The Book of Life - Part 11

Time to enter SUPERGIRL into The Book of Life. To review here are the possible entries:

BUY THE DELI PLATTER AND PAY A SHIVA CALL (stick a fork in it, it's done)
WILL CELEBRATE THEIR B'NAI MITZVAH (will get to 13 on the air)
SET A PLACE AT THE SEDER TABLE (should finish full the season)
SEE YOU AT NEXT YEAR'S KOL NIDRE SERVICE (there's a second season)

 Let's start here. CBS is a very smart broadcast network....the smartest of the "Big 5" in fact. They continue to believe in the Big Tent approach to programming so, in addition to being in the hunt for 18-49's (in part because of the decline in that demo among NBC, ABC and FOX) they cast the widest net and manage to get everyone. They have a formula for success in terms of their programming:
Variations on proceedurals
Colonized hits in CSI: and NCIS:
Multi-cam comedies that adhere to the situation comedy structure as opposed to the dramadies, warmadies, sadadies and comamas that are often passed off as comedy today.
Smart, well produced reality competition shows 
60 Minutes 
Football in the Fall

Here's the thing about CBS, whenever they try to move away from what works on their network their audience generally bitch slaps them right back to their sweet spots. By the way, several of those noble attempts were really good, they just weren't what the CBS viewer is looking for.

CBS is smart. They have used the summer to expand on what their audience generally consumes by offering fantasy/science fiction series and, in the tradition of CBS, sticking with them for at least a second summer.

This fall, in a continuing attempt to expand on their offerings, CBS premiered LIFE IN PIECES  and SUPERGIRL. I set a place for LIFE IN PIECES at the Sedar table and I still think there's a chance we will see it at next year'a Kol Nidre service.

Although it has declined from its inflated Big Bang leadin for its premiere, and dropped several tenths from its second telecast I'm going to be bullish on SUPERGIRL and expect to SEE IT AT NEXT YEAR'S KOL NIDRE SERVICE. SUPERGIRL is going head to head with an improved GOTHAM (yeah scheduling still matters to some) so I would expect to see it somewhere else next season paired up with a compatible action adventure show. CBS often moves shows in their second season (primarily because they're all sort of the same) so keeping it makes more sense that launching a new show. Also, given the CBC/CW connection I would not be surprised to see some synergistic games going on over the year.

Here's the thing though, the greatest obstacle to SUPERGIRL'S renewal is itself. I have watched all three episodes. Jeb Bush is right, Melissa Benoist is a very appealing/likable lead but the show is over the top silly and juvenile and not in a good way. It's very CW...not that there's anything wrong with that.