Here's What The 2015-16 TV Landscape Looks Like Now

Over the past few days, the major American TV networks — ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW — have rolled out their schedules for the 2015-16 season, in the process revealing what TV titles have been commissioned, renewed or cancelled moving into the next 12 months on the small screen. 

NBC was the heaviest-handed with the axe, culling 10 shows from its line-up, including the series adaptations of cinema originals About A Boy and Parenthood, the beleaguered Constantine, David Caspe's post-Happy Endings hope Marry Me and Israeli spy drama Allegiance. Also gone from the 2015-16 scene is beloved comedy Parks & Recreation, though its seventh season was announced as its last in May last year.

However, the other channels weren't light on cullings either, with only The CW giving fewer than five shows the boot (Cedric's Barber Battle, Hart Of Dixie and The Messengers). The chops at Fox weren't surprising, including the ailing The Mindy Project, the never-quite-there Mulaney, expensive flop Utopia and the now-out-of-its-misery Glee; while CBS proves a cursed home for "The" shows: The Millers, The Mentalist and The McCarthys are all off the table, as is — mercifully, at long last, Two & A Half Men. ABC, too, was ruthless but savvy with its cuts — Revenge wore out its welcome at the end of its first season, while Selfie should never have made it past the back rooms, and Forever, Manhattan Love Story and Cristela all get the chop after one run of episodes.

Of course, the freshly opened slots on the timetable afforded by the new batch of "used to be" TV shows are now ripe for the filling by the likes of The Catch, Dr Ken — starring Community's Ken Jeong — The Family, The Muppets and an Uncle Buck series on ABC; on CBS, we'll see Supergirl picked up to series, as well as series adaptations of Rush Hour and Limitless, plus Criminal Minds spin-off Beyond Borders; The CW adds Cordon, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and DC Comics spin-off series Legends Of Tomorrow in place of its three cancellations; Scream Queens (from the creators of Glee and American Horror Story), Minority Report (based on the Tom Cruise film of the same name), Lucifer (based on the DC comic of the same name), and sci-fi crime drama The Frankenstein Code are all lined up for Fox; and NBC has gone nuts with new shows, adding far and away the largest number of fresh properties, from self-explanatory programs such as Best Time Ever With Neil Patrick Harris and Chicago Med to diverse drawcards such as Blindspot, Crowded, Game Of Silence, Hot & Bothered, Little Big Shots, The Player, Superstore and You, Me & The End Of The World.

There will be plenty of familiar faces when the dust all settles, however, with returning series across all genres proving the wider strength of the medium: a spate of superhero/comic book series, including Agents Of SHIELD and Agent Carter (ABC), Arrow, The Flash and iZombie (The CW), as well as Fox's Gotham, will be back for another run, plus comedies Fresh Off The Boat, Galavant, The Middle and Modern Family (ABC), in addition to favourites such as Bob's Burgers, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Family Guy, The Last Man On Earth, New Girl and The Simpsons (Fox). Also coming back are stalwarts such as Dancing With The Stars, Once Upon A Time and The Bachelor (ABC), the inexplicably popular 2 Broke Girls and Big Bang Theory, along with Mike & Molly, Big Brother and NCIS: New Orleans (CBS), young-adult mainstays The 100, Supernatural and The Vampire Diaries (The CW); the creepy morbidity of Bones, Sleepy Hollow and The X-Files revival (Fox); and The Apprentice, The Biggest Loser, The Voice, Chicago Fire, Chicago PD and the apparently immortal Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC).

This, of course, doesn't take into account the world of cable networks and streaming services — where there's another whole world of renewals, endings and fresh projects, including second seasons for Netflix runaway hits The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Daredevil, with renewals also coming for cable favourites You're The Worst, American Horror Story, Fargo and Archer (all FX), Better Call Saul and The Walking Dead (AMC), and HBO mainstays Girls, Game Of Thrones and Getting On, which picks up a third and final season for 2015-16.

It's a lot to take in, we know — but have a look at the complete (network) list of changes below to get an idea of what shape our video libraries are likely to take over the next 12 months.