3 weeks ago
Keeping pinch nan stableness taxable successful nan different broadcast schedules released truthful far, ABC excessively went for minimum changes, keeping aggregate nights intact. But nan 1 awesome move nan web has made is beautiful bold — it has near its No. 1 series, High Potential, disconnected nan autumn schedule, keeping nan deed crime play starring Kaitlin Olson connected nan chair for midseason.
Also for illustration nan different awesome broadcast networks, ABC is increasing its scripted slate for 2026-27. What’s more, “We not only are increasing our scripted slate but for nan first clip in, literally, nan history of ABC, have renewed each 1 of our scripted series, and they’re renewed because they’re each performing well,” said Ari Goldman, SVP, Content Strategy and Scheduling.
And for nan first clip since earlier nan pandemic, location will beryllium nary Bachelor-branded bid connected ABC’s autumn schedule amid nan turmoil surrounding nan astir caller installment of The Bachelorette.
Here is ABC’s autumn 2026 schedule, followed by study and a explanation of nan network’s sole caller bid for adjacent season, The Rookie: North.
ABC’S 2026 FALL PRIMETIME SCHEDULE (all times listed are Eastern/Pacific).
MONDAY
8 PM – ESPN’s Monday Night Football
TUESDAY
8 PM – Dancing pinch nan Stars
10 PM – R.J. Decker
WEDNESDAY
8 PM – Scrubs
8:30 PM – Abbott Elementary
9 PM – Celebrity Jeopardy!
10 PM – Shark Tank
THURSDAY
8 PM – 9-1-1
9 PM – 9-1-1: Nashville
10 PM – Grey’s Anatomy
FRIDAY
8 PM – Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
9 PM – 20/20 (two hours)
SATURDAY
7:30 PM – College Football
SUNDAY
7 PM – America’s Funniest Home Videos
8 PM – The Wonderful World of Disney
For nan first clip since 2019-20, ABC will not person a Bachelor franchise bid connected nan autumn schedule aft airing installments of The Bachelorette, Golden Bachelor and Golden Bachelorette to footwear disconnected nan play for nan past six years.
“We’ve had to return a look astatine conscionable managing nan franchise properly. These shows person tremendous instrumentality bases, and we were truthful thrilled nan twelvemonth that we were capable to motorboat Golden Bachelor and person it guidelines retired successful that autumn play nan measurement that it did,” Goldman said of nan autumn 2023 breakout. “But I deliberation that nan accustomed cadence that we for illustration to find ourselves successful is really nan flagship bid successful midseason and past having immoderate summertime edition, which we person already locked successful connected Bachelor of Paradise for adjacent season. So this is much of a return to a dependable authorities connected nan franchise.”
As Goldman alluded, ABC has The Bachelor connected pat for midseason and Bachelor successful Paradise for summertime 2027. As for nan unaired play of The Bachelorette starring Taylor Frankie Paul, “there are nary plans that I’m presently fresh to share” astir putting it connected nan air, Goldman said.
In its 2nd year, High Potential is ABC’s apical bid successful full viewers adults 18-49. It is besides nan No.1 broadcast intermezo bid of nan play successful 18-49 (Live+7) and No.3 successful full multiplatform viewers (through 35 days). So why is ABC starting nan play without its apical intermezo performer?
“What we’ve seen nan past respective years, and we’ve really proven this retired pinch Will Trent and The Rookie backmost successful midseason of 24 and 25, is we want to springiness viewers a chance to watch these shows pinch arsenic small interruption arsenic imaginable crossed nan season,” Goldman said. “So I deliberation erstwhile we get to nan midseason plans, and you deliberation astir nan opportunities that we person connected nan ABC schedule, going from New Year’s Rockin’ Eve to nan College Football Playoff, nan Grammys, nan Oscars and evidently nan Super Bowl. I deliberation we person specified astonishing momentum astatine nan commencement of 27 to bring nan show backmost successful a large way.”‘
Goldman pointed to nan occurrence Will Trent and The Rookie have had arsenic midseason replacements successful nan past mates of seasons (The Rookie conscionable logged its astir streamed premiere pinch nan Season 8 opener) and to nan truth that High Potential posted nan biggest Season 1 to Season 2 summation for a web play since Glee backmost successful 2010. “So, clearly, nan show is resilient,” he said.
In January 2025, Will Trent, High Potential and The Rookie launched a caller Tuesday lineup of light, character-based crime procedurals, for which “we’ve benignant of lovingly coined nan building Tuesday Cluesday,” Goldman said.
The trio reunited this past January earlier The Rookie was sent to Mondays to make room for a caller Tuesday Cluesday lineup personnel astatine 10 PM, caller bid R.J. Decker.
ABC is not revealing its midseason scheduling plans but High Potential and Will Trent look apt to return to Tuesday. R.J. Decker is staying successful its existent Tuesday 10 PM slot into nan autumn wherever it will aerial behind Dancing With nan Stars.
“I deliberation what we now person an opportunity to do pinch nan biggest lead-in by a mile connected television, successful Dancing pinch nan Stars, is really infuse a batch of power into this show and get a jump connected nan play and bring it backmost arsenic quickly arsenic we can,” Goldman said.
Like astir midseason entries, R.J. Decker is believed to person been renewed pinch a partial order. In success, it could beryllium expanded, I hear, truthful nan bid starring Scott Speedman could presumably reunite pinch Will Trent and High Potential connected Tuesday successful January.
Meanwhile, The Rookie is apt to beryllium paired pinch The Rookie: North, which besides premieres successful midseason, pinch nan mothership, starring Nathan Fillion, serving arsenic a lead-in for nan spinoff, headlined by Jay Ellis.
“We haven’t announced our midseason plans, but I deliberation it’s beautiful safe to opportunity that location are benefits to pairing shows from these universes together; we’ve seen nan strength, said Goldman, who spent years astatine NBC watching nan Dick Wolf franchise stacks successful action. “It is simply a norm of assemblage travel that shows and their spinoffs will person higher compatibility than different pairings. I deliberation backmost to erstwhile I started present astatine ABC nan twelvemonth that we launched Rookie: Feds, and really nan use of bringing those shows together successful midseason was very clear.”
The Rookie and spinoff The Rookie: Feds aired astatine 8 PM and 9 PM connected Tuesday successful midseason 2023, followed by Will Trent.
In summation to R.J. Decker, ABC besides is bringing its different midseason 2026 breakout caller series, nan Scrubs reboot, backmost successful nan autumn to debar a ample gap. The aesculapian drama is staying paired pinch Abbott Elementary nan measurement they were successful nan spring, pinch Abbott‘s autumn 2025 companion, Shifting Gears, backmost connected nan midseason chair for its 3rd season. (The Tim Allen sitcom started successful midseason earlier moving to autumn successful Season 2.)
“We emotion nan momentum connected Scrubs, it was nan No.1 caller drama connected a multiplatform basis, it was nan No.1 drama successful 18-49 connected linear this season, truthful we want to really support that show coming and apical of mind arsenic we caput into nan fall,” Goldman said. “At nan aforesaid time, Shifting Gears has been a really stellar and accordant performer for america crossed its 2 seasons. In fact, it ended Season 2 stronger than wherever it ended Season 1, which is not ever nan lawsuit successful this challenging environment.”
With Scrubs given a 10-episode Season 2 order, Shifting Gears is expected to win it alongside Abbott Elementary successful midseason wherever its return “will beryllium very prominently featured alongside” nan high-profile sports and intermezo specials astatine nan commencement of nan twelvemonth to beforehand it.
Thursday, Sunday and Monday are staying position quo pinch 9-1-1, 9-1-1: Nashville and Grey’s Anatomy connected Thursday, simulcast of ESPN’s Monday Night Football connected astir Monday nights and The Wonderful World of Disney connected Sunday, kicking disconnected pinch nan world tv premiere of Inside Out 2.
NEW DRAMA SERIES
THE ROOKIE: NORTH
Expanding nan universe, The Rookie: North introduces Alex Holland who believed his midlife wasn’t worthy of a crisis. But aft a convulsive location penetration ignites a dormant purpose, Alex battles a life of grounded commitments by joining nan Pierce County Police Department arsenic a rookie. Policing from nan municipality seashore to nan agrarian wood wherever backup isn’t conscionable 5 minutes away, Alex must beryllium to his skeptical training officer, his chap rookies and himself, that he’s yet recovered thing worthy of nan fight. The all-new bid stars Jay Ellis, Janet Montgomery, Karen Fukuhara, Chris Sullivan, Froy Gutierrez, Mya Lowe and Malik Watson.
The Rookie: North is simply a spinoff of The Rookie, the agelong moving deed bid that was created by Alexi Hawley and precocious renewed for a ninth play astatine ABC. Both bid are produced by Lionsgate Television successful business pinch 20th Television. Alexi Hawley will service arsenic executive shaper and writer, pinch Nathan Fillion, Mark Gordon, Bill Norcross and Michelle Chapman besides executive producing. Jay Ellis is simply a producer.
