RENEWAL ALERT: Modern Family, The Middle, Last Man Standing, The Neighbors, Suburgatory, Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, Castle, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, Nashville

After no official pickups all season, ABC finally handed some out with mostly obvious renewals and a few bubble shows making the cut. Renewed were comedies Modern Family, The Middle, Last Man Standing, The Neighbors, and Suburgatory and dramas Scandal, Grey's Anatomy, Castle, Once Upon a Time, Revenge, and Nashville.

On the comedy side, the most obvious were Modern Family and The Middle for fifth seasons while, as expected, Last Man Standing got a third season. The shows are the three anchors for ABC's three current comedy hours and their returns were never in doubt. The biggest question is not where these shows will air, because they're all likely to stay right where they are. The question is what will follow each of these three shows and will there be a fourth hour somewhere?

Two of the four bubble comedies made the cut as The Neighbors and Suburgatory got the call over Malibu Country and How to Live with Your Parents. I thought all four might return but only two are coming back which makes me think they won't open another hour of comedy on Fridays. The Neighbors was one of the most critically maligned new shows but it kept surprising by not collapsing in the ratings and ABC saw more potential with this show than How to Live... (and they own it, so there's that too). Suburgatory was probably always a likely returner but it really struggled in the post-Modern Family slot which was surprising. After a strong freshman season, things did not go as well this year so it'll be interesting to see where it's slotted next year.

On the drama side, all were pretty much forgone conclusions. At the top of the list is Scandal for a third season which has been the fastest growing and hottest drama on TV, hitting a series high this week. The show has been the biggest surprise in a year where almost every show was down. Other obvious renewals are Scandal's partner Grey's Anatomy for a tenth season and Castle for a sixth season. Castle was reportedly in talks for a two-season pickup but nothing has been announced yet. The question is will ABC keep Grey's and Scandal paired together next year? I think they will.

Two more dramas were given a third season - Once Upon a Time and Revenge. The two Sunday companions have seen troubling drops in their second season, particularly during the spring, but they were always sure-thing renewals though Revenge will not have showrunner Mike Kelley after a mutual departure. It seems quite possible that Revenge will slide back to 10pm to make room for a new drama at 10pm while there is also the Once Upon a Time spinoff to consider. So while both were always assured a return, where they go is a different question.

The final renewal was Nashville, which will be the only ABC freshman drama to get a second season and it will join The Neighbors as ABC's only two survivors from this year's weak class. Nashville has been a disappointment on Wednesdays, regularly finishing in third in its timeslot. However, it has had some critical acclaim and a high profile on ABC. It also does well in other areas such as music sales so ABC will give it another chance. I expect some creative re-tooling before it returns at it has been hit and miss this season.

ABC has yet to announce renewals for its unscripted shows but most of those are obvious too and I'm sure we will hear soon.