Fans of the ABC line-up can quit worrying:
With few replacements available, most of their shows will be back this fall.
The network has canceled a few comedies – “Single Parents,” “Schooled” and “Bless This Mess” – and one drama, “Emergence.” But other shows with borderline ratings — “Stumptown” (shown here), “A Million Little Things,” “Black-ish,” “American Housewife” — will be back.
That follows a trend set by other networks: The virus shutdown came just as they would have been making pilot films for the fall: They could order shows straight to series (no pilot, just some scripts) … or simply decide their current shows aren’t so bad after all.
So far, CBS has ordered only three new shows – two for the fall, one for mid-season. Fox has ordered one, for mid-season. The CW will have a makeshift line-up until January and NBC is still pending.
CBS and Fox have announced fall schedules; ABC fell short of that, but has now announced three new shows and lots of renewals. Details include:
– Three shows had already ended their runs – “Modern Family,” “Fresh Off the Boat” and “How to Get Away With Murder.” Another, “Kids Say the Darnedest Things,” was dropped early.
– Two late-in-the-season shows are still pending – “For Life” and “The Baker and the Beauty.”
– A few staples were safe – “Grey’s Anatomy” and its “Station 19” spin-off were already renewed; so were “The Good Doctor,” “American Idol,” “Bachelorette” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos.”
– That still left several in limbo. Now ABC has renewed the shows mentioned earlier, plus a drama (“The Rookie”), a news show (“20/20”), a game show (the celebrity “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?), some reality shows (“The Bachelor,” “Shark Tank,” “Dancing With the Stars”) and comedies (“The Conners,” “The Goldbergs,” “Mixed-ish”).
More shows will be added – presumably after they’ve made pilots – ABC said.
One of the three new shows is simply a reboot of the “Supermarket Sweep” game, with Leslie Jones hosting. The other two were ordered without a pilot.
“Big Sky” is from David Kelley a writer-director since the days of “Ally McBeal” and “L.A. Law.” Ryan Philippe plays a detective working a tough murder case with two women, one his ex-wife.
“Call Your Mother” is a comedy from Kari Lizer (“The New Adventures of Old Christine”). Kyra Sedgwick plays an empty-nester who decides to inject herself back into her children’s lives.