ABC Fall Schedule Shocker: Entire Scripted Slate MIA as Writers’ Strike Imperils New TV Season
ABC on Tuesday became the third broadcast network (after CBS and NBC) to unveil its schedule for the Fall TV season — and it’s a jaw-dropper.
In what can only be viewed as a foreboding sign about the potential duration of the current writers’ strike, the network’s fall schedule is comprised entirely of unscripted fare (save for a pair of Abbott Elementary reruns on Wednesday).
Included in the reality-drenched lineup is the debut of the long-gestating Golden Bachelor, an AARP-focused spinoff of the dating franchise.
ABC declined to comment on its new strike-proof schedule, but an Alphabet insider says the network is “prepared” for the possibility of a prolonged work stoppage. The plan, as it stand now, is for most, if not all, of ABC’s scripted offerings to launch at midseason. As a result, the network will “likely” be reducing episode orders on certain shows (translation: don’t expect traditional 22-episode seasons of faves Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19 and The Rookie).
NEW SHOWS IN CAPS
MONDAY
8 pm Dancing With the Stars (two hours)
10 pm THE GOLDEN BACHELOR
TUESDAY
8 pm Celebrity Jeopardy!
9 pm Bachelor in Paradise (two hours)
WEDNESDAY
8 pm Judge Steve Harvey
9 pm Abbott Elementary (rerun)
9:30 pm Abbott Elementary (rerun)
10 pm What Would You Do?
THURSDAY
8 pm Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
9 pm Press Your Luck
10 pm The $100,000 Pyramid
FRIDAY
8 pm Shark Tank
9 pm 20/20 (two hours)
SATURDAY
7:30 pm College Football
SUNDAY
7 pm America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 pm The Wonderful World of Disney (three hours)
9-1-1, Abbott Elementary, American Idol, The Bachelor, The Conners, The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy, HIGH POTENTIAL, Not Dead Yet, The Rookie, Station 19 and Will Trent.
A Million Little Things, Alaska Daily, Big Sky, The Company You Keep and The Goldbergs. STILL TBD: Home Economics and The Rookie: Feds
Should just repurpose stuff from Disney+ or Hulu to fill up some slots.
I agree. I don’t get why they don’t run the first season of some of their shows. It might entice people to sign up to see the other seasons.
They won’t do that unless it’s an older show that’s already been rerun so many times nobody wants to watch it anyway. The cost of the rights to run a program on another channel, (especially something newer) is higher than just shooting their own shows, and the original network can force them to play the episode out of order just to confuse the audience. Law & Order SVU on late night TNT is awful with the way they have to play the episode back, I’ve seen part one of a 2 part show 5 times, but they are not allowed to play part 2. It doesn’t make sense, but that’s the way it is, look at it this way, we will all have extra time on our hands unless we either lose a whole bunch of channels or they all take a pay cut. It was CBS, ABC and NBC, and with only 3 of them, they all made a ton of money. Then the CW went on air, then it went crazy and now we have 5 different networks with 110 different affiliates not counting cable, and they are all competing for the same dollar.
Plus 124 cable networks I did not add to the above list. And for some reason I forgot to add an S at the end of episode. Sorry.
But Disney owns ABC and Hulu I think so I don’t think it isn’t really quite the same.
Should be is not isn’t, yep this site really needs and edit function
My number one comment
They would still need to pay royalties on those shows even if they own them.
SVU is on USA.
L&O is on TNT.
SVU is showing reruns on ION TV too.
My local The CW is showing reruns of SVU. Richmond, VA area.
I thought so too, also just in case the strike ends early that they don’t need to run a reality or game show they aren’t that fond of, like have WandaVision and Ms. Marvel take up some eight o’clock slots, and heck, you could have some synergy and have Ms. Marvel lead into the movie. If you have some ten or nine ideas, then FATWS and maybe Secret Invasion. I’m sure there are some HULU stuff too that are shorter run.
They will not do that. They don’t want the ratings to reflect the reality that barely anyone is watching their shows anymore.
The Golden Bachelor, Bachelor in Paradise and Dancing with the Stars was on the Original Schedule. I think Sunday’s schedule was about game shows. Not sure, how long after the Writers and Actor’s strike will they have enough regular shows to have on TV? If the Strike is over in December, I guess the schedule could start in Late February or March 2024.
That could possibly be part of their plan for Wonderful World of Disney on Sunday nights. Maybe? All I know is, Abbott Elementary is bound to get more new viewers with all the reruns – hopefully they air them in the right sequence.
That’s where Disney streaming shows will go…?
They can’t possibly think this will work, can they? Pay the writers, end this nonsense
That is the ideal state. But honestly, it feels like ABC might be the only network working from a worst-case scenario.
—
Every other network that has released their fall schedules so far seems to say ‘business as usual, nothing to see here.’ But I can’t imagine they’ll be able to start the season with those schedules if the strike drags on.
Shocker? Not at all.I’m now betting new programming next season will be around the end of the year.Also be ready for anything you pay a subscription fee for to go up.
Yes! I’m going to get so much reading done!
And ill be watching endless reruns of shows i love and binging those i didnt have time for previously ;)
Did Dancing with the almost stars move back to ABC from Disney+?
Massive news story: https://tvline.com/2023/05/02/dancing-with-the-stars-season-32-returns-abc-premiere-date-dwts/
Yes and I think for 2 reasons one try’s stepped down and 2 because of the writers strike made it
In any usual year. What is described in May is often not as as reliable come late summer. Any schedule changes. So, I guess we will see how long the strike lasts because if it does end sometime in the summer. No way would they keep scripted off the air until midseason. If the strike does last. The fall is going to be very boring. And streaming is going to make up even more ground.
Streaming won’t have new content either unless they have stockpiled a lot of it. Not sure if they have.
But streaming will have all kinds of shows that you might not have watched yet that will be sitting if you don’t want to watch reality galore if ABC schedule stays this way. NBC will have episodes of shows already renewed in the can to be able to air instead of a glut of reality. Hopefully the strike does settle in the summer, when reality becomes more of a reality for both sides.
People might subscribe to a service to watch some shows they havent seen that are on there. I know i might subscribe to some to watch shows that I didnt see before.
Also the only streaming service I use is Disney+. So I will be looking for other shows to watch on other services
Streaming can buy international shows that have no link with US production/financing. There are quite a few countries speaks English just not with American accents.
If the strike ends in the summer, they wouldn’t have time to get anything new ready for the fall anyway.. It needs to end in the next month or so if they have any chance to make fall.
If it ends in say July or even August. It might be a slightly delayed but the established shows will probably have scripts in the offering, waiting for filming. Networks have been planning. Once they get back up and running. The newer shows will get delayed to midseason. And they will try to get the established shows back.
What scripts? Summer is usually the time when they start to prepare for the new fall season. Scripts also need to be edited before it goes to film. The cast also do early table reads before filming starts. I maybe getting some details wrong, but I do know summer is for preparing for the next season.
What Would You Do hasn’t aired anything new since 2020. I wonder if these are new episodes or just repeats of old content.
Yeah it was off the air for nearly 3 years leading some people to assume it got secretly cancelled.
This looks boring 😴
At least rerun 911(to gain new fans) and add some Disney+ and Hulu exclusive shows such as The Crossover, Up Here, Unprisoned, the Orville, the Mandalorian, rennervision
Agreed. What would be a better way to increase subscribers than to tease them with episodes of shows they won’t have to catch up on when they finally do subscribe?
I’m not sure if they would have the rights for past seasons of 9-1-1, depending on what other contracts have already been signed. For example there is a deal with USA networks for old eps, and I’ve also seen it syndicated locally on Saturday nights. I would love to see them program some shows though. They could move The Wonder Years from summer and pair it with Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.; air season 1 of Only Murders in the Building, etc. They also should rerun the past season of DWTS this summer on Saturday nights.
Depends on the NBA Finals & Stanley Cup Finals for Saturday nights for June. Maybe it will work for July & August.
Please don’t cancel Rookie Feds it’s a very good show behind The Rookies show
Well, it looks like I won’t be watching ABC again until 2024
The writers’ strike and the writers are the most important!!! And obviously they have enormous power if ABC is pushing all scripted shows off til 2024. However, if the strike is resolved any time soon due to the pressure, would ABC entertain moving scripted shows forward into 2023?
I sure would hope so and the good thing about the game shows (compared to DWTS/Bachelor ones) is they are stand-alone and could easily have episodes held for filler times or summer. So with the schedule as it is now, it might be something where Rookie, comedies, Station 19, and Grey’s return with Good Doctor and Will Trent still held to midseason due to Bachelor shows being ongoing. And depending on what they schedule after the comedies Wednesday and if they would put any on Sundays. Though, I suppose Bachelor Pad & The Golden Bachelor could both move to Sundays instead of the movies…. we’ll see. All speculation at this point.
So Sunday night is going to be some Disney movie stretched out by commercials to three hours? Who’s going to watch that? I’m almost in the age range of AARP Bachelor and I’d jump off the roof before I’d spend one minute on that. I’m sorry but anyone who would take time out of their lives to actually watch Judge Steve Harvey should be in a mental institution.
My guess is that not all will be three hours and there will be some encores thrown in. When they had some this past winter, Finding Nemo was 2 hours, Avengers was 3 hours, and Iron Man as well as the newer CGI Lion King were 2 1/2 hours. So I think they just listed it for the whole 3 hours for ease of scheduling but will put in some specials and encores of things.
Oh, my god, I’ve always hated broadcast and basic cable for that! A 95 minute movie becomes a four hour movie!
Very disappointed at all the cancellations.
They keep reality shows, but get rid of Big Sky!!!!
Will Trent held for midseason – such a disappointment.
Your comment is a disappointment. It clearly states most or all scripted shows for midseason.
Not a shocker. Given the timing, how long the strike is supposed to last, etc., they’re at least preparing for the worst. I think this puts them in a better position than the other networks who are trying to act as if all is well. This drives home to the viewers how real the strike is. Now they’re impacted.
.
Maybe if something breaks soon, maybe they salvage something for the fall, or full seasons (with no repeats and a few double-episode airings here and there) for the spring, or at best, tighter seasons missing only a few episodes that would’ve been filler (the next domino to fall for network TV is the 20+ episode “requirement,” eventually they’ll embrace shorter seasons like cable and streaming).
Does this mean they officially passed on “The Good Lawyer” for when they resume scripted content?
Came here to ask this. I loved the backdoor pilot with Kennedy McMann. I would hate for that show to be shelved because of the strike. She and Felicity had great chemistry together.
Was wondering the same thing. Hopefully when this strike ends, they can focus on more realistic schedule the includes the Good Lawyer. Really enjoyed that Good Doctor episode that served as a back door pilot. Fingers crossed.
Deadline made it sound like all the remaining pilots are still in consideration. The way I see it is there are currently four hourlong spots if no big moves: 1) Sundays after American Idol; 2) on Tuesdays with The Rookie & Will Trent; 3) Wednesdays after the comedies (which also has a comedy spot); and 4) on Thursdays with Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy. Two of those are claimed … one by 9-1-1; one by High Potential. ABC has aired reality in both the remaining slots at times before… i.e. when they had Shark Tank after Idol and Match Game after comedies… but I’m hoping at least one, preferable both, are for dramas. The options being Rookie Feds; The Good Lawyer; Judgement; and The Hurt Unit. … so maybe they are still trying to figure out where to put the pieces and what fits best where for when scripted shows return, and maybe Good Lawyer still has a shot. New potential comedies are Keeping it Together (fka Drop-Off) and Public Defenders, vying against Home Economics and maybe The Wonder Years. So seemingly all of these are still in contention; I’m not 100% sure though.
They haven’t aired any episodes of The Wonder Years season two. It is supposed to air this summer. Why don’t they just hold it for the Fall? Maybe they’re afraid it’ll get lost with the reality, game shows and Abbott reruns.
It would surely do better in fall than summer though, so I don’t get why they don’t hold it either. Schedule it in the same slot as summer – after Judge Steve Harvey at 9/8c followed by an Abbott encore. How many times can Abbott encore and still get decent ratings anyway? They’ve already repeated a bunch.
I do not watch reruns so I will not be watching Abbott Elementary. I will watch Judge Steve Harvey if the shows are not repeated. Everything else is a must-not-see.
Wow! Not a single thing on ABC until 2024… that hasn’t happened before.
Yeah Keith! Best word to describe that: unprecedented!
No, thanks! I can think of better things to do. In fact, everything I can think of would be better.
College Football and Will Trent. Nothing else
I could go for that – ha ha! Love me some Will Trent!
Pay the writers!!
Nothing here for me to watch. Yuck.
Re-air the first seasons of Grey’s, LOST, DWTS, and The Bachelor. Hell, toss in American Idol. Add in Pushing Daisies. Bring back a season of ABC’s greatest hits from their heydays. Problem solved.
Quite possible that the streaming and syndication deals for those shows preclude them from airing on ABC for the duration of the contract.
Those shows excluding the reality stuff. Already air in syndication and is available to stream! It doesn’t work like that. A broadcast show that ended a hundred years ago isn’t going to return to a primetime spot. That’s ridiculous.
I was really expecting a final season Greys Anatomy announcement. Maybe the WTA strike affected that. I honestly wouldn’t mind a shorter final season. Perhaps Pompeo would/could be in all the final episodes.