After laying back all spring and not formally renewing anything at all, ABC burst open the dams on Thursday (May 7) evening with 10 drama renewals, six comedy renewals.
Many of the ABC renewals were total no-brainers. After all, ABC hadn't given formal pick-ups to things like “Modern Family” and “Scandal.”
But ABC also through a wrench into the prognostication game with an assortment of variably shocking and merely surprisingly pick-ups including “Marvel's Agent Carter,” “American Crime” and “Galavant.”
Let's take things by genre.
On the drama side:
The grande dame of ABC shows continues to be “Grey's Anatomy,” which was picked up for its 12th season. It was a good evening for ShondaLand shows, as “Scandal” was renewed for a fifth season, “How to Get Away With Murder” was renewed for a second season and network also gave a series order to the Jennifer Schuur-created “The Catch.”
It was also a good day for corporate sibling Marvel, as “Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” earned an unsurprising third season renewal and “Marvel's Agent Carter” earned a somewhat unexpected, but not unwelcome, second season pickup. ABC sources say the network still has some pickups to come, but apparently the “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” Mockingbird spinoff isn't moving forward.
“Castle” was renewed for an eight season, “Once Upon a Time” picked up a fifth season, “Nashville” was renewed for Season 4 and “Secrets and Lies” and the well-regarded “American Crime” were renewed for second runs after variably successful spring launches.
On the comedy side:
“Modern Family” and “The Middle” will both be back for their seventh seasons, because of course they will. Fellow Wednesday successes “The Goldbergs” and “Black-ish” were renewed for a third and second season respectively. And midseason worked out well for ABC here as well, with both “Fresh Off The Boat” and, in perhaps ABC's biggest head-scratcher, “Galavant” earning renewals.
With a trio of cancellations that will be reported in a separate story, that leaves “Last Man Standing” as ABC's major in-limbo returning series. The Friday success was also a late renewal last year.
And on the alternative front:
“America's Funniest Home Videos” will outlive us all, earning a renewal for a 26th season. “Dancing With the Stars” was picked up for Season 21, while “The Bachelor” was renewed for Season 20. And Friday's “Shark Tank” and “Beyond the Shark Tank” were both renewed, the latter getting picked up after only one airing.
Oh and “20/20” will be back. Duh.
Details on ABC's cancellations.
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