QUICK HITS: Midseason Schedule Suggestion for ABC

Here is my midseason schedule suggestion for ABC!

ABC has had an OK fall. They have a bunch of middling dramas while their comedies have done a little bit better. Their only outright flop is The Alec Baldwin Show, which is already benched to Saturdays. ABC has three more high profile dramas sitting on the bench. I think given the structure of their schedule and the fact that American Idol is coming back, this is a schedule that doesn't have a ton of room for creativity.

MONDAYS
(January)
8:00 The Bachelor
10:00 The Good Doctor

(March)
8:00 American Idol
10:00 Whiskey Cavalier
I think the plan for last year is solid with The Bachelor pairing with The Good Doctor and American Idol leading into a new show. I just don't think The Good Doctor could survive a hiatus, but I would try to get a new drama on a little sooner than early April like The Crossing was last year. Whiskey Cavalier seems like a good fit here.

TUESDAYS
8:00 (Jan) The Conners/(Feb) Schooled
8:30 The Kids Are Alright
9:00 Black-ish
9:30 Splitting Up Together
10:00 The Rookie
All the Tuesday shows have full or near full seasons except for The Conners, which only negotiated 11 episodes. So I would replace it with The Goldbergs spinoff Schooled, which should get a post-Goldbergs sneak peek. If they can manage to get the Sue spinoff of The Middle by this spring, that could change things on this night. But with The Kids Are Alright doing pretty well and The Rookie not completely collapsing in a difficult timeslot, I think it's smart to give this lineup a chance to stay together.

WEDNESDAYS
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 American Housewife
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Single Parents
10:00 (Jan) A Million Little Things/(Apr) The Fix
I would leave Wednesdays alone for most of the season. The comedy block is doing decently and A Million Little Things has been a big DVR gainer. When it ends its season, it can give way to The Fix, which seems to have the lowest ceiling of the new dramas so I would give it the latest start date.

THURSDAYS
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Station 19
10:00 (Jan) How to Get Away with Murder/(Mar) For the People
Thursdays can stay TGIT. I think the radical solution is a new drama at 9pm Thursday, but I definitely don't think they'll do it and I'm not even convinced that's the right call. So I guess I would stick with Station 19 this season and let How to Get Away with Murder give way to For the People. ABC needs to overhaul their schedule to allow for better spots for drama launches, but I don't think a midseason change is the way to accomplish that.

FRIDAYS
8:00 Family Food Fight
9:00 Fresh Off the Boat
9:30 Speechless
10:00 20/20
The return of TGIT has not worked out for ABC, but they have full seasons of Fresh Off the Boat and Speechless. So I would try a reality show at 8pm - maybe the new Family Food Fight - and try the comedies at 9pm before calling it a loss.

SUNDAYS
(January)
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 Celebrity Family Feud
9:00 Shark Tank
10:00 Shark Tank

(late February)
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 American Idol
10:00 Grand Hotel
I think ABC will and should bide their time on Sundays until American Idol returns. When it does, I would pair it with Grand Hotel, which seems like their highest profile new show.

CANCEL: The Alec Baldwin Show

ENDED: Child Support, Dancing with the Stars, Dancing with the Stars Junior

SUMMER: The $100,000 Pyramid, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., To Tell the Truth