ABC Gets its Mid-Season Report Card

The Good: Suffice to say, “good” doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface when it comes to THE MIDDLE, BETTER WITH YOU, MODERN FAMILY and COUGAR TOWN, ABC’s Wednesday night comedy block that may in fact be laugh-for-laugh, our favorite televised two hours of the week. Also falling under the category of good are aging dramas DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, BROTHERS & SISTERS and GREY’S ANATOMY, all of which rebounded nicely after lacklustre seasons in both the viewership and more importantly, the creative departments. Meanwhile, on the reality TV front, DANCING WITH THE STARS continued to steamroll the competition on Mondays, which bring us to…

The Bad: Bristol Palin won’t be on the Spring Edition of DWST, which means ABC executives should probably brace themselves for the inevitable dip in ratings. And while we’re on the subject of disappointing ratings, new Fall offerings such as the now defunct MY GENERATION, DETROIT 1-8-7 and personal favorite NO ORDINARY FAMILY haven’t exactly lived up to the hype. And don’t even get us started on SKATING WITH THE STARS.

Prognosis: Murky. Despite the fact the network is kicking off 2011 with the return of V, in addition to high profile new projects from Matthew Perry (MR. SUNSHINE) and Shonda Rhimes (OFF THE MAP), we’re not so sure that (a) viewers will even remember to tune back into V which has been on hiatus since May, (b) Perry’s MR. SUNSHINE will fit in with ABC’s familial comedy lineup, and (c) if there’s even room (need?) for yet another hour long series featuring really beautiful doctors with equally messy personal lives.

Grade: B-

Tune in next week when FOX, NBC and the CW get their midseason report cards.