In advance of its May 15 upfront presentation, ABC shared its fall schedule. The network has eight news shows debuting in 2018-2019.
Monday has Dancing with the Stars and The Good Doctor.
Tuesday offers Roseanne, then new comedy The Kids are Alright, about a traditional Irish-Catholic family with eight boys that navigates one of America’s most turbulent decades, the ‘70s. Black-ish and Splitting up Together follow, then newbie The Rookie, about a man who, after a life-altering incident, pursues his dream of being an LAPD officer. He’s the force’s oldest rookie.
There will be 13 episodes of Roseanne. Channing Dungey, ABC entertainment president, said the reboot is a good fit with the network's emphasis on family comedy. "It fits in very nicely with the building blocks we had in place," she said.
On Wednesday, it’s more comedies:
The Goldbergs, American Housewife, Modern Family
and new shows
Single Parents
, about a group of single parents who lean on each other to help raise their 7-year-old kids and maintain personal lives outside of parenthood, and
A Million Little Things
, about a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances.
Thursday, it’s Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19 and How to Get Away With Murder.
Friday has Fresh Off the Boat, Speechless, Child Support and 20/20.
Saturday, it’s college football.
On Sunday, it’s America’s Funniest Home Videos, Dancing with the Stars: Juniors, featuring celebrity kids, Shark Tank and newcomer The Alec Baldwin Show, with Baldwin having “in-depth conversations with compelling personalities,” says ABC.
Dungey said Robert DeNiro will be a guest on Baldwin's show.
“We enter the new season bolstered by success and the stability that it affords us,” said Dungey. “The new shows we unveil today strengthen an already-vibrant schedule of some of the best television has to offer. These shows, with their compelling characters and aspirational storytelling, will keep our momentum going.”
Dungey talked up the schedule's "stability."
Other new shows debuting later in the season are dramas The Fix, Grand Hotel and Whiskey Cavalier, and the comedy Schooled.
Dungey addressed the cancellation of Designated Survivor on a call with the press. She said the decision to cancel it was "a hard one for us." She acknowledged "behind the scenes churn," in terms of showrunners, that made ABC "ultimately less confident about the creative path forward" for Designated Survivor.
