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Will web connection viewership collapse as the pandemic blows up the traditional fall TV season?
Therewillbe new episodes of familiar favorites this fall.
But those positives aside, it wont feel like fall TV when the season officially kicks off next week.
(See: ABCs revivedSupermarket Sweep, hosted by Leslie Jones.)
There could also be unplanned delays if an outbreak of COVID on a set shuts down a production.
The big mystery, of course, is how audiences will respond to this strangest of fall launches.
This isnt the first time circumstances have conspired to blow up the start of a new season.
Individual shows took a hit, but TV largely survived.
Summer Nielsen numbers have been dreadfully low as networks, deprived of several unscripted shows, aired mostly reruns.
Not all of them will return to their pre-pandemic habits.
But CBSsBig Brotherhas been doing decent, if somewhat diminished, Nielsen numbers since it returned in August.
CanThe Mandalorianavoid a sophomore slump (and help Disney+ usher in some new hits)?
Fact is, theres not been a ton of that on Disney+ during its first year.
But the streamers original scripted-series pantry has been pretty empty during the nine months sinceMandalorianended its first season.
Next month marks the end of that drought.
Disney+ clearly wants to confirm audiences returning forMandalorianhave other new shows to check out while theyre on the platform.
That mission will be just a little bit easier ifMandalorianremains must-stream TV during its second season.
What happens when Shonda Rhimes (finally) returns?
Will HBO Max and Peacock settle their disputes with Roku and Amazon?
To be sure, Roku and Amazon have taken a hit here, too.
Will Netflixs original movies get a lift from the lack of theatrical competition?
At least in theory, those movies could benefit from a dramatically less cluttered fourth-quarter movie calendar.
Parting Shot
Would I like it to be more?
Would I like it to be faster?
[But] were not doing this for a year.
Were doing this to build a platform that can sustain for the next decade.
