Fun Friday: My Midseason Broadcast Network Picks

So, last June, I broke down all of the new broadcast network pilots, giving a little summary about what they're about and which interest me the most. [CBS, ABC, FOX, NBC, CW] (I also did this in 2012 and 2011, if you're nostalgic.) In September, I posted a look forward to the fall pilots I was interested in, and the time has come to remember what's in store for mid-season!

You'll notice that more than half of the listed programs are on NBC, but that's not hard to do when that network comes up with the most new series. No ABC or FOX to be found, but I still think there's a pretty interesting spread, demographically speaking. 

Midseason Premieres:
Friends With Better Lives (CBS comedy) has a group of thirtysomethings in different life stages wondering if their friends have it better than they do. Not gonna lie... this show hits a little close to home for me. I don't have a lot of friends in the same stage of life, so I'm quite enthused to watch this one and see if it plays out realistically. James Van Der Beek might bring it down, though, so let's hope that doesn't happen. Getting the slot right after the long-awaited series finale of How i Met Your Mother may help as well. (premieres Monday, March 31st)

CBS

Intelligence (CBS drama) follows a man, Gabriel, who has been implanted with a super-computer microchip, allowing him to connect to (and hack) the Internet, the telephone, and satellite data. Gabriel helps the government. I've actually already given up on this one (it premiered a month ago already) and I don't think it'll last, anyway.

CBS

Star-Crossed (previously Oxygen) (CW drama) has Aimee Teegarden in love with an alien. The boy, part of "The Orion 9," has spent the past ten years in an internment camp and is just being integrated into suburban life. I saw an early pilot back in July, and I was intrigued, so I'll see what else will happen. (premieres Monday, February 17th)

CW

About a Boy (NBC comedy) is an adaptation of the novel and film following the relationship between an immature single guy and a young boy. I really want Benjamin Stockham to make it in SOMETHING (Sons of Tucson,1600 Penn), so I'll give it a go. However, it's been so long since the popularity of the Hugh Grant film, it might be too late to find an audience. (premieres Saturday, February 22nd, but will regularly run on Tuesday nights)

NBC

Growing Up Fisher (formerly The Family Guide, Untitled DJ Nash) (NBC comedy) is a show about a divorced family where the father is blind, and is based loosely on Nash's life. I'll give it a try simply because I am constantly interested in the life experiences of others who are quite different from myself, and blindness is a disability I haven't seen in a main character since Becker. (premieres Sunday, February 23rd, but will regularly run on Tuesday nights)

NBC

Undateable (NBC comedy) is a group of friends who struggle with relationships. Bianca Kajlich is the only reason I'll give this one a chance, and I'm wholly expecting it to fail... if it even gets a fair shot! (premiere TBA)

NBC

Crossbones (NBC drama) has been in the pipeline for quite a while now, and I'm still as intrigued as ever... John Malkovich as Blackbeard in 1715. It's still high-concept and very risky, but a period pirate piece just sounds like fun. Plus, it's been hyped for so long, how can you not give it a try? (premieres this summer)

NBC

What will you be trying out?