2021 network TV: Which shows on the bubble deserve to be renewed?

Will it stay or will it go?

It’s that time of the year where networks announce which TV shows will be renewed and which will be canceled. But with the weirdness of last year — when almost every show was affected in one way or another by the COVID-19 pandemic — networks may have a harder time deciding which to keep or dump.

Here are some recommendations:

“All Rise,” CBS

When it premiered, “All Rise” prided itself on being about fixing the judicial system from the inside, with a Black judge (Simone Missick) and a Hispanic public defender (Jessica Camacho). Barely 18 months later, more of the show’s drama is behind the scenes than on camera, with creator Greg Spottiswood fired over allegations of racism after more than half of the writing staff quit. Executive producer Dee Harris-Lawrence has already taken over as showrunner, but there’s nothing special enough about “All Rise” to warrant this chaos. CBS could just as easily scrap this or start over fresh.

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“American Housewife,” ABC

The sitcom once called “The Second Fattest Housewife In Westport” did an admirable job going from a one-joke show about weight to funny story about a messy family. But then two of its main actors left, including one who quit after accusing the show of running a toxic work environment. Co-star Ali Wong, meanwhile, has appeared exclusively on video chat because of the pandemic. “American Housewife” has lost almost all of its charm. It’s time to leave Westport behind.

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“Big Sky,” ABC

The best thing “Big Sky” did was to kill off Ryan Phillippe’s character in the first episode. Not just because a guy who hooks up with his estranged wife’s best friend is an annoying trope, but because watching Cassie (Kylie Bunbury) and Jenny (Katheryn Winnick) hunt down kidnappers is way more fun. If it wanted, this series could continue for 10 years as a buddy PI show, a genre almost exclusively devoted to men. As it stands, “Big Sky” is still wrapping up loose ends, but it deserves the chance to just hang out.

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“Clarice,” CBS

Few shows represent the need for more creativity than “Clarice,” which isn’t even allowed to mention Hannibal Lecter’s name due to intellectual property rights but still insists on living in the “Silence of the Lambs” universe with a PTSD-riddled Clarice Starling. If you wanted a tortured FBI agent, you could have just invented one and skipped all the theatrics. Nobody actually needed “Clarice,” and we still don’t.

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“Evil,” CBS

Production on season two of “Evil” was wrecked by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the show is now set to return this summer, giving the network a little more time. But this should be a relatively easy decision for CBS, even if it’s just to keep a good relationship with creators Robert and Michelle King, whose “The Good Fight” is still driving traffic to its streaming service, now called Paramount+. But “Evil” stands on its own as a creepy, haunting procedural about a forensic psychologist (Katja Herbers), a priest-to-be (Mike Colter) and a tech guy (Aasif Mandvi) investigating the supernatural. Unlike some other demon-hunting shows, “Evil” actually has interesting things to say.

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“Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC

Let’s be clear right off the bat: As long as Ellen Pompeo wants to still put on scrubs every day, “Grey’s Anatomy” will stay on the air, no matter how much posturing everyone involved does. But they should absolutely end “Grey’s Anatomy.” This show has been on the air for almost two decades. George W. Bush was president when the show premiered. Terri Shiavo’s husband had just removed her feeding tube. The Washington Nationals were about to play their inaugural Opening Day. That’s too long for a television show. “Grey’s Anatomy” has killed off more than its fair share of doctors. It’s time to let them rest in peace.

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“Kung Fu,” The CW

Two episodes of “Kung Fu” have aired at the time of this writing, making it extremely unfair to judge, so this is more of an “It has promise that should be explored” show. The actual kung fu is fun, but its main appeal is in the Shen family, played by Olivia Liang, Tzi Ma, Kheng Hua Tan, Shannon Dang and Jon Prasida. The Shens would be warm, funny and sarcastic any day, but seeing a dynamic Asian family on TV in today’s ugly environment means even more.

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“Law & Order: Organized Crime,” NBC

Getting Christopher Meloni back into the “Law & Order” fold as Elliot Stabler practically guarantees “Organized Crime” a lengthy run, which is all well and good for its fans. But at the same time, does anyone really need another cop show, even one that says it wants to upend the narrative?

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“Prodigal Son,” Fox

No show on television is doing what “Prodigal Son” is doing. It makes Michael Sheen a crazed serial killer and Bellamy Young a pill-popping society woman who keeps falling for the worst kind of men (and sometimes a cop). It’s got Christian Borle as a murderous priest. It cast Alan Cumming as a Europol agent who calls himself “The Mind Sleuth,” and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the resident doctor at a psychiatric hospital. You can’t do any of this, and yet “Prodigal Son” does all of it. Never let this show end.

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“Rebel,” ABC

“Rebel,” like “Kung Fu,” has barely aired, but it has a clearer vision of what it wants to be: Katey Sagal kicking ass and taking names. After years under Shonda Rhimes’ watchful eye, Krista Vernoff finally got her own show, teamed up with Erin Brockovich and brought in a cast including John Corbett, Tamala Jones and Andy Garcia. They all circle around Annie “Rebel” Bello (Sagal) as she takes down high-powered executives all in the name of doing the right thing. “Rebel” is a nice reminder that people can make a difference.

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“Young Rock,” NBC

This may be heretical, but “Young Rock” would be better without The Rock. The three time lines, Dwayne Johnson at 10 (Adrian Groulx), 15-years-old (Bradley Constant) and 20 (Uli Latukefu), are funny and sweet, with familiar wrestling names thrown in for good measure. But the present-day scenes, with Johnson sitting for interviews and hosting press conferences to launch his fake presidential run, are awkward at best. If NBC can’t persuade Johnson to step away from the camera on his own show, it may be best to end this campaign while we still can.

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“Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” NBC

Spoilers ahead for the most predictable season finale we’ve seen in a while, but “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist” stumbled early in the second season as its titular character, played by Jane Levy, struggled to get past her dad’s death. Since moving on, the musical series has rediscovered its footing as a silly, sweet, ridiculous show with huge productions and fun characters. Production is expensive, sure, but “Zoey” hearkens back to the days when TV brought joy, in the best way.

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