Matt's Take on the Chances for a New Season of Old Christine, Supernatural and... Veronica Mars?
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Question: First off, let me begin by saying that I absolutely love
The New Adventures of Old Christine.
I think it is one of the best sitcoms (if not
the best) on TV right now. And lately it has really hit its stride. However, my question to you is: Does its shortened eight-episode run hurt its chances for renewal for a fourth season? Personally, I was a little concerned when CBS saved it for midseason and decided to air David Spade's run-of-the-mill, unoriginal
Rules of Engagement instead! And
Welcome to the Captain is a complete bore. So in comparison, it shouldn't be a contest and
Christine should get an automatic renewal. I'm aware that the strike made things more than a little unpredictable, but I've noticed that
Christine will not shoot any more episodes this season, which concerns me. Does
Christine have a chance to survive? Thanks!
— Ryan
Matt Roush: Couldn't agree more about
Old Christine being one of the few classic comedies currently on-air.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character is such a hoot: selfish, petty, needy, a neurotic mix of vanity and self-loathing. Nearly everything she does makes me laugh, and I like all of the characters in her orbit, though I'm always puzzled when the invaluable Wanda Sykes sits an entire episode out. But for now, the show has to be considered on the bubble, as it was a year ago. Only
Two and a Half Men and
The Big Bang Theory (another winner) are guaranteed fall slots so far. I can't imagine the laugh-free
Captain returning, but if CBS has to choose between
How I Met Your Mother,
Christine and the stubbornly mediocre
Rules for the remaining Monday slots — opening up a new comedy block appears to be too much to hope for — I do worry about
Christine's chances. The network hasn't shown much confidence in it this season, and it doesn't hold on to as much of
Two and a Half Men's lead-in as I'd like — especially considering the one's a repeat and this is still in originals. Putting on the amateur programmer's cap, I'd like to see CBS' Monday schedule go like this:
Big Bang at 8 pm/ET, followed by
Christine,
Two and a Half Men and
Mother. Wouldn't that be a great lineup? But experience tells me at least one Monday slot in the fall will go to a new comedy and something's going to sit it out until midseason, and at least one of CBS' current comedies will not be renewed. I'd hate to see
Christine get the shaft, and I'm not likely to rest easy about this until the Upfronts in May.
