ABC is taking a realistic approach to its fall schedule given the current writers strike, leaning into unscripted titles such as the return of Dancing with the Stars and a new Bachelor spinoff.
The network has unveiled its schedule ahead of its Upfront presentation that has no original scripted titles, instead saving them for a hopeful midseason bow.
Other unscripted series on in the fall include Celebrity Jeopardy, Bachelor in Paradise keeps its fall spot, having previously been a summer favorite, Judge Steve Harvey, ABC News’ What Would You Do, Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Press Your Luck, The $100,000 Pyramid, Shark Tank and America’s Funniest Home Videos.
ABC is the only broadcast network to have a fully strike proof schedule, with CBS unveiling one with plenty of scripted series, while NBC also has a slew of scripted shows such as Night Court and Quantum Leap, although the latter says that it is in “good shape, given the circumstances”. Fox has yet to unveil a schedule.
Here is ABC’s fall schedule.
ABC FALL 2023-24 SCHEDULE
(New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET/PT)
MONDAY
8 PM — Dancing with the Stars (two hours)
10 PM — THE GOLDEN BACHELOR
TUESDAY
8 PM — Celebrity Jeopardy!
9 PM — Bachelor in Paradise (two hours)
WEDNESDAY
8 PM — Judge Steve Harvey
9 PM — Abbott Elementary (Encore)
9:30 PM — Abbott Elementary (Encore)
10 PM — What Would You Do?
THURSDAY
8 PM — Celebrity Wheel of Fortune
9 PM — Press Your Luck
10 PM — The $100,000 Pyramid
FRIDAY
8 PM — Shark Tank
9:01 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 (three hours)
Disney has been preparing for the strike for the last few months and the schedule reflects that. The return of Dancing with the Stars to the network after a season on sibling streamer Disney+ was in the works regardless of the strike. It returns to its previous home of Monday between 8pm-10pm.
Bachelor In Paradise has been paired back to a two-hour block on Tuesdays at 9pm after Celebrity Jeopardy, having previously aired between 8pm and 10pm on Mondays and Tuesdays last fall. The Golden Bachelor, which follows older folk looking for love, follows Dancing on Mondays at 10pm, in place of The Good Doctor, which was recently renewed for its seventh season.
Judge Steve Harvey, which currently airs midseason on Tuesdays, is moving to a slightly earlier timeslot of 8pm, replacing The Conners, which was renewed, and The Goldbergs, which has ended. It will be followed by an hour block of Abbott Elementary repeats, staying in its Wednesday 9pm comedy home – the slot previously that housed Modern Family – as well as the spot previously home to Home Economics, which remains in limbo.
At 10pm, ABC’s What Would You Do? gets a primetime slot in place of Big Sky, which was canceled after three seasons.
Thursdays, best known as the night of Grey’s Anatomy and Station 19, as well as last season’s journalist drama Alaska Daily, which was canceled after one season, is becoming a game show night with Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, Press Your Luck and The $100,000 Pyramid. The former previously aired on Sundays and the latter pair aired in midseason.
Friday and Saturday remain unchanged with Shark Tank and 20/20 airing on Friday and College Football on Saturday.
America’s Funniest Home Videos keeps its Sunday 7pm slot and will be followed by a three-hour block of The Wonderful World of Disney movies. Sundays previously housed The Rookie, which was renewed for season six, at 10pm.
In terms of scripted, the network is hopeful that its tranche of shows can return midseason but is mindful of designating slots given the current situation with the writers.
This includes 9-1-1, which is moving from Fox, Abbott Elementary, The Conners, The Good Doctor, Grey’s Anatomy, new series High Potential, Not Dead Yet, The Rookie, Station 19, and Will Trent as well as reality series American Idol and The Bachelor.
“We are proud to be home to beloved series and meaningful narratives that audiences continue to embrace, and we’re fortunate that our solid, stable roster continues to leverage the enormous success of our established hits, with originals airing every night of the week,” said Craig Erwich, president, Disney Television Group.
NEW UNSCRIPTED SERIES
THE GOLDEN BACHELOR
After more than 20 years of fostering young love on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor showcases a whole new kind of love story – one for the golden years. On this all-new unscripted series, one hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life. The women arriving at the mansion have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities. In the end, will our Golden man turn the page to start a new chapter with the woman of his dreams? The Golden Bachelor is produced by Warner Bros. Unscripted Television in association with Warner Horizon.