The 2007–08 network television schedule for the six major English language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the prime time hours from September 2007 through August 2008. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2006–07 season. The schedule was affected by the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike (which began on November 5 and ended on February 12). After that, the next disruption to the networks' primetime schedules would not occur until the 2020–21 season, whose network schedules were affected by the suspension of film and television productions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
NBC was the first to announce its fall schedule on May 14, 2007,[1] followed by ABC on May 15,[2] CBS on May 16,[3] Fox and The CW on May 17,[4][5] and MyNetworkTV on August 24, 2007.[6]
This was the first TV season where Nielsen Media Research kept track of DVR ratings (live plus same day; C3; live plus 7)[7]
PBS is not included; member stations have local flexibility over most of their schedules and broadcasts times for network shows may vary.
Each of the 30 highest-rated shows released in May 2008 is listed with its rank and rating as determined by Nielsen Media Research.[8]
New series are highlighted in bold.
Repeat airings or same-day rebroadcasts are indicated by (R).
All times are U.S. Eastern and Pacific Time (except for some live sports or events). Subtract one hour for Central, Mountain, Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian times.
All sporting events air live in all time zones in U.S. Eastern time, with local and/or late-night programming (including Fox affiliates during the 10 p.m. ET/PT hour) by affiliates after game completion.
All NBC programming from August 8, 2008, to August 24, 2008, was pre-empted for coverage of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.[9]
Impact of the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike
On November 5, the Writers Guild of America went on strike. During the strike, production on scripted television series across all of the major television networks was suspended. The writers' strike forced the networks to postpone the start of the fall 2007 schedule later than usual; rather than the traditional late-September/early-October start, new and returning series had their premieres delayed until late October and into November. The Writers Guild of America strike ended on February 12. The 2007–08 television season was thus the first of three television seasons to have its start delayed due to issues outside of the control of the major networks; the other instances were the 1988–89 season (due to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike) and the 2001–02 season (due to the networks' news coverage of the September 11 attacks). The next major disruption to the primetime television schedules of the major television networks would not occur until the 2020–21 season (due to a suspension of television productions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic). The third major disruption to the primetime television schedules of the major television networks was the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike, and the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.
Legend
- Light blue indicates local programming.
- Gray indicates encore programming.
- Blue-gray indicates news programming.
- Light green indicates sporting events.
- Red indicates series being burned off and other irregularly scheduled programs, including specials and movies.
- Light gold indicates programming produced outside of the United States.
- highlight Yellow highlights indicates the top-10 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Cyan highlights indicates numbers 11-20 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Magenta highlights indicates numbers 21-30 most watched programs of the season.
- highlight Highlights indicates that it falls in multiple of the above categories.
Sunday
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition aired two-hour episodes on January 13 through January 27.[10]
- Viva Laughlin aired two episodes (the pilot on October 18 and the 2nd episode on October 21) before it was cancelled.
Monday
- NBC aired Clash of the Choirs for four consecutive nights starting on December 17, 2007.
- ABC aired Duel for six nights for the week starting on December 17, 2007.
- American Gladiators premiered Sunday, January 6, 2008, at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central before moving to Mondays at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central.
- Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles premiered Sunday, January 13, 2008, at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central before moving to Mondays at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central.
- Season 7 of 24 was supposed to start in 2008, but delayed to 2009 due to the WGA strike.
Tuesday
Notes:
- According to Jim premiered on January 1, 2008, with two 30-minute episodes. Then on January 9, 2008, it only aired one episode for the night.
- One Tree Hill premiered on January 8, 2008, with a two-hour premiere.
- American Idol premiered on January 15 to 16, 2008 with two hour episodes each night.
- NBC aired quarterlife on February 26, 2008. After the first episode failed to earn the ratings the network had hoped, NBC announced that the series would be canceled after airing only one episode. Its remaining episodes would air on sibling channel Bravo.
- Miss Guided aired a "sneak-peek" on Tuesday, March 18, 2008, following Dancing with the Stars at 10:30 pm Eastern/9:30 pm Central. It then moved to its regular timeslot on March 20 at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central with back-to-back episodes filling in for Ugly Betty through April 3.[11]
- On April 8, 2008, CBS premiered Secret Talents of the Stars at 10 pm Eastern/9 pm Central. The show was cancelled the following day.
Wednesday
- American Idol premiered on January 15, 2008, and January 16, 2008, with two-hour episodes each night.
- Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants premiered on December 12, 2007, at 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00PM Central before moving to Wednesdays at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00PM Central.
- Law & Order had a two-hour season premiere (two episodes) on January 2, 2008.
- Supernanny aired back to back episodes on January 2, 2008.
Thursday
- Reaper moved to 9:00 pm Eastern/8:00 pm Central on February 28, 2008, replacing Supernatural.
- Miss Guided aired a "sneak-peek" on Tuesday March 18, 2008, following Dancing with the Stars at 10:30 pm Eastern/9:30 pm Central. It then moved to its regular timeslot on March 20 at 8:00 pm Eastern/7:00 pm Central with back-to-back episodes filling in for Ugly Betty through April 3.[12]
Friday
Saturday
| Network | 8:00 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 9:30 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 10:30 p.m. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABC | Fall | Saturday Night Football (continued to game completion) | |||||
| Winter | ABC Saturday Movie of the Week | ||||||
| Summer | The Wonderful World of Disney | Eli Stone (R) | |||||
| CBS | Crimetime Saturday | 48 Hours | |||||
| Fox | COPS | COPS (R) | America's Most Wanted | Local programming | |||
| MNT | Fall | IFL Battleground | NFL Total Access | ||||
| Mid-fall | NFL Total Access | IFL Battleground | |||||
| Winter | Paradise Hotel (R) | ||||||
| Spring | Meet My Folks (R) | Decision House (R) | |||||
| Late spring | My Saturday Night Movie | ||||||
| NBC | Fall | Various programming | Chuck (R) | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (R) | |||
| Mid-fall | Bionic Woman (R) | ||||||
| Winter | Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R) | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (R) | Law & Order (R) | ||||
| Spring | Medium (R) | Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R) | |||||
| Summer | Various programming | Law & Order (R) | Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R) | ||||
By network
ABC
CBS
The CW
Fox
MyNetworkTV
NBC
Full season orders and cancellations
Full season orders
The following are shows that have been given full seasons during the 2007/08 television season. Shows listed in Bold returned for the 2008/09 television season.
ABC
- Private Practice – On October 19, 2007, the show was given a full 22-episode season.[16]
- Pushing Daisies – On October 23, 2007, the show received the order for nine additional episodes comprising a full season.[17]
- Samantha Who? – On October 30, 2007, the show received a full season order due to solid retention of the audience from Dancing with the Stars in both total viewers, consistently finishing 1st place in its timeslot, and the key 18-49 demographic, consistently finishing in 2nd in its timeslot.[18]
- Dirty Sexy Money – On November 16, 2007, the show was given a full season order, making it the first show to be ordered a full season since the writers strike began on November 5.[19]
CBS
- The Big Bang Theory – On October 19, 2007, the show was given a full 22-episode season.[20]
- The Unit - On October 19, 2007, the show was given a full 22-episode season order.[20]
Fox
- Kitchen Nightmares – On October 16, 2007, the show was renewed for another season of 10 episodes.[21]
- The Moment of Truth – On February 1, 2008, Fox ordered an additional 13 episodes, bringing the total episode order to 25.[22]
NBC
- Chuck– On November 26, 2007, NBC gave a full 22-episode season to the show.[23]
- Life – On November 26, 2007, NBC gave a full 22-episode season to the show.[23]
The CW
- Gossip Girl – On October 9, 2007, the show was given a full 22-episode season, making it the first new show to do so.[24]
- Aliens in America – Although a full season order has not been officially announced, sources have reported that despite the writers strike this show will have 17 episodes for the season.[25]
Cancellations
ABC
- Big Shots – All 11 produced episodes aired and on February 12, 2008, ABC announced no new episodes would be produced after the strike, effectively cancelling the show.[26]
- Carpoolers – 13 produced episodes aired and on February 12, 2008, ABC announced no new episodes would be produced after the strike, effectively cancelling the show.[26]
- Cashmere Mafia – ABC announced on March 13, 2008, that the show will not return.[27]
- Cavemen – 6 of the 13 produced episodes aired, and on February 12, 2008, ABC announced no new episodes would be produced after the strike, effectively cancelling the show.[26]
- Men in Trees – ABC announced on May 4, 2008, that the show will not return next season.[28]
- Miss Guided – Canceled on May 12, 2008
- Notes from the Underbelly – Canceled on May 12, 2008
- October Road – Canceled on May 12, 2008.
- Women's Murder Club – Canceled on May 12, 2008.
CBS
- Cane – Canceled on May 14, 2008.
- Jericho – CBS announced on March 21, 2008, that the show will not return for another season.[29]
- Kid Nation – Canceled on May 14, 2008.
- Moonlight – Canceled on May 14, 2008
- Power of 10 – The show was canceled on April 30, 2008, in favor of The Price Is Right $1,000,000 Spectacular; the two series shared the same host (Drew Carey).
- Secret Talents of the Stars – Canceled after one episode due to low ratings.[30]
- Shark - Canceled on May 14, 2008
- Viva Laughlin – Canceled on October 22, 2007, after airing only two episodes. The previously unscheduled The Amazing Race started early and took over the timeslot.[31]
- Welcome to The Captain – After the 5th episode aired, the show was canceled due to poor ratings.[32]
The CW
- Aliens in America – Canceled on May 9, 2008. The final episode aired on May 18, 2008.[33]
- Girlfriends – After 8 seasons and 172 episodes, on February 12, 2008, The CW announced no more new episodes will be produced and the show was officially canceled. While there will not be any additional episodes produced for the season, a series finale/retrospective for the show is in talks.[26]
- Life Is Wild – All 13 produced episodes aired and on February 12, 2008, The CW announced no new episodes would be produced after the strike, effectively cancelling the show.[26]
- Online Nation – First show to be canceled in the 2007–08 season. This show set a record for the lowest ratings in The CW's brief history.[34]
- WWE SmackDown – On February 8, 2008 World Wrestling Entertainment and The CW had ended negotiations to keep Friday Night SmackDown! on the network. WWE stated that Friday Night SmackDown! would continue to air on The CW through the end of the 2007/08 broadcast season.[35][36][37] On February 26, 2008, WWE announced that MyNetworkTV picked up Friday Night Smackdown for the 2008/09 television season.[38]
- CW Now – It was announced that in early February, 2008, that CW Now would be going on hiatus. However, on February 13, 2008, The CW announced that they were cancelling CW Now after the February 24 episode.[39]
Fox
- Back to You—Canceled on May 10, 2008.[40]
- Canterbury's Law—Canceled on May 15, 2008.
- K-Ville—Canceled on February 12, 2008.[26]
- The Moment of Truth—Canceled on August 6, 2009.
- Nashville—Canceled on October 19, 2007.[41]
- New Amsterdam—Canceled on May 11, 2008.[42]
- The Next Great American Band—Canceled on May 15, 2008.
- The Return of Jezebel James—Canceled on March 24, 2008.[43]
- Unhitched—Canceled on May 15, 2008.
NBC
- 1 vs. 100 – Canceled at the 2008 upfront presentation.
- American Gladiators – NBC decided not to renew the show for a third season, even though there were plans that got canceled
- Amne$ia – Canceled at the 2008 upfront presentation.
- Bionic Woman – All 8 produced episodes aired and on February 12, 2008, NBC announced no new episodes would be produced after the strike, effectively cancelling the show.[26]
- My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad – Canceled at the 2008 upfront presentation.
- Journeyman – The last of 13 produced episodes aired on December 19, 2007. NBC did not order a full-season run by the deadline of December 11, 2007, effectively cancelling the series.[44][45]
- Las Vegas – After 5 seasons and 106 episodes, NBC announced the cancellation of the series on February 20. The final episode, which aired on February 15, was a cliffhanger.[46]
- Phenomenon – Canceled at the 2008 upfront presentation.[47]
- Quarterlife – The web-series-turned-network-program was canceled on NBC after one episode due to low ratings, the lowest NBC had received in that time slot in 17 years. NBC Universal announced the series would continue on co-owned cable network Bravo.
- Heroes Origins – The series was canceled before it aired and was confirmed at the upfronts.[48]
- Scrubs – After seven seasons, NBC announced that the show would not return. However, ABC picked it up for the 2008/09 season.
- The Singing Bee – Canceled at the 2008 upfront presentation.