A place to find all news, articles and coverage on the annual TV Upfronts & Digital Newfronts events.
3 - TELEVISION NEWS
UPFRONTS: The CW Highlights Diversity and Power of Television
While ABC, NBC, and CBS delivered trailers depicting heartfelt stories with executives talking brand safety online, CW instead focused their upfront presentation on the heartfelt message that has been winning viewers for years.
CW had a pretty interesting pilot season this year. They ultimately decided to cast a wide net, picking up: a comic book show, a prime-time soap reboot, a military drama, and an hour-long comedy. Given the network’s inherent difficulties in drawing eyeballs, you have to wonder if such a broad approach is smart. 
Like their network rivals NBC, CBS brought the star power to their upfront presentation as chairman and CEO Les Moonves and company presented their wares for fall to their advertiser audience. CBS performers Stephen Colbert, Young Sheldon‘s Iain Armitage, James Corden, David Boreanaz, Shemar Moore, and more took the stage.
Cabler TNT is hoping to make big waves in the next year as it made clear at the Turner upfronts presentation, where they unveiled a slate that refocuses the network’s brand on high-end drama series and unscripted projects that are documentary-centric. Meanwhile, TBS is continuing to evolve its brand of comedy with talk show host Conan O’Brien showing the network’s ability to grow. 
ABC probably had the most interesting pilot season among the networks. Unlike the competition, they filmed a pretty healthy number of pilots and picked up a pretty large percentage to series, granted many will be mid-season premieres. 
While ABC was presenting its fall schedule at its upfront presentation, some of the biggest news at their event was regarding the lineup for 2018. Furthest out are the Academy Awards, which will again be hosted by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel. 
Like NBC, Fox didn’t pick up as many pilots this year. They did, however, pick up a pretty large percentage of those pilots to series, particularly on the drama side. Does that mean they’re giving up on comedy? Not really.
It was a weird pilot season. No network embodied that statement more than NBC. The craziness in a nutshell: the most coveted timeslot in all of television, between Will & Grace and This is Us, is going to sophomore series Great News, whose renewal was iffy as recently as two weeks ago.
NBCUniversal put on a big show at their upfront presentation this morning as it paraded a stream of stars for advertisers including Seth Meyers, Megyn Kelly, Jennifer Hudson, the stars of Will & Grace, and more. Energy was high at the event as the network came off a big year with breakout hit This is Us and snagging Megyn Kelly from Fox News.
ABC’s three major drama pickups last year — Notorious, Conviction, and Time After Time — failed to connect with audiences and critics alike. Channing Dungey must really be feeling the pressure to deliver.
With the instant critical and viewer praise for The Handmaid’s Tale, the attitude was upbeat at the Hulu presentation at Upfronts. In addition to Handmaid’s Tale, the streaming network announced the big acquisition of the SVOD rights of This is Us and Atlanta, two of the biggest hits of the last year.
New media company Defy Media is continuing to expand with its in-house brands as it announced three new titles from flagship brand Smosh. Defy’s other most popular brands include Clevver and ScreenJunkies, who both presented new series for 2017.
As the happy home of critical and Nielsen darling This is Us, NBC marches towards the upfronts with its head held high. Clearly happy about the show’s success, Bob Greenblatt has been quite forthcoming this past year about NBC’s emphasis on positivity on all fronts, be it in the office or on screen. 
Just a day after the premiere of Freeform’s flagship show Pretty Little Liars‘ final season, the network presented to advertisers their plans for the future, with several comedy projects in the works to take their lineup beyond the young melodramas they’re known for.
Freeform has two exciting new shows with Mavel’s Cloak & Dagger and the comedy Alone Together from The Lonely Island, showing the young, fresh direction the millennial network is heading. Meanwhile, The Bold Type looks to fill the void left by Good Girls Revolt in a contemporary setting and Siren brings genre-fare with a twist.
