odyssey’s Thursday ABC companions, Murphy’s 9-1-1 and Shonda Rhimes’ Grey’s Anatomy. Boosted by streaming, Doctor Odyssey has been solid, with its pilot crossing the 14M viewer mark.
ABC rarely hands out early renewals, and word is it will likely again wait until spring for most of its renewal conversations but both High Potential and Doctor Odyssey look good for a Season 2 pickup.
Next up for the network is the January premiere of new comedy series Shifting Gears starring Tim Allen and Kat Dennings.
CBS had another strong fall launch with the Matlock reimagening and Young Sheldon spinoff Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage leading the pack of new scripted series, both setting new ratings benchmarks for the network. With fellow newbies NCIS: Origins and Poppa’s House right behind on the leaderboard and the CBS quartet delivering the largest linear viewership of any freshmen series, all four have received additional episodic orders.
Matlock, starring Kathy Bates, was among the series whose premiere was pushed from 2023-24 to 2024-25 by the strikes. The longer lead time allowed the network to see more scripts in advance and get a better sense of where the legal drama was going, resulting in a full-season 18-episode Season 1 order, a rarity for a broadcast show that originated as a pilot.
The bet paid off. Matlock, which started production in spring, wrapped its order days after a preview of the first episode drew 7.73M Live+Same Day viewers to sets a 5-year non-Super Bowl premiere high for CBS. (The number grew to 10.67M in L+3). After the ratings held up in the second airing, CBS gave Matlock a very early Season 2 renewal.
Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage has become the third consecutive hit in The Big Bang Theory universe, following the original and prequel Young Sheldon. Drawing the strongest demo ratings of any freshman series so far this season, the multi-camera comedy was quickly given a Back 9 order for a rare full-season 22 episodes.
The other two CBS freshmen, NCIS: Origins and Poppa’s House, also have secured back orders (5 episodes each) for full-season 18 episodes, a typical season length by current broadcast standards.
Traditionally, new midseason series get a 13-episode Season 2 renewal that could subsequently get padded with a back order if the show continues to perform. That does not apply to CBS’ midseason 2024 entries, Tracker and Elsbeth. Both did well in their first seasons, with Tracker ranking as the top entertainment series on broadcast, so both had received full-season 20-episode Season 2 pickups.
Next up is CBS’ new drama Watson, which is getting a premiere after the AFC Championship Game in January.
NBC’s new medical drama Brilliant Minds, starring Zachary Quinto, was another strike-related transfer from the 2023-24 season. It wrapped its initial 13-episode order in August. There was talk at the time about potentially tacking on an extra episode or two but ultimately, the order stayed at 13 episodes and that won’t change as star Quinto’s schedule took him to Broadway. He stars in Cult of Love, which opens Nov. 20 and runs through February.
But fans could get more episodes of Reba McEntire’s new NBC multi-camera comedy series Happy’s Place, which also had received an initial order of 13 episodes.
Happy’s Place as well as its companion, third-year sitcom Lopez vs. Lopez, which also had been picked up for 13 episodes, both have received an order for three additional scripts. With both comedies currently in production, the script pickups could be converted into episodic orders should the series deliver solid ratings in the coming weeks.
Happy’s Place has been a potent newcomer, logging a solid 4M linear Live+Same Day viewers on the low-trafficked Friday night that grew to 10M cross-platform viewers within a week. The sitcom also logged the best new comedy launch on Peacock ever. Brilliant Minds has been less of a standout but still drew a respectable 9.2M cross-platform viewers for its premiere.
NBC just premiered its promising new medical comedy series St. Denis Medical, and coming up in midseason are dramas Suits: LA and The Hunting Party. The network is expected to see how all play out before making renewal decisions.
Fox’s Rescue HI-Surf also had an off-cycle production schedule after its premiere was delayed by the strikes from 2023-24 season to 2024-25. The lifeguard drama started production on its initial straight-to-series 12-episode order in early 2024 when the network ordered seven additional scripts. By April, based on the scripts and the completed first two episodes, Fox ordered 7 more episodes for a full-season 19-episode order.
The John Wells-produced Hawaii drama has not been a breakout but has been solid and it has done well on Hulu, so a second season appears likely when Fox gets to those decisions next year.
Fox’s other new fall live-action scripted series, Murder In A Small Town, was greenlighted under the network’s low-cost international content model for an eight-episode run. The mystery drama has done respectably in the cost vs viewership ratio. It is unclear yet whether Fox would order a second season (There are enough books in L.R. Wright’s Alberg series for another installment) but the network is expected to stay in the sandbox, supplementing its schedule — and balance sheet — with modestly budgeted international drama co-productions, including mysteries.
Coming up are Fox new medical drama Doc starring Molly Parker and Denis Leary’s new comedy Going Dutch.
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