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QUICK HITS: My ABC Midseason Schedule Suggestion

Here is my suggestion for ABC's midseason schedule! As I have mentioned, this is a suggestion not a prediction.

Like all networks, it's been a tough fall for ABC. ABC might be the most "in the middle" with their lineup. They haven't had any great moments from any new or returning shows but haven't had any disastrous bomb like Sunnyside or Almost Family (though Emergence is getting there). The bigger issue is they have so little on the bench because the picked up so little to series. I don't love how many issues they can't address, but the shows n the bench make it almost impossible. So, here we go.

MONDAYS
8:00 (Jan) The Bachelor/(late Mar) American Idol
10:00 The Baker and the Beauty
I think ABC needs to move The Good Doctor to 9pm (more on that later) so I would do it sooner rather than later and let a new show debut out of The Bachelor. The only one that makes any sense is The Baker and the Beauty. So I would give that the 10pm slot and let it air after both The Bachelor and American Idol. That wouldn't make it all the way to May but maybe they can start a summer show early.

TUESDAYS
(Jan)
8:00 The Conners
8:30 Bless This Mess
9:00 Mixed-ish
9:30 Black-ish
10:00 Emergence

(Feb)
8:00 The Conners
8:30 United We Fall
9:00 The Good Doctor
10:00 For Life
I don't think for a second that ABC will do this. But I would move one of their comedy hours from Tuesdays to Fridays and finally give The Good Doctor a 9pm slot. It might be too late but the show is still getting a lot of DVR interest. I would start this lineup in February and also premiere United We Fall at 8:30pm and For Life at 10pm. Time for a change, ABC!

WEDNESDAYS
8:00 The Goldbergs
8:30 Schooled
9:00 Modern Family
9:30 Single Parents
10:00 Stumptown
ABC needs to make some changes to both Tuesdays and Wednesdays but they really don't have the backup shows to tackle both at midseason. With Modern Family ending and Stumptown doing a little bit better than Emergence, I think Wednesdays should be left alone until next season when a major revamp will be in order.

THURSDAYS
8:00 Grey's Anatomy
9:00 Station 19
10:00 (Jan) How to Get Away with Murder/(Mar) A Million Little Things
Things are not going well for season two of A Million Little Things  so I would get Station 19 going in January and let Million replace How to Get Away with Murder when it ends its six year run.

FRIDAYS
8:00 American Housewife
8:30 Fresh Off the Boat
9:00 (Jan) 20/20/(Feb) Mixed-ish & Black-ish
10:00 20/20
Again, I don't believe this will happen (and think less strongly about it after that 0.8 from Mixed-ish) this week but I would move a comedy block - the ish block - to Fridays and see how a two hour block goes. If there's success, they can build on it for next season.

SUNDAYS
7:00 America's Funniest Home Videos
8:00 (Jan) Kids Say the Darndest Things & Shark Tank/(Mar) American Idol
10:00 The Rookie
With The Rookie getting a full season, this seems like a pretty obvious lineup. Keep it as is until March then let American Idol take over and hope it can give a small boost to The Rookie, which is keeping the lights on for Sunday night at 10pm.

END SEASON: Dancing with the Stars

SAVE FOR SUMMER: Don't, Generation Gap, The Hustler, Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

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