Following in the footsteps of The CW and FOX, ABC has announced its Fall 2011 premiere dates.
The official Nielsen TV Season begins on Monday, September 19 and most of ABC’s premieres will be that week, but thanks to a slew of extended premieres, several shows will have to wait a while.
The premieres set for that September 19 week are Monday’s “Dancing with the Stars” and “Castle,” Tuesday’s “Dancing” results and “Body of Proof,” Wednesday’s “The Middle,” “Modern Family” and “Revenge,” Thursday’s “Charlie’s Angels” and “Grey’s Anatomy” and Sunday’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” “Desperate Housewives” and “Pan Am.”
Because both “The Middle” and “Modern Family” are getting hour-long premieres on September 21, 8:30 comedy “Suburgatory” and 9:30 comedy “Happy Endings” will start their seasons on September 28. A two-hour September 22 premiere for “Grey’s Anatomy” will force “Private Practice” to return on September 29.
ABC also has delayed premieres for “America’s Funniest Home Videos” (Oct. 2), the Tuesday Tim Allen comedy “Last Man Standing” (an hour-long airing on October 11) and the Tuesday comedy “Man Up” (Oct. 18). “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” will depart Sundays for Fridays on October 21 and the Sunday drama “Once Upon a Time” will premiere on October 23.
Although “Apartment 23” and “Cougar Town” are expected to air on Tuesdays in the late fall after “Dancing with the Stars” completes its run, ABC hasn’t announced a formal premiere.
Here’s a chart of ABC’s fall launches:
Friday, September 16
10:00 p.m. “20/20”
Monday, September 19
8:00-10:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Castle”
Tuesday, September 20
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars the Results Show”
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Body of Proof”
Wednesday, September 21
8:00-9:00 p.m. “The Middle” (special one-hour premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Modern Family” (special one-hour premiere)
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Revenge”
Thursday, September 22
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Charlie”s Angels”
9:00-11:00 p.m. “Grey”s Anatomy” (special two-hour premiere)
Sunday, September 25
7:00-9:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (special two-hour premiere)
9:00-10:00 p.m. “Desperate Housewives”
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Pan Am”
Wednesday, September 28
8:30-9:00 p.m. “Suburgatory”
9:30-10:00 p.m. “Happy Endings”
Thursday, September 29
10:00-11:00 p.m. “Private Practice”
Sunday, October 2
7:00-8:00 p.m. “America”s Funniest Home Videos”
Tuesday, October 11
8:00- 9:00 p.m. “Last Man Standing” (special one-hour premiere)
Tuesday, October 18
8:30-9:00 p.m. “Man Up!”
Friday, October 21
8:00-10:00 p.m. “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (time period premiere)
Sunday, October 23
8:00-9:00 p.m. “Once Upon a Time”
