Time Slot Battle: NBC's The Blacklist Vs. CBS' Hostages
It's fall TV time and networks are pulling out all the stops in order to get people to watch their newest offerings and their returning shows. Another thing they like to do is make it really hard to watch the things that you want to watch, by pitting good shows or shows with a lot of buzz against each other. This is happening Mondays at 10/9c as new shows Hostages and The Blacklist go head to head. They are also going head to head with reigning champ, Castle. So, let's break down this battle after the jump.
Hostages is being heralded as one of the fall's best shows. It stars Dylan McDermott and Toni Collette. Collette is a heart surgeon who has been tasked with performing heart surgery on the President. She and her family are taken hostage by McDermott who is a former hostage negotiator with the FBI. He wants Collette to allow the President to die for unknown reasons and uses her family as leverage to get her to do what he wants. Hostages is a high concept show that unfolds over 15 episodes. The major networks are taking a page from the cable book and green lighting shows with less episodes, partly to make sure they are taking full advantage of the prime real estate that is network television and to get the most bang out of the show. If a show has 15 episodes, you're less likely to have filler episodes. With a show like this, it's hard to know if it has a long term future. Producers claim that they have a multi-year plan, so we'll see.
The Blacklist is another show that is getting a lot of love from critics who have seen the pilot and it is the top new show being offered by NBC. It stars James Spader as Raymond "Red" Reddington, one of the FBI's most wanted, who walks into headquarters and turns himself in. He brokers deals for criminals and has earned the nickname "the Concierge of Crime." He has collected a list of criminals that he claims he wants to help takedown, but he will only speak with rookie profiler, Elizabeth Keen. He claims that she is very special, but won't say why. The previews for the show look intriguing. This role looks a lot different than James Spader's last television role, cracking jokes with William Shatner on Boston Legal. What is Red's connection to Elizabeth? Is she his daughter? That seems a little too generic. I'm interested enough to tune in for at least the first couple of episodes.
Both shows have a lot going for them. The casts are great. They both have been massively pimped all summer by their respective networks. The Blacklist benefits from having a great lead-in with The Voice, while Hostages benefits from being on CBS, America's Most Watched Network. My prediction is that Hostages will attract more total viewers, but The Blacklist will score higher in the coveted 18-49 demo that networks and advertisers slobber over.
So, which show are you excited to watch? Both? Neither? Are you sticking with Castle? Let me know in the comments.
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