ABC Announces Premiere Dates for Midseason Lineup
ABC has recently announced the premiere dates for its midseason lineup, featuring the return of the network’s scripted series post-strike. This announcement also comes with a slew of scheduling changes.
One of the biggest changes is the relocation of the popular medical drama, The Good Doctor, from its longtime Monday 10 PM slot to Tuesdays 10 PM. The reasoning behind this move is that a drama lead-in tends to provide better retention, rather than an unscripted lead-in.
On Monday nights, a new unscripted program, a 20/20 true crime limited series about love crimes will air behind The Bachelor, replacing The Good Doctor. This scheduling change will allow another unscripted show to take over the Monday night lineup.
ABC’s Tuesday lineup will also see changes, with The Rookie and Will Trent changing time slots to accommodate The Good Doctor’s arrival. The network hopes that putting two of their most-watched series back-to-back will create a formidable block of programming.
The arrival of Fox’s 9-1-1 is also bringing a change to the Thursday lineup, with the first responder drama Station 19 moving to the 10 PM slot, previously held by Grey’s Anatomy.
Overall, these changes reflect a new dynamic in ABC’s programming and scheduling strategy. Here is the current ABC midseason lineup:
Monday
8 PM — The Bachelor
10:01 PM — 20/20
Tuesday
8 PM — Will Trent
9 PM — The Rookie
10 PM — The Good Doctor
Wednesday
8 PM — The Conners
8:30 PM — Not Dead Yet
9 PM — Abbott Elementary
10 PM — Judge Steve Harvey
Thursday
8 PM — 9-1-1
9 PM — Grey’s Anatomy
10 PM — Station 19
Sunday
8 PM — American Idol
10 PM — What Would You Do?
With these changes, ABC hopes to maintain a strong lineup of both scripted and unscripted series for its midseason programming.