As we start to enter the final months of the 2010/11 season, assuming the major networks don’t decide to have a few more month-long breaks in programming for no discernible reason, the news is starting to trickle in regarding what will be back next season and what won’t be.
With that in mind, here’s a handy guide to all of the main genre shows, with their likelihood of survival or failure. We’ll update it in separate posts as we hear more.
The Vampire Diaries
Network: The CW
Prognosis: Saved
Comment: The Vampire Diaries has been a real hit for The CW, building and maintaining its audience consistently throughout the season. Its renewal was more or less inevitable.
Smallville
Network: The CW
Prognosis: Saved
Comment: Well, this was left rather late from other renewal announcements in The CW’s slate. Smallville must be challenging Stargate for its Guinness World Record by now.
Supernatural
Network: The CW
Prognosis: Saved
Comment: Enough’s been made of the fact that Kripke only wanted the story to run for five seasons already, so we won’t go over that again. The Winchesters will be back for another year, with Sera Gamble as showrunner.
Fringe
Network: Fox
Prognosis: Healthy
Comment: Fringe is an experiment that probably wasn’t ever going to fail. Headed by three of the biggest names in the industry – Abrams, Orci and Kurtzman – its success has been patchy but visible nonetheless.
Heroes
Network: NBC
Prognosis: Dubious
Comment: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Once the darling of NBC, Heroes has stumbled forwards since its first season, and although ratings have had an uptick lately, it’s still very much in the danger zone.
Stargate Universe
Network: Syfy
Prognosis: Saved
Comment: SGU has been a success for Syfy critically, although the ratings haven’t been exceptionally staggering to date. It seems to have settled in with fans, though, despite the huge direction change for the franchise.
Caprica
Network: Syfy
Prognosis: Healthy
Comment: Caprica’s ratings are truly dreadful, but this is Syfy that we’re talking about, and critically speaking the show has been tremendously successful. A second season renewal is likely, but not certain yet.
FlashForward
Network: ABC
Prognosis: Dubious
Comment: Despite a strong start from this show, its fortunes have been mixed of late. Falling ratings, coupled with a complicated plot have turned a few people off, although it’s not definitely out of contention.
V
Network: ABC
Prognosis: Dubious
Comment: Four episodes of this series have aired so far, and like FlashForward, it started out strongly but dipped. Its performance upon its return in the next few weeks will be utterly crucial, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see it stick around.
Chuck
Network: NBC
Prognosis: Positive
Comment: Chuck is very likely to receive a new season pick-up, having been a consistent performer for the network despite a reticent attitude toward it at first. Expect to see news of a renewal coming over the next few weeks.
Medium
Network: CBS
Prognosis: Dubious
Comment: Medium moved to CBS with a mild amount of coverage, but the quietly consistent show hasn’t proved to be much of a larger hit than it ever has done. Perhaps the network may actually pull the plug this time.
Dollhouse
Network: Fox
Prognosis: Flatlined
Comment: It received a shock 11th-hour renewal last year, but sadly, no such last-gasp save was forthcoming for Dollhouse’s sophomore season, despite a large creative uptick in the final acts.
