It took some time, but the “Mad Men” repercussions will be in full effect this fall.
As the TV networks roll out their new program schedules this week, the clearest trend is nostalgia for a prefeminist world, a time when men were men and women wore pointy brassieres.
So far, “The Playboy Club” on NBC and “Pan Am” on ABC will be the closest cousins to AMC’s “Mad Men,” with bunnies and stewardesses sitting in for secretaries. There’s also NBC’s “Smash,” about the mounting of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe, that looks like “Glee” for grown-ups with some retro touches thrown in.
The ’60s soundtracks and swinging cocktail culture will be on full display.
In television terms, the turnaround from the 2007 debut of “Mad Men” to this spring’s pilots that emulate its slick retro style is right on track.
In cultural terms, the nostalgia for the 1960s from a distance of 50 years may be on schedule, too. JFK and Camelot look shiny and simple from the vantage point of these difficult times.
First up, NBC and Fox.
NBC was the first major broadcast network to announce its new schedule, followed by Fox; the rest are due later this week.
Mired in fourth place and desperate for a hit, NBC needs to land one of its six new dramas and comedies — although six more were announced as in the wings when the starters begin to bomb.
The goal is broader appeal, also broad appeal: A profusion of female-led casts. Expect women as detectives, moms, sex objects and more.
NBC’s week starts with an inflated talent show as “The Sing-Off” gets a full two hours on Mondays.
The “Playboy” soap follows, locally at 9 p.m. Mondays on KUSA, dramatizing the Chicago institution that was home to celebrities and gangsters in the skinny-tie ’60s.
Two comedies join the Wednesday schedule, “Up All Night,” with Christina Applegate as a harried working mom and Will Arnett as her husband; and “Free Agents,” based on a British hit of the same title, with Hank Azaria, follows romantically involved co-workers on the rebound.
On Thursday, “Whitney,” with comic Whitney Cummings, gets the lucky post-“Office” slot and “Prime Suspect,” the remake of the brilliant British detective series, stars Maria Bello (“ER”) in the Helen Mirren role.
Fridays will see “Grimm” in the 8 p.m. slot, locally, the oddest premise so far: It’s a cop show involving fairy-tale characters and a young man’s ability to see them. Seriously.
NBC plans reruns on Saturdays; Sundays will depend on what happens with the NFL. NBC needs a football strike like a hole in the head.
“Chuck” was renewed for what is most likely its final season and will serve out its time on Friday nights (TV’s death zone). David E. Kelley’s “Wonder Woman,” the most buzzed- about pilot in advance of the season, did not earn a pickup. NBC cancellations include “The Event,” “Law & Order: LA” and “Outsourced.”
A news show led by Brian Williams is in the works for midseason or sooner.
New programming chief Robert Greenblatt, brought in from Showtime to shore up NBC’s fortunes, has his job cut out. If he can find traction with a single show, he can start to rebuild.
For Fox, the news is that “Terra Nova, ” Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur adventure series, bows on Mondays. “The New Girl,” the Zooey Deschanel comedy, gets the plum post- “Glee” slot on Tuesdays.
Simon Cowell’s “X-Factor” gets the “American Idol” slots on Wednesdays and Thursdays (until January).
“Fringe” will return, but not until midseason, along with J.J. Abrams’ “Alcatraz” prison thriller.
And Fox cancellations include “Human Target,” “Lie to Me,” “Chicago Code,” “Traffic Light” and “Breaking In.”
Joanne Ostrow: 303-954-1830 or jostrow@denverpost.com
