上周一，電視臺年度先期介紹已經開始，延續了各大臺用最新劇集爭奪廣告費讓麥迪遜大街挑到眼花的傳統。各大電視臺均為2019-2020年的播出季排定了陣容，不管是新節目還是續訂的老劇集，都有一些熟悉的模式。

首先，《超級少女》和《閃電俠》等電視劇仍然高歌猛進，新劇《蝙蝠女俠》也會加入。看起來電視上總有律政劇的空間。兩周前，美國廣播公司（ABC）的《護法為民》和福克斯（Fox）的《無罪證明》以及其他幾部法律劇被砍掉，但也有新劇上馬，包括哥倫比亞廣播公司（CBS）的《全體起立》，講述法官、檢察官和公設辯護人的忙亂生活，以及美國國家廣播公司（NBC）的《布拉夫法律》，內容關于孟菲斯一位律師與精英律所頭頭（也是她父親）經歷關系起伏之后如何闖出自己的一片天地。

我們還注意到即將到來的電視季出現了其他一些模式：

哪里都有伯蘭蒂

極成功的執行制片人格里格·伯蘭蒂喜歡比喻說，贏得吃餡餅比賽的獎品結果是更多餡餅。好吧，現在他可以買下好萊塢和溫哥華所有的餡餅了，兩地都將播放他的作品。伯蘭蒂以指導長期熱門劇CW電視臺的《綠箭俠》和NBC的《盲點》，還有CBS的限制劇集《紅線》聞名，本季他跟合作制片人莎拉·謝赫特一共有18部劇播出。這也超過了兩人在2018-19年電視季的14部劇集記錄。18部劇中包括新劇，如CW電視臺的漫畫改編版《蝙蝠女俠》和《凱蒂·基恩》，還有湯姆·佩恩、邁克·辛和貝拉米·揚主演的福克斯新劇《浪子回頭》，內容關于一個連環殺手的孩子。

翻拍和衍生劇仍然盛行

不要被CBS取消重拍《墨菲布朗》，還有福克斯問題頻出的改編劇《致命武器》騙了。各大電視臺都發現重新利用熟悉的話題和人物仍然有市場。ABC將續訂《康納一家》，只是不再有跟羅西妮·巴爾相關的內容，也將重拍長期播出的喜劇《戈德堡一家》及續集《校園時代》。而CBS也在研究拍新版《百戰天龍》和《夏威夷神探》。

ABC也訂了《融和不容易》，也是其家庭喜劇有時偏正喜劇的《喜新不厭舊》前傳，主要關于特雷西·埃利斯·羅斯飾演的女主人瑞寶·約翰遜。（另一部衍生劇《成長不容易》很快將在姊妹電視臺Freeform播出第三季。）CW電視臺將播出一部更尖銳，更類似《美眉校探》的重拍版《神壇南茜》，把主角年紀變大了些，成了為調查謀殺疑案推遲上學的大學新生。《緋聞女孩》的編劇喬什·施瓦茲和絲黛芬妮·薩維奇擔綱執行制片人，所以劇中應該有不少詼諧的戲謔，以前曾飾演南茜的帕梅拉·蘇·馬丁也將客串。

福克斯還訂購了由羅伯·勞主演的《緊急呼救》衍生劇，叫《緊急呼救：孤星》（如果從片名看不出線索，提示一下，故事背景在奧斯汀）。ABC大肆宣傳的《紐約重案組》續集怎樣了？之前主角西波維茨兒子的故事正在“修改”。

夠了……

NBC續訂了催淚劇《我們這一天》三季，意味著至少要等到2022年春天才能了解皮爾遜家族成員和伙伴們的各種背景（或許還能知道狗狗Audio的身世）。

雖然NBC證明了家庭劇可以火，但并不是每家電視臺都感興趣。CBS關于洛杉磯地區一個大家庭的系列劇《生活點滴》經歷了不算太慘的四季之后，今年宣告結束（值得注意的是，該劇在《我們這一天》前一年開播）。CBS還訂購了喜劇《超簡單愛情故事》系列，通過采訪和各種小插曲講述一對不太般配的情侶故事。

熱點話題：移民

移民對電視劇來并不算新素材；CW電視臺的《處女情緣》和Netflix的《活在當下》只是最近兩部涉及移民問題的劇。但是，唐納德·特朗普總統關于邊界墻的講話，國際上圍繞英國脫歐的辯論，以及委內瑞拉移民危機，都是很受關注的爭議性話題，電視劇創作者自然·放過。今年新劇有CBS推出的喜劇《鮑勃心動》，主創包括《生活大爆炸》編劇查克·羅瑞，內容是一位中年男子愛上了尼日利亞移民護士，還有NBC的《晨邊社區》，主演卡爾·潘擔任議員時曾經幫助移民留在美國。

音樂劇新動作

今年春天，CW電視臺的《瘋狂前女友》播出四年后結束，而NBC的《名聲大噪》仍以不太自然的致敬聞名。所以，電視臺已經意識到音樂劇也可能有忠實觀眾，而且《搖滾警察》播出以來觀眾的口味可能已經很豐富。NBC方面訂購了新劇《佐伊的讀心歌單》，主角是《城堡巖》里的簡·拉維，飾演舊金山一位電腦程序員，能通過歌曲聽到別人的心里話。CW電視臺的《凱蒂·基恩》由《美少女的謊言》里的露西·海爾和艾什莉·默瑞出演，艾什莉·默瑞在《河谷鎮》中扮演的喬西·麥考伊離開生活的小鎮，前往紐約努力當歌手。

另一邊，Netflix正為《情歌輯》首播做準備。這部福克斯制作的電視劇曾經試播失敗，由《名聲大噪》喬舒亞·薩夫蘭打造，主演包括珍娜·迪萬、坎貝爾·斯科特、杰米爾·法蘭西和卡莉·埃爾南德斯等，一邊漫步洛杉磯一邊唱情歌。

屏幕上的女性

無論是屏幕上還是在屏幕下，好萊塢對平等和多樣性的追求越來越明顯，尤其是涉及強力和復雜的女性角色時。在CBS長期播出，芭芭拉·霍爾編劇，蒂婭·里歐妮主演的《國務卿女士》將播出第六季。珊達·萊梅斯的醫療劇《實習醫生格蕾》仍然沒有停播的跡象，目前已續訂到第17季。這一季還有CBS的新劇《湯米》加入，由《情理法的春天》制作人保羅·阿塔那斯奧打造，主角伊迪·法爾科是洛杉磯警察局第一位女警察局長，此外還有寇碧·史莫德斯的ABC新劇。這部新劇尚未命名，由杰森·里奇曼制作，根據斯坦普頓的小說改編，《老爸老媽的浪漫史》主角在劇中扮演一位退伍老兵和私家偵探，故事背景頗為復雜。

家庭喜劇前景如何？

最近ABC的《摩登家庭》倒數第二季結束，收視率創下歷史新低。隨著上周電視臺紛紛取消續訂，CBS的《終歸是家人》和《皆大歡喜》，還有ABC頗受推崇的《分久再合》、《無言有愛》和《十全八美》都宣告終結。不過一些長期播出的劇集，例如CBS的《老爸有招》、福克斯的《最后一人》，還有ABC的《喜新不厭舊》和《初來乍到》比較安全（可能會讓《初來乍到》的演員之一吳恬敏懊惱）。不過隨著一些新劇出現，例如ABC的《多元一家人》和《康納一家》，CBS的《蹭飯貨》還有福克斯的《天生不配》，也可能改變當前格局。

單身爸爸脫穎而出

或許好萊塢也知道要對“家庭”有更廣泛的定義？ABC推出的《單身家長》就挺成功，用塔蘭·基拉姆飾演的單身父親當切入點，已獲續訂第二季。此外也有其他新劇，比如CBS的《神獸》（關于一位鰥夫帶兩個女兒的單鏡頭喜劇），福克斯的《大北方》（由《開心漢堡店》導演洛倫·布沙爾制作的系列動畫片，講述一位單身父親在阿拉斯加努力維持家庭的故事），還有NBC的《基南秀》（基南·湯普森飾演帶兩個女兒的鰥夫，勉強讓岳父搬進來幫忙）。跟上世紀80年代播出的《歡樂滿屋》相比，進步已經不小了……（財富中文網）

譯者：馮豐

審校：夏林

Television’s annual upfront presentations kicked off last Monday, continuing the ritual of networks attempting to dazzle Madison Avenue with its latest offerings for advertising dollars. As networks iron out their lineups for the 2019-2020 TV season, there are some familiar patterns surrounding both new and returning shows.

For one, superhero shows like The CW’s Supergirl and The Flash are still flying high—and that network will see a new addition with Batwoman. It also looks like there’s always room at the bar for more legal drama. While ABC’s For the People and Fox’s Proven Innocent were canceled at two weeks ago—along with several other series—new courtroom orders include the CBS drama All Rise, which follows the chaotic lives of judges, prosecutors, and public defenders, and NBC’s Bluff City Law, which is about a Memphis attorney who strikes out on her own after a tumultuous relationship with the head of her fancy law firm (who is also her father).

We’ve also noticed some other patterns emerging for the upcoming television season:

There’s No Escape From the Berlanti-Verse

Greg Berlanti likes to use the analogy that the prize for winning the pie-eating contest is more pie. Well, he can now buy all the pie in both Hollywood and Vancouver, where his productions tend to film. Along with producing partner, Sarah Schechter, the extremely successful executive producer known for shepherding long-running hits like The CW’s Arrow and NBC’s Blindspot—as well as niche projects like the CBS limited series The Red Line— will have 18 shows on the air this coming season. That beats their previous total of 14 productions from the 2018-‘19 season. These include new series like The CW’s comic adaptations Batwoman and Katy Keene, as well as Prodigal Son, a new Fox show starring Tom Payne, Michael Sheen, and Bellamy Young that’s about the child of a serial killer.

Reboots and Spinoffs Still Prosper

Don’t let the cancellations of CBS’s attempted Murphy Brown reboot or Fox’s problematic Lethal Weapon adaptation have you fooled. Networks still see a market in revisiting familiar topics and characters. ABC is sticking with its Roseanne Barr-free The Conners for another season and has renewed both long-running period comedy The Goldbergs and its sequel, Schooled. And CBS is still on the case with the new versions of MacGyver and Magnum P.I.

ABC has also ordered Mixed-ish, the prequel to its topical family comedy-but-sometimes-dramedy Black-ish that concentrates on Tracee Ellis Ross’ matriarch, Rainbow Johnson. (A spin-off, Grown-ish, will soon be entering its third season on younger sister channel, Freeform.) The CW is offering an edgier, more Veronica Mars-sounding remake of Nancy Drew that ages the teenage gumshoe to a college freshman who postpones school to investigate a murder mystery. Gossip Girl’s Josh Schwartz Stephanie Savage are among the executive producers, so expect witty banter while Pamela Sue Martin, TV’s original Nancy, guest-stars.

And Fox has ordered a spin-off of 9-1-1 starring Rob Lowe, titled 9-1-1 Lone Star (set in Austin, in case the title wasn’t a clue). As for ABC’s much-hyped NYPD Blue sequel? The story of Sipowicz’s son is undergoing “retooling.”

This Is … Enough

NBC has renewed its tear-jerker drama This Is Us for three more seasons, meaning that we will have at least until the spring of 2022 to learn all kinds of backstories about the extended members of the Pearson clan and their partners (maybe we’ll even learn the origin story of Audio the dog).

And while this formula has been a proven hit for NBC, not all networks have been as interested in this idea. Life In Pieces, the CBS series about an extended Los Angeles-area family, ended this year after a not-too-shabby four seasons (it should be noted that it began a year before This is Us started). CBS also passed on a series order for Super Simple Love Story, a comedy about a couple who seem an unlikely match as told through interviews and vignettes.

Immigration As a Talking Point

Immigration stories aren’t exactly new fodder for television plots; The CW’s Jane the Virgin and Netflix’s One Day at a Time being just two recent examples of shows that have covered the issue. But President Donald Trump’s talk of a border wall, and international debates surrounding Brexit, as well as the Venezuelan migrant crisis have kept the divisive topic on everyone’s mind—especially showrunners. New entries this year include Bob Hearts Abishola, the CBS comedy from The Big Bang Theory’s Chuck Lorre and others about a middle-aged man who falls in love with his Nigerian immigrant nurse, and NBC’s Sunnyside, which stars Kal Penn as a former councilman who helps immigrants stay in the country.

Something to Sing About

The CW’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ended its four-year run this spring while NBC’s Smash is still celebrated for as campy reverence. So it’s no wonder that networks have realized that musical dramas can have a devoted audience and that our palettes may have matured since Cop Rock. NBC has ordered the new series Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, which stars Castle Rock’s Jane Levy as a San Francisco-based computer programmer who hears others’ internal monologues through song. The CW’s Katy Keene stars Pretty Little Liars’ Lucy Hale and Ashleigh Murray—whose Riverdale character, Josie McCoy, leaves her small town to try to make it as a singer in New York City.

Elsewhere, Netflix is gearing up to premiere Mixtape. The once-failed Fox pilot created by Smash alum Josh Safran has actors like Jenna Dewan, Campbell Scott, Jahmil French, and Callie Hernandez lip-synching love songs as they traipse through Los Angeles.

Female Empowerment on Screen

Hollywood’s push for equality and diversity is increasingly showing, both on and off screen, particular when it comes to strong—and complicated—female characters. Barbara Hall’s long-running Téa Leoni drama on CBS, Madam Secretary, is back for a sixth season. There’s also no end in sight for Shonda Rhimes’ medical drama, Grey’s Anatomy, which has been renewed through season 17. This season, they’ll be joined by new shows like CBS’s Tommy, a police drama from Homicide: Life on the Street creator Paul Attanasio that stars Edie Falco as the LAPD’s first female police chief, and Cobie Smulders’ new ABC drama. Created by Jason Richman, the as-yet-to-be-named series is based on the Stumpton graphic novels and has the How I Met Your Mother star playing an army veteran and private investigator with a complicated backstory.

What’s the Future of Family Comedy?

ABC’s Modern Family recently ended its penultimate season with record-low ratings for its finale. Last week’s TV cancellation blood bath also saw the end to CBS’s Fam and Happy Together and ABC’s critically adored Splitting Up Together, Speechless, and The Kids Are Alright. But long-running series like CBS’s Man with a Plan, Fox’s Last Man Standing, and ABC’s Black-ish and Fresh Off the Boat are safe (possibly much to the chagrin of Constance Wu, one of the latter’s stars). And perhaps new offerings like ABC’s United We Fall and The Conners, CBS’s Broke, and Fox’s Outmatched will change that course.

Singling Out Single Dads

But maybe Hollywood knows it needs to have a broader definition of “family”? ABC has found success with Single Parents, the ensemble comedy that used Taran Killam’s single father as an entry point to the story and that has been renewed for a second season. It joins new freshmen series like CBS’s The Unicorn (a single-camera comedy about a widower with two daughters), Fox’s The Great North (an animated series from Bob’s Burgers creator Loren Bouchard about a single dad trying to hold it together in Alaska), and NBC’s The Kenan Show, (Kenan Thompson plays a widower with two daughters who begrudgingly lets his father-in-law move in to help). We’ve come a long way since Full House …