"Blindspot" will have a big shift in schedule when it returns for Season 2 on NBC. The show will also have to rely on its own draw in the ratings to sustain its status, but network executives and the show's producers are not at all worried about the shift. However, as part of the changes, some adjustments will have to be made in the tone of the show.
When "Blindspot" Season 2 begins its run on NBC on Wednesday, Sept. 14, it will be occupying the 10 p.m. timeslot. But in succeeding weeks, the show will move to an earlier time at 8 p.m. It will also be without its "The Voice" lead-in, which has helped pulled viewers in the past.
NBC president Jennifer Salke stated that the network is confident "Blindspot" will not suffer in viewership as a result of the shifted schedule. "The show is excellent and they have a great plan coming back," the executive told the press during the Television Critics Association junket, per TV Insider.
But because it will be moved to an earlier time, it has to adhere to broadcast standards fit for airing "family-friendly" shows at 8 p.m. This means "Blindspot" Season 2 will have to tone down on the violence, and might even have to infuse a lot more comedy in the stories.
However, the changes will not be drastic, nor will it shake up the premise of the show. It only needs to be more careful about coming up with sanitized episodes without losing its identity.
"The show doesn't turn into a soft comedy; it's still Blindspot," executive producer Martin Gero echoed the statements of the NBC executive, per Entertainment Weekly. He stressed that "Blindspot" Season 2 will not be reinvented just because it is moving early in the night.
The show balances great mythology and great procedural action, says #Blindspot Executive Producer @martingero. #TCA16 #NBCUTCA
— Blindspot (@NBCBlindspot) August 2, 2016
Meanwhile, the very first episode of "Blindspot" Season 2 will address all the questions that the show left off in the first season. Jane's identity, including her name, and all the kinks about her mysterious character will be revealed right away. Then, the next episodes will return to its "tattoo case-of-the-week" format.
"Blindspot" stars Jaimie Alexander (Jane Doe), Sullivan Stapleton (Kurt Weller), Ashley Johson (Patterson), Audrey Esparza (Zapata) and Rob Brown (Reed). The series was last season's highest rated new program and with these changes, the producers and NBC hope it will remain that way in the new season.
