ABC announced its 2015-2016 primetime schedule on Tuesday (May 12) morning and even with the addition of five new shows, what's most striking about the ABC roster is its stability.
If you include Saturday, four of ABC's seven primetime nights are untouched from last season, while there's only one half-hour changing on Friday. Plus, at least for the fall, ABC only has one returning show new time period.
ABC has set the new comedies “The Muppets” and “Dr. Ken” to premiere in the fall, along with the dramas “Quantico,” “Oil” (formerly “Boom”) and “Of Kings and Prophets.”
That leaves “The Catch,” “The Family,” “The Real O'Neals” and two shows without “The” titles — “Uncle Buck” and “Wicked City” — to premiere at midseason along with returning midseason shows “American Crime,” “Galavant,” “Marvel's Agent Carter” and “Secrets and Lies,” plus “The Bachelor” and “Beyond the Tank.”
“Our new slate of shows continues the momentum from last year,” blurbs Paul Lee. “ABC was the most buzzed about network, and the only major network to hold on to its audience and to grow in the target demo. Our 2015-16 schedule, with new shows and returning favorites that reflect our commitment to world-class storytelling, will solidify ABC”s place as the network that raises the bar for what viewers expect from broadcast television.”
Let's look at things night by night, with the reminder that a lot of this will sound very familiar:
Monday's been the same for years now and nothing's about to change now, with “Dancing with the Stars” continuing to lead into “Castle.”
Tuesday will now kick-off with “The Muppets,” which should give a nice boost to “Fresh Off The Boat,” which shifts back a half-hour to 8:30. “Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” will remain in the 9 p.m. hour and will be followed by the FBI drama “Quantico.” [UPDATE: ABC's Paul Lee says that at midseason, “Fresh Off The Boat” moves to 8 p.m. followed by “The Real O'Neals” at 8:30. “Wicked City” will take the 10 p.m. hour at midseason.]
Wednesday is another unchanged night after a season that saw ABC lock down its steadiest version yet for the two-hour comedy block. “The Middle,” “The Goldbergs,” “Modern Family” and “Black-ish” will lead into “Nashville,” though we'll have to see if ABC takes a stab at trying out a different drama there at midseason. [UPDATE: Lee says “Secrets and Lies” will air in the gap between halves of the “Nashville” season.]
For the fall, Thursday will return to being All-Shonda Rhimes, with “Grey's Anatomy” and “Scandal” leading into the return of “How To Get Away With Murder.” For spring, it will be interesting to see if ABC puts the ShondaLand drama “The Catch” in the 10 p.m. hour or if “American Crime” returns here. [UPDATE: Lee says that, indeed, “The Catch” will take the 10 p.m. hour at midseason.]
Friday will still launch with “Last Man Standing,” with the Ken Jeong sitcom “Dr. Ken” taking over the 8:30 slot that has claimed three comedies in the past three years. “Shark Tank” and “20/20” will close a night that ABC wins steadily among young viewers. [UPDATE: Lee says “Uncle Buck” will take the 8:30 slot at midseason.]
Sunday will still start with “America's Funniest Home Videos” and “Once Upon a Time,” but the last two hours will take some more risks. The North Dakota set mining drama “Oil” will take the 9 p.m. slot, followed by the Biblical epic “Of Kings and Prophets.” [UPDATE: “Galavant” will return in the “Once” gap. At midseason, “The Family” will take over for “Of Kings and Prophets.”]
ABC's fall in chart form:
MONDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Dancing with the Stars”
10:00 p.m. “Castle”
TUESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “THE MUPPETS”
8:30 p.m. “Fresh Off the Boat”
9:00 p.m. “Marvel”s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
10:00 p.m. “QUANTICO”
WEDNESDAY:
8:00 p.m. “The Middle”
8:30 p.m. “The Goldbergs”
9:00 p.m. “Modern Family”
9:30 p.m. “black-ish”
10:00 p.m. “Nashville”
THURSDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Grey”s Anatomy”
9:00 p.m. “Scandal”
10:00 p.m. “How to Get Away with Murder”
FRIDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Last Man Standing”
8:30 p.m. “DR. KEN”
9:00 p.m. “Shark Tank”
10:00 p.m. “20/20”
SATURDAY:
8:00 p.m. “Saturday Night Football”
SUNDAY:
7:00 p.m. “America”s Funniest Home Videos”
8:00 p.m. “Once Upon a Time”
9:00 p.m. “OIL”
10:00 p.m. “OF KINGS AND PROPHETS”
What jumps out for you?