ABC Is Trying A Little Bit Of Everything Next Season

    Here are the series ABC has picked up so far.

    by Jarett Wieselman, Kate Aurthur, Jaimie Etkin
    ABC

    After a weak season dragged down by aging hits, ABC is still bringing back a number of shows, but making some scheduling moves among its comedies. Most notably, Black-ish, which has aired behind Modern Family on Wednesday nights since its premiere, will move to Tuesdays at 9 p.m. to try to launch the network's new comedy The Mayor, which also features a predominantly black cast. American Housewife, a solid performer in its first season, will now get the Modern Family halo, which ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey said she hoped would bring American Housewife a bigger audience in its second year.

    ABC will also try a slew of new dramas both in the fall and at midseason. In a conference call with reporters, Dungey sounded especially excited about Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, starring Jason Ritter, which she said will have a procedural engine in addition to its faith element. "What we love about it is that it tackles spirituality in a way that feels fresh and heartwarming," she said. (In January, Dungey talked to BuzzFeed News about better representing the country, especially during the Trump era, saying, “I think it is our job to reflect America in all of its different permutations.”)

    Dungey also fielded a number of questions about American Idol, particularly about whether bringing the show back in 2018 is too soon. "From where we sit, we feel like it's the perfect time to bring the series back," she said. When asked about judges and the host, most particularly Ryan Seacrest, Dungey said, "We're in a number of different conversations, but we don't have anything to announce at this time."

    ABC

    But Dungey did have a pair of big announcements: First, as previously reported, Scandal's upcoming seventh season will be its last. "I had conversions with Shonda Rhimes where she has had for a while a sense of how she wanted the story to end," Dungey said. "We sat, we talked, and she said, 'Look, I really feel like Season 7 is where I want to wrap up this story ... I always prefer to end a show where you're feeling on top as opposed to letting things fizzle out.'"

    In a statement, Rhimes said: "Deciding how to end a show is easy. Deciding when to finish is quite simple when the end date is years away. But actually going through with it? Actually standing up to say: ‘This is it?’ Not so much. So, next year we are going all out. Leaving nothing on the table. Creating this world in celebration. We are going to handle the end the way we like to handle the important things in our Scandal family: all together, white hats on, gladiators running full speed over a cliff.”

    The second big announcement was that ABC had landed the hotly pursued Roseanne reboot. Roseanne Barr's hugely popular comedy — which aired for nine seasons on ABC between 1988 and 1997 — will reunite the entire original cast for eight episodes, scheduled to premiere midseason. “The Conners' joys and struggles are as relevant — and hilarious — today as they were then, and there’s really no one better to comment on our modern America than Roseanne,” Dungey said in a statement.

    ABC

    ABC is also completely overhauling its Friday night lineup, which was previously the home to now-canceled comedies Last Man Standing and Dr. Ken and the reality competition series Shark Tank, which moves to Sundays. In their stead will be a night of genre programming, kicking off with the seventh season of Once Upon a Time at 8 p.m. and Marvel's Inhumans, an Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. spinoff, at 9 p.m. — S.H.I.E.L.D. will tag in after Inhumans wraps its eight-episode run.

    Here’s what ABC has coming to TV in the 2017–2018 season:

    The Good Doctor (Mondays at 10 p.m.)

    Stuart Pettican / ABC

    Who's in it? Freddie Highmore, Antonia Thomas, Nicholas Gonzalez, Chuku Modu, Irene Keng, Beau Garrett, Hill Harper, Richard Schiff

    Who created it? David Shore, Daniel Dae Kim, Sebastian Lee, Seth Gordon

    What's it about? Dr. Shaun Murphy (Highmore), a surgeon with autism and savant syndrome, moves to a quiet country town for work, where he struggles to connect with those around him but excels professionally.

    When does it premiere? Monday, Sept. 25

    First impression? As of Bates Motel, Highmore has shown he is an actor who can erase himself, disappearing into his roles, and in The Good Doctor, he plays a young man who is severely socially impaired. In the trailer at least, Shaun won't display the charming, high-functioning (and unlabeled) wackiness of Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory or Grissom from CSI. It will be interesting to see how his character arc evolves if the show is a success. Notably, Shore, who created House, is also the creator here, so I imagine that Shaun will get unique cases to prove his value to the doubters who don't want him to work as a surgeon. And maybe at some point Schiff's character won't be yelling, which will be nice. —Kate Aurthur

    The Mayor (Tuesdays at 9:30 p.m.)

    Craig Sjodin / ABC

    Who's in it? Brandon Micheal Hall, Lea Michele, Bernard David Jones, Marcel Spears, Yvette Nicole Brown

    Who created it? Daveed Diggs, Jeremy Bronson, Jamie Tarses, James Griffiths

    What's it about? A young rapper runs for mayor of his hometown as a publicity stunt — and wins.

    When does it premiere? Tuesday, Oct. 3

    First impression? I wasn't completely sold on The Mayor based on the logline, but oooh boy did I love this trailer! Brown and Hall have instant chemistry as mother and son, while it looks like Michele gets to flex an entirely different kind of acting muscle as Hall's pseudo chief of staff. Add in the fact that Diggs will be contributing original music and The Mayor has my vote of confidence. —Jarett Wieselman

    Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (Tuesdays at 10 p.m.)

    Ryan Green / ABC

    Who's in it? Jason Ritter, JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Cristela Alonzo, J. August Richards, Chloe East, Dustin Ybarra, India de Beaufort

    Who created it? Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters

    What's it about? An oblivious and self-centered man encounters a spiritual entity who tasks him with saving the world.

    When does it premiere? Tuesday, Oct. 3

    First impression? This seems like such a strange attempt to mash up shows from the mid-aughts that centered on self-improvement spurred on by divine intervention, like Eli Stone or My Name Is Earl. I was out on the angel plot until the trailer revealed that angel to be played by Alonzo, who showed so much potential on her one-season wonder Cristela. They are going to have to come up with something better than magical healing hugs, but Ritter and Alonzo are likable enough to keep me intrigued. —Marcus Jones

    Marvel's Inhumans (Fridays at 9 p.m.)

    ABC/Michael Muller

    Who's in it? Eme Ikwuakor, Ken Leung, Anson Mount, Serinda Swan, Isabelle Cornish, Iwan Rheon

    Who created it? Scott Buck, Jeph Loeb, Jim Chory

    What's it about? ABC's Marvel partnership continues with this sorta spinoff from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as the inhumans (a race of superpowered humans) were first introduced in Season 2. This show revolves around a royal family of inhumans who flee to Hawaii following a revolt.

    When does it premiere? Friday, Sept. 29

    First impression? I am nervous. For a show that has Marvel, Disney, and IMAX footing the bill, I was quite surprised to see how cheap Inhumans looked. —J.W.

    Ten Days in the Valley (Sundays at 10 p.m.)

    ABC

    Who's in it? Kyra Sedgwick, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Kick Gurry, Erika Christensen, Felix Solis, Josh Randall, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Francois Battiste

    Who created it? Tassie Cameron, Kyra Sedgwick, Jill Littman, Dana Goldberg, David Ellison, Marcy Ross

    What's it about? When the young daughter of a television producer goes missing, everyone becomes a suspect.

    When does it premiere? Sunday, Oct. 1

    First impression? This show looks like every workaholic parent's worst nightmare: Jane Sadler (Sedgwick) is awoken in the middle of the night by a call to do rewrites on the TV procedural she executive produces — and when she returns to her bedroom, she finds that her daughter has been abducted. Suddenly, everyone's a suspect: her sister (welcome back to another Parenthood alum, Erika Christensen); her angry ex; her assistant who's schtupping her angry ex...you get it. The trailer's final chilling moment in which Jane receives a video of her daughter happily sitting on a tire swing telling her mom not to worry will keep me up tonight. Ten Days in the Valley looks great, but it doesn't look like a TV show. Coincidentally, it reminds me of the struggles that plagued Fox's The Following, which starred Sedgwick's husband Kevin Bacon. But hopefully, this one will fare better. Also, hi, hello, Mr. Eko! —Jaimie Etkin

    The Crossing (Midseason)

    Bob D'amico / ABC

    Who’s in it? Steve Zahn, Natalie Martinez, Sandrine Holt, Rick Gomez, Jay Karnes, Marcuis Harris, Simone Kessell, Kelly Missal, Rob Campbell, Grant Harvey, Bailey Skodje, John D’Leo, Luc Roderique, Tommy Bastow

    Who created it? Rob Bowman, Dan Dworkin, Jay Beattie, Jason Reed

    What’s it about? Five hundred refugees try to escape their war-torn country. When they arrive in a small stateside fishing town, there are only 47 remaining. The mystery: The refugees are Americans and the war they're trying to escape hasn't happened yet. Dun dun dun.

    First impression? SOLD. Yes, we have all been burned over and over by shows with complex, potentially supernatural mysteries slowly unfolding in a small town, but I keep coming back time after time hoping for the next Lost...or the next Invasion, which was so great and totally deserved to be a bigger hit. But I digress. Zahn, so good in so many things, feels like the perfect grounding force for a sprawling series like this, and the intrigue teased in the trailer makes me want so much more. —J.W.

    Deception (Midseason)

    Craig Sjodin / ABC

    Who's in it? Jack Cutmore-Scott, Ilfenesh Hadera, Lenora Crichlow, Amaury Nolasco, Justin Chon, Laila Robins, Vinnie Jones

    Who created it? Greg Berlanti, David Nutter, Chris Fedak, Martin Gero, Sarah Schechter, David Kwong

    What's it about? After his career as a magician extraordinaire is marred by scandal, Cameron Black (Jack Cutmore-Scott) gets a new gig with the FBI, helping them catch the world’s most wanted.

    First impression? This show looks like Castle but with a magician instead of a writer (I'm calling it Magic Castle). But you know what? I watched Castle for many, many seasons, so perhaps I will find my next great procedural in Deception, because I thought Cutmore-Scott was deeply charming in the trailer. —J.W.

    For the People (Midseason)

    ABC

    Who’s in it? Britt Robertson, Lyndon Smith, Ben Rappaport, Susannah Flood, Wesam Keesh, Regé-Jean Page, Ben Shenkman, Hope Davis, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Anna Deavere Smith

    Who created it? Paul William Davies, Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers

    What’s it about? Young lawyers on both sides — prosecution and defense — duke it out in federal court, specifically the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Which apparently, according to the logline, is called “The Mother Court"? We're learning things already from this new ShondaLand show. (And the lawyers socialize together too!)

    First impression? This drama looks like a pretty standard-issue legal procedural, which is fine. There sure are a lot of characters, though! Six young lawyers, plus Davis's and Shenkman's characters sparring against each other (I couldn't tell who was on which side, though). Considering the ShondaLand involvement, For the People does seem a little bit like a postgraduate How to Get Away With Murder, minus the murder. —K.A.

    Splitting Up Together (Midseason)

    Craig Sjodin / ABC

    Who's in it? Jenna Fischer, Oliver Hudson, Bobby Lee, Diane Farr, Lindsay Price, Olivia Keville, Van Crosby, Sander Thomas

    Who created it? Emily Kapnek, Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Kleeman, Mette Heeno, Mie Andreasen, Hella Joof

    What's it about? A couple (Fischer and Hudson) going through a divorce end up rekindling their romance.

    First impression? ABC does well with family comedies, but this one feels flat. Fischer and Hudson are charming leads, though — he has never had the right role, I maintain! — and Kapnek (Suburgatory, and the never-got-a-fair-chance Selfie) is not to be underestimated. Perhaps Splitting Up Together's humor is too subtle for a trailer cutdown. —K.A.

    Alex, Inc. (Midseason)

    Craig Sjodin / ABC

    Who’s in it? Zach Braff, Tiya Sircar, Hillary Anne Matthews, Michael Imperioli, Elisha Henig, Audyssie James

    Who created it? Zach Braff, Matt Tarses, John Davis, John Fox, Alex Blumberg, Chris Giliberti, Matt Lieber

    What’s it about? Braff plays a married dad and "brilliant radio journalist" who decides to quit his job to start a company. This show, which Braff also directed, is loosely based on StartUp, the podcast.

    First impression? Never would I have imagined there would be show about an edgy podcast startup in a grungy coworking space unless it was a spinoff of a Portlandia sketch, but here we are. This trailer had some off-color jokes of the old-school network variety, but Alex, Inc. doesn’t look too bad. If ABC sticks to the show's family dynamics (as they are prone to do) and focuses less on the ins and outs of starting a tech business (something Silicon Valley has already perfected), then they may have a solid show. —M.J.

    Roseanne (Midseason)

    Paula Lobo / ABC

    Who's in it? Roseanne Barr, John Goodman, Sara Gilbert, Laurie Metcalf, Michael Fishman, Lecy Goranson, Sarah Chalke

    Who created it? Roseanne Barr, Sara Gilbert, Tom Werner, Bruce Helford, Whitney Cummings, Tony Hernandez

    What's it about? Eight more episodes in the lives of the Conner family — although it will be interesting to see how the show retcons its way out of having killed Goodman's character in the series finale.

    Untitled Kimmel and Theroux Project (Midseason)

    Joshua Blanchard / Getty Images, Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images

    Who's in it? TBA

    Who created it? Justin Theroux and Jimmy Kimmel

    What's it about? It's a live special in which A-list comedy stars read scripts from classic ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s sitcoms from legendary producers like Norman Lear, Jim Burrows, James L. Brooks, and Garry Marshall.

    Grey's Anatomy Spinoff (Midseason)

    ABC

    Who's in it? TBA

    Who created it? Stacy McKee, Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers

    What's it about? Think Grey's, but instead of a Seattle hospital, the action is set in a Seattle firehouse. So basically, Seattle Fire.

    Monday

    Dancing With the Stars, 8 p.m.

    *The Good Doctor, 10 p.m.

    Tuesday

    The Middle, 8 p.m.

    Fresh Off the Boat, 8:30 p.m

    Black-ish, 9 p.m.

    *The Mayor, 9:30 p.m.

    *Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, 10 p.m.

    Wednesday

    The Goldbergs, 8 p.m.

    Speechless, 8:30 p.m.

    Modern Family, 9 p.m.

    American Housewife, 9:30 p.m.

    Designated Survivor, 10 p.m.

    Thursday

    Grey's Anatomy, 8 p.m.

    Scandal, 9 p.m.

    How to Get Away With Murder, 10 p.m.

    Friday

    Once Upon a Time, 8 p.m.

    *Marvel's Inhumans, 9 p.m. (Premieres Sept. 29)

    20/20, 10 p.m.

    Sunday

    To Tell the Truth, 8 p.m.

    Shark Tank, 9 p.m.

    *Ten Days in the Valley, 10 p.m.

    Note: An asterisk (*) indicates a new show for the 2017–2018 season.

    Note: In mid-May every year, the five television broadcast networks — NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, and The CW — present their new shows and upcoming schedules to advertisers at events called upfronts. That’s why you see an onslaught of new programming in May, as well as the cancellation of current shows. This post will be continually updated.

    CORRECTION

    John D'Leo is part of the cast of The Crossing. An earlier version of this post misspelled his name.

    UPDATE

    Kevin (Probably) Saves the World changed its title from The Gospel of Kevin.