ABC had a couple things go extremely right for them this year: the Roseanne reboot is easily the year's biggest hit but before that, it was also an ABC show: The Good Doctor, which broke out on Monday nights. They also were able to bring American Idol back to decent ratings and there could be a little promise in midseason comedy Splitting Up Together. But there are some problems too. Friday nights is a disaster. The Middle is ending and Modern Family could be ending after next season, and Scandal and Shonda are gone from the network (while Shonda Rhimes won't make new shows for ABC, she will still work on the existing ones). So ABC has some major building blocks but also some things that need to break the right way for them next season to keep moving in the right direction.
Past ABC suggestions: 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011
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MONDAYS
8:00 A MILLION LITTLE THINGS
9:00 The Good Doctor
10:00 THE ROOKIE
With the success of The Good Doctor, I think the time is now to try something different on Mondays and move the Dancing with the Stars/The Bachelor/American Idol cycle to Sundays. I do not think they will do this, but I think it's worth the gamble using the This is Us-sounding A Million Little Things at 8pm, sliding The Good Doctor to 9pm, and airing then new Nathan Fillion dramedy The Rookie in Castle's old timeslot.
TUESDAYS
8:00 Roseanne
8:30 MOST LIKELY TO
9:00 Black-ish
9:30 Splitting Up Together
10:00 Deception
I think ABC needs to make sure Roseanne can come back in the fall so they can keep striking while the iron is hot and they need to have a new show as a lead out. I don't know that there's a perfect fit, but Most Likely To seems the closest. I would leave the 9pm hour alone and see if Splitting Up Together can get some footing. And yes, I know Deception is doing poorly on Sundays and it probably doesn't deserve to come back. But the Tues 10pm timeslot is terrible and a waste on a new show and I like Deception so I'm suggesting ABC gives it one more chance.
WEDNESDAYS
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 THE GREATEST AMERICAN HERO
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 American Housewife
10:00 GRAND HOTEL
I would leave three of four comedies alone on Wednesdays. 9:30pm is a tough slot to launch a comedy so leave American Housewife there while trying something new at 8:30pm. Maybe The Greatest American Hero to have an 80s reboot following an 80s show (this is assuming Hero is just half an hour and not an hour like the original). At 10pm, I would try the new soap Grand Hotel. They have to try something besides Designated Survivor, at least in the fall.
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Station 19
10:00 How to Get Away with Murder
Without Scandal or a new Shonda show on the horizon, I would leave the three remaining Shondaland shows as the TGIT lineup and focus on other nights for launching new shows.
FRIDAYS
8:00 Shark Tank
9:00 Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
10:00 20/20
I think Shark Tank should come back to Fridays and lead off the night. I don't love the idea of keeping Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the air but I would leave it for one more season and keep it where it is on Fridays.
SATURDAYS
8:00 Encores
SUNDAYS
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Dancing with the Stars
10:00 WHISKEY CAVALIER
As mentioned, I would move their reality franchises to Sundays, starting with Dancing with the Stars in the fall. I would use that to lead into a promising newbie, Scott Foley's Whiskey Cavalier at 10pm.
MIDSEASON: FALSE PROFITS, GET CHRISTIE LOVE, TAKE TWO, UNTITLED GOLDBERGS SPINOFF, UNTITLED TIM DOYLE PROJECT, American Idol, The Bachelor, Child Support, Designated Survivor, Fresh Off the Boat, Speechless
I already mentioned American Idol and The Bachelor. Unlike some of the split season shows on other networks, ABC is more traditional so I would use most of these shows as midseason replacements in the traditional sense, replacing failed comedies or dramas. If everything works, that's great, and ABC can do some shorter orders for a few of their weaker shows. The only show that will probably definitely need a replacement is Roseanne. Unless they can somehow get a Home Improvement reboot thrown together, that might be a place for the Goldbergs spinoff or the 70s set Untitled Tim Doyle comedy.
CANCELLED/ENDED: Alex Inc., The Crossing, For the People, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, Marvel's Inhumans, The Mayor, The Middle, Once Upon a Time, Scandal, Ten Days in the Valley, The Toy Box
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